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iSSue 23.21 • TaMPa Bay ediTioN ocToBeR 20 - NoVeMBeR 2, 2016 WaTeRMaRKoNliNe.coM
Caught
IN THE
Webb
Watermark endorses Jennifer Webb for District 69 in the Florida House of Representatives
DaytOna beaCh • OrlanDO • tampa • st. petersburg • Clearwater • sarasOta
This issue features two covers! Jennifer Webb on the tampa bay edition and beth tuura on the central Florida edition.
watermark Your LGBTQ Life.
iSSue 23.21 • oRlaNdo ediTioN ocToBeR 20 - NoVeMBeR 2, 2016 WaTeRMaRKoNliNe.coM
Fair Play Watermark endorses Beth turra for District 47 in the Florida House of Representatives
DaytOna beaCh • OrlanDO • tampa • st. petersburg • Clearwater • sarasOta
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Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
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pLace yOUR BeTS:
Watermark endorses Jennifer Webb for District 69 and Beth Tuura for District 47 in the Florida House of Representatives. Photos by Jake Stevens
scan Qr code For
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pitcHing in:
Brian Raetz plays Hunter in the new gay-themed, slasher film from Glenn Douglas Packard.
watermark i ssue 23 .21 //oct ober 20 - november 2, 2016
take two
trans pride
words to live by
can’t stop tHe music
PAGE After being postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, Come Out With Pride is rescheduled for Nov. 12.
PAGE Metro Health and Wellness plays host again to the third annual Trans Pride celebration Nov. 5.
PAGE
PAGE
read it Online! In addition to a Web site with daily LGBTQ updates, a digital version of each issue of the publication is made available on WatermarkOnline.com
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From mothers to messiahs to megalomaniacs; Watermark publisher Rick Claggett takes a look at what fits into his baskets.
23
Felipe Rose talks about his legacy with the Village People, the crash of disco and moving on.
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give us a fOllOw On twitter anD instagram at @watermarkOnline anD be sure tO like us On faCebOOk. watermark Your LGBTQ life.
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top web comments “’The key means of prevention is condom use.’ No, it’s not. The key means of prevention is avoiding the risky behavior in the first place (like smoking), but it’s politically incorrect to tell anyone that these days.” —ennis
WatermarkOnline.com On a new CDC report showing disproportionate risk of syphilis among gay men in Florida:
BUILT FORD TOUGH A BED BIG ENOUGH FOR A BEAR 2016 FORD F-150
“’The key means of prevention is condom use.’ No, it’s not. The key means of prevention is avoiding the risky behavior in the first place (like smoking), but it’s politically incorrect to tell anyone that these days. As long as we rely on physical barriers we will always, always, remain one or more steps behind and many people will suffer unnecessarily.” —Enness
On a federal judge extending Florida’s voter registration:
“I don’t like Rick Scott, but in fairness to him the governor, by state law, doesn’t have the authority to extend the deadline.”
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On Transgender Democrat candidate Misty Snow facing off against incumbent Republican Mike Lee in Utah Senate race:
“This country deserves all
the misery that comes to it. We’ve earned it.” —Jan Bode
Watermark’s Facebook On Come Out With Pride announcing Pride’s new date:
“Awesome. I need to request off work ASAP!” —Loritza Castillo
On the candidates blasting each other on LGBT law in the North Carolina governor debate:
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—Michael James Kelly
“Karma is a bitch.”
—Kathleen Mergarejo Stephens
On Todrick Hall opening for UCF’s LGBTQ History Month event:
“He’s so talented!”
—Todd Skonieczki
On Donald Trump fortifing anti-LGBT positions and tapping Rick Santorum to be an adviser: “Where do these nut jobs come from? I think they mean pedophilia and beastiality. Geniuses.” —Mandy Ree
On VP candidate Tim Kaine’s faith being both an influence and struggle:
“Raise some Kaine! [Mike] Pence is an anti-women, anti-gay, pro-Klan bigot.” —Veronica Drake
On Planned Parenthood offering inclusive services for the transgender communtiy:
On getting registered to vote in time for Election Day:
“Thank you Watermark for shining a light on this subject and thank you Planned Parenthood for supporting the transgender community.”
“Did it today at the Center. Gotta make sure Trump doesn’t win.”
On Hot 101.5’s Miguel Fuller talking about getting new suitcases in his Viewpoint column, High Fidelity:
On the Oregon bakery that refused service to gay couples going out of business:
“I just took over my mom’s suitcases, which were brand new and I had a hard time parting with my old ones. Oh the dirty nights those things have been a part of.”
“And they are both going to lose big time in November.” —Rand Hoch
—Lucas Barszcz
“Payback!”
—Kathleen Gillette
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“Of course, so they do not have to pay the couple either.”
Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
—Gina Leigh Duncan
—Mark Baggio
editor’s
Billy Manes EDITOR
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
I
Desk
t’s always with a sense of
consternation that we face down these weeks leading up to the November political sweepstakes, especially in presidential-election years.
The white noise can overpower the progressiveness and inspiration that leadership is meant to ignite; the television advertisements find their way to the nearest drain to see just how low they can go before the gutter becomes the wall; the erosion of trust becomes its own beast, as conspiracy theorists draft their narratives as a means of leveraging their distaste with nearly everything. Meanwhile, pies meet skies in overstated narratives of importance, polls slip into their margins of error and apathy, inevitably, reigns supreme. It’s an ugly story and it always has been. It’s also the key to the core of our nation, and should be treated as such: with respect and the sense of
watermark staff
duty that public service requires. That caveat aside, this year has seen an unprecedented level of mirth in the mythology. The trickle-down of partisan politics between a capitalism caricature with funding and fondling issues and a former first lady, senator and secretary of state who everyone has selectively branded as “shrill” has been one for the history books. Deplorable? Yes. Important? Even more so. For the LGBTQ Community – and, ultimately, any minority that finds itself fighting for rights in what we used to call a “free country” – this could be the most important election of our lives. That’s not just hyperbole. Without getting too deep
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into the gristle, the complications presented by campaign finance overtures and voting-rights curtain lights are so complex that all most people can do is rubberneck at the decline and fall of Western Civilization. In attempt to cool some jets and diffuse the obligatory blame game, Watermark’s crack editorial team had its conference table moment to discuss how we might handle endorsements this year. It’s clear that we are largely in agreement on nearly all of our picks, as it is incredibly difficult to throw support in the direction of any candidate that comes after us, our sisters, our allies and our friends with pitchforks. Just a few months ago, we were shocked into paralysis by the largest gun massacre in American history, and it happened in Orlando, the happiest place on earth. One year prior, we were gifted – before many states – the right to marry our partners regardless of gender. This has been the year of the backlash that begat sometimes tone-deaf reaction. As editor of this publication, I never thought I would see the day where a first lady had to reprimand a candidate for sexually predatory behavior. I never thought that we’d be subject to the near complete breakdown of a political party. Again, this is not hyperbole. This is us now. In this issue, we highlight two candidates – Beth Tuura in the Orlando area and Jennifer Webb in the Tampa Bay area – as a means of illuminating how down-ticket races are incredibly important to Florida’s future. Both are in possession of unpolluted political acumen, each with strong progressive views on the environment, gun control women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. Both are, in their own ways, part of the LGBTQ community. Both are a source of inspiration in an increasingly acrid political climate. They have won the endorsements of their peers, our peers – your
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Planned Parenthoods, your Equality Floridas – but mostly they have reminded me – and us – that scrappy individuals with strong backgrounds are the stuff this country is made of. As a result, they’ve made us a little less worried about the 2016 general election and a little more interested in seeing productive and progressive life from sharp angles that we may outwardly recognize, but may not inwardly fully experience. These two women are gracing our covers for a reason. Politics still matter. The future still matters. And while there are a lot of politics in this issue, you’ll find numerous distractions of the Watermark variety. We have stories about Trans Pride from our gulf coast and a postponed Come Out
Curtain lights are so complex that all most people can do is rubberneck at the decline and fall of Western Civilization.
With Pride from Orlando. We’ve even snuck in a conversation with Felipe Rose from the Village People – he of the feathered headdress – as he and his village-mates will be headlining a fundraiser for Aspire Health Partners this month. Also, for those into heavier matters, there’s a slasher film that is an allegory for coming out of the closet while at the same time being a vehicle for a former sidekick of the Hulk Hogan empire. It’s Florida, people. Inside, as always, you’ll find a voting guide that is just about as comprehensive as our space would allow. Apologies to every candidate not included, because given the vast swath of candidates in our reading area – and the tone and import of this election – we had to do some selective editing. Blame me. I’m the editor.
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contributors 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 21
Samantha Rosenthal
attended University of Central Florida and is a former Watermark editorial assistant. She is currently a freelance writer and regularly covers Wedding Bells. Page 47
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central florida news
Pride Fund and politicians gather to rail against gun violence Billy Manes
O Let’s do it again:
Come Out With Pride 2015 parade. Photo by Brian Becnel
Pride part two In the wake of a weather threat from Hurricane Matthew, Pride reboots for a Nov. 12 do over Billy Manes
O
rlando | It isn’t the first time Mother Nature has dampened the spirits of revelers hoping for a celebration of LGBTQ Pride. Back in 2011, Orlando’s Come Out With Pride board had to postpone its annual festival and parade due to rain. This time, though, things looked a little more serious. With what could have been a direct hit from a Category 5 Hurricane Matthew swirling across television screens and computer forecasts, the board – already reeling from necessary redirection due to the Pulse massacre on June 12 – had to make a decision. And it didn’t have time on its side. Concerns rose early. “We were certainly concerned in the days leading up to the Oct. 8 event, and even as early as Tuesday at the meeting before the event, we were looking at the weather, and we were saying, ‘Oh, this hurricane!’” Come Out With Pride director of marketing and communications Jeff Prystajko says. “We had several meetings: board
meetings, volunteer meetings. In the end, we had some very frank and open conversations as to what would happen.” It was by no means an easy cancellation to make. Board chatter led to social media chatter in a way that it really hasn’t before. Initial complaints before the cancellation often targeted the softening of Pride, or at least its implied lack of political leanings. There were measures discussed in vendor emails that involved political action groups marking their booths to indicate their advocacy, something those close to the event have told Watermark was a service and not a means of censorship. But with an event expected to draw up to 200,000 people a month before a presidential election and just a few months after a local massacre, emotions were high. When it came down to it, safety prevailed, even if the storm would have passed by Saturday, Oct. 8. “We thought, even though the forecast looks great on Saturday, and there will probably be some unhappy people, we’re putting people at risk,” Prystajko says.
“In no case would we want to have force people to come to a Pride parade, which really isn’t as important given the context of a hurricane.” Now the parade will happen on Nov. 12, the weekend after the election. This time with a twist. The Veteran’s Day Parade happens downtown on the same day. “We are incredibly grateful to the city of Orlando as well as the Veterans Advisory Council for their cooperation and sharing of the venue following the annual Veteran’s Day Parade from 11 a.m.1 p.m.,” Come Out With Pride board president Brian Reha said in an Oct. 12 press release. “We hope that both our audiences will be able to share in even more festivities.” The Come Out With Pride parade is still planning a 4 p.m. launch. As for the fallout for planned Pride attractions, details are still in the works, Prystajko says. The Taste of Pride event and VIP experience are still in the offing, though some of the chefs previously involved may not be able to make the rescheduled date (refunds are available). Some of the entertainment is shifting, new sponsors are being courted and details will become clearer as November approaches. “I guess, in a general way, I would say that in Orlando, we’ve been through a lot. We suffered through a lot of tragedy in June,” Prystajko says. “A hurricane came and tried to set us back. We’re not going to let anything set us back.”
