watermark ORLANDO eDItION
Your LGBTQ Life.
ISSUe 23.26 DeC. 29, 2016JAN. 11, 2017
PEOPLE
SURVIVAL OF THE
KINDEST After enduring the attack on Pulse,
Brandon Wolf
is living his life out loud and for his departed friends daytOna BeacH • OrlandO • tampa • st. petersBUrG • clearWater • sarasOta
This issue features two covers! In this issue we feature Bradon Wolf in Orlando and Joy Winheim in Tampa bay.
watermark tAMPA BAY eDItION
Your LGBTQ Life.
ISSUe 23.26 DeC. 29, 2016JAN. 11, 2017 tAMPA BAY eDItION
PEOPLE
An EPIC
Taking
Joy Winheim
now manages the largest HIV/AIDS service provider in the Tampa Bay area as EPIC’s executive director
daytOna BeacH • OrlandO • tampa • st. petersBUrG • clearWater • sarasOta
2
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
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Winter Park 321.203.2900
departments 6 // mail
PAGE
07
7 // editor’s desk 8 // orlando news
I won’t let you down. I will not give you up. Gotta have some faith in my sound. It’s the one good thing that I’ve got.
10 // tampa bay news
—GeorGe michael, “Freedom ‘90”
12// state news 15 // nation & world news 35 // arts & entertainment 37 // community calendar 39 // tampa bay out+about 40 // tampa bay marketplace 41 // orlando out+about 46 // announcements/ wedding bells 42 // orlando marketplace
on tHe cover
PAGE alpHabet soup:
PAGE
21
Place Your BeTs: The sWeeT 16:
While 2016 was a hard year for many, it was also a year filled with remarkable people doing some pretty remarkable things. Photos by Jake Stevens
scan Qr code For
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35
Watermark’s Kirk Hartlage takes a look at the ABC’s of the pop culture scene in 2016.
watermark i ssue 23 .26 //december 29, 2016 - J anuary 11, 2017
staver For attention eQual representation remarkably epic
remarkably caring
PAGE Mat Staver and his Liberty Counsel, motivated by the changing political climate, are back after the transgender community.
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
08
PAGE The National Urban League filed a lawsuit stating Equality Florida’s logo too closely resembles their own.
10
PAGE
As the new executive director of EPIC, Joy Winheim joins seven other Tampa Bay heroes as being remarkable.
21
Surviving Pulse and helping launch The Dru Project, Brandon Wolf leads the pack of Orlando’s eight most remarkable.
27
cHeck OUt eXtended prOFiles and mOre pictUres OF Watermark’s 16 mOst remarkaBle peOple OF 2016 at WatermarkOnline.cOm.
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
5
top web comments “If I want a moment’s peace, I have to hide from gay people I meet that I didn’t vote for Hillary, even though I didn’t vote for Trump either.” —Kehvan
WatermarkOnline.com: On Watermark editor Billy Manes’ appearance on NPR:
“Mr. Manes, I just listened to the piece you did for NPR. The funny thing is, in my community of Wichita, Kansas, I don’t have to hide the fact I’m gay from Trump supporters, even though I didn’t vote Trump, yet if I want a moment’s peace, I have to hide from gay people I meet that I didn’t vote for Hillary, even though I didn’t vote for Trump either.” —Kehvan
On newly elected Florida HoUse Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith talking about Republican victories:
“Lookin’ red and lookin’ good!” —John Thayer
On friends remembering Natasha Richards:
“Everyone had a Natasha story and some had many... for those of us lucky enough to have her in our lives, she will be missed dearly.” —Todd Kachinski Kottmeier
Watermark’s Facebook:
FREE
On The Associated Press naming Pulse the fourth top news story of 2016:
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
“More proof (beyond Bowie/Prince planetary departures) that 2016 was the worst.” —Charles Martin
On Meryl Streep being honored as an Ally for Equality from the Human Rights Campaign:
“Well deserved. Loved her in Mamma Mia! Actually there hasn’t been anything that I’ve seen that I didn’t like.”
On the Watermark cover for 2016, The Worst Year Ever:
“Should I LIKE this? We must eat the cake, because we need the calories to get through what’s to come.” —Hen Ry Mays
—Lucas Barszcz
“God, that makes me sad.”
On plaintiffs claiming that Mississippi law is taking sides in the religious debate:
On Pizzagate man who fired shots in gay-owned pizzeria appearing in court:
“Really. Trump wins and all rights for the LGBT community are challenged..I was hoping Trump focused more on taxes, economy and ISIS. And to leave the LGBT community alone.” —DeDe Wagner
On St. Pete Pride moving the parade and festival downtown in 2017:
“Where do all the local LGBT businesses that have supported us over the years fit into these ‘exciting changes?’” —Thomas Cooper III
“Big mistake. At least Tampa’s will remain in Ybor.” —Buster Pasco
On 2016 being one of the worst year ever:
“Billy Manes and Jeremy Williams did the almost impossible... Summarize 2016. Great work, worth reading.” —Lu Mueller-Kaul
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
—Vicki Lewis O’Grady
“So ... Bible verses tattooed on your body don’t make you act Christian? Wow.” —Thom Bland
“So glad these idiots have guns. Way to go ‘Murca.” —David Edward
On Brady Bunch star getting fired after using homophobic Slurs:
“Disrespecting Robert Reed.”
—ZANNE COLLER
On Orlando shops designating themselves a Safe Place for the LGBTQ community:
“This is a wonderful idea, but I cannot wait until ALL places are ‘Safe Places’ for our LGBTQ friends and family.” —Melissa Gross
“I will always welcome the LGBTQ community at my place of business.” —Karen Ramirez
editor’s
Billy Manes EDITOR
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
“T
Desk
hese are the days of the open hand; they will not be the last.” It was Christmas Day around 3 p.m. My husband Tony and I were moonage daydreaming to the sounds of David Bowie via a box set Who Can I Be Now that was his key present this year – that and some ridiculous kitchen appliance madness and a headlamp for his actual head – and we were in a great mood. I mean, the ashes to ashes had fermented into an amazement and appreciation nearly a year after Blackstar, nearly a year after Bowie’s death. Lazarus, indeed. Tony was in the kitchen preparing hams and beefs for our guests’ arrival, we were somewhere between Station to Station and Diamond Dogs, and I suggested that maybe we take a breather. You see, every Sunday I’ve liked to pull out George
watermark staff
Michael’s Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, so I thought, “Yeah, I really need to hear ‘Praying for Time.’” But time didn’t come. Almost one hour after getting through the whole record – and one minute after our first guest arrived – the Tweets and pings and tones of doom started pouring in: George Michael dead at 53. No. Just, no. In a year when many of our childhood and adult icons had fallen – Bowie, Prince, Pete Burns to name a few – I wasn’t really prepared to lose the one childhood icon that was so important to my development. The ambivalent gay icon, the voice that soared among all others in the mid-‘80s haze of middle-eights. My George Michael history probably isn’t of much consequence. I camped out for tickets to the Faith Tour at
Miami’s Orange Bowl in 1988 and, in doing so, witnessed my first incident of public fellatio from the persons second in line (I was third). My dear friend Rachel and I were part of the enormous din that crowded his “Monkey,” his “Faith,” his “Hard Day,” his “Freedom.” Seventh row. Center. I took nosebleed seats for his show in St. Pete many years later, and he was still the force of nature we’ll all remember him to be. One more try. Like some of his peers, he became a bit of a media spectacle, and not in a good way. Well, sometimes. I mean, nobody wants to be passed out in their car at an intersection. But my George Michael – my imaginary husband as a child – was also a character of resilience. After being busted by an undercover cop in a public bathroom for cruising, effectively, he pushed back with all of his might and, well, he fought authority and he won. “Outside” was a triumph of pushback against the cops and a huge hit in the U.K. It was also a statement about our sexualities, individual or otherwise. The thing I always loved about George Michael – beyond his follicular transformations and seemingly choreographed perfection (insert “Jitterbug!” here – was that he knew he was an outcast and he made that a song. The Guardian recently coined Michael “a defiant gay icon.” Let’s count the ways. “I Want Your Sex” was the kind of song that was completely out of the pop frame when it was released. The “Explore Monogamy” tag in the video came just at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Its subtext was real. Then came the manifesto, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, which launched all of the supermodels of note into the
The ambivalent gay icon, the voice that rose among all others in the mid-‘80s haze of middle-eights.
his core, he was an honest, sexual, beautiful soul. I will miss him more than anyone can know. I think we all will. But, as this year comes to a close, we are aiming away from unexpected tragedy in the main. This final 2016 issue of Watermark does have a bit of looking back, but mostly it’s about the sparks that are moving us forward from this abyss. Our Remarkable People issue is always one of my favorites, because it gives me hope, even after a shit year. There are, indeed, people here with us that deserve to be celebrated. Happy 2017 to you. Time to turn a different corner.
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stratosphere – Naomi, Linda, all of them – via its “Freedom ‘90” video, a huge kiss-off to his record label with which he was in litigation at the time. The album (and video) did hint at a sexuality that many of us already knew, though with some ambiguity. He wasn’t androgynous by any means, but, in retrospect, he was as talented and gay and sexual as Freddy Mercury before him. He was indeed a gay icon. Who else writes an ode like “Jesus to a Child” about his dead male lover for millions to hear? George Michael was running from the norms that had been imposed upon him, gay or straight, but at
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
contributors divine Grace
is an Orlandobased trouble maker with a forked tongue and all the charm you can imagine. Page 17
Krista DiTucci
is a freelance writer and family advocate for Manatee Children’s Services. She lives in Sarasota with her husband and children. Page 24
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 46
Aaron Alper, Scottie Campbell, Susan Clary, Krista DiTucci, Kirk Hartlage, Joseph Kissel, Jason Leclerc, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, David Moran, Gregg Shipiro, Greg Stemm, Dr. Steve yacovelli, , Michael wanzie
photography Brian Becnel, Nick Cardello, Angie Folks, Bruce Hardin, Julie Milford, Travis Moore, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift, Tinkerfluff
distribution LVNLIF2 Distributing, Lisa Jordan, Jill Bates, Ken Carraway CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations. WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail). The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.
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7
central florida news
Pulse survivors and families receive remaining crime-scene items from FBI Staff Report
O
RLANDO | The FBI is returning items to survivors and the families of those killed six months after the mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. The agency collected some 1,000 items during the investigation into the June 12 shooting that killed 49 people. The items were made available for pickup last week at an Orlando resort. Survivor Orlando Torres tells the Orlando Sentinel he picked up an old work ID badge, a credit card and a cellphone case Dec. 14. He says the agents took him into a ballroom with tables. He described the items and an agent retrieved them. His cellphone hasn’t been returned because the shooting is still under investigation. A spokeswoman for the agency said the items were “strictly personal in nature, not evidentiary.”
Orlando’s Liberty Counsel takes another jab at transgender community Billy Manes
O
Pulse holds its place in history. Photo by Jake Stevens
AP poll: Pulse listed fourth top news story of 2016 Amid a year of bad news, Orlando’s massacre rises to the top of the headlines Staff Report
RLANDO | Never ones to shy away from controversy, the Liberty Counsel – headed by Mat Staver in Orlando – is raising its hackles against the Affordable Care Act’s clause that is “forcing all doctors and staff [to] perform “gender reassignment surgeries and hormone treatments on patients, even children,” according to a press release. Eight states joined in arguments in a Texas federal court on Dec. 20 after “The Department of Health and Human Services intentionally refused any religious exemptions, despite dozens of requests, and essentially is demanding faith-based organizations and religious people [to] bow to LGBTQ demands.” The release goes on to repeat the Liberty Counsel’s frequent claims that transgender identity is a phase, something that children grow out of as they mature. “It is horrific that our government is trying to bully every practicing surgeon in America to cut and carve people, even children, based on a tenuous whim or wish. Our First Amendment protects everyone, even doctors, from being forced to take disastrous actions opposing their religious beliefs.” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “These patients, and especially children, need to find a safe environment to address the roots of their desire for sex-change surgery. Oftentimes, surgical mutilation does nothing to heal the hurt and heart of the matter. These people need to be lovingly counselled, not cut up.” said Staver.
8
Final four:
T
he turbulent U.S. election, featuring Donald Trump’s unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, was the overwhelming pick for the top news story of 2016, according to The Associated Press’ annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. Here are 2016’s top 10 stories, in order: 1. US ELECTION: This year’s top story traces back to June 2015, when Donald Trump descended an escalator in Trump Tower, his bastion in New York City, to announce he would run for president. Widely viewed as a long shot, with an unconventional campaign featuring raucous rallies and pugnacious tweets, he outlasted 16 Republican rivals. Among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton beat back an unexpectedly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders, and won the popular vote over Trump. 2. BREXIT: Britons voted in June to leave the European
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Union, triggering financial and political upheaval. 3. BLACK MEN KILLED BY POLICE: One day apart, police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, fatally shot Alton Sterling after pinning him to the ground, and a white police officer shot and killed Philando Castile during a traffic stop in a suburb of Minneapolis. Coming after several similar cases in recent years, the killings rekindled debate over policing practices and the Black Lives Matter movement. 4. PULSE NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE: The worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history unfolded on Latin Night at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. A gunman killed 49 people over the course of three hours before dying in a shootout with SWAT team members. During the standoff, he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. 5. WORLDWIDE TERROR ATTACKS: Across the globe, extremist attacks flared at a relentless pace throughout the year. Among the many high-profile attacks were those that targeted airports in Brussels and Istanbul, a park
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
teeming with families and children in Pakistan, and the seafront boulevard in Nice, France. 6. ATTACKS ON POLICE: Ambushes and targeted attacks on police officers in the U.S. claimed at least 20 lives. The victims included five officers in Dallas working to keep the peace at a protest over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. 7. DEMOCRATIC PARTY EMAIL LEAKS: Hacked emails, disclosed by WikiLeaks, revealed at-times embarrassing details from Democratic Party operatives in run-up to Election Day, leading to the resignation of Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other DNC officials. The CIA later concluded that Russia was behind the DNC hacking in a bid to boost Donald Trump’s chances of beating Hillary Clinton. 8. SYRIA: Repeated cease-fire negotiations failed to halt relentless warfare among multiple factions. With Russia’s help, the government forces of President Bashar Assad finally seized rebel-held portions of the city of Aleppo, at a huge cost in terms of deaths and destruction. 9. SUPREME COURT: After Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to fill the vacancy. However, majority Republicans in the Senate refused to consider the nomination. 10. HILLARY CLINTON’S EMAILS: Amid the presidential campaign, the FBI conducted an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private computer server to handle emails she sent and received as secretary of state.
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
9
tampa bay news
national urban league Has issue witH eQuality Florida logo
doWn BY The WaTer:
St. Pete Pride is proposing a move to Vinoy Park, home to the Tampa Bay AIDS Walk every year.
Jeremy Williams
T
amPa | The National Urban League filed a lawsuit against Equality Florida earlier this month asserting that the leading LGBTQ rights group’s logo resembles theirs is appearance too closely. According to FloridaPolitics.com, legal briefs were filed by the attorneys representing the National Urban League with the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida in Tampa. Both the National Urban League and Equality Florida’s logos use an equal sign inside a circle, and while Equality Florida’s is a white equal sign in a green circle, the National Urban League states that, when photocopied, both logos look alike. The suit claims that, “Consumers have been and will continue to be misled by Equality Florida’s use of Equality Florida’s Logo a mark confusingly similar to National Urban League’s mark. “The suit also states that the National Urban League and Equality Florida are direct competitors since both groups are charitable organizations that promote social equality and civil rights.” The National Urban Urban Action League’s Logo League also asks in the suit for financial compensation from Equality Florida for “all gains, profits, and advantages derived by them by said trademark infringement.” The National Urban League filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as well an attempt to have Equality Florida’s trademark registration revoked. The National Urban League first raised issue with Equality Florida’s logo in 2013 when a cease-and-desist letter was sent claiming “trademark infringement.” Watermark reached out to both Equality Florida and the National Urban League for comment. Equality Florida stated they have no comment regarding the pending lawsuit. At press time, the National Urban League has not returned our calls.
10
PHOTO By JEREMy WILLIAMS
Downtown Proposal
St. Pete Pride looks to move the parade and festival for 2017 Jeremy Williams
s
T. PeTersBurG | St. Pete Pride announced that a proposal has been drawn up to move the location of the parade and festival of Florida’s largest Pride celebration from the Grand Central District to downtown St. Petersburg in 2017. “This has been a topic among the board for the last eight or nine years,” said St Pete Pride’s longest serving board member Stanley Solomons in a press release Dec. 15. “We were always familiar and comfortable with the Grand Central District. But regardless of my fondness with the current location, the time to move came when the logistics and security measures changed.” The parade’s original staging area, a large lot located next to Metro Wellness and across from the old location of Georgie’s Alibi, will become the new location of several apartment complexes and will no longer be available to use. “There were multiple layouts and routes and maps looked at and it was narrowed down to two,” says Eric Skains, executive director of St. Pete Pride. “The downtown route was the
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
one that was decided on to propose to the board. The second was a Grand Central option that started the route at [Tropicana Field] and move down toward Grand Central.” The new proposed St. Pete Pride layout will begin at the Grand Central District on Friday night. “We’re still hoping they will be on board with keeping the Friday night event in Grand Central,” Skains says. “It would be a very similar process as it has been in the last couple of years, where we want to have some live music and opportunities to engage the attendees into the businesses and shops and restaurants of the Grand Central District.” The parade staging area and beginning would be at Albert Whitted Park and proceed along Bayshore Drive to Vinoy Park, crossing fewer intersections then the parade routes at Grand Central. “We will still have glamstands, this time in North Straub Park and possibly some more bleacher areas in Vinoy Park” Skains says. “The parade will be starting about an hour earlier than it has been since moving to a nighttime parade.” The Pride festival will be in Vinoy Park on Sunday, with additional events
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
in Straub Park. Along with the three-day Pride event, Skains says they plan to continue the 5K in Gulfport and are looking to meet with Largo Commissioner Mike Smith about possibly hosting an event in that area as well. “We have the possibility of celebrating Pride from Gulfport to Largo to Grand Central to downtown St. Pete,” Skains says. “I think that is something that is tremendous for Pinellas County and it really shows the outreach the organization has made over the last few years in trying to include as many different areas as part of the Pride celebration as possible.” The decision to move the St. Pete Pride parade and festival downtown has been a controversial topic with some for several years now, but Skains says that the response from the community has been anything but controversial. “We’ve received more than 120 calls, comments and emails on the move and it is overwhelmingly in support of the move,” he says. “We feel confident that overall the community will be supportive of it.” The move comes at a time when St. Pete Pride is also looking to make the move to the world stage. St. Petersburg is hoping to host WorldPride in 2022, the 20th anniversary of St. Pete Pride. St. Petersburg joined Copenhagen and Las Vegas in sending letters of interest to the WorldPride organizer InterPride earlier this year. The St. Pete Pride Board of Directors will officially vote on the move at the January 17 board meeting. For more information on the proposed move and to see the pared and festival maps visit StPetePride.com/2017.
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
11
state news
Progressive Miami Beach Community Church Deals with Homophobic Threats Wire Report
M
IAMI | Miami Beach Community Church saw helping Joseph Jorczak as central to its mission – providing a place for people with mental illness to commune with God. Church leaders let Jorczak march with them in the city’s gay pride parade. They gave him food. When he got sick, they drove him to the hospital and prayed for him. On Sunday, they plan to post men with guns at the front door after Jorczak threatened to mow down church members with an assault rifle – an attack he claimed would eclipse the mass killing at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, according to police. The church’s sin, according
to rambling postings on his Facebook page: extending that same inclusive, welcoming hand to gay people. “The Miami Beach Community Church is filled with a bunch of sick homosexuals,” police say Jorczak posted, according to Miami Beach NBC-affiliate WTVJ. “Orlando will look small to what is coming to Miami Beach, specifically the Miami Beach Community Church.” He also posted that “you cannot trust the LGBT community,” and mentioned that he had finally found someone willing to sell him an assault-style rifle. Concerned, police went to Jorczak’s apartment on Wednesday to ask him about the posts. An altercation ensued, and Jorczak was arrested – the climax
to months of tension between the church and a man it once tried to help. The church sent an email to members last week, encouraging them to report anything suspicious, the Rev. Harold Thompson told the Washington Post. Police and security guards will also be out in force during services. The church of about 155 people has been criticized for its progressive stances before, but this is the most serious threat that has been leveled, Thompson said. Miami Beach Community Church is nearly a century old, but in the 1990s began taking a strongly progressive stance, Thompson said. It became a safe space for LGBT youth and had a recurring spot in the city’s annual
gay pride parade. The church posted a picture of a candle after the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. A section on the church’s website outlines its core beliefs: “No matter who - no matter what - no matter where we are on life’s journey - notwithstanding race, gender, sexual orientation, class or creed - we all belong to God and to one worldwide community of faith.” Sundays can get interesting. People speak up out of turn or randomly start singing. Others will parade up and down the aisles while Thompson preaches. Mostly, Thompson said church members roll with the interruptions - and he keeps preaching. Jesus associated with people who mainstream society viewed
as undesirable, Thompson said. His church should, too, he said. As long as people aren’t openly hostile, the church is welcoming. Jorczak did cause interruptions, according to Thompson. During a service last winter, he stood up and started screaming at the top of his lungs. Someone called police, and he was escorted out. He made threats against Thompson’s family and the church treasurer. The threats have made some question whether the church is doing the right thing. “There are individuals in the congregation that are nervous about the homeless or people that come in with mental challenges that are acting out,” Thompson said. “There [are] tensions around that part of the ministry. But from my perspective, that’s the part of the ministry we should embrace. There’s all manner of individuals facing different crises in their lives, and they need a church that will say it’s OK to come here, it’s OK to be here.”