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rlando | On October 12, the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence brought together some of its biggest supporters and endorsees for a downtown Orlando press conference. The subject at hand, of course, was the threat of firearms in the wrong hands, an issue that was only made more notable by the fact that the event was held four months to the day that 49 people were killed and 53 injured at Pulse Orlando on June 12. Pride Fund, which is an LGBT political action committee focusing predominantly on state and federal candidates, as most gun laws are not written by municipalities, picked senatorial hopeful U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, congressional candidate and former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings and Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to carry its message. “I have seen my share of gun violence, broken dreams and shattered lives that gun violence leaves behind,” Demings said. “Staring at the lifeless bodies, I couldn’t help but think about their mothers, fathers, siblings and friends.” She added that while in her office as police chief, she worked for a rollback of guns on the streets of Orlando. “But now Orlando finds itself at the top of the list,” she said, before highlighting the plank in her platform that won her Pride Fund’s endorsement: common-sense gun reform. “If we see something, we’re supposed to say something,” she said. “Enough is enough. Let’s get it done.” Pride Fund chief executive officer Jason Lindsay echoed Demings sentiment, directly naming the National Rifle Association and the $37 million that organization has poured into senatorial campaigns of politicians voting against further restrictions on gun availability in America. “It is our moral imperative to disarm hate,” Lindsay said. Patrick Murphy, also endorsed by the Pride Fund, spoke to the issue of background checks and the terrorist gun loophole (“no-fly-no-buy”), common-sense measures he said that “the vast majority of Floridians support and the vast majority of gun owners support.” He also made a jab at opponent Marco Rubio, saying “his silence is deafening” on the issue. Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., hammered the message home, speaking as someone who had endured the Newtown school massacre in 2012. “My life changed,” he said. “And when Marco Rubio came back to Washington, he went to bat for the gun lobby. It makes no sense.” Of Patrick Murphy’s senatorial candidacy, he said, “I need a partner that will make sure that what happened in Orlando never happens again.”
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tampa bay news
anti-lgbt republicans pence, rubio speak at tampa Fundraiser heRO’S SenDOff:
Jeremy Williams
T
ampa | Vice Presidential hopeful Mike Pence and Sen. Marco Rubio spoke at a Republican fundraiser in Tampa Oct. 15 spending most of the time attacking Hillary Clinton without barely a mention of the GOP’s current presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Rubio, like many in the party, appears to be trying to distance himself since the infamous Access Hollywood tape that was leaked where Trump spoke about sexually assaulting women. Rubio has not gone as far as to retract his endorsement of Trump as many in the party have done, but spoke for 34 minutes at the event without even once saying Trump’s name, focusing instead on the importance of his Senate race. “The next president and the next U.S. Senate will probably nominate and confirm up to three Supreme Court justices,” Rubio said in his speech to the 650 Republican voters attending the dinner. Rubio, along with Pence, expressed the importance of electing a Republican president and keeping a Republican-led Senate in order to ensure they get a Supreme Court that will reverse Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 case that gave same-sex couples the right to marry in the U.S., and Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion. “This is a choice of whether we’re going to continue to go downhill with the policies that have weakened America’s place in the world, stifled America’s economy, walked away from our most cherished traditions and our highest ideals in public life,” Pence said. As governor of Indiana, Pence signed a religious freedom law that would have allowed any business to deny services to any person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. He has also expressed support for conversion therapy and stated that, if elected, he and Trump would reverse Obama’s executive order outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity among federal contractors. “No one should fear persecution because of their deeply held religious beliefs,” Pence said on a conservative radio show Oct. 5. “I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. The Trump/Pence administration will be dedicated to preserving the liberties of our people, including the freedom of religion that’s enshrined in our Bill of Rights.”
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Dr. Kathleen Farrell (L) accepts a lifetime achievement award from Tristan Byrnes at the first Trans Pride at Metro Wellness in St. Petersburg in 2014. PHOTO By STEVE BlAnCHARD
transgender and Proud Metro Wellness’ trans community looks to celebrate and educate Jeremy Williams
S
T. peTeRSBURG | Metro Health, Wellness & Community Centers in St. Petersburg will again play host to Trans Pride, now in its third year, Nov. 5. The event originated not as a Pride celebration but as a way to honor a hero in the community. Tristan Byrnes, along with then-Metro Community Director Chris Rudisill, began Trans Pride as a way to honor one of the community’s earliest supporters, Dr. Kathleen Farrell was Tampa Bay’s first openly lesbian psychologist and one of the first in the area to offer counseling for transgender people. They also saw this as a way to increase visibility and recognition in the trans community. “When we started this event, it was around the time that the bathroom bills were starting, when trans murders were on the rise, or at least the reporting of trans murders were on the rise,” Byrnes says. “So we put all of that together and thought
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
the community could use a boost since it was such a horrible year up to that point.” For each of the three years, Byrnes and Metro have tried to offer up something different than any of the previous events they held. “We try to bring in what we think the community needs,” Byrnes says. “We are adding in workshops that will include information the community needs. We are expanding it from the original idea of it just being a reception.” Trans Pride will kick off at 9 a.m. with a welcome ceremony and the day’s first panel discussion on “What is Gender.” The rest of the workshops will be divided into four sessions, with lunch being provided at Metro. Some highlights of the event, and topics Byrnes says tend to be the most troubling to members of the trans community, include workshops on unemployment, one on the legal aspects of transitioning, as well as some discussions on mental health and how the process of transitioning can affect that.
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“For the mental health portion we will have a panel discussion with some experts,” Byrnes says. “There will be a Metro-specific session that discusses what Metro can offer and help with, that way if someone walked in off the streets, they would know exactly what Metro can and cannot offer.” The workshops run until 3 p.m. with the main reception starting at 6 p.m., however Metro’s Community Center will remain open all day. “If people want a place to hang out and mingle all day, they are more than welcome to. If they want to attend some of the workshops, then leave to get ready for the reception and come back, they are also welcome to do that,” Byrnes says. The reception will provide food and drinks, have a live DJ and will feature a line-up of local trans entertainment. Many of the events going on throughout the month of November for Transgender Awareness Month focus on the political aspects of LGBT legislation or are solemn affairs that focus on tragedies in the trans community such as Trans Day of remembrance Nov. 20, so Byrnes wants Trans Pride to focus on the positives in the community. “It’s more of a fun, laid back event that lets us highlight and support transgender talent in the area,” Byrnes says. “A way for the community to come together and celebrate that we are united.”
Joseph Rodríguez, Carlos, from the series Spanish Harlem, 1987, chromogenic print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist. © 1987 Joseph Rodríguez
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state news
Federal Judge decides in Favor oF voters in signature dispute Wire Report
T
aLLahaSSee, fLa. | Calling the state’s current law “illogical” and “bizarre,” a federal judge late Sunday ordered the state of Florida to give thousands of voters a chance to make sure their vote-by-mail ballots are counted. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled that county election offices should notify voters if their signature on a vote-by-mail ballot and their voter registration forms don’t match. Voters would then be given a chance to fix the problem by 5 p.m. the day before the election. The Florida Democratic Party sued the state because currently voters who don’t sign their vote-by-mail ballot are given a chance to fix it. But voters whose signatures don’t match aren’t told about the problem until after the election is over and their ballot is discarded.
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Walker said that makes the law unconstitutional. It is illogical, irrational, and patently bizarre for the state of Florida to withhold the opportunity to cure from mismatched-signature voters while providing that same opportunity to no-signature voters,” Walker wrote. “And in doing so, the state of Florida has categorically disenfranchised thousands of voters for no reason other than they have poor handwriting or their handwriting has changed over time.” Meredith Beatrice, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Ken Detzner, said state officials were reviewing the decision. It is not clear exactly how many voters would be affected by the decision. But more than 23,000 vote-by-mail ballots were rejected by Florida election officials during the 2012 presidential election where President Barack Obama carried the state by slightly more than 74,000 votes.
OveRRULeD: Federal judge rules against Rick Scott. PHOTO COuRTESy WIKIMEDIA COMMOnS Nearly 513,000 Floridians have already voted by mail according to data compiled by the Florida Division of Elections. And another 2.4 million vote-by-mail ballots have been requested. Judge Walker, citing the contentious 2000 Florida election where George W. Bush carried the state over Al Gore by 537 votes,
said he needed to act because the current practice was enough of a burden to affect the outcome of an election and “by extension, our country’s future.” Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature in 2004 passed a law that said all vote-by-mail ballots that had mismatched signatures or did not contain a signature
were to be tossed out. But then in 2013 legislators changed the law to allow people who turned in a ballot without a signature to fix the mistake prior to the election. Detzner, the state’s top election official, did not try to defend the current law. Instead his lawyers asserted that he could not order county election offices to correct the problem and that he was not the proper person to sue. Walker disagreed sharply in his decision. Walker rebuked Detzner on Saturday in a separate scathing ruling connected to the same case. The judge accused Detzner of delaying a hearing on the lawsuit “so that he could use every second available to run out the clock” so there wouldn’t be enough time to address problems raised in the lawsuit. The judge also said Detzner’s actions amounted to an “undeclared war” on the right to vote in Florida, the largest swing state in the presidential election.
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Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
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nation+world news
in otHer news
slur in video eXposes racial riFts in pHiladelpHia’s iconic gay neigHborHood
emaiLS ShOw cLinTOn’S ReSpOnSe TO LGBT BackLaSh Hacked emails released in daily dispatches by WikiLeaks showed Hillary Clinton’s campaign staff worried about how to respond to the gay community’s backlash over a comment from Clinton luading former first lady Nancy Reagan for starting a “national conversation” about AIDS in the 1980s. Clinton immediately tweeted an apology after her initial remarks last March, but released a more detailed response after her aides felt the LGBT community was unsatisfied. An initial draft of Clinton’s statement began by stating: “I made a mistake.” The line was changed to “I said something inaccurate” with the phrase “I made a mistake, plain and simple” added later.
pROTeSTeRS maRch in paRiS aGainST Same-SeX maRRiaGe Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing same-sex marriage, six months before France’s next presidential election. The protesters ended up at Trocadero Plaza, near the Eiffel Tower. Police estimated the crowd at 24,000, while organizers gave a figure of 200,000. They were also protesting against the use of assisted reproduction techniques and surrogate mothers to help same-sex couples have babies. None of the major candidates in the election attended the march. A small group of bare-breasted Femen demonstrators briefly showed up during the march to protest against what they call “homophobia.”
Wire Report
p
hiLaDeLphia | Long-simmering racial tensions in one of the country’s iconic gay neighborhoods have reached a boil after the release of a video clip in which a club owner repeatedly utters a racial slur, leading to calls for action. Black gays and lesbians in the city say they are carded at clubs in the area known as the Gayborhood while they watch white patrons stroll in. At bars, they say, they wait longer for drinks and are subjected to dress codes that ban athletic gear, Timberland boots and hooded sweatshirts, rules they say are meant to exclude them. Now, they say, the video finally provides tangible evidence of their concerns. It has sparked outrage among many in the city’s LGBT community, bolstered by the Black Lives Matter movement and support for gay safe spaces in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. “The minute you walk into the Gayborhood as a black or brown
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person, you feel it,” said Shani Akilah Robin, creator of the Black and Brown Workers Collective, which held protests after the video release. “They play our music and target us for the very blackness they’re making money off of. This is the reality of being black and queer in America.” An anonymous video was posted Sept. 27 in the comments section of a story about the protest on Philadelphia Magazine’s website. The video features the voice, but not the face, of Darryl DePiano, the owner of ICandy, repeatedly using a racial slur, saying they’re the only patrons who ask for free drink tickets. In a Facebook post last month, DePiano said his comments were made out of frustration. “As many of you know me and know that I am always striving for diversity, and always willing to listen, learn and grown myself, my business and my team,” DePiano said in the Sept. 29 post. “This was an EXTREMELY Poor Choice I made on my own many years ago and I definitely learned and continue to
learn each day. I SINCERELY and Truthfully Apologize to all my Friends, Valued Customers, and Everyone that I Hurt and Offended.” DePiano did not respond to an interview request for this article. The Black and Brown Workers Collective has issued a list of demands to the city, including additional representatives with the administration’s Office of LGBT Affairs. They have also called for the resignation of that department’s director, Nellie Fitzpatrick, and for her replacement to be a black transgender woman. Fitzpatrick, a white lesbian who was appointed in 2015, said she is committed to resolving the issues highlighted by the video. The office has planned a public meeting Oct. 25 to discuss racism in the Gayborhood. “The video … is every bit as repulsive as the practices we are seeing and the experiences people are having,” Fitzpatrick said in a telephone interview. “If there’s one place that should be a sanctuary, it’s the Gayborhood, and it isn’t right now.”