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
12/19/16 10:26 AM
nation+world news
Failed deal to undo lgbtQ law marks rocky start For nortH carolina governor Wire Report
r
aleiGh, n.c. | North Carolina’s next Democratic governor has seen a deal to repeal the state’s law limiting LGBTQ protections he helped broker fall apart, and had several of his powers stripped away by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature. And he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. Gov.-elect Roy Cooper has vowed to keep his campaign promises to bend back the rightward course of the state. But with only a 10,000-vote victory over GOP Gov. Pat McCrory and bitter partisan distrust in this deeply divided state, he’s already slipped along the rocky path he must walk to work successfully with the legislature. And Republicans will maintain veto-proof majorities in 2017. “My future negotiations with them are certainly going to have to
be instructed by this,” a somber yet angry Cooper told reporters last week after the deal to repeal the law known nationally as the “bathroom bill” collapsed. Two December special sessions, one of which saw raucous protests against Republicans and dozens of arrests, have created further strain in a divided state that chose Republicans Donald Trump for president and Richard Burr for U.S. Senate but went with a Democrat for governor. “There’s a complete lack of trust between the legislative leadership and Cooper at this point in time,” longtime state Democratic consultant Brad Crone said. “That does not bode well for an incoming governor.” Missing out on ending House Bill 2, which also directed transgender people to use bathrooms in public buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate, prompted finger-pointing between Cooper and legislative leaders. It would have
been a major accomplishment to repeal a bill that has been blamed for job losses, canceled concerts and sporting events, and staining North Carolina’s reputation. Even before the General Assembly sessions, Cooper already was at a disadvantage. Cooper is a 30-year veteran of state politics, 14 years in the legislature before 16 as attorney general, and claimed victory on election night. But it was another 27 days before McCrory conceded while dozens of ballot protests and a partial recount worked out the results. One law the General Assembly approved this month requires his Cabinet choices be confirmed by legislators. The state Constitution gives the Senate the ability to “advise and consent” to the governor’s appointees by a majority vote, but that provision hadn’t been used in at least several decades. GOP legislators argued they are only rebalancing the powers between the legislative and executive branches, but Democrats and their allies call it a brazen, unlawful power grab.
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in otHer news oKlahoma man arresTed on haTe crime charGe aFTer sTore incidenT a 31-year-old Tulsa man has been arrested on a hate crime charge in connection to an assault on a Hispanic man that involved racial and homophobic slurs. Joshua price was arrested dec. 19. price was charged in September for the alleged assault. It wasn’t immediately clear if price has an attorney. according to court documents, a man said he was waiting to check out at a Walgreens on may 15, when price accused him of cutting in front of him in line. The man says he apologized.
lGBTQ riGhTs suPPorTers Win second vicTorY aT The uniTed naTions Supporters of lGbTQ rights have won a major victory at the United nations with the failure of a second african attempt to stop a U.n. independent expert from investigating violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation. african nations led by burkina Faso attempted again Dec. 19 to suspend the work of the first LGBTQ expert. Those countries sought to delay implementation of a U.n. Human rights council resolution to determine the “legal basis” for the expert’s mandate. opponents introduced an amendment to eliminate the call for a delay. It was adopted by a vote of 84-77.
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
viewpoint
Divine Grace
Sweet
Divinity Old Angst Song
H
ello, Dolls.
Well, here we are at the end of 2016. And what a ride, am I right? Usually you have to go to IKEA or Auschwitz for this kind of excitement, but this year has landed enough suffering onto our bruised collective lap to feel like a hysterectomy performed by a steamroller.
And yes, I am aware that many have already come before me to make dishonorable mention of the debacles and travesties that have populated this year like a host of diseased maggots, but I feel confident that I can project sturm and drang with more humor than most. I mean who else says things like “diseased maggots” after referencing IKEA as a place of suffering? (Enjoy those meatballs.) Stay with me, though. I hope to come out on the other side of this vitriol with some positivity! I started to write a song parody to “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” titled, “What a Terrible Freaking Year That This Was,” but when I realized I could spend less time with my chins buried in a rhyming dictionary, I figured a column was a better outlet for my angst-induced creativity, so here we go. Everyone is dead. Literally, everybody. If you are reading this, all I can assume is that we are the few residents of the planet Earth who weren’t called home
to the Sweet By-and-By during what appears to have been a rapture in slow motion. Adding insult to injury upon the Pulse massacre, David Bowie and Prince heralded a farewell of the great pioneers of a hairy toeknuckle in a heel. (Try not to get too attached to RuPaul.) Gene Wilder, Patty Duke, Alan Rickman, Leonard Cohen, and Vanity’s demise murdered what was left of our childhoods. Mohammad Ali joined the “Choir Invisible,” and now we’ve lost perhaps the greatest fighter of them all, Zsa Zsa Gabor. As quick with a punch as Ali ever was, the Hungarian hostess had been on death watch for the last seven of her 614 years, and had her Last Rites read to her almost as often as her Miranda Rights. Ryan Lochte’s career and America’s Olympic pride simultaneously curled up for a dirt nap. Then, just as we said goodbye to the year, America died. Instead of a funeral, we will instead mourn with what will surely be the Republic’s final Inauguration as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse saddle up their steeds and deliver us to Moscow. Another calamity that I am going to blame is Pokemon. Now, I’ll admit that as an elderly transvestite person, I aged out of the whole Pokemon experience just as it was gathering steam in the United States. It has something to do with collecting trading cards with fictional fighting monsters, officially making it an even more juvenile professional wrestling card game. This whole experience from the late 1900s is now being revisited with legions of adults were roaming playgrounds and public spaces – often trespassing – to collect virtual monsters with an app. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could somehow harness that same verve and vigor and apply it to FACTS? Imagine how more informed our slack-jawed masses would be if they
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could be rewarded useless inapplicable points that serve no purpose by pacing the halls of a courthouse, newspaper office or media outlet. Another reboot that served absolutely no purpose was Rocky Horror, and it was so bad that I considered giving up drag because of the shame of it all.
was 36 degrees warmer than usual, but America is determined to spend our last remaining years debating on whether or not this is something that’s even happening, or perhaps something we can manage by calling the forecast “New Sriracha-Infused” or by making Old Navy’s summer line flame-retardant.
I don’t know if the world is actually getting worse or if it’s always been an enormous dumpster fire and we are just more aware of it thanks to Facebook (you know, like people’s lunches and gym memberships), but it sure is depressing as Hell. The good news is (and there IS, in fact, good news) that this is the environment in which
But the real horrors of the world weren’t fictional. Mankind is collapsing the environment as quickly as we are our government. Our dependency on combustible engines and the fossil fuels that power them has lead us to a place in history where we half expect the sky to burst into flames and rain down a tsunami of lava. At one point, the North Pole
Also ignored is what is being referred to as “a complete meltdown of humanity” that America refuses to address because, I assume, the area isn’t lucrative and oil-rich. I feel confident that this human rights catastrophe will be revisited in ten years when a Don Cheadle vehicle titled “Motel Aleppo” is snagging an Oscar.
the greatest art thrives and blooms. Bad guys will always win, but we can manage to trudge on day after day if we simply remember to laugh when we can. It may sound impossible, but as my Mama always says, “No matter how awful the day is, the sun will shine again.” Happy New Year! Make it a great one!
I don’t know if the world is actually getting worse, or if it’s always been an enormous dumpster fire.
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
17
% OF
LESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE Have Been THREATENED WITH Or Have Been
VICTIMS OF
REVENGE PORN, COMPARED WitH JUst 2% OF straiGHt peOple. —Data & Society Research Institute
talking points So much of what we see in terms of
hate crimes or bullying or bias
stems from ignorance. It stems from fear. It stems from labeling someone else as different, labeling someone else as ‘other,’ not realizing that we’re all different. —aTTorneY General loreTTa lYnch sPeaKinG To lGBTQ sTudenTs aT harveY milK hiGh school in neW YorK dec. 13.
moonlight is One OF
tHe mOst celeBrated Films OF 2016
B
arrY JenKins’ cominG-oF-aGe Tale Moonlight is one of the most acclaimed films of 2016. The movie, which follows a young, black man struggling with his sexuality during the “War on Drugs” era in Miami, is appearing on top of most critics “Best of” lists and it is racking up tons of award show nominations. Moonlight led the field in the dramatic categories for the Golden Globes picking up six nods; including Best Picture - Drama, Best Directing and Screenplay for Jenkins, Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali and Supporting Actress Naomie Harris. Moonlight grabbed three Screen Actor Guild nominations for Best Ensemble Cast and supporting noms again for Ali and Harris. The film also led in the Independent Spirit Awards nominations with a total of six. All awards will be handed out live through out early 2017.
meryl streep tO Be HOnOred as an ally FOr eqUality By Hrc
m
erYl sTreeP is liKe marY PoPPins, practically perfect in every way, and the people at the Human Rights Campaign seem to agree. HRC announced it will honor Streep with the Ally for Equality Award at the 2017 Greater New York Gala Feb. 11. The award recognizes outstanding efforts of those who use their voice and publicly stand up for the LGBTQ community. “Meryl Streep embodies the very nature of what it means to be an ally to our community,” said HRC president Chad Griffin. Streep, who is one of Hollywood’s most honored thespians, has starred in the award-winning LGBTQ films Silkwood, The Hours and Angels in America; as well as played iconic divas in The Devil Wears Prada, Death Becomes Her and She-Devil.
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meGan mUllally Hints at pOssiBle Will & grace revival
a
one-oFF elecTion ediTion ePisode of Will & Grace may have sparked interest in a revival of the NBC series. The original cast reunited for a 10-minute episode released online in September that urged voters to back Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. The episode has been viewed more than 6.5 million times since. Megan Mullally, who starred as Karen in the series, tells PrideSource that “there is a very good chance” that new episodes of the series “might happen.” She says Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election means that “it couldn’t be a better time” for the return of a series that included two openly gay principal characters. Will & Grace originally ran on NBC from 1998 to 2006.
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loVe is loVe cOmic HOnOrs pUlse victims
d
c comics has Joined with IDW Publishing to create Love is Love, an over-sized comic in honor of the victims of the Pulse shooting. The 144-page book features an introduction by the project’s organizer, Marc Andreyko, and contributions from some of the biggest names in comics, including Phil Jimenez, Steve Sadowski, Paul Jenkins, Patton Oswalt, Brandon Peterson and more. “Love is Love is meant to mourn the victims, support the survivors, celebrate the LGBTQ community and examine love in today’s world,” the IDW website reads. All proceeds raised will go to the victims’ families and survivors of the Pulse tragedy. Love is Love is available to order in both print and digital at IDWPublishing.com.