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Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
viewpoint
Jason Leclerc
The other side
of life A full-throated endorsement
W
hen it comes down
to it, I probably have more quality experience than either of the (realistic) presidential candidates in at least one thing: oral. I’ve been performing it for decades.
They just aren’t as eloquent. They just aren’t listeners. It’s clear that Hillary hates giving spicy speeches – she wonkishly shares this low energy discomfort with Florida’s Bush – and it’s also clear that Trump hates listening to others. He arrogantly shares this discomfort with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose advice may be sage. Regardless, we are left to rely mostly on the words the candidates speak and less on the written record that surround them. History, we’ve discovered, is only relevant when it can be recounted through the candidates’ (and their respective surrogates’) interpretation of what happened more than three days prior. Thus, we have been subjected to a tasteless, in-the-gutter campaign of “he said, she said.” And, then there’s the, “She said that he said,” and its absurd obverse, “He said that she said.” In this odd world of oral obfuscation and misrepresentation magnified by a press that it seems can’t read its own record, words have become nearly empty moanings. Except for the most die-hard partisans, most of us find ourselves suspending our collective gag-reflex as we consider who we are most inclined to vote against as we triangulate – thanks to third party hangers-on – a strategy for voting. A vote for Trump means, more than anything, a suspension of belief that the brusque and inarticulate
words that come out of his mouth will somehow find their way into policy. A vote for Trump – the optimistic activity of voting in the affirmative – implies not just walls and misogyny, but also that members of a polished and articulate Republican establishment will choke out Trump’s chicken-little speech to promote responsible conservative fiscal and trade policy. As much as a vote FOR Trump expresses conflicting goals of different traditionally Republican groups, it could just as strongly be interpreted as a vote AGAINST Clinton and what can rightly be perceived as irresponsible taxing and spending, misguided international resets and pivots and assaults on basic constitutional freedoms. A vote AGAINST Clinton, given the current paradigm, could be read as a valid protest against corrupt political institutions – pay-for-play, political kickbacks, and bureaucratic irresponsibility – for which she can be seen as a perfect representative: entrenched in a system that she’s helped to create. A vote for Clinton means, more than anything, an acceptance that the polished and on-message words that come out of her mouth – despite three decades of political posturing – will somehow find their way into policy. A vote for Clinton implies not just opportunity through immigration and glass-ceiling shattering, but also that members of the divisive fringes of her party will be quieted to promote responsible and tenable social policy. As much as a vote FOR Clinton expresses conflicting goals of newly empowered wings within the Democratic party, it could just as convincingly be interpreted as a vote AGAINST Trump, and what could rightly be perceived as irresponsible taxing and spending, misguided international resets and pivots, and assaults on basic constitutional freedoms. A vote AGAINST Trump, given the current paradigm, could be read as a valid protest against
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the worst characteristics of capitalism – cronyism, bankruptcy, aggressive litigiousness – for which he can be seen as a perfect representative: profiting from a system that he’s helped create. They’re both bullies – using their words (or the carefully scripted words of their
I’ve been choking on for a while. Past columns have intimated a deep, thrombotic dissatisfaction with one candidate and the inevitability of the other, stopping short of endorsement. Acknowledging that the words I’m about to share will probably leave me with, if not
I value education, science and that I value ideology tempered by pragmatism. Given that Michael Bloomberg, Jeb Bush, and John Huntsman are not options. Given that only one candidate, at least, acknowledges the existence of these topics. Given that only one candidate doesn’t
surrogates) to belittle political opponents. They both exploit otherness: One by insulting minorities; the other by taking their votes for granted. They each overstate and exploit fear – one of international terrorism (ISIL and Muslims), the other of internal terrorism (KKK and cops). Both suck at oral. And now it’s my turn to puke out the words that
some communicable affliction, at least an awful lingering taste in my mouth, it’s time to give my full-throated endorsement. Given that I am a conservative, Christian, and that I have nieces. Given that I believe in free trade. Given that I believe in equality, equity, the Constitution and rule of law. Given that I believe in an optimistic Reagan-(Bill) Clinton vision of America. Given that
completely obliterate these ideals: Not Trump. Ok, fine, I’ll write it since I’ve been expressing it orally – in the absence of another, less regrettable orifice from which to express it – long enough. My full-throated, endorsement: I’m with her.
A vote for Clinton means, more than anything, an acceptance that the polished and on-message words that come out of her mouth – despite three decades of political posturing – will somehow find their way into policy.
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viewpoint
Rick Claggett, Publisher
w o r d s
to live by Baskets
W
e have an Easter
tradition in my family. Annually, we search the house for Easter baskets left by Jesus, a rabbit or – most likely – my mother. The Easter basket tradition is one of my favorites, and continues to this day when we are able to get together for the holiday.
The search begins the same way every year. Mom walks up to you and says, “I have it on good authority the Easter Bunny came and left something for you. It’s somewhere in the house.” She’s done this for so long that she has gotten pretty good at hiding them. When mom knows you have no clue where the basket is, she follows you around like Debate Trump whispering colder or warmer to help guide you. When you finally find your basket everyone erupts in cheers. It’s our thing and I like it. What’s in the Easter basket is tradition as well: plastic grass base, chocolate bunny, colored eggs, plastic eggs with change in them, jelly beans and something geared toward your liking (which meant baseball cards during my childhood). That’s the thing about baskets; they hold what you think they would. I may be in the minority among my liberal peers, but I like baskets. Some people see them as constricting labels, but I see a benefit to placing things in baskets. It helps me with expectations. It’s my thing and I like it.
I understand, though, the waters get muddied when putting people in baskets. Gay Republicans are a great example of how complicated it can be. Since they fit into the LGBTQ basket and the Republican basket, they are often dismissed and categorically placed into the self-loathing basket. Unless Miss Cleo rises from the dead and tells me she has read their minds and can undeniably say all gay Republicans are self-loathing, I will continue to think it is a disservice to LGBTQ community to make such an assumption. I don’t agree with their overall political views, but there are many gay Republicans that do great work for our community. That doesn’t strike me as self-loathing. The basket getting all of the attention lately, and possibly my favorite basket of all time, is the infamous basket of deplorables. First, let’s admit this is a thing. There is a basket that people fit into when they say deplorable things. Hilary Clinton didn’t invent the basket; she just labeled it and it fits. Why does this label have so many Donald Trump supporters upset? Hilary Clinton said roughly half of Trump supporters are deplorable. If you accept this as fact and assume that Trump’s 12.5 million Twitter followers are his supporters, then 6.25 million Trump supporters are not deplorable. Why do some automatically assume they are the deplorable ones? So, relax! You’re not all bad people. Want to know if she was referring to you? Ask yourself these simple questions: Do you think you are superior to other people because you are white? Do you think you are superior to other people because you are Christian, or male, or straight? Do you think minorities are to blame for your perceived poor life and not a series of life choices on your part? If yes, then own your spot in that
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
basket. Don’t tout that you like Trump because he isn’t politically correct then cry that your feelings are hurt because Hillary called you deplorable if you are in fact a bigot. If you like someone who tells it like it is, then appreciate it from all sides. On November 8 (or November 28 according to
plays an important role in shaping your government. Imagine if we elect a president that is in favor of a tuition-free state college. Did we elect a Congress that will make it law? If so, what if Congress passes a law making all state college tuition-free and declares it will be up to the states to
get elected? How long will equality last if we elect a President and Congress that want it stopped? If you want a progressive agenda, then you need to be progressive from the ground up, not the top down. You need to vote every two years, not every four years. Learn who all
Trump in one particular speech) we have an opportunity to rearrange the political basket. While the presidential election is very important with the Supreme Court and basic leadership at stake, let’s not lose sight of how important down ballot elections are. For those unhappy about the current state of their union, don’t forget that Congress
decide how that program will be enacted? Now, did we elect a governor that will follow through with that plan? Or a state House of Representatives and a state Senate that will accept it? Or do we have local officials who will deny it like they did Medicaid expansion? How far will minimum wage make it if a supportive Congress doesn’t
of your representatives are and vote to fill your basket with politicians who stand for your values. As for me, I chose compassion over finance and freedom over oppression. Regardless of what motivates you to vote, vote. Don’t be the person who just shouts behind a keyboard. Vote!
There is a basket that people fit into when they say deplorable things. Hilary Clinton didn’t invent the basket; she just labeled it and it fits.
Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
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M I C H A E L
Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
®
talking points
4IN10 HIV-NEGATIVE
MEN Were AWAre tHAt
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HIV and AIDS still disproportionately impact gay and bisexual men, communities of color, transgender people and young people.
We need to increase research, expand the use of effective prevention medications like PreP, cap out-of-pocket drug costs and reform outdated HIv-criminalization laws. —hiLLaRy cLinTOn, eXcLUSive Op-eD penneD fOR The PHILADELPHIA GAY NEWS
geOrge takei gives persOnal COlleCtiOn tO l.a. museum
a
cTOR anD acTiviST GeORGe Takei iS DOnaTinG a trove of art and artifacts from his life and career to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The museum said the collection will be featured in an exhibition next year. “New Frontiers: The Many Worlds of George Takei” is set to open March 12, 2017. Takei’s collection includes photos, sculptures, scripts and other memorabilia from his Star Trek days, as well as his run for Los Angeles City Council in 1973 and the Olympic torch he carried ahead of the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Takei’s most recent acting credit was in the animated Kubo and the Two Strings. The 79-year-old entertainer is an activist for gay rights and spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign.
MEDICATION cOuLD LOWer tHe rIsK OF
CONTRACTING
HIV. —Johns Hopkins School of Public Health survey
oRange iS tHe neW BlaCK star, shOw writer get engageD
O
RANGE IS THE NEW BLACK STaR SamiRa wiLey and show writer Lauren Morelli are engaged. The pair posted the same picture on their Instagram accounts Oct. 4. It shows a smiling couple and Wiley flashing a diamond ring. On Twitter , Wiley wrote, “I’ll do anything with this one.” Morelli came out publicly two years ago in an article for Mic , where she wrote that she realized she was gay on one of her first days on the set of the Netflix prison dramedy in 2012. She later filed for divorce from her then-husband. Wiley plays inmate Poussey Washington in the Netflix series.
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
WondeR WoMan COmiCs writer reveals CharaCter is gay
T
he wRiTeR Of The ReBORn WONDER WOMAN cOmicS has revealed that the character is gay. Greg Rucka tells Comicosity that since Wonder Woman comes from the fictional all-female island nation of Themyscira, she “has been in love and had relationships with other women.” Rucka isn’t ruling out the potential for a romantic relationship with Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman’s love interest in previous incarnations of the character. Wonder Woman returned to the big screen this year in Batman v. Superman. A stand alone film starring Gal Gadot is set to hit theaters in June of next year.
Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
tOny-winning musiCal Fun HoMe kiCks Off us tOur
f
UN HOME, The 2015 TOny-winninG best musical, hit the road this season to begin its coast-to-coast journey as Broadway goes across America. Fun Home is the first Broadway show with a lesbian protagonist, one who is dealing with a parent’s suicide and her own sexuality. It’s also joyous, loving and poignant enough to bring red and blue staters alike to tears. The musical – with a book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori – is based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir about growing up with a closeted dad in the family’s funeral home business, nicknamed the Fun Home.
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mber 8th Election by an even wider margin.
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U.S. Representative District 7 Stephanie Murphy DEM U.S. Representative District 9 Darren Soto DEM State Senator District 13 Linda Stewart DEM County Commissioner District 5 Emily Bonilla District 47 Beth Tuura DEM District 49 Carlos Guillermo Smith DEM
President / Vice President
Tom is a board certified appellate attorney— one of fewer than 200 in Florida. His professional accomplishments are many, but what makes Tom different is his unusually generous spirit and devotion to public service.
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Hillary Clinton / Timothy Kaine
United States Senator Patrick Murphy DEM Representative in Congress District 7 Stephanie Murphy DEM District 8 Corry Westbrook DEM District 9 Darren Soto DEM District 10 Val Demings DEM State Attorney 9th Judicial Circuit Aramis Ayala DEM County Commissioner District 5 Emily Bonilla State Senator District 11 Randolph Bracy DEM District 13 Linda Stewart DEM District 15 Victor M. Torres Jr. DEM State Representative District 30 Ryan Neal Yadav DEM District 46 Bruce Antone DEM District 47 Beth Tuura DEM District 48 Amy Mercado DEM District 49 Carlos Guillermo Smith DEM District 50 Sean Ashby DEM Clerk of the Courts Tiffany Moore Russell DEM Sheriff Jerry L. Demings DEM Property Appraiser Rick Singh DEM Tax Collector Scott Randolph DEM Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles DEM Soil and Water District 1 (Vote for One) Michael Barber, Maria Bolton-Joubert, or Star Grayson District 3 Nicole Victoria McLaren District 5 (Vote for One) Steven Laune Beumer or Richard-Paul Danner
Cut out and take with you to vote Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENDMENTS: VOTE NO: NO.1 ARTICLE X, SECTION 29 VOTE YES: NO.2 ARTICLE X, SECTION 29 VOTE YES: NO.3 ARTICLE VII, SECTION 6 VOTE YES: NO. 5 ARTICLE VII, SECTION 6 PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENTS: VOTE NO: QUESTION #1 VOTE NO: QUESTION #2 VOTE NO: QUESTION #3 Questions Orange County Supervisor of Elections at the following website: ocfelections.com or call 407-836-2070 Facebook: CentralFloridaRainbowDems Rainbowdems.org | RainbowDemocrats@gmail.com Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by the Rainbow Democratic Caucus of Orange County.
in-Depth: Central fl enDOrsements
Fair Play Watermark endorses Beth turra for District 47 in the Florida House of Representatives
G
Billy Manes
OinG heaD-TO-heaD wiTh
state house candidate just prior to a photo shoot with Beth Tuura at Langford Park, just south of downtown, could seem more intimidating than it actually is. After all, her background is in sports broadcasting, a career that has seen her covering eight Olympics, the Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl. watermark Your LGBTQ life.
As a broadcasting veteran, Tuura has seen her share of fouls and bad behavior, but given the recent controversies involving the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his flaring penchant for insulting women and their physical privacy, her very presence as the Democrat in the hotly contested race for Orlando’s District 47 is impressive. Tuura, who is a married lesbian (“My wife wants nothing to do with this,”
she jokes when we notice her wedding band), finds the recent appearance of “locker-room banter” into the political fray amusing and horrifying, but only to a certain point. “I’ve only been in a few locker rooms, from Major League Baseball to the National Basketball Association to the National Football League, and I don’t really like to go in there,
COntinueD On pg. 29 | uu |
COntinueD On pg. 29 | uu |
Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
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E A R LY VO T I N G AVA I L A B L E October 24 - November 6, 8am - 8pm VOTING MADE EASY!
Ted Edwards Ted Edwards has a record of:
Registered voters may choose from 3 convenient ways to vote!
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Vote early
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Vote on Election Day
You must vote at your assigned polling place on Election Day. Watch the mail for your Official Sample Ballot which will include your voting location. (407) 836-8683 www.ocfelections.com
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County Commissioner
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
HELPING THE NEEDY 4 Ted voted to partner with local ministries to open the Samaritan Resource Center for the homeless for counseling, medical care, showers, haircuts, laundry, and life needs. They serve 1,500 homeless. SUPPORTING EQUALITY Before the Supreme Court Decision, Ted: 4 Voted For Orange County’s Domestic-Partner Registry. 4 Voted to add Orange County to Florida’s marriage equality amicus brief.
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Ted Edwards for Orange County Commissioner, District 5, Non-partisan
Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
VOTE NOV 8
| uu | Beth Tuura from pg.27
because who wants to be in a stinky locker room?” she laughs. “But I’ve never encountered any talk like that,” she adds, referencing the recent Trump-meets-Billy-Bush leak of audio and video revealing sexism – even assault – to be the words du jour. “They go into the locker rooms, they get prepared, they study their notes, they study their films, they do what they need to do to get ready for the game,” Tuura says. “As far as I’ve personally witnessed, I’ve only seen professional athletes performing professionally. … It sets a bad example, and it’s just not right.” In true competitive fashion, Tuura is running as a relative amateur for a seat against incumbent Mike Miller for District 47. Miller has already been endorsed by the usually liberal Democratic Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, an act that seemingly came out of left field (or right, if you’re measuring), but Miller also carries the conservative baggage that comes with conservative linchpins like the National Federation of Independent Business, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, and for those minding the LGBTQ rights held up in the air by an election year, Miller also maintains a 67 percent rating by the Florida Family Action group that continually seeks to roll back the rights of our community. Meanwhile, Tuura is running on an environmental platform (anti-fracking), supporting reproductive rights, a redesign of the over-testing of children in schools and LGBT rights in the workplace and beyond, She’s also a proponent of common-sense gun reform, a proponent who lives in the shadow of the June 12 Pulse Orlando massacre. “As I tell people, you know that we have a long history in the United States of owning guns in this country and even our founding fathers thought it so important that they put it in the Second Amendment,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean that just because you have the ability to bear arms in your home, to protect your home and property, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the right to purchase weapons that are based for military use and their only purpose is a maximum amount of kills in the shortest period of time. That is a marketing
and commerce issue.” Tuura is, effectively, a died-in-the-wool progressive with ambitions to penetrate the wall of ultra-conservative beliefs that currently holds Tallahassee in paralysis. She’s also realistic about her chances to make a revolution occur amid an effective supermajority carved by the gerrymandering of Florida’s vastly different districts. When speaking of Medicaid expansion – something the legislature has yet to achieve, even with the howls of public protest, she remains optimistic. “You just have to stand-up and say, ‘This is not OK. Health care is a right, and people are hurting,’” she says. “You can’t turn this money away; it’s coming from the feds; it’s a good deal. And just to be on the political side of saying ‘no’ because you’re the party of no, that’s not OK, because it affects real people.” If it seems like a stretch for Tuura to pull the election off, especially given the endorsements from the left and right against her and for Miller, that hasn’t silenced Tuura’s apparent resolve. She isn’t some revolutionary riding high against the forces of governance. She is, rather, somebody working from her own position in life to try to make life better for Central Florida. She isn’t playing, and she isn’t disillusioned. “Honestly, when I get out and talk to people, that’s very inspiring to me,” she says. Because I get to actually connect with voters and hear their stories and see that governments can do good things. Yesterday, Sen. Bill Nelson endorsed me, and I was so excited, because if anyone is an example of good governance and leadership, it’s a guy like that.” Also, as a member of the LGBT family, she hopes to set the same example being proffered by those struggling alongside in the door-knockings, canvassing and phone-banking. “Think back to where we were in the 1980s, living in the shadows and not being able to come out at work, and hiding from people all the time, and AIDS, and the seminal moment that Rock Hudson died and how that just brought everything to the surface,” she says. “So we’ve been marching forward to taking our rightful place at the table. We are tax-paying citizens; we are members of a community; we give a lot to our community; we’re just regular people.” As are we. We proudly endorse Beth Tuura for the Florida House of Representatives in District 47.
CENTRAL FLORIDA ENDORSEMENTS U.S. PRESIDENT Hillary Clinton (D) We needn’t repeat our frequent endorsements of Clinton throughout this election cycle, but please be clear that fomenting a revolution via a protest vote for third-party candidates or, worse, for television nightmare Donald Trump is a huge mistake. We’ll shy away from the “fascism” overstatement that comes with Trump’s leering personage and erratic behavior in both personal and business practices. Clinton’s missteps have been widely vetted, even litigated and paraded through the halls of Congress; Trump’s remain fodder for a caricature that has ceased to amuse, but, arguably, has not ceased to abuse. This is important, folks. We support Clinton.
U.S. SENATOR Patrick Murphy (D) Speaking of the political theater of the absurd, Republican incumbent Marco Rubio – who lost his bid for the presidential nomination and quickly steered back to his senatorial safe place – is a menace to this state and this country. With controversies dating back to his credit-card dealings with the Republican Party of Florida and running through his various other foibles and pratfalls, Rubio is not one to be trusted. His campaign and various political action committees may be roasting Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy in every television timeslot available for purchase, but Murphy, a strong defender of human rights and proponent of gun control, is the clear choice for leadership in the Senate.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES District 7: Stephanie Murphy (D) If it feels like a protest vote, it isn’t. Incumbent for a million years John Mica’s down-the-middle grasp at the conservative Reaganite middle hasn’t aged particularly well, and even as his calls for improvements in transportation and veterans’ affairs hold some sense of center – he’s not a bad guy, mind – Murphy’s approach is fresh and meaningful. Murphy, who, even against the prospect of a loss to the one of Florida’s largest gamers in name recognition, is coming out swinging. It’s a hard fight for the Mica camp, which has seen a narrowing in margins of polling, given that his political purse is generally populated by those not paying attention. Murphy has worked her way to this position through her work as a
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federally appointed position in the office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and is no small-time player. She’s a policy wonk, a friend to veterans and a liberal Democrat who sees the forest for the trees. She’s paying attention to what happens right now, including gun-control reform. We support her wholeheartedly District 8: Corry Westbrook (D) District 9: Darren Soto (D) District 10: Val Demings (D) Former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings has taken her punches, and some of them are frustrating (dropping out of the mayoral race in Orange County key among them). Demings was one of the most successful police chiefs of Orlando that the city has ever seen, especially in terms of equality issues. Yes, there were issues with her dropping her mayoral candidacy a couple years back and her loss for congress just before, but Demings is one to dust herself off and get back up again. We’ve spoke with her in the interim – moreover, we’ve watched her speak a room into a firestorm – and are proud to endorse somebody who has done so much for the region she seeks to represent. Her opponent Thuy Lowe is playing her Trump cards and badmouthing Obamacare. We’ll keep our decks close to our chest. Except here. See? We are endorsing Demings.
FLORIDA CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Amendment 1: Utility companies and solar regulation: NO Amendment 2: Use of marijuana for debilitating medical conditions: YES Amendment 3: Tax exemption for totally and permanently disabled first responders: YES Amendment 5: Homestead tax exemption for certain senior, low-income, long-term residents; determination of just value: YES
STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES District 42: Benny Valentin (D) District 47: Beth Tuura (D) – see cover District 48: Amy Mercado (D)
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District 49: Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) Though this may be a race that has already been decided – Shea Silverman is running without a party or a platform that we can divine – it’s worth noting how present Smith is in all things LGBT throughout the Orlando community. His acute and on-point reading of the issues of the day are part of what makes Orlando such a wonderful place in which to reside. Smith has worked his way up from legislative aide to community leader; his words are sharp, shined and always correct. Smith is the best bet for this seat and any seat he seeks thereafter. District 50: Sean Ashby (D)
STATE SENATE: District 11: Randolph Bracy (D) District 12: Elizabeth McNutt (Write-In) Oh, please. Challenger and incumbent Dennis Baxley is an imbecile who, as a funeral director, has assisted in the building of Stand Your Ground laws in Florida while always waiting in the wings for serial gay bashing. He doesn’t like us. McNutt, however, doesn’t have a record yet on this issue, so she gets our vote for now. Baxley has been widely noted as being to the right of Rick Scott on social issues. On this flat earth, that could mean we all fall off. District 13: Linda Stewart (D) Though she may have lost to Mike Miller (see above) a couple of years ago, Stewart remains a stalwart among LGBT supporters and environmentalists alike. Why? Because she gives a damn in her trademark accent. It’s rare that you meet a public servant who is willing to make fun of his or herself, but with Stewart you get wigs and bikes and a full and serious docket of progressive policies. We’d never vote against her; nor should you. District 15: Victor Torres (D) District 16: Jack Latvala (R) This one is tough, as write-in candidate Katherine Perkins has been remiss in even turning in her documents this elections season, much less making some progressive noise that might challenge her seasoned competitor. Her Republican opponent Jack Latvala has made some productive mentions of workplace fairness, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSION District 1: Bobby Olzewski District 5: Emily Bonilla
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Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
in-Depth: tampa bay enDOrsements
Caught IN THEWebb
Watermark endorses Jennifer Webb for District 69 in the Florida House of Representatives
a
Billy Manes
S DiRecTOR Of cOmmUniTy
partnerships at the University of South Florida, Jennifer Webb knows her way around the cacophony of dissent. She cuts a friendly character when we meet up in St. Petersburg, but she’s got the wonk-like traits that make a candidate a real politician, a life in academia notwithstanding. watermark Your LGBTQ life.