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In partnership with Balance Tampa Bay, the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber continues the tradition of awarding an annual scholarship to Local LGBTA college student who qualifies through participation in our mentorship program. This program includes community involvement, volunteering and personal/academic mentoring.
Tickets on sale now at www.diversitytampabay.org Sponsorships available, please contact Colleen at colleen@diversitytampabay.org
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
in-deptH: tampa Bay remarkaBle peOple
PEOPLE
An EPIC Taking Joy Winheim now manages the largest HIV/AIDS service provider in the Tampa Bay area as EPIC’s executive director
s
Jeremy Williams
omeTimes BeinG remarKaBle
can be bittersweet. Francis House announced this year that they would be merging with AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP) under the umbrella of Empath Health. This new organization, Empath Partners in Care (EPIC), would be headed by Francis House’s previous executive director Joy Winheim. watermark Your LGBTQ life.
“When we were first approached [by ASAP], we thought there is no way we’re doing this, we don’t need to do it,” Winheim says. “We had plenty of grant money. We’re doing well, you know, we have 800 clients. We’re not having any issues so why would we think about this?” Winheim sat with the decision for a bit and ultimately decided the merger was the best thing she could do for Francis House. “The deciding factor was that all of our funding is coming up in the
next year or so, and if I inadvertently miss one piece of information or forget one paper when I go for grants, because it’s all me, then I lose all that money and I have to let people go,” she says. “So it was not an easy decision. It was very tough. I kept telling my family I said you know this is either going to be the best decision I’ve ever made for this place or the absolute worst.” It has always been an “all-in” kind
cOntinUed On pG. 25 | uu |
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Walking Tall matHieu stanocH wants only good times to be Had in ybor
Radio Heads tHe will & grace stylings oF miguel & Holly Have made tHem tampa bay’s number one morning sHow
W
haT maKes someone remarKaBle can vary. It can be a standing up for what’s right, or it can be something much more subtle and simple, just being who you are. Miguel Fuller and Holly O’Connor are the morning show hosts for Hot 101.5’s “Miguel and Holly Show.” The radio duo came to Tampa Bay in 2015 by way of Panama City Beach and have since climbed out of the airwaves and snuggled up to us, becoming the Bay Area’s very own Will & Grace. Much in the manner of Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres, Fuller and O’Connor have been remarkable in changing the perception of what people think about LGBTQ people. Speaking to a large audience every day, they are able to normalize the community for those who think every gay guy/ straight woman combo is exactly like Will & Grace. “It’s the authenticity with us,” Fuller says. “Will & Grace was important for that time but they were all caricatures of stereotypes. With us it’s more than that. We are actually friends first, friends who deal with life with the audience there.” Fuller and O’Connor discuss topics ranging from Fuller’s struggles with weight and dating to O’Connor’s divorce, dealing with co-parenting and getting back into the scene. “Stripped down, the friendship is the key to it,” O’Connor says. “We try and do the show like we are making you a part of the conversation and a part of the friendship.” Equality and love are at the core which makes this duo remarkable, and that is most notable not when they speak about themselves but when they speak about each other. “I was so proud that Miguel was one of St. Pete Pride’s Grand Marshals this year,” O’Connor says. “So proud, I think cried actually. I have really watched him become a man over the course of our friendship.” Fuller recalled sitting in the meeting when O’Connor asked for the show’s name change. “I was very proud of her standing up and doing the damn thing and being the woman that she is,” Fuller says. That authenticity is what helped get “The Miguel and Holly” show to number one this year. That and having the support of the family around you. “[Cox Media Group] has been so accepting of us as people and they said whatever you need to do on air be you,” O’Connor says. “That’s what people are coming here to listen to, you two and your personalities, so do it.” —Jeremy Williams
Y
Bor ciTY is a Grand Place. Part historical artifact from a more romanticized time, part party destination and all holiday spirit complete with street parades and fantastic festivals. The man behind the holiday magic of Ybor is Mathieu Stanoch. “We got started seven years ago with the Historic Holiday Spirit by decorating the streets of Ybor,” Stanoch recalls. “Now, with the support of GaYbor District, Centro Ybor and the Ybor City Development Corporation, we have the parade and the snow, it’s beautiful.” Snow of 7th has become an event not just for the people of Ybor, but for the entire Tampa Bay area. Dozens of giant snow machines, a full parade down 7th Ave., a tree lighting ceremony and more hot chocolate and candy canes than the North Pole. The success of Snow of 7th led Stanoch to have the very first March of the Pumpkin King Halloween parade this year. “We want to bring back the traditions that once made us the cool place in
Tampa,” Stanoch says. “This year we were able to execute the Halloween parade and next year we are bringing back another parade, ‘The March of the Flags,’ with Fiesta Days, which will honor the many heritages of Ybor City. That is something that dates back to the 1930s.” Stanoch is passionate about making Ybor a place that marvels and entertains the entire family, free from fear and harassment, which is why he knew he had to do something when he experienced a verbal attack from visiting Shriners in town for an August conference. “It rocked my world a lot,” Stanoch says. “I grew up in an art district with
Commission Impossible kevin beckner raised tHe Flag and our eXpectations oF wHat we Hope For From our politicians
T
he Year 2016 saW The end of an era in Hillsborough County as we bid farewell to District 6 County Commissioner Kevin Beckner. Beckner was elected for his first term in 2008, and then won reelection in 2012, becoming Hillsborough’s first openly gay commissioner. The county was a very different place then. “There was a lack of respect for the diversity in our community,” Beckner says. “That started to change when they elected me. To see them move forward and elect their first openly gay politician, seeing those walls start to break down, it was exciting to be a part of.” Beckner’s two terms saw a lot of change for the LGBTQ community. He was able to get the ban on Pride celebrations lifted, had sexual orientation and gender identity added into the county’s Human Rights Ordinance, assisted in getting equal healthcare benefits for LGBTQ employees and their families, and worked to create a countywide
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domestic partnership program. “We really accomplished a lot, and I think that is a reflection of what we have accomplished as a country,” Beckner says. “From the ending of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ to marriage equality, the last eight years have been amazingly progressive as a community and a country.” Beckner stepped up to the call from the LGBTQ community in June after 49 people were gunned down and another 53 were injured at Pulse in Orlando. “I thought it was really important – not just as the LGBTQ community, but as the Tampa Bay community – that we come together to recognize and remember the tragedy that occurred in
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
PEOPLE an open and accepting family, so I had never been in a situation like that with bigotry before.” While most in a situation like this would take to social media to vent and get angry, Stanoch took a different approach. He went out of his way to make sure this wouldn’t happen to anyone else. “It made me step up my game to make sure that this kind of behavior would not be tolerated, not here in Ybor,” Stanoch says. “We always stand strong and firm for each other here, and if an event is coming into Ybor they need to understand that this is our district, this is our home.” Stanoch went to the head of the Shriners and not only got an apology from the individual who used homophobic language, but from the entire organization as well. “[The Shriners] recognized the LGBTQ community internationally for the first time in their records,” Stanoch says. “That was amazing, to have it go from one of the low points in my year to one of the high points within 48 hours. Now that’s remarkable.” —Jeremy Williams Orlando,” he says. Beckner argued to have the LGBTQ Pride flag flown out front the Hillsborough County Center after the shooting and to keep it up for the remainder of June. Beckner had almost the full support of his colleagues. The measure to raise the flag passed 5-1. Beckner did not have as much luck in getting the commissioners to join him in recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride and History Month in Hillsborough. “When I proposed recognizing June as a Pride and History Month, it was my expectations that we would have a robust conversation about that and I expected one of my colleagues to second that motion,” Beckner says. “It was quite a surprise to me that they all succumbed to the politics of it.” For all its ups and downs, Beckner will remember 2016 as a year when he saw our community come together like never before. “Leading up to that last day as a commissioner, I was reflecting on the work that we’d done,” Beckner says. “I realized what we got through as a community. We have really come a long way.” Great communities are great because of remarkable leaders. —Jeremy Williams
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Heavenly Grace rev. elder dr. nancy wilson closed an important cHapter in 2016
r Trans activist nate Quinn spent 2016 FigHting to keep trans students saFe in tHe batHroom
d
oinG someThinG ThaT Would deem you remarkable is difficult enough. To do so as a teenager is a whole new level. Quinn came out to his parents as transgender when he was 16 years old, but unlike the typical teen who rebels away from authority, he sat down with them. “They didn’t know anything about trans issues when I came out so they educated themselves,” Quinn says. Quinn then went to the administrators at Pine View, a grades 2-12 magnet school in Osprey, Fla., which he attended and asked for a trans-inclusive bathroom policy. “I started my junior year and they said no,” Quinn says. “So I went back my senior year and asked again and they said no again, so I decided I was going to fight them on it.” Quinn organized a call-in to the school and within a few weeks Quinn had nearly a thousand commitments to call the school. Quinn got what he wanted. Pine View changed the policy and he could have stopped there, but something else weighed on his mind. “I told Pine View that that works for me, but now I was going to take it to the Sarasota County School Board, and I would get the rest of what I want from them,” he says. What Quinn wanted was for all the schools in Sarasota County to be covered under this policy. Quinn went to the Sarasota County School Board in February and March and asked again and again, but received the same answer. So Quinn did the only thing he felt he could: He organized. “We did two protests, [including] a march downtown which had about 200 people show up and march with us. I’ve had lots of meetings with the school board,” Quinn says. Quinn didn’t get the results he had hoped for. The school board instead refused to vote either way, saying it would see how the U.S. Supreme Court handles the issue. Quinn is OK with a stalemate for the moment. He got the issue the attention it needed, and for him that’s a win.
—Jeremy Williams
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ev. elder dr. nancY Wilson has served as a voice for the LGBTQ community through her 44 years of ministry with the Metropolitan Community Church. Throughout her career, she has fought for marriage equality, HIV/ AIDS awareness, racial injustice and climate change. Rev. Wilson, who hails from Long Island, N.Y., says she knew she wanted to be involved in ministry since she was 13 years old. She moved to Sarasota in 2001 to serve as an MCC pastor, became the MCC Global Moderator in 2005 and retired this year. Rev. Wilson says she has always been drawn to being Global Moderator because she feels attached to a worldwide movement of people who believe in the same basic human
rights and values. She says her most memorable experience as Global Moderator was participating in Jamaica’s first Walk for Tolerance in Montego Bay. “There were over 100 people fighting for tolerance for people with HIV/AIDS,” Rev. Wilson says. “In a place where people are murdered for being gay, I was very proud of those who risked being seen by the media
standing up, making a difference, and trying to change their own culture.” Although Rev. Wilson recently retired, she plans to be involved in ministry in some way for the rest of her life. She recently published I Love to Tell the Story, which includes stories from her MCC experiences. “I hope people will laugh, cry, or otherwise enjoy the stories,” she says. “I’m a preacher and a storyteller, so sometimes it’s important to externalize those things. Books give people a different access to material and they have a way of getting into the hands of people from all kinds of places.” Rev. Wilson says she plans to continue living in Florida and will celebrate 40 years with her wife, Paula, next year. “I think I’ve helped the MCC gain a bigger global vision of itself and its mission,” Rev. Wilson says. “We are looking up and out at a very big world where there are many people who need a different experience of God that’s not judgmental, but one that’s full of justice and help.” —Krista DiTucci
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
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tampa bay rays president brian auld is loud and proud about lgbtQ pride
rian auld has Been WiTh The TamPa BaY raYs For 12 Years and has been the team’s president since 2014. In his time at Tropicana Field, nothing else has been ingrained into the Rays more than the inclusion of the entire community, even LGBTQ people. “MLB teams are a part of the fabric of the community that they are in, and it’s important to unequivocally state that LGBTQ is a part of the community,” Auld says. The Rays have always been on the forefront of LGBTQ inclusion. They were a part of the “It Gets Better” campaign. They were also the first professional sports team to sign an amicus brief last year in support of same-sex marriage. The Rays celebrated a decade of Pride Nights at Tropicana Field this year. “As much as anything, Pride Night started as a way for us to let the LGBTQ community know that they are welcome and we want them to come out to our games,” Auld says. This year’s Pride Night took place five days after Pulse. Auld helped arrange to have all ticket sales donated to the OneOrlando Fund, living out the phrase on the team’s shirts that night, “We Are Orlando.” —Jeremy Jeremy Williams
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Hero in the ‘Burg st. petersburg mayor rick kriseman stood up For tHe little guy and got a little bit Famous From it
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here Wasn’T a loT oF PosiTiviTY coming from Twitter in 2016. One notable exception was the reaction to a tweet St. Petesburg Mayor Rick Kriseman wrote in 2015 as a response to Donald Trump’s suggested ban on Muslims entering the country. The tweet in which Kriseman jokingly barred Trump from St. Petersburg kicked 2016 off with a plethora of attention. “It was remarkable,” Kriseman recalls. “I never would have thought. It was retweeted around 22,000 times and it was read more than a million times.” Kriseman has always tried to make sure that the LGBTQ community knew they were welcomed. He marches in the St. Pete Pride parade every chance he gets, he took St. Pete from a score of 66 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index when he entered office to a 100 percent every year since (including 2016), and he has raised the Pride flag over City Hall every Pride since entering the office of mayor. “We’re not going to be fearful here,” Kriseman says. “We’re going to continue to celebrate the diversity of this community and celebrate what it means to be LGBTQ in St. Petersburg.” —Jeremy Williams
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| uu | Joy Winheim FrOm pG.21
of agreement Winheim had with Francis House. Born and raised in New York, Winheim came out to her parents when she was 23, then moved down to Florida with her girlfriend. “I thought it would be the best idea to get out of my parents’ house and explore myself as an adult, and of course it had to be 1,200 miles away,” Winheim says. “I became independent, had a job and my own car, and I was taking care of myself.” While that relationship didn’t work out, it brought Winheim to the place she would call home, Tampa Bay. Winheim was running the HIV program at a substance abuse facility in 2005 when she had an unexpected conversation with Francis House. “Someone from Francis House came over and asked why I wasn’t sending over my clients,” Winheim says. “I said, ‘If I can speak honestly, it’s because I don’t like your counselors and I don’t like the way they talk to people. I think they’re unethical and I’m just not comfortable sending people there.’”
This conversation opened the eyes of Francis House, and Winheim was immediately asked to join its team. “I wrote all these demands down – pay requirements and insurance benefits – not thinking anything was going to happen. She came back and said we want to hire you. We’ll do everything you want. So they hired me. I think she regretted it the very next day,” Winheim says.
support groups, and we stopped serving frozen meals and we started cooking fresh,” Winheim says. “Slowly people started to come. Then we got a little bit more money and more people started to come. Then the groups got better and we did some fun things.” Winheim saw that her job was to take an organization that started 26 years ago which looked to help those with AIDS die with dignity,
Also in 2007, the position of executive director became available. “They said they were going to go on a search for a new executive director, and I don’t know that the search ever even started before I called up and said, ‘I’m already doing it so let me just do it,’ and they were like, ‘OK.’ I think I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Winheim says. Francis House started 2016 with
When we were first approached [by ASAP], we thought there is no way we’re doing this, we don’t need to do it... We’re not having any issues so why would we think about this. —JoY Winheim When Winheim came to Francis House, it had only seven clients who were coming for services. Winheim gathered her small team together and went to work. They started by going through all the client files to figure out where they all had gone and why they stopped coming back. The key to Francis House becoming a success? Seeing the clients as people and not files. “We started to implement better
compassion and caring, and convert it into a place where people with HIV and AIDS could come to live without fear. “We instituted a summer series and had a luau in the parking lot, and you know, just did things with them over the summer or on the weekends,” Winheim says. After two years, Francis House increased their client list and had 25 people who were coming to them every day for care and services.
800 clients who come for at least one service. They offer support groups, mental health counseling and relapse prevention. They cook breakfast and lunch every day, operate a food pantry, give out bus passes and offer emergency assistance where clients can get help with rent, utilities and housing. “We do anything that we can fit into a day to kind of keep them here and safe and well,” Winheim says. That kind of compassion is what
PEOPLE led ASAP to approach Winheim about the merger. “We did not want it portrayed that Empath and ASAP were coming in to gobble us up, because that’s not what it was,” Winheim says. “This is a true partnership.” Just as she did in 2005 when she came to Francis House, Winheim came to the merger with a few demands. “In going through with the merger, we wanted to make sure that our staff was protected and we could keep our buildings, at least for now,” she says. “It was very important for us to keep the Francis House name as a component of the new entity as well so the name here in Tampa will be EPIC at Francis House campus. Our name and our reputation means a lot to the clients.” As the executive director of EPIC, Winheim will go from managing 800 clients at Francis House to more than 10,000 in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, a task she is ready to take on.
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
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PEOPLE
SURVIVAL OF THE KINDEST After enduring the attack on Pulse, Brandon Wolf is living his life out loud and for his departed friends.
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Billy Manes
T’s almosT imPossiBle To
imagine the grief carried by Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor who lost his greatest friends. But there’s something about Wolf – some unexpected, well-versed resilience – that makes outside imagination seem ridiculous, anyway.
Wolf, who has become a voice against gun violence, and indeed a hero in his own right, lost friends Drew Leinonen and Drew’s boyfriend Juan Guerro
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in June as he had run off to the bathroom. The details aren’t necessary, but Wolf is. Outside of
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cOntinUed On pG. 33 | uu |
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NOW PLAYING!
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Queen of the night parliament House’s darcel stevens and tHe importance oF being current
W A Change of Heart
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orange county mayor teresa Jacobs and Her new advocacy
T’s hard To rememBer The Teresa JacoBs oF Yore. The mayor of Orange County (and former commissioner with a “regular people” angle on governance) has seen her share of public turmoil in recent years. She was, of course, partially responsible for “textgate,” in which commissioners and the mayor were caught discussing earned sick time with lobbyists on their electronic devices during a public meeting. That’s not really legal. There was litigation. It got pretty ugly. But sitting down with her today, she’s believably a changed woman from the one we confronted about LGBTQ rights in 2012. She’s genuine. She’s crying. Pulse happened under her watch. “It’s never going to get easier, darn it!” she says into a tissue. “I felt very proud of our community. I felt very hurt initially, as did our LGBTQ community. I know it hit our Hispanic community hard as well.” She’s also on our side in her recognition that this wasn’t what alt-right conspiracy theorists would have you believe. This wasn’t just rogue terrorism, although terror is certainly involved when 49 people die. “For anybody who thinks this attack wasn’t intended to affect the LGBTQ people, it doesn’t make any sense,” she says. “This man passed too many establishments and went too far to pick Pulse. It was just such a stab in the heart to our community. I’ve had so many friends, and you don’t know this, but growing up, in high school in college I had a lot friends who were in the closet and gay, and so I thought that I understood more than most people. But coming here and understanding that there were so many people who were openly gay, that it’s been so neat to see how people react to things they have never seen, to people that they never understood.” And then everything changed. “I think for me that was the point where it wasn’t just good enough for me to say,” she says, wiping her eyes. “It’s taken awhile for me to reconcile my years of religious beliefs with my convictions about equality and the right for everyone to share the same joys in life that we have in marriage, but to get to that point that it was an absolute as an obligation, as a human, being mayor of Orange County, to speak up. Jacobs went as far as having our local Republican delegation sign a memorandum earlier this year proclaiming their support for LGBTQ rights. A friend helped her get there, as did the passing of former staff member Chase Smith. “When this person said, ‘Do you know why it’s important that this is called a domestic partner registry?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t.” And he said, ‘You’re the mayor of Orange County. If you don’t validate our relationships, if you don’t call it that, it invalidates our relationships.” —Billy Manes
hen You scroll ThrouGh Your FaceBooK Feed, you might find live feeds or videos of Darcel Stevens removing his makeup at the Parliament House post-drag. You really should, too, because it’s great and honest. But Stevens took on a new role, one without sequins and wigs as Orlando fell to violence over the summer. We caught up with Stevens in the dressing room of Parliament’s Footlight Theatre. The foundation was going on. “I think that, for the most part, it’s my faith,” Stevens says about his community presence. “Most people don’t realize that I have a strong Christian background, and that’s the foundation of everything that I do.” Perhaps ironically, Stevens used to work for HCA/Columbia, Gov. Rick Scott’s noted arena of (alleged) Medicare fraud. Following that career, Stevens landed in Orlando. “When I got here, I was put on part-time. Then I got laid off, because the corporation went through some trouble that we all know. I took the position here. My home is in Crystal River, so getting home has always been a little bit distant. And I’ve always been a people person. I gravitate toward people. I call Orlando
home because of the people here, our genuine love. Unlike Gainesville: When I had friends in Gainesville, other than University of Florida, it was very different. People were more superficial there. It was very different. But here, this felt like home. People were genuine.” Stevens has been genuine to the Orlando community, too, especially when the summer massacre at Pulse happened. Stevens was on the red phone to anyone he knew at the site, and was able to communicate, with veracity, the horrors that his friends were seeing via iPads and iPhones. He still can’t go to the memorial site, though.