“I went back to get an advanced degree, specifically because I wanted to have one foot in academia and one in the real world,” she says. “We need more really thoughtful people engaged in our process, whether that means coming up with common sense solutions through community work or through developing policies, that’s where I think certain people do the impact. That’s why I went back to an advanced
degree for anthropology. And the anthropology that I do is anthropology in public policy, which is how certain policies can impact local communities and local businesses.” In essence, Webb is trying to pull partisanship out of a region which is so heavily immersed in conflict, whether that stems from gun rights or environmentalism. Her opponent, incumbent COntinueD On pg. 33 | uu |
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2016
We hope you will join us for an evening in an enchanted forest, the 2016 Equality Florida Suncoast Celebration. The evening will feature fabulous enchanted forest themed decor, delicious hors d’oeuvres, a full open bar, DJ Jamaal Day and special entertainment surprises. The program will include a State of the State address by Equality Florida’s CEO, Nadine Smith and the presentation of our 2016 Voice for Equality Award to the Reverend Dr. Nancy L. Wilson, Global Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches.
YOU’RE INVITED!
S u n day, N ov e m b e r 20 • 5 - 8 p m at Michael’s on East
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Tickets $125 in advance and $150 at the door TICKETS ARE HELD AT THE DOOR | COCKTAIL ATTIRE, PLEASE
Sunday November 20 • 5pm-8pm at Michael’s on East - 1212 South East Avenue, Sarasota 34239
Sponsorship begins at $500. Sponsorship includes a number of benefits including complimentary tickets. To RSVP and for more information on sponsorship visit eqfl.org/suncoastcelebration. For questions, call 407-462-9692. Statewide Sponsors
Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. A C O P Y O F T H E O F F I C I A L R E G I S T R AT I O N A N D F I N A N C I A L I N F O R M AT I O N F O R T H E E Q U A L I T Y F L O R I D A I N S T I T U T E M AY B E O B TA I N E D F R O M T H E D I V I S I O N O F C O N S U M E R S E R V I C E S B Y C A L L I N G T O L L - F R E E W I T H I N F L O R I D A ( 1 . 8 0 0 . 4 3 5 . 7 3 5 2 ) . R E G I S T R AT I O N D O E S N O T I M P LY E N D O R S E M E N T , A P P R O V A L , O R R E C O M M E N D AT I O N B Y T H E S TAT E . R E G I S T R AT I O N # C H 7 9 9 2 .
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| uu | Jennifer Webb from pg.31
Republican State Rep. Kathleen Peters, has walked the middle road through much of her brief tenure in the legislature (she was elected in 2012), sponsoring legislation on revising laws regarding mandatory minimum prison terms for convicted offenders, strengthening laws against sex offenders and trying to curtail human trafficking and sex offenders in the Sunshine State. Peters comes off as a centrist, but, according to Webb, appearances may be deceiving. “I looked at Representative Peters’ voting history,” Webb says. “I knew she had voted poorly on some of the bigger bills, but I wasn’t sure overall that she was just as partisan as she seemed, and she really is. She’s a partisan. … So I thought, ‘OK.’” And so the vetting process began. She came out against guns. She came out against discrimination. She came out against fracking on the gulf coast. “Generally, the environment is everyone’s third most important issue: It falls behind economy or something else. In district 69, the environment is people’s most important issue, because we live right on the coast and our economy depends on the environment. About 70 percent of our constituents in district 69 are against fracking; they want to ban on fracking and to a greater degree want solar and access to solar, and to portable solar, and to help out the solar effort and make sure that we don’t get stuck with the bill for protecting Duke Energy and Florida Power and bond holders. I really carry the message about knowing that one cause I think that one’s really important. I think that is confusing to people and intentionally confusing to people. I think something needs to be done so that” Also, she came out. “It was my community partners that asked me to run for office,” she says. “They said, ‘You’re really good at coming up with common sense solutions – you don’t use polarizing language, or political language – so what would you think about running for office?’ And I looked at the race and I looked at the district and it swept to Obama with a plus-two for both of the presidential elections, and I
looked at Representative Peters’ voting history.” Among the key issues on Webb’s to-do list are fighting fraudulent charter schools, revisiting the unnecessary heft of homeowners’ insurance and taking on homelessness. She’s a liberal, but not one that tends to turn off voters on either side. However, she’s also strong on gun reform. “You don’t take someone down with an automatic rifle. You take them down with a sharp shooter held by someone who is skilled at keeping people safe,” she says. “I think it’s so important that we also on the Democratic side not use language that will cause resistance outright from people who will worry about having their Second Amendment rights removed. Prior to my sister’s death two-and-a-half years ago, I grew up shooting guns. I’ve had a gun. I’ve been hunting. It’s a cultural thing. For us, we really have to check, and it’s not something that I care to do anymore. It’s important for me to know that my preference for not owning a gun or not going out in the woods and shooting is not somehow better than someone else’s preference. That’s when it riles up the base, and then nothing gets done.” “What we’re really talking about is how we ensure our safety – and not just in the LGBTQ community, but in the broader community,” she says. “In my district, there are some very active Second Amendment voters who constantly challenge me to think about things.” And that says a lot when you consider that it was reported – and confirmed by Webb in our interview – that her sister took her own life with a firearm just two-and-a-half years ago. Webb is a married lesbian, though she prefers the term “queer.” It’s a fact that is important to her on several levels. “I would be the first lesbian legislator in the state of Florida, so that is a huge thing,” she says. “Your readers are from the LGBTQ community. I identify as queer, and that’s with great respect to the lesbians and gay guys who came before me and fought really hard battles that are full of identity politics so that I can call myself queer.” Watermark is proud to endorse Webb in her run for the state legislature in District 69.
TAMPA BAY ENDORSEMENTS U.S. PRESIDENT Hillary Clinton (D) We needn’t repeat our frequent endorsements of Clinton throughout this election cycle, but please be clear that fomenting a revolution via a protest vote for third-party candidates or, worse, for television nightmare Donald Trump is a huge mistake. We’ll shy away from the “fascism” overstatement that comes with Trump’s leering personage and erratic behavior in both personal and business practices. Clinton’s missteps have been widely vetted, even litigated and paraded through the halls of Congress; Trump’s remain fodder for a caricature that has ceased to amuse, but, arguably, has not ceased to abuse. This is important, folks. We support Clinton.
U.S. SENATOR Patrick Murphy (D) Speaking of the political theater of the absurd, Republican incumbent Marco Rubio – who lost his bid for the presidential nomination and quickly steered back to his senatorial safe place – is a menace to this state and this country. With controversies dating back to his credit-card dealings with the Republican Party of Florida and running through his various other foibles and pratfalls, Rubio is not one to be trusted. His campaign and various political action committees may be roasting Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy in every television timeslot available for purchase, but Murphy, a strong defender of human rights and proponent of gun control, is the clear choice for leadership in the Senate.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES District 11: Dave Koller (D) He may be an outlier, but Dave Koller is certainly better than the nearly invisible Republican Dan Webster, who, when he does make an appearance, sucks the air out of the room and any progressive potential therein. Also, they love him in the Villages.
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District 12: Robert Tager (D District 13: Charlie Crist (D) Oh, we could go on and on and on about this one. Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist lost his Democratic-reboot exercise to Gov. Rick Scott just two years ago. Eyes rolled, fingers pointed and Crist seemed to be a bag dancing in the wind just for you. In this race, though, Crist is heading for congress, taking out two-year incumbent David Jolly, who won in a special election in the wake of the death of his predecessor Bill Young. All polls point to this being a safe seat for Crist and Democrats in general. Also, he’s not such a bad guy, even if he used to be Republican. District 14: Kathy Castor (D) District 15: Jim Lange (D) Though he may stand little chance of toppling Republican incumbent Dennis Ross, Lange is solid in his stances on public education, women’s rights and healthcare reform. Ross, however, has walked the conservative obstructionist line, including initial support of the government shutdown. District 16: Jan Schneider (D)
STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES District 58: Jose Vazquez Figueroa (D) District 59: Rena Frazier (D) Clearly, Frazier’s opponent Ross Spano is falling in line with all of the sprawl and environmental exploitation that Florida Republicans are so willing to embrace. Thought the district is clearly Republican, the state is not, really, even when entities like the Florida Retail Federation are basically writing the rules and regulations. It’s time for a change. District 60: David Singer (D) District 63: Lisa Montelione (D) Montelione served on Tampa’s city council, vacating her seat to run for state house. She supports the legalization of medical marijuana, is critical of standardized testing in public schools and does not like prison privatization. District 65: Bernard Festerwald (D) District 66: Lorena Grizzle (D) Grizzle is a proponent of increased public-education spending, living wages and is very concerned about climate change and its effect on sea-level rise on the Gulf Coast beaches.
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District 67: David Vogel (D) Wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing Republican Chris Latvala is a down-the-ballot chambercrat, though he has walked the fair line on issues involving discrimination. Latvala has also spoken out in support of guns on campus, while Vogel suggests that guns shouldn’t be around kids and their hormones. You be the judge. District 68: Ben Diamond (D) District 69: Jennifer Webb (D) District 70: Wengay Newton (D) District 72: Edward James III (D) District 73: James Golden (D) District 74: Manny Lopez (D) His opponent, Julio Gonzalez, is playing the small-business-repeal-Obamacare card and creeping into the budget talk that can only make for a conservative crunch. Let’s give Lopez a go.
STATE SENATE District 18: Bob Buesing (D) District 19: John “Mr. Manners” Houman (R) Though few know too much about Republican John Houman – he uses “Mr. Manners” as a nickname, because it sounds “polite,” reports say – his Democratic opponent Darryl Rouson has already been termed out of the house and has a history of controversy riding behind him. District 22: Debra Wright (D) District 23: Frank Alcock III (D)
FLORIDA CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Amendment 1: Utility companies and solar regulation: NO Amendment 2: Use of marijuana for debilitating medical conditions: YES Amendment 3: Tax exemption for totally and permanently disabled first responders: YES Amendment 5: Homestead tax exemption for certain senior, low-income, long-term residents; determination of just value: YES
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GREATER
Orlan do Gala 2016
We hope you will join us for an evening to Honor Them With Action. The evening will include delicious hors d’oeuvres, a full open bar, an exciting silent art auction, special entertainment surprises, and live musical entertainment by Silkee Smoove Band. The program will feature celebrity host and master of ceremonies, Wilson Cruz, a State of the State address by Equality Florida’s CEO, Nadine Smith and we will honor some of the heroes of the Pulse tragedy.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 8PM The Orlando Museum of Art • 2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
TICKETS $100 S p o n s o rs h i p b eg i n s at $ 5 0 0. S p o n s o rs h i p i n c l u d e s a n u m b e r o f b e n e f i ts i n c l u d i n g co m p l i m e n ta ry t i c k e ts . To RSV P a n d fo r m o r e i n fo r m at i o n o n s p o n s o rs h i p v i s i t eq f l .o rg/o r l a n d o ga l a . Fo r q u e st i o n s , c a l l 4 07-4 6 2 - 9 6 9 2 . Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. All net proceeds directly benefit Equality Florida Institute, a tax exempt 501c3 non-profit organization. Statewide Sponsors
A C O P Y O F T H E O F F I C I A L R E G I S T R AT I O N A N D F I N A N C I A L I N F O R M AT I O N F O R T H E E Q U A L I T Y F L O R I D A I N S T I T U T E M AY B E O B TA I N E D F R O M T H E D I V I S I O N O F C O N S U M E R S E R V I C E S B Y C A L L I N G T O L L - F R E E W I T H I N F L O R I D A ( 1 . 8 0 0 . 4 3 5 . 7 3 5 2 ) . R E G I S T R AT I O N D O E S N O T I M P LY E N D O R S E M E N T , A P P R O V A L , O R R E C O M M E N D AT I O N B Y T H E S TAT E . R E G I S T R AT I O N # C H 7 9 9 2 .
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Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
arts anD entertainment
p o t s CCaann’’tt
Felipe rose on His legacy witH tHe village people, tHe crasH oF disco and moving on
S
Billy Manes
Ome Of The faceS may have
c i s u m
tthhee
changed, but the Village People remain a constant in parties – especially wedding parties – nearly 40 years after the first spangled crowd-participation extension of arms marking the chorus of the group’s signature hit “YMCA.” The band rode the zeitgeist of the sexual revolution, specifically the gay fringes of said movement, into the living rooms of families who had no idea what they were signing up for. Subversive? Yes. Important? Indeed.
Watermark spoke with founding member, he of the Native American feathered headdress, Felipe Rose in advance of the group’s current incarnation performing at the Aspire Health Partners gala on Oct. 29 in Orlando. “I thought it was just going to be an album! I thought it would be one album and then I’m out of there,” he says. “No one looks ahead.”
the village in new yOrk. what was yOur initial respOnse tO that mOment?
stOry Of jaCQues mOrali apprOaChing yOu while yOu were in full heaDDress in
I was a professional dancer and singer. So I thought that this was just a project and how I got paid,
WATERMARK: i lOve the
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
FeliPe RoSe: I didn’t put too much thought into it, because I just thought that I was in the right place at the right time. This was only going to be a project and then I would be on to the next thing. what were yOu DOing at the time, Other than being fabulOus in the nightlife sCene?
Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
and next I’ll go off to an audition. My dream was to go to Broadway. Well, that never happened. I thought it was just going to be an album! I thought it would be one album and then I’m out of there. No one looks ahead.
it CrOsseD Over in suCh a strange way. DO yOu get a lOt Of peOple COming up tO yOu anD saying that seeing the village peOple, say On aMeRiCan BandStand Or On televisiOn, was the first time they were allOweD tO
COntinueD On pg. 37 | uu |
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Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
| uu | Village People from pg.35
feel what they really felt authentically about sexuality?
I don’t think that was a really big thing on American Bandstand; we were just performing. What people saw on television and what they perceived is something else I have no control over. When I have people tell me that I’m the reason they came out, I tell them, “No, I’m not. You came out all on your own.”
Do you think it was interesting that straight America really took to the Village People at that time? Disco walked the camp line, obviously, with Sylvester leading the cruise ship.
Well,we really knew we didn’t want to be Sylvester. Sylvester already was androgynous, and
road, and I go through the motions and I perform. I love performing, but once I walk off the stage I leave it behind.
What do you make of the cult classic Can’t Stop the Music? Do you think that was a sort of nadir of the Village People? It came at the same time as the whole “Disco Sucks”demolition-night stadium event at Cominski Park [1979]. How do you look back on that period, that sort of changing period?
That was so hypocritical. Those very same people today are going to our concerts. It’s so hypocritical on their part, the fact that they burned records that they bought and yet, in the mid-‘90s, they had us back to perform on the field. I look at it this way: It was disgruntled white DJ’s on radio stations that wanted to kill disco off cause they felt threatened by it.
disdain for people that talk out the side of their mouths. When the HIV/AIDS epidemic came through the ‘80s, did you feel like the Village People had to change their tone a little bit?
No, no, because a lot of gay people actually said – I can’t remember where I heard it, but I know I heard it, that we were responsible for the AIDS epidemic – it’s in writing; you can find it. How do you respond to that?
There were people that were saying that because of the promiscuous lifestyle we were pushing, we were responsible for the AIDS epidemic. That’s a crock of shit. I’m 62 years old, I’m healthy, I’m negative, I take good care of myself. I say the best revenge is to live well. To me, it’s not funny. I lost phone books of friends. We do what we can to take care of each other. My voice today
“There were people that were saying that because of the promiscuous lifestyle we were pushing, we were responsible for the AIDS epidemic. That’s a crock of shit.” —Felipe Rose
that, to me, I was not an androgynous young man. I liked being masculine. I liked my sexuality as a young gay man. A lot of people, they try to break it down too much and they come out to the same thing. The Village People was a unique group and it still is, although there are different members. When one member left, I had the ability to just think as co-founder and president of the company along with some of the other members. “We need a new construction worker? Great, well we’ve got this guy. We need a new cowboy? OK, let me look for a cowboy.” I found Jim Newman off of Broadway waited for him for a year. As the group kept going decade after decade, we just kept the thing going. Unfortunately I stayed too long, I should have left years ago. It’s too late now. I’m tired and I want to leave. I’m tired of the
And it was a little homophobic at the same time.
Yeah. I have no problem calling people white because of the kind of shade and attitude they throw. The only way that I feel safe in this world is in my own community. I have no problem. You know I like people, don’t get me wrong; I like my fans, don’t get me wrong – but I draw the line: Thank you, good bye, see you later. What happened in Orlando [the Pulse massacre on June 12], I’ve been suppressing anger for so many months that I really don’t even know how to begin talking about my
If you think you can can spot a person with HIV, consider this: Did you even spot the error in the first six words of this headline? ANYBODY CAN HAVE HIV. USE PROTECTION. Right now, AIDS is the leading cause of death among African - Americans aged 25 to 44. If you’re having unprotected sex, you’re at risk. Be smart: Use protection, and get tested. For a testing site near you, text your zip code to 477493.
is not as loud as Lady Gaga’s. She is more relevant. She can stand on a podium, a soap box, and read out names. If I did that hear in Asbury Park, they would think I’m crazy. On a more positive note, what is your fondest memory of the heyday.
The biggest rush that I’ve ever had was receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I’m not going to write my memoirs ever. A lot of that stuff, while there were many highs, there were many lows. In order to be truthful, you can’t write one without the other. And in my case, I’m not writing anything at all.
more information
Who: Village People at Aspire Health Partners’ Costume Gala When: October 29 at 6 p.m. Where: Rosen Plaza Hotel, 9700 International Drive Tickets: $125-$1,100
Black Print FY16 Watermark.indd 1 watermark Your LGBTQ life.005466 Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
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film
What the fork?!
Everyone’s coming out story is scary, but for Emmy-nominated Glenn Douglas Packard, his story is downright murderous
(above)
COMING OUT:
Glenn Douglas Packard’s gay-themed slasher flick Pitchfork comes out of the closet Jan. 2017.
Photo courtesy Packard
G
Jeremy Williams
lenn Douglas Packard has been
in the entertainment business for 25 years; as the GBF to Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke in VH-1’s reality-series Brooke Knows Best, as a performer in the music group twONEty in Europe during the boyband crazy of the early ‘00s and as a world-class dance choreographer to everyone from Usher and Pink to the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Packard has made a name for himself in many facets of pop culture, and now he is adding another to the list: film director. Packard took his story of growing up gay on a Michigan dairy farm and his coming out to his family and turned it into the new horror film Pitchfork. “I teach these Master Classes for dancing, and I tell these kids that they need to go after their passions and to do it well,” Packard says. “That’s the secret, find what you love
to do and the rest of everything will just fall into place.” Packard has been motivated by passion since he was that small boy on his dad’s Michigan dairy farm. “I was going to be in the family business, be a dairy farmer,” he says. “But I always had that passion to dance. I was like Footloose guy, going around dancing on the farm all day, that’s what I really wanted to do but boys just didn’t dance where I came from.”
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Packard suffered a severe leg injury while working on the farm and was told by doctors that he may never walk again, let alone dance. “They were supposed to amputate my leg, and I told God if he got me through it, I would leave the farm business and follow my passion,” Packard says. “The doctors saved my leg and I had to learn to walk again, but I didn’t stop dancing until I got to New York City and after a lot of hard work, and determination I became a choreographer.” Packard choreographed Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Celebration and earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the program. “That’s when I caught the attention of Lou Pearlman, who helped to create NSync, Backstreet Boys and O-Town, and he got me into a boyband touring around Europe, performing for millions,” Packard says. “Then from Pearlman I met Hulk Hogan and his daughter, Brooke.” Hogan and his family were filming Hogan Knows Best in the Tampa Bay area. During the two seasons of the show, Packard and Brooke Hogan became close friends, leading to Packard joining her on her own spinoff series Brooke Knows Best. “They told me they wanted to talk about me being gay on the show and asked if I was out and open,” he says. “I didn’t realize the impact it would have on so many young gay people. It was a time when things were getting more mainstream, and I was flooded with emails and people’s stories.” Hearing other’s stories led Packard to want to tell his own story, but he wanted to do it in a unique and personal way. “I love the horror genre, so I decided I wanted to tell my story as a horror film, so that’s what I did. I had never made a movie before, but I just knew I could do it,” Packard says. Packard had the idea of turning his coming out story into a slasher film nearly a decade ago and decided now was as good a time as any to move forward with it. “I am the director, a co-writer
Oc tob er 20 - Nov emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
(along with Darryl F. Gariglio) and the creator; I mean I came up with the story of Pitchfork eight years ago and it was so fun to finally release it,” Packard says. “I also produced the film along with Darryl, Noreen [Marriott] and Shaun [Cairo]; I choreographed the fights, cast it – I wanted to be involved in every aspect of Pitchfork.” Pitchfork is a story of a young man named Hunter. Having recently shared a life-changing secret with his family, he recruits his friends to come with him from New York to the farm where he grew up as he faces his parents for the first time. As the college students enjoy the fresh air of Michigan farm country, an older, more dangerous secret slowly emerges. While Hunter navigates a new place within his conservative family, a vicious creature from their past descends on the farm, putting the unsuspecting city kids in mortal danger. “This film is basically my coming out story [laughing], with a disturbing twist to it,” Packard says. “They go to this farm and all hell breaks loose. They are at the wrong place and the wrong time.” Packard was able to create a dark, scary and gritty horror film that appears to be a big budget studio flick on a minimal independent budget by gathering his friends in the business and shooting on location at the dairy farm where he grew up. “It was exciting bringing these people who I have met over the last 25 years back to where I was raised to make this film. Pitchfork has a bloodshed out in the woods he brings his victims to, and this is a cabin I would play in with all my friends as a kid. The location is definitely one of the co-stars of the picture,” Packard says. Pitchfork was picked up by home entertainment and theatrical film distributor Uncork’d Entertainment and has been slated to be released January 2017. “We were lucky enough that within a year of finishing production on the film to get a worldwide distributer, and Uncork’d is one of my favorites,” Packard says. “If I can brag about it a bit, it has turned out to be a really gorgeous horror film. People won’t believe that this film came out of the budget we had. I’m very proud of it.”
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Y TE DIVERSIT WE C E L E B R A D T FRIEN S H O N O R LO S RL ANDO AND HEAL O
BY SANTORE
NOVEMBER 12 LAKE EOLA PARK W W W.C O M E O U T W I T H P R I D E .C O M / WAT E R M A R K
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community calendar
event planner
arts+entertainment
OrlanDO
OrlanDO
Parliament House’s Halloween Weekend
Totally ‘80s Prom Halloween, Oct. 21, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com
SaTURDay, OcT. 29-mOnDay, OcT. 31, 8 p.m. paRLiamenT hOUSe, ORLanDO
Freakshow Horror Film Festival, Oct. 21-23, Premiere Cinema 14 at Fashion Square Mall, Orlando. 407-894-0599; FreakShowFilmFest.com 2016 Central Florida Veg Fest, Oct. 22, Orlando Festival Park, Orlando. 321-331-1859; CFVegFest.org A Pink Affair, Oct. 22, Mead Botanical Gardens, Winter Park. 407-421-9372; Facebook.com/APinkAffair Beartooth: The Aggressive Tour, Oct. 22, The Beacham, Orlando. 407-648-8363; TheBeacham.com Vanic & Pham, Oct. 22, The Social, Orlando. 407-246-1419; TheSocial.org Dr. Seuss-unorthodox Taxidermy Exhibit, Oct. 22 - Nov. 6, pOp GaLLery, Lake Buena Vista. 407-827-8200; PopGalleryOrlando.com Painting with Dreams, Oct. 27, Gilt Night, Orlando. 407-504-7699; GiltNightClub.com Freakshow $2500 Costume Contest Halloween Event, Oct. 28, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com Aspire Costume Gala starring Village People, Oct. 29, Rosen Plaza, Orlando. 407-245-0045; AspireHealthPartners.com Sia: nostalgic for the Present, Oct. 30, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7000; AmwayCenter.com Mac Sabbath & American Party Machine, Oct. 31, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com Sublime with Rome, Nov. 1, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; HardRock.com
this is hallOween The Pumpkin King takes his annual march down the streets of the Ybor City Historic District with the Halloween parade Oct. 29.