The connection is made mover and sHaker carlos carbonell meets, greets and wins
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T’s almosT imPossiBle To Peruse any Orlando media without catching a glance of the Human Rights Campaign’s (seemingly) chief networker Carlos Carbonell. Carbonell also serves on the Contigo Fund Grant Committee, an affiliate of the Our Fund Foundation, that was developed in Orlando in the wake of the Pulse massacre. He’s also a key figure in the newly formed LGBTQ alliance which seeks to pull resources together from throughout the community to achieve equality and fairness. “I have a huge love for everything Orlando,” he says. “I graduated college from the University of Florida. I came to Orlando and had odd jobs, like working for Disney. I ended up working for a marketing firm. For 10 years, I helped build up the marketing side of that. But, it was through my friend [Orlando LGBTQ advocate] Jennifer Foster and a few others that I got involved in HRC, because there wasn’t an HRC here. So there were
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about four or five others that got that going. I was also somewhat involved in the Democratic Party, just helping out here and there. That gave a little bit of a compassion for advocacy.” “I think that was my introduction to tokenism,” he adds. “HRC is a very lilywhite organization, so I was on the national diversity subcommittee, and I learned a lot about what diversity means. Even in a gay organization, diversity means anyone who is not a gay white male. That compassion, that eye on diversity, led to really big things for
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PEOPLE “Personally, I’m still dealing with all that,” he says. “I have yet to visit that place. I posted on Facebook Live that I tried to take a couple of steps near the side, where I parked near Dunkin Donuts. I just walked and I couldn’t go any further, because those kids, I knew. It was just really tragic. I’m a veteran and I’ve seen things before. And most kids haven’t seen this. This was just too, too much.” There’s a reason for Stevens’ due diligence, though – the calls, the video contact. “I learned in a crisis situation, you have to find out fast,” he says. “Speculation doesn’t do anybody any good. And even if it is a fact, there’s a time and a place for things to be said. I knew that that night was especially a young night, and I knew that while I was talking, any credibility I had in this city, people were holding to it. I was scared, and they were scared. I go into a certain mode – I don’t want to say that I’m brave – but I’m very focused. I think you can go wrong with going with the truth. In this superficial age, when everything is instant, everything is supposedly real, I think it’s so important to be raw. You can be assertive without being aggressive.” —Billy Manes
Carbonell. He is presently the chief executive officer of Echo Interaction Group and the president of the Orlando Tech Association. In short, he knows his way around a computer. He also knows his way around the power players of the Orlando business matrix. If there’s a party, he’s there. If there’s a divide, he’s bridging it. “Being Hispanic-Latino-immigrant is a big driver,” he says. “As much as being gay for the things that I do for the people in the community. Post-Pulse, it sort of helped me bring those two worlds together, because the first calls I got were from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Jennifer Foster. It was like, ‘my two families.’ It’s kind of what I’m know as: a connector.” He’s also there for his Hispanic community. Carbonell immigrated from Panama and has been a strong voice for the QLATINX community, especially post-Pulse. “I didn’t become a U.S. citizen until I was 23. I was in limbo for a long time. That is a huge source of shame, uncertainty and fear. And as a gay person, you have this added layer,” he says. —Billy Manes
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Love more power couple JeFF miller and ted maines work to make a better orlando
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Legacy fulfilled
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libby’s legacy Founder robin maynard does not give up
omeTimes TraGedY and FaTe land us in different places than expected. In the case of Libby’s Legacy founder Robin Maynard – no stranger to tragedy, as she’s been an EMT and worked in forensics for Orange County – the tragedy was as personal as it could be. “In 2005, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she says, recalling assurances by doctors that her mother’s treatment would progress easily. “So, I thought, ‘Here we go … everything’s going to be OK.” It wasn’t OK. Maynard’s mother was given a chance of several years to live. The ride back from the hospital proved to be prophetic. “On the way home, I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ She said, ‘I want to go on a cruise to Alaska.’ I said, “OK,” and that week I booked it for May, and she died six weeks later. It was devastating for me.” She didn’t want to use the cruise tickets, the ones she bought for her mother. She wanted to share with others, which makes her an amazing asset to this community. This year, Scooters for Hooters was canceled; Maynard was too busy helping in other ways. She joined the Pulse of Orlando board in the wake of the Pulse shooting, and as the organization’s website says, “Robin is uniquely qualified to help Pulse victims and survivors make their way through the complicated and often confusing aftermath of this tragedy.” But her heart remains with the legacy, too. Her mother’s legacy. “We set out to raise $5,000 to send a family on a cruise, and we raised $12,000 the first year,” she says. “People were calling [and asking], ‘Do you do mammograms?’ I said, ‘no, but why don’t we?’ Today, we’ve given over 6,000 breast-care services. We don’t just give the mammogram. We do everything for them. We walk them through it. Anything they have to do we walk them through, as if they’re your mom.” —Billy Manes
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omeTimes Your cuP runneTh over. Sometimes you realize that you have a duty to society. Few in Orlando carry that weight – and amazing artistry in their downtown condominium – better than Ted Maines and Jeffrey Miller. While they both have their side duties – you know, running an interior design business or being a lawyer – there’s something more to this morethan-once-named-power-couple. They’re kind. And they back it up. “First of all, because we live here, we work here, and we both own businesses here, we feel we have a responsibility to make it the best place it can be, not only for ourselves but for everyone that lives here,” Maines says. “It’s just to give back. We’ve been very lucky and very fortunate in our lives, and we feel that, because of our ability to try and do things with both our time and our resources, we feel that it’s something we have an
obligation to do.” This year, the couple received the Holocaust Center’s Kenneth F. Murrah Esq. Award for Outstanding Philanthropist at the Association of Fundraising Professional’s annual National Philanthropy Breakfast. “We’ve been living in this community since 1986,” Miller says. “And in 1986, Orlando was a very different place…The
Do you know the ribbon man?
city has grown up around us, and we’ve grown up around the city. We’ve been here for quite a while.” They’re also well known for their outspoken, even fiscally outspoken, support of progressive rights. Also, holy art collection! But moving forward, they are still in for the fight, long term. “I feel that you can never just give up anything,” Maines says. “It’s got to be a positive thing. To throw your hands in the air and say, ‘We’ll just never get things done?’ That’s a defeatist attitude. We’ll just never have that. Some things take a long time, some things take a short time; some things are easy, some things are hard. But, in the end, the pendulum swings toward justice.” It also swings out of our LGBTQ wheelhouse and into the infrastructures we’ve created as minorities throughout the nation. “We encourage our friends in the LGBTQ community to do the same thing: To truly be a part of the fabric of the community is to go beyond LGBT issues and to find something that you’re interested in, whatever it could be,” Maines says. —Billy Manes
ben JoHansen steps up and steps out witH tHe clear symbol oF tHis year’s tragedy
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en Johansen, Who You miGhT KnoW as drag fave Eureka Fish (but not really, anymore, he says), helps to run Embellish FX with his man, Timothy Vargas. Vargas, a honcho at the GLBT Center in downtown Orlando, was busy handling palates of food and water the day after the Pulse tragedy. “It actually happened the second day I was making ribbons,” he says. “I had a reporter following me around, and I was telling him about Orlando, and he was interested. So, he’s actually the one who coined me the ‘Ribbon Maker’ and wrote the story.” Since then, the ribbons have traveled the world and kept Orlando’s hope alive. Johansen is the man behind that philanthropy, and he deserves his due. He’s still humbled, though. “I felt like I needed to do something. So I ran to the craft store and bought one roll of ribbon – one roll of rainbow ribbon, one roll of black ribbon, and a box of pins. I was making them for people who were volunteering at the Center or people who worked at the Center, and as people came in, they would say, ‘Hey, where’d you get your ribbon?’ I said, ‘I’m making them.’” —Billy Manes
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Keep it together mba president lu mueller-kaul on community building amid crises
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ou Wouldn’T TaKe lu mueller-Kaul For The shY TYPe but she is remarkably thoughtful. Mueller-Kaul, who joined the Metropolitan Business Association, eventually, becoming its president in 2014, understood that business requires communication. “I was involved in the Referral Exchange Development Group (RED) before, and that was really why I became part of the MBA,” she says. “I was so awkward about running a business and promoting a business, that I thought, ‘OK, I could do something to learn this.” Perhaps notoriously, the MBA fell on hard times when finances came into question under its former leader. Mueller-Kaul saw the trouble and did something about it. “I sometimes hear people say that, Oh, this community is so divided and people don’t really talk to each other, but I don’t see it that way,” she says. Mueller-Kaul’s leadership has helped the MBA to thrive again. The group received a grant of $2,500 from Wells Fargo in Palm Spring , California on Aug. 5 and a prestigious award from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. —Billy Manes
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| uu | Brandon Wolf from pg.27
Pulse six months later, he’s quick to turn ornaments around on a makeshift tree so that the faces of the 49 are shown. Wolf set into action quickly, along with his friends and his deceased friend Drew’s mother Christine Leinonen. The Dru Project was established in order to assist in building Gay Straight Alliances in public high schools, a cause close to Drew’s heart. Since that June night, he’s been the face on the televisions, the voice of reason with actual knowledge of the event, who has been able to elucidate the terror and the need for change. “I had a conversation with one of my friends the other day, and I think being able to speak and use words as a source of strength for other people has helped to keep my friends alive,” he says. “Because if they’re here with me, and I can keep their legacy awake and alive and breathing with me here living, it’s just a constant daily reminder to myself that they would be strong, so I have to be strong.”
While talk still lingers about the fate of the Pulse site on South Orange Avenue – owner Barbara Poma refused a $2.25 million offer from the city of Orlando to purchase the lot for its own memorial last month; she has promised to work outside of the bureaucracy of the city politic and make her own memorial – Wolf stands behind Poma’s idea.
the antithesis of Orlando’s big development ambitions – most realized – over the past decade. In others, it’s a reminder of simple kindnesses, according to Wolf. “That you can go to a Publix and somebody will give you a hug; that you can still go to any neighborhood and see #orlandostrong, #orlandounited [signs] – we have to continue to
is the healing that I find is in the moments we spend together, whether it’s political rallies or the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence launch, or even coming here the other day on the six-month anniversary,” he says. “It’s healing to talk to other people. That’s my feeling. That’s what makes me feel stronger, that’s what makes me feel more positive – getting to
I think this community has to continue to lean on each other and that we’re a much smaller place than we thought. — Brandon Wolf
“In a physical sense, this spot has to be a place where people can go and feel close to their loved ones, and I think Barbara Poma has a great plan for that,” Wolf says. “I think this community has to continue to lean on each other and that we’re a much smaller place than we thought.” It’s a recurring theme in talking to local activists and politicians engaged in the aftermath and where we go from here. In some ways, it’s
lean on our sense of community. That’s the only way we grow from this,” he says. But it’s more than looking back at the worst firearm massacre in recorded American history. It’s looking forward to how we move on. And Wolf, whose strength of character is remarkable considering the situation, is helping to lead that charge. He’s present. He’s active. He’s seeking change. “What might surprise people
surround myself with people who love me. And I’ve found a whole new group of those people.” And there is happiness on the horizon, at least if the kindness of strangers is to be believed. “It’s kind of a strange thing,” he says. “I never, ever, imagined that I would feel happy. The more time I spend around other people, that makes me feel hope. I’ve met a lot of people and talked a lot about what’s happened here. I don’t think it needs to be national for it
PEOPLE to be impactful, because the most impactful things have been right here, in this spot.” Like that one night when he needed to grieve the loss of his friends. That one late night of solace. “There’s a moment I won’t forget, when I came here and wanted to be alone. I came here around 2:30 or 3 a.m. I sat over there by the fence and, you know, just spent some time with my best friends,” Wolf says. “And somebody driving by stopped and just sat with me, gave me a big hug and just sat with me for 10 or 15 minutes. He didn’t say anything. And for me, those moments are more important than anything else: standing on the stage at the Democratic National Committee conference, meeting the President of the United States. But the most impactful moments are those ones where I’ve been with someone I’ve never met before that has love and compassion.”
2 /15/17
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
entertainment
A
ttractions: Marquee thrill rides opened throughout Central Florida’s theme parks. SeaWorld’s shark-inspired Mako opened with the most superlatives, as Orlando’s tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster. Busch Gardens opened Cobra’s Curse, putting a new spin on family-friendly fun.
Pop life
2016 had no shortage of gorgeous distractions from its torrents of depression. Here they are, alphabetically.
B
roadway: The Great White Way was inescapable this year. Hamilton not only dominated the Tonys, but also topped album sales charts thanks to an original cast recording and subsequent mixtape. NBC’s annual contribution to live Broadway productions continued with Hairspray Live!
C
W
D
fictional (for now) gay/bi hook-up app called “Humpr,” HTGAWM remains TV’s gayest program.
hanning Tatum: In the year’s gayest silver screen moment, Magic Mike summoned his inner Anchors Aweigh-era Gene Kelly in Hail, Caesar! Lamenting there’ll be “No Dames” at sea, Tatum and his all-male crew’s sadness quickly turns joyous in a classic Hollywood musical number laden with double entendres and three-way sailor choreography.
ivas on Tour: If you’re a gay man who loves seeing iconic single-monikered female singers in concert (which is redundancy at its finest), then 2016 was a banner year. Making their way through Florida this year were Madonna (delayed from August 2015), Rihanna, Beyoncé, Cyndi, Adele, Sia, Dolly and Barbra.
E
llen DeGeneres: As if continued success for her talk show and the long-awaited release of Finding Dory weren’t enough, America’s lead lesbian just kept swimming this year, capping it off by being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
F
abulous, Absolutely: If the Orlando media preview I attended was any indication – then who was left to buy tickets come opening weekend?
G H
o, Pokemon: Seriously. Go! Away!
ow To Get Away With Murder: By exploring Conner and Oliver’s serodiscordant relationship, graphically depicting Conner’s man whoring, teasing Annalise’s bisexuality, and recurring references to the
Kirk Hartlage
e know: 2016 kinda sucked. There were far
too many passings of entertainment icons, including Prince, David Bowie, Harper Lee and Florence Henderson.
Dreams of electing the first female president slowly faded on election night in November as one state after another turned red. And in just one night in June, Orlando – its notoriety as a world-class vacation destination long solidified – also became known as home to the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
i
Tunes: “Thanks for the tragedy. I needed it for my art.” Originally said by Kurt Cobain, the sentiment is likely shared by the many painters, writers, singers and other creative types inspired by this summer’s tragedy at Pulse. One of the quickest turn-arounds from creative spark to finished work was from the Broadway for Orlando collective: Their recording of “What the World Needs Now” allowed people around the world to connect not only with the 65 Broadway all-stars who performed on the track, but more importantly with those affected by the Pulse shooting.
J
ames Corden: The new King of Late Night won the title with some very gay-friendly recurring sketches, including “Crosswalk the Musical” and “Carpool Karaoke.” The vehicular vocal showcases featured the likes of Adele, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Madonna and Broadway stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jane Krakowski.
K
This year, entertainment was more important than ever. A catchy tune, a thrilling novel, a TV program with twisty plot turns: anything that created some amount of joy in our lives was a welcome diversion from the real-world crap that each of the last 366 days seemed to bring. These were some of our favorites.
ate McKinnon: A graduate of Logo’s The Big Gay Sketch Show, the out actress became the first current season cast member of Saturday Night Live to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Acting.
L
emonade: While Beyonce’s visual album was interpreted by some as a response to husband Jay Z’s alleged infidelity, we think it’s a simple case of product placement, specifically of Queen B’s Master Cleanse recipe of lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Drink enough of that and you’ll be swinging baseball bats around, too.
M
oonlight: This critically acclaimed drama stars Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes, each of whom plays the same boy at different stages of growing up black, gay and alienated in the Miami projects.
N
orth Carolina: Dear Mr. Springsteen: Since you cancelled your April concert in North Carolina, thanks to the state’s discriminatory “bathroom bill,” we Central Floridians invite you to reschedule your stop here.
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
O
’Neals, The Real: ABC played, and renewed, The Real O’Neals – a comedy about a close-knit, Irish-American Catholic Chicago family whose lives take an unexpected turn when middle child Kenny comes out – as their gay card, winning the 2016 Network Sitcom Diversity Poker Tournament.
P
aulson, Sarah: Awards show acceptance speeches have a tradition of the occasional male winner thanking his same-sex partner from the stage. This year’s Emmys saw that tradition take a lesbian spin when Paulson – winning outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie for her portrayal of Marcia Clark in American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson – thanked her partner, Holland Taylor.
Q
ueens: With 40 percent of its contestants hailing from the City Beautiful, Logo should should have called it RuPaul’s Orlando All Stars Drag Race. The drag careers of Detox, Roxxxy Andrews, Coco Montrese and Ginger Minj all began in Central Florida.
R
ainbows: As the dark cloud that was the Pulse tragedy passed, rainbows did
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
indeed appear, both literally and figuratively. Monuments across the globe – the Eiffel Tower, City Hall and Grand Place of Brussels, the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia and more – were illuminated in rainbow colors. Meanwhile “Orlando Strong” and “Orlando United” became rallying mantras.
S
ulu: In one of the year’s most forehead-smacking moments, when it was announced that Sulu would be revealed as gay in Star Trek Beyond, making him the first openly gay character in the franchise’s 60-year history.
T U V
hings, Stranger: Netflix and chill… down your spine!
s, This Is: And this is us, crying our eyes out, every episode, every time.
egas: When they can’t be bothered to tour and perform around the globe, many celebs set up shop in the Nevada desert. This year’s crop included Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey and Reba.
W
ill & Grace: Television’s favorite straight/gay alliance, along with cohorts Jack and Karen, reunited for a pro-Hillary election-themed mini-webisode.
X
XXI Olympiad: Ensuring that South America’s first time hosting the Olympic Games would also be the event’s most colorful ever, organizers even changed one pool’s color from blue to green.
Y
esterday: Perhaps as a distraction from current day events, some of 2016’s best music found success in days gone by. Among our retro-active faves: Christina Aguilera and Nile Rodgers’ disco-tinged “Telepathy”; ‘80s synth-pop throwback vibes from Bright Light Bright Light; sassy sing-along jams from girl groups like Little Mix and Fifth Harmony; Little Big Town’s classic harmonies produced by Pharrell Williams on Wanderlust; the return of ABC for The Lexicon of Love II and the Pet Shop Boys for Super.
Z
zzzz: Frankly, the best diversion we occasionally found this year was a damn good nap.
35
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community calendar
event planner
arts+entertainment
OrlandO
OrlandO
The Orlando Fringe Winter mini-Fest
Balls Deep Ball, Dec. 30, the Full Moon Lounge at Woodstock, Orlando. WoodstockOrlando.com; 407-969-0840 new year’s Eve with Bianca Del Rio & Bob The Drag Queen, Dec. 31, Parliament House, Orlando. ParliamentHouse.com; 407-425-7571 nyE’s Ring in 2017, Dec. 31, Southern Nights, Orlando. SouthernNightsORL.com; 407-412-5039 DRIP’s new year’s Eve 2017, Dec. 31, DRIP, Orlando. ILoveDrip.com; 347-855-3747 Cocktails for a Cause Benefiting Two Spirit Health Services, Jan. 3, Citrus Club, Orlando. ClubCorp.com; 407-843-1080 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Jan. 4- 8, Walt Disney World, Orlando. DisneyWorld. Disney.go.com; 407-939-5277 Blackberry Winter, Jan. 4Feb. 5, Shakespeare Theater, Orlando. OrlandoShakes.org; 407-447-1700
ThursdaY, Jan. 5-sundaY, Jan. 8 loch haven ParK, orlando
SO GOOD Elphaba (Jessica vosk) and the entire Land of Oz fly in to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando for a Wi Chicago cked good time Jan. 11-29. PHOTO FROM JESSICAvOSK.COM
PowerShares Series Tennis, Jan. 5, Amway Center, Orlando. AmwayCenter.com; 407-440-7000
tampa Bay
Spiffy Saturday’s Winter Affair, Jan. 7, Universal Resort, Orlando. UniversalOrlando.com; 407-363-8000
Dancing with the Stars Live, Dec. 30, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. RuthEckerdHall.com; 727-791-7400
International Builders’ Show, Jan. 10- 12, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando. BuildersShow.com; 407-685-9800
new year’s Eve Masquerade Ball, Dec. 31, Honey Pot, Tampa. Facebook.com/Honey-Pot; 813-247-4663
Wicked, Jan. 11- 29, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. DrPhillipsCenter.org; 844-513-2014 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Circus XTREME, Jan. 12- 16, Amway Center, Orlando. AmwayCenter.com; 407-440-7000
new year’s Eve Showcase, Dec. 31, Bradley’s on 7th, Tampa. Bradleyson7th.com; 813-241-2723 nyE 2017 Glitter Ball, Dec. 31, Southern Nights, Tampa. SouthernNightsTPA.com; 813-559-8625 new year’s Eve Ball, Dec. 31, Enigma, St. Petersburg. EnigmaStPete.com; 727-235-0867
Hot 101.5 nyE with DAyA, Dec. 31, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg. JannusLive.com; 727-565-0550 Drag Bingo, Jan. 2, Bottles Pub, Pinellas Park. Facebook.com/ BottlesPub; 727-545-4102 5th Anniversary neiBEARhood TakeOver, Jan. 6, Southern Nights, Tampa. SouthernNightsTPA.com; 813-559-8625 Frida Kahlo at The Dali, Jan. 7, The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg. TheDali.org; 727-823-3767 Sounds of the Civil Rights Movement: The Power of Song 2017, Jan. 8, The Palladium, St. Petersburg. MyPalladium.org; 727-822-3590
Free Outdoor Movie: Hook ‘91, Jan. 8, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. MFAStPete.org; 727-896-2667 Forbidden Broadway, Jan. 10- 23, Straz Center, Tampa. StrazCenter.org; 813-229-7827
sarasOta new year’s Day Kirtan with Wah, Jan. 1, Garden of the Heart Yoga Center, Sarasota. GardenOfTheHeartYoga.com; 941-341-9781 Little Shop of Horrors, Jan. 5- 19, Manatee Performing Arts Center, Bradenton. ManateePerforming ArtsCenter.com; 941-748-5875 Sweet Charity, Jan. 12- 26, The Players Centre, Sarasota. ThePlayers.org; 941-365-2494
To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
With so much theater fun to fit into Loch Haven Park, Orlando Fringe is launching an additional festival, Winter Mini-Fest, the first weekend of 2017. Orlando Fringe is bringing back a blizzard of fan favorites for this four-day arts festival which, as the name states it, will be a mini version of the Orlando Fringe Festival held each May. The Mini-Fest will include “5 Lesbians Eating Quiche” and “Slut Like Me,” along with 18 other Fringe favorites. The event will also include Movies Out Loud with Jeff Jones and Doug Ba’aser as they critique Spice World. For more information or to buy tickets, visit OrlandoFringe.org/winterfest.