Come join the Halloween experts as the world famous Parliament House pulls out all the ghosts and goblins for its annual holiday bash. Three nights of devilish, sexy fun await with Orlando’s biggest costume contest prize totaling $10,000. The party kicks off Saturday with a $10 cover when purchased in advance and a winning costume contest prize of $4,000. Sunday is no cover all night long and features a winning prize of $1,000. Halloween night is a $10 advance cover price and a big winning prize of $5,000 to the best costume. $18 cover in advance for all three nights! For more information, visit ParliamentHouse.com.
tampa bay
mentorship mixer at usF Pride Halloween Party ThURSDay, OcTOBeR 27, 7:30 p.m. USf maRShaLL STUDenT cenTeR, Tampa
Oh Wonder, Nov. 1, The Social, Orlando. 407-246-1419; TheSocial.org Johnnyswim, Nov. 2, The Beacham, Orlando. 407-648-8363; TheBeacham.com
tampa bay Spirits of ybor City: A supernatural Halloween party, Oct. 21, Honey Pot, Tampa. 813-247-4663; Facebook.com/Honey-Pot Kesha and the Creepies, Oct. 25, The RITZ Ybor, Tampa. 813-248-4050; TheRitzYbor.com Pennywise, Oct. 27, The RITZ Ybor, Tampa. 813-248-4050; TheRitzYbor.com Dulce Andrews naughty Halloween Birthday Bash, Oct. 28, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com
aBEARican Horror Story, Oct. 28, The Body Shop, Tampa. 813-971-3578; TheBodyShopTampa.com
Bonnie Raitt, Nov. 2, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com
MegaCon, Oct. 28-30, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa. 813-274-8511; TampaConventionCenter.com
Birdman live with Antonio Sanchez, Nov. 3, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
The March of the Pumpkin King, Oct. 29, Ybor City Historic District, Tampa. 813-274-8211; TampaGov.net
line Dance Classic, Nov. 3 – 6, Doubletree, Tampa. 813-562-9599; DoubletreeTampaWestshore.com
Dracula, Oct. 29, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com
sarasOta
Tampa Horror Story, Oct. 29, Jackson’s Night Club, Tampa. 813-277-0112; JacksonsBistro.com
Balance Tampa Bay and Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce want you to be a part of their scary good time at the next Mentorship Mixer being held at the University of South Florida Oct. 27. This is an opportunity for students to meet potential mentors as Balance and the Diversity Chamber launch the second year of the Mentorship Program co-hosted by USF Pride. USF Pride is also having a Halloween Party at USF Marshall Center that evening and the Mentorship Program is invited to attend, so be sure to bring a costume! For more information visit DiversityTampaBay.org and BalanceTampaBay.org.
sarasOta
22nd Annual sarasota craft Festival
The Wiz, Oct. 21-Nov. 19, West Coast Black Theatre Troupe, Sarasota. 941-366-1505; WestCoastBlackTheatre.org
lindsey Stirling Brave Enough Tour, Nov. 1, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com
Gypsies, Tramps and Theives, Oct. 21 – Jan. 29, Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota. 941-366-9017; FloridaStudioTheatre.org
An Evening with Ina Garten, Nov. 2, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org
Halloween Block Party, Oct. 29, The Gator Club, Sarasota. 941-366-5969; TheGatorClub.com
SaTURDay, OcT. 22-23, 10:00 a.m. five pOinTS paRk, SaRaSOTa Get crafty as you explore and shop your way through a variety of crafts, arts and vendors on Sarasota’s Main Street near Five Points Park in Downtown. Crafters from all over the nation join local crafters to put on display a variety of jewelry, photography, pottery, clothing and more. Alongside the crafters will be plants, handmade soaps and food vendors to blend crafts, nature and food to a weekend of fun. There is no cost to attend and it should be a great time for the entire family. For more information visit ArtFestival.com.
to submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
event planner and community calendar is brougHt to you by curtis protective services • 1-800-551-8368 • curtissecurity.com watermark Your LGBTQ life.
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Join the Premier Chamber in the Bay Area where our diverse membership puts the Diversity in Tampa Bay.
www.diversitytampabay.org
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overheard
tampa bay Out+abOut
mary’s granD Opening
w
hiLe The new hamBURGeR maRy’S at Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg has been opened for a few weeks now, they made the entire thing official with a grand opening ceremony Oct. 13. A huge crowd gathered in the kitschy, fun restaurant known for big juicy burgers and even juicer drag queens as St. Pete mayor and super politician Rick Kriseman, along with family in tow, cut the ribbon. Mayor Kriseman wasn’t the only local celeb there. The event was also attended by former Republican governor (and future Democratic Congressman?) Charlie Crist, Tampa Bay gay royalty Mark & Carrie and Mary herself as they all let their hair down and celebrated the newest location. The show continued with a few musical numbers from the Hamburger Mary’s drag stars and Una Voce, Tampa Bay’s gay men’s chorus.
gay Ole City
T
he hUman RiGhTS campaiGn ReLeaSeD their annual ratings for LGBTQ friendly cities in the U.S. and once again St. Pete got a perfect 100. HRC’s Municipal Equality Index gave the magic score to only three cities in Florida; along with St. Pete, Orlando and Wilton Manors scored 100. Tampa came in with a respectable 86, above the state average but significantly down from the 97 they scored last year. I wonder if the decrease in Tampa’s score had anything to do with every Hillsborough County commissioner other than Kevin Beckner refusing to even hear a discussion on recognizing LGBT Pride and History Month or making June 12 a Day of Remembrance for the Pulse shooting victims. Regardless of the reasons, Tampa has some catching up to do. Florida’s average score was 70, with the average across the country being 55. The bottom of the barrel when it comes to LGBTQ equality in the Sunshine State goes to Port Saint Lucie’s dismal 30 and Cape Coral’s pathetic 25.
hey ChiCk-fil-a vOter registratiOn CarD Out
B
y The Time yOU ReaD ThiS, voter registration will be all closed up for the 2016 election. Thanks to Hurricane Matthew, the deadline was pushed back a week to allow people who were impacted a chance to get registered. This seemed like a legit demand to the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County. What did get their feathers all rustled though was Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark’s decision to hold voter-registration drives at nine Chick-fil-A locations in the county. Susan McGrath, the leader of the Stonewall Dems, went beak first right in that hen house screaming foul! “As an elected official, you have a duty to be evenhanded and fair. Surely, you and your office staff do understand that using Chick-Fil-A as the base for voter registration activities is not only inherently unfair but overtly partisan as well. This company has a strong and well-understood history of anti-LGBT activism and is publicly associated with Republican Party values,” McGrath wrote in a letter to Clark. McGrath compared it to Democrats holding a voter’s drive at a Planned Parenthood.
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cROSSinG JORDan: (L-R) leslie Jordan, Rob Akins and Scott Skyberg at the reception before Jordan takes the stage at Tampa Theater during TIGLFF Oct. 5. PHOTO By nICK CARDEllO
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BeaRD envy: KJ Mohr (L) take a hold of nick Cardello’s beard while attending TIGLFF in Tampa Oct. 9. PHOTO COuRTESy OF nICK CARDEllO
3
kick Up ThOSe heeLS: Jeremy Wade neiman (L) and Matthew McGee drag themselves up for SMART Ride’s “Kick Up Your Heels: Season 3” at Metro Health & Wellness in St. Petersburg.
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PHOTO COuRTESy OF JEREMy WADE nEIMAn
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ROGUeS GaLLeRy: Batman villains were among the monsters and mayhem at the 40th anniversary of the All Hallows’ Masquerade Ball at MOSI in Tampa Oct. 15.
PHOTO By RICK ClAGGETT
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viva La pRiDe: St. Pete Pride show that they stand with Orlando while attending InterPride in Montpellier, France Oct. 15. PHOTO
COuRTESy OF ERIC SKAInS
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aLL ThaT JaZZ: Students from Booker High School perform in J.D. Hamel Park for Sarasota Pride Oct. 15.
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PHOTO By JEREMy WIllIAMS
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if LOOkS cOULD kiLL: The cast of Stageworks Theatre’s “Psycho Beach Party” is set for another killer show in Tampa Oct. 17. PHOTO
COuRTESy OF KARlA HARTlEy
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neTwORkinG: Sandi Hulon (L) and Ashley Brundage at the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce network mixer at Quench Lounge in Largo Oct. 11. PHOTO By JEREMy WIllIAMS
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Celebrate Your Pride!
POM POM’S
Teahouse & Sandwicheria Best Late Night In Town!
OPEN 24 HOURS FRIDAY & SATURDAY 67 N. Bumby Ave., Orlando, FL 32803 | pompomsteahouse.com
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overheard
OrlanDO Out+abOut
gOOD mOrning baltimOre!
i
T’S GReaT TO See The LOve that continues to come from all over the world. Sometimes that love comes in the form of donations, sometimes it comes in the form of expression by artistic mediums. The Baltimore Love Project completed their “LOVE” hands mural, now on the side of the Kaley Street Einstein Bagels. The project has taken four months to be completed, raising money to cover the cost of the mural and additional funds will benefit the OnePulse Foundation. We were advised that they have exceeded their goal of $3,000. The new mural will feature giant hands spelling out one word: LOVE. It will feature forty nine Orange Blossoms (the state flower) in honor to those who lost their lives on June 12. The Einstein Bros. Bagels on Kaley is located across the street from Pulse nightclub and, like many neighboring businesses, they too experienced a financial hit during the road closures due to the investigation. Michael Owen, the artist behind the project said that he believes that healing and life can grow from a memorial site.
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stiCker shOCk!
S
OciaL meDia USeRS STaRTeD TO ShaRe a phOTO taken of a vehicle sporting an unsavory bumper sticker. No, it wasn’t the “TRUMP 2016” sticker, but the image of a Confederate flag stick-man kicking a rainbow flag stick man. According to Snopes.com, the image originated from Orlando. The same website that sells these decals at $19.99 for a pack of six also sells the opposite image of a rainbow Stickman drop-kicking the Confederate flag stickman. A modified image has been making the rounds of the two stickmen embracing with “forgiveness” written underneath. In the words of the current first lady, “when they go low, we go high.”
FleuR di lOve
O
n OcTOBeR 14, a five fOOT fLeUR-Di-LiS was gifted by the New Orleans Tourism board, and the LGBT New Orleans Hospitality Alliance to the city of Orlando, to honor the 49 victims of the Pulse tragedy. The gift was signed by many New Orleans residents with messages of support and will be a part of the One Orlando collection.
thirsty fOr Cinema?
T
he ORLanDO fiLm feSTivaL, which runs from October 19 – October 23 at the Cobb Theater downtown, will show Thirsty, a flim by Margo Pelletier and Lisa Thomas. Scheduled for Saturday Oct. 22, Thirsty will tell the story of a bullied boy that grows up to be a revered drag queen.
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DeL SOL maTeS: Karen Gonzalez (L) and lissette Reyes at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in Sanford Flamenco Del Sol’s Corazon Flamenco Oct. 14. PHOTO COuRTESy OF lISSETTE REyES
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The BReakfaST cLUB: (L-R) Tino Patel, John Davis and lu Mueller-Kaul join other Chamber of Commerce leaders for breakfast with Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs in Orlando Oct. 14. PHOTO COuRTESy OF lu MuEllER-KAul
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SOnG anD Dance: Todrick Hall paid a visit to the University of Central Florida to help kick off LGBTQ History Month in Orlando Oct. 4. PHOTO By CHElSEA SAnTIAGO
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GeT OUT The vOTe: Living Single actress Erika Alexander (L) and Criss Ruiz at the Democratic Party campaign offices for the Hillary Clinton campaign in south Orlando Oct. 16. PHOTO COuRTESy OF CRISS RuIZ
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p-hOUSe pRiDe: Darcel Stevens (L) and nene leakes get ready to entertain at Parliament House’s Pride celebration Oct. 8. PHOTO COuRTESy OF
PARlIAMEnT HOuSE
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peRfecT ScORe: Equality Florida’s Gina Duncan speaks at City Hall after the Human Rights Campaign gave Orlando a 100 on the Municipal Equality Index Oct. 18. PHOTO
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By BIlly MAnES
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SainT paTRick: Patrick Murphy speaks to a crowd of voters on gun control at a Pride Fund event at Ember in Orlando Oct. 12. PHOTO By BIlly MAnES
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ScaRe BeaRS: (L-R) Jay Westerman, an unknown victim, Rob Domenico, David Dorman and Danny Garcia brave the all new virtual reality haunted house at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando Oct. 15. PHOTO COuRTESy OF DAnny GARCIA
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FREE for members
$20 non-members
Central Florida Veg Fest 2016 Saturday, October 22 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
NETWORK with LGBerTs ad Business Le ur o & Allies at rs MBA Mixe
CHAMBER OF LGBTCOMMERCE
METROPOLITAN
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
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2911 E. Robinson Street, Orlando 32803
FREE EVENT FEATURING
1871 Minnesota Ave
Speakers • Presentations • Humane Education • Veggie Kids Zone Food Demos • Restaurant Booths • Live Music and Entertainment Animal Haven • Artist Corner • 200+ Veg-Friendly Vendors
WINTER PARK November 2 6 - 8 pm
Featuring Activities by IBEX Puppetry!