tampa Bay
Outback bowl new year’s eve Parade & Pep rally saTurdaY, dec. 31, 5:30- 7:00 P.m. 7Th ave., YBor ciTY, TamPa New Year’s Eve in Ybor will be all about the Outback Bowl as the Bay gets ready for the Florida Gators vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes. Seventh Avenue will be home to a parade featuring 20 marching bands from across the country, including the two college bands. The Pep Rally will include a battle of the bands and cheerleaders from both teams. The night will conclude after the game with NYE parties at Honey Pot, Bradley’s on 7th, Southern Nights and more. For more information on the game, parade or pep rally, visit OutbackBowl.com or call 813-874-2695. Information on the after parties can be found at the bars’ websites.
Grand central market saTurdaY, Jan. 7, 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 P.m. PunKY’s Bar and Grill, sT. PeTersBurG Skip the big-box stores and shopping malls and shop local as Punky’s hosts the first Grand Central District’s Market of 2017. The first and third Saturday of every month (from September to April) brings out the best of Grand Central with unique antiques, art, crafts, collectables and more. Also get some of the best food and drinks in the Bay area. For more information visit their Facebook page at “Grand Central District Market.”
event planner and community calendar is brougHt to you by curtis protective services • 1-800-551-8368 • curtissecurity.com watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
A+
overheard
i
Friends in GOOd places
n The FiGhT For eQualiTY, the LGBTQ community has always appreciated the backing of our straight allies. One of those allies in St. Petersburg has always been Barclay Harless. A scroll through your newsfeed on Facebook will find pictures of Harless celebrating a birthday with Hot 101.5’s Miguel Fuller or hanging out with St. Pete Pride’s Eric Skains or standing with the community at a Pride event or march or rally. That commitment to the community is now leading Harless to pursue a position that will let him do good for all of St. Pete. Harless announced Dec. 20 that he will be running for a seat on the St. Petersburg City Council in 2017. The 31-year-old banker is not new to the political scene. Harless is a former aide to state senator Darryl Rouson and worked on the 2014 campaign for Alex Sink. Harless is the first candidate to announce a run for District 2, and if he were to win he would be a part of an already very open and progressive City Council. Openly gay Dardin Rice (District 4) and Amy Foster (District 8) are a part of the St. Pete City Council. Both are running for re-election in 2017.
i
tampa Bay OUt+aBOUt
pride is UpOn Us
T’s BeGinninG To looK a loT liKe Pride season everywhere you look. As we say goodbye to one of the hardest years in recent memory, we will have the joy and happiness of Tampa Pride 2017 to keep our focus and help gear us up to make this coming year better and brighter. The team behind Tampa Pride got started a bit early actually when they kicked off with the Tampa Pride Art Festival held at the Ybor campus of Hillsborough Community College Dec. 13. The event had some of the best art provided by more than 50 local LGBTQ and ally artists. Those attending were also treated to some live art including live painting, performances and dance classes. The evening was also filled with vendors, a photobooth, movie screenings, local food, raffles and more fun than you shake a happy little tree at. Tampa Pride takes the celebration train next to Honey Pot Jan. 22 when they will crown Miss Tampa Pride 2017, and rumor has it that the competition is fierce this year. It all leads to Tampa Pride March 25 with a party cruise the following week to Mexico. Muy caliente!
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easY on The eYes: Sexy bartenders get ready to pour some cocktails for Swank Saturday at Southern Nights in Tampa Dec. 19. PHOTO COURTESy OF SOUTHERn nIGHTS TAMPA
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BesT dressed: Ashley Brundage took a trip to Epcot at Walt Disney World Dec. 10 to attend the 19th Annual Don Quijote Awards. PHOTO COURTESy OF THE DOn QUIJOTE AWARDS
3
haPPY hiBernaTion: Scott Cosner (L) and Tim Timberly live in up for NeiBEARhood Takeover: A Very Beary Christmas at The Body Shop in Tampa Dec. 17. PHOTO By
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SCOTT COSnER
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celeBriTY siGhTinG: Alyssa Krampits (L) and Laurie Krampits (R) get a photo with Brian Craft and Chauncey, two of the stars of The Players Center for the Performing Arts’ Legally Blonde: The Musical, in Sarasota Dec. 23. PHOTO
COURTESy OF LAURIE KRAMPITS
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We love a Parade: Mathieu Stanoch (L) and Daniel A. McMillan take the wheel for Ybor City’s 5th Annual Snow on 7th parade in Tampa Dec. 10. PHOTO By MIKE SUAREZ
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Wild hoGZ: The Largo Commission caught up with Santa and Mrs. Claus (and the jolly old elf’s motorcycle) at the Old Fashioned Christmas Parade & Food Truck Rally in Largo Dec. 17. PHOTO COURTESy
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OF MICHAEL SMITH
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shocK and aWW: Carrie West (L) looks surprised to see Bradley nelson out and about at Honey Pot Dec. 22. PHOTO By MARK BIAS
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JoY To The World: EPIC executive director Joy Winheim (R) visited with Stephen Hollyday from Chelsea Market Baskets with mom MaryAnn Sinopoli Winheim (L) while home for the holidays Dec. 21. PHOTO COURTESy OF JOy WInHEIM
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Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
overheard
o
OrlandO OUt+aBOUt
send me an anGel
rlando Pulse survivor anGel colon was honored by La Clé through the 2017 Unlock Project, where Angel designed a limited edition multi-colored key necklace and custom refocus wrist band with the message “Keep Smiling.” Angel, who was actively involved in the community prior to the events at Pulse has chosen that 50 percent of the proceeds will go to the Hope and Help Center of Central Florida, a cause dedicated to inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to take action against HIV/AIDS. Angel hopes to help spread the message of love, hope and positivity through his design and he would like to show the world how full we are with love, no matter what. Both the band and the key necklace can be purchased at shoplacle.com.
T
everytHinG’s cOminG Up rOses
he 128Th rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses, will be seen nationally on Jan. 2 live from Pasadena, CA (11am EST). The parade will feature approximately 40 festively flower-covered floats in various shades of flora. For the 2017 parade, a special float presented by AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) features an enormous floral dove flying over a memorial field of 49 white stars hovering over a floral garden, honoring those killed during the shooting. At the back, a “Tree of Life,” with notes of condolences and hope taken from the communal Orlando Pride Board, ties the float back directly to the Orlando and LGBTQ community. In a special tribute, 49 white doves will be released from the float. Some of the Pulse survivors – Victor Baez Febo, Isaiah Henderson, Jahqui Sevilla – will join Pulse owner Barbara Poma and City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, as well as other community leaders involved in assisting in the aftermath of the event.
d
2
art is in tHe air
esPiTe The unseasonaBlY Warm WinTer we’ve been having, the Orlando Fringe is ready to have old man winter slap you in the face with a big slab of cool shows. Get it? Cool? The first ever Winter Mini-Fringe opens Jan. 5. The four-day festival will present a hand-picked selection of audience favorites from the previous 2016 Fringe Festival. Recently added to the many events hosted at Disney’s Epcot, the new Epcot International Festival of the Arts begins Jan. 13, the event will be celebrating a trifecta of arts from visual, culinary and performing arts. The six-week weekend festival will included Broadway talent from many of Disney’s hits from the big white way: Aladdin, Newsies and Lion King, to name a few. As previously mentioned, a Music and Art festival was scheduled for November but has since moved to late February; the LGBT Music and Art festival will be held at the Parliament House Resort. More details to follow.
4
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5
OF BLUE STAR
BARBARA POMA
ladies’ niGhT: The ladies of VarieTEASE kick up their heels for Pose for Pride at Orchid Garden at Church Street Station in Orlando Dec. 13. PHOTO COURTESy
2
oh, chrisTmas Tree: Ben Laube gets into the holiday spirit at Orlando City Hall Dec. 21. PHOTO COURTESy OF BEn LAUBE
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all dressed uP: Dan Williams (L) and Samuel Joseph deck out to the nines for the Full Sail University Christmas Party in Orlando Dec. 19. PHOTO COURTESy OF
4
SOUTHERn nIGHTS ORLAnDO
DAnny GARCIA
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Queen marY: Ginger Minj performs “Mary Did You Know?” at the Footlight Theatre at Parliament House in Orlando Dec. 22. PHOTO By
3
We are FamilY: (L-R) Josh Garcia, Brian Reagan, Barbara Poma, Cindy Barbalock and neema Bahrami at the Pulse Holiday Party at The Venue Dec. 20. PHOTO COURTESy OF
holidaY oFFice ParTY: Watermark office manager Kathleen Harper (L) and Janine Klein at Watermark’s annual Holiday Party at The Venue Dec. 19. PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
1
7
DAn WILLIAMS
souThern comForT: (L-R) Tiago Faria, Luis Roldan, Eric Borrero and Brandon Wolf at Southern Nights in Orlando for Flex Friday’s Northern Lights Dec. 16. PHOTO COURTESy OF
8
arTasTic: Orlando artist George Mozel shows off his work at the Holiday Rawk art show at Venue 578 in Orlando Dec. 20. PHOTO By DAnny GARCIA
8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.
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42
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
43
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44
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
• Join • Volunteer • Donate
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
THE BEST GYM IN THE CITY 45
announcements
WeddinG Bells
Jennifer and Julie Jewell from Orlando, FL years togetHer:
6 years
engagement date:
July 26, 2015
wedding date:
november 11, 2016
wedding venue:
art & History museums maitland