Hors d’Oeuvres Cash Bar
mbaorlando.org | info@mbaorlando.org
$5 parking/free bike valet
Presented by
Festival Park Community Garden Tours all day!
Visit www.CFVegFest.org for more information
The 27 cents that cost over $10,000. Bailey, a 12-pound mixed breed, spent nine days in the hospital after swallowing 27 cents. Just a few coins were enough to give him zinc toxicity – leading to pancreatitis and anemia. With surgery to remove the coins, a blood transfusion and fluid therapy, Bailey recovered. THE TRUPANION POLICY COVERED: $9,113.85. Trupanion, medical insurance for pets, is one simple plan that pays 90% of diagnostic tests, medications, surgeries, hospital stays and so much more – with no annual or lifetime payout limits.*
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8/3/16 12:04 PM
announcements
weDDing bells
eduardo J. Castañer, 48, and Geyson e. Rosario, 37 from Orlando, Florida
years togetHer:
8 years
engagement date:
passings
David “DJ Justice” Zedonek died on October 6, at Orlando Regional Medical Center from cardiac arrest. David impacted many lives as an Eagle Scout, vocalist, professor, radio-show “Out Loud Orlando” at WPRK 91.5 FM host and cancer survivor and advocate. He worked with the Christian Legal Society and City Rescue Mission receiving pro bono honors and served as an intern in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC. He was extremely active in his community with volunteer organizations. David was 34 years old.
congratulations
March 31, 2013
Andrea Bosigner and Julie Sabel celebrate their 10 year anniversary Oct. 22.
wedding date:
March 31, 2016
lindsay Kincaide recently announced her exit from Hope & Help of Central Florida Inc. where she served as community development coordinator. Kincaid has been a huge advocate for our community, working with the Center, Two Spirit Health Services and nearly every LGBT advocacy organization you could imagine. She’s moving into private practice and we wish her the best.
wedding venue: The Veranda at Thornton Park
wedding caterer:
Little Lamb Catering
wedding tHeme/colors:
Blue, yellow and orange
First song:
“Songbird” by Duncan Sheik
interesting Fact:
Eduardo’s ex-partner in Puerto Rico loved to play volleyball and got him into it, which is where he met Geyson. Eduardo then also found out that Geyson went to grade school with his ex’s brother because they’re from the same hometown.
“i
T waS nice ThaT we TOOk
our time with things,” Geyson says. “I think we were both at a stage in our life where we both knew what we wanted. Our first date we went to the Cheesecake Factory, and it was actually really nice. For years after that, on our anniversary, we actually make it a point to do that again.”
Eduardo J. Castañer, who is the publisher and general manager of Davison Publishing Co. LLC, and Geyson E. Rosario, who is an audit supervisor for Southwest Airlines, met on March 31, 2008 – a date that continues to hold a special meaning to the couple to this very day. “I usually play volleyball on Monday nights and I hadn’t for a few weeks. I decided, you know what I haven’t played volleyball in a while, so I went to Dover Shores Community Center – they have volleyball courts there, and some of my friends go play there. I saw him and I thought he was handsome,” Eduardo says. He says as they were leaving, Eduardo got Geyson’s attention to tell him he was handsome, and Geyson responded saying he thought the same. They walked to the parking lot and ended up
speaking for two hours – and they’ve been together ever since. After a year, Geyson moved in with Eduardo after discussing their relationship and where they saw it headed. “It was nice that there was somebody who you met who was willing to take their time as well to make sure that that something developed into something significant,” Geyson says. In 2013, Eduardo’s good friends asked the couple to join them on a trip to Vienna and Prague. The trip would happen on their fifth anniversary, so Eduardo bought rings to propose while on the trip. Eduardo had a Bluetooth speaker with him and placed it near one of the statues on the Charles Bridge in Prague. He asked Geyson take a photo with him, and then the instrumental
track for the song “Galileo” by Josh Groban started playing. He serenaded Geyson on the bridge in front of their friends and passing tourists. After the song ended, he got down on one knee and proposed. Their friend bought a lock and gave it them, upon which they wrote their names on placing it on the ironwork of the bridge – and they threw the key into the Vltava River. They both agreed that when they got engaged, they wouldn’t want to get married unless it was legal for same-sex couples to get married in Florida. “We always wanted to get married on our anniversary just so we could keep the same date,” Eduardo says. “We met on March 31, I proposed on March 31 and we got married on March 31.” And they both agreed that their wedding was an amazing moment that they got to share with friends and family. “I flew in my father from Puerto Rico, and he was there for the wedding,” Eduardo says. “That to me was one of the most special moments in my life – to see my dad cry at my wedding.”
local birtHdays
Chris Hamlett Quality Analyst, Orlando photographer Chris Stephenson, EMBARQ, Flamingo Car Club president Robert “Tiny” nasworthy (Oct. 20); DJ Ants Adam Brenner (Oct. 21); Karaoke legend nick Rogers, sexy Orlando maintenance specialist Joe Arlotta, America-lover Jaime DeFrancesco, Orlando Hamburger Mary’s drinkmeister Juan Torres, Honey Pot co-owner Steven Donahue, Sprinkles Custom Cakes owner Richard Gregory (Oct. 23); Equality Florida trans hero Gina Duncan (Oct. 24); Tampa vocalist David Valentine, Tako Cheena proprietor Edgardo Guzman, Orlando occupational therapist Sarah Bapst (Oct. 28); Orlando accounting whiz norm Gentry, Democratic operative and LGBT activist Elizabeth McCarthy, Orlando attorney Michael Morris (Oct. 29); Lakeland leather man Jerry Miller (Oct. 30); Bungalower’s art genius Brendan O’Connor, Sarasota HIV/AIDS activist Michael Kehoe, State Farm agent John Psomas, Tampa Bay Sister of Perpetual Indulgence ShelitaCra-k, Tampa boating enthusiast Jamie Paul, Orlando Off-Lease Only’s Brian Fenn, Watermark’s Wedding Bells contributor Samantha Rosenthal (Oct. 31); St. Pete bear Wendell Wilson (Nov. 1); Tampa organizing coach and personal assistant Tracy Miller, USF Grad student and retired political activist Rand Snell (Nov. 2)
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.
—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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T A M P A
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uprisings
absentee ballOt
It’s pretty clear Donald trump is not my first choice or even my 10th choice to be the nominee of the republican Party; 14 million voters in the republican primaries chose differently. One of the reasons why I changed my mind and ran for re-election is because I know that no matter who wins this election, you are going to need people in the united states senate willing to stand up to —maRcO RUBiO the next president.
DOwn the line
c
OnSiDeRinG The UpROaR that followed Donald Trump’s hands-y approach to becoming a respected public figure, it must be difficult for those residing in Hillary Clinton’s headquarters to even consider his hands running across America. Well, it’s about to get less difficult. The Clinton campaign is doing just what it promised by running its trickle-down finance into downticket races that will secure some sense of fairness for a nation that is running on empty. “I don’t’ think [voters are] looking at this through the prism so much of checks and balances,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said, according to the Miami Herald. “I think voters want their president and their members of congress to get something done, and I think it’s concerning to them to see there [are] Republican Seante and House and in some cases gubernatorial candidate [making] thes political calculations.” The Clinton campaign is expecting to send $6 million down the ticket-rope over the next few weeks leading to Nov. 8. Hello, Patrick Murphy. Your check is in the mail!
54
waging a war
T
he Race TOwaRD an incReaSe in the minimum wage has taken on a new flavor in Florida, particularly among Republicans in redistricted areas populated by independent voters. Long a topic of conservative chambercrats who don’t want to inflate pay with increasing costs of living, the fight for 15 battle has made enough noise in Florida to inspire another political plank. “Increasing the minimum wage is good not only for the worker, it is good for those companies that employ them,” Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said, according to the Miami Herald. “We’ve got to focus on all levels of government so we can restore the American Dream, so that everyone can have a shot at it, and that’s why Florida needs $15.” Even state Sen. Anita Flores scoffed at minimal increases. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity suggested a five-cent increase in wages. “A whopping five cents an hour,” Flores said, according to the Herald. “It makes sense for the minimum wage to be increased. The state of Florida has prided itself on increasing jobs for the last several years.. However, we have to ensure that these are high-paying jobs.”
DEATH beCOmes nO One
S
O, in a STaTe ThaT SeemS TO be best friends with the death penalty and all things terrible, it looks like there might be some light shining through the electric chairs and syringes. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court stated that it would require a unanimous decision in cases involving capital punishment. Naturally, there is some confusion on the matter, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The fear is that approximately 400 murderers in limbo. The state legislature will have to solve the quagmire. “With Friday’s ruling, imposing the death sentence will require a unanimous verdict with or without legislative action,” the office of future Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, told the Times. “In the past, the Senate has been supportive of the unanimous verdict requirement.” Attorney General Pam Bondi has been expectedly vague on the issue. Her office has said that it is “reviewing” the decision in the Hurst v. Florida case that sparked the debate. Bondi will likely seek a rehearing.
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
m
Billy Manes
y fiRST Time meeTinG current senatorial and failed presidential candidate Marco Rubio was at a princess party. It was 2008, we were in the upstairs area of the legislature where people come to be actual people, and we shook hands while his daughter’s friends leapt around in pink taffeta. Rubio, who is just one year younger than me by a week, was playing dad, and all of that was fine, as it should be. I watched Rubio when he led the House floor, gavel in hand. I looked into his eyes as he made it certain that he really didn’t care about what wrath he was enabling from the far right, about what women he was ignoring, about what princesses would never be real princesses according to his flight of Floridian fancy. Rubio, a linchpin for the Republican Party if only for his looks and his connection to Hispanic voters, came off as a fraud. And, yes, these are mere observations. But sometimes staring someone in the eyes is the shortest distance between speculation and fact. Rubio, as a U.S. Senator, has been widely reported as a derelict to the justice he was elected to embody. Sift the records all you want; Rubio missed 41 percent of the votes he was elected to oversee. Rubio is not qualified for his job. Rubio is a plant. But even after speaking with Rubio when he was promoting his ghost-written book at a big-box retail outlet near the Mall at Millenia, even after staring beyond his cadre of analysts, speechwriters and fans, the emptiness was all that shone through. I took to referring to him as Patrick Bateman from the novel American Psycho. Easy leaps are easier to do, after all. Rubio is a puppet for a party that has lost its mind. Rubio and Democratic competitor Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, obviously, met to talk it out on Oct. 17. Much of the focus was on the news of the day: Rubio was supporting Trump (albeit tacitly); Murphy was having none of it. And herein lies the problem. Let’s be clear: If anyone has ever played the game of career politician, it’s Marco Rubio. Though he may be seasoned in the dither and wither of his explanations – politics will do that to someone, especially when your echo chamber is lined with editors – he is a man with no mission, a man with a questionable history (inasmuch as his autobiographical accounts have been challenged by historians), he is a Cuban immigrant (or child of; or whatever; or allegedly) and he is smug about issues surrounding immigration. And that resonates. It really does. If you were an immigrant, an “illegal” as they say, how would you feel about your accomplishments being diminished by a man who so easily turns on his own dime? If you’ve met Rubio, you would know the answer. You would feel nothing.
Oc tOb er 20 - NOv emb er 2, 2016 // Issue 2 3. 21
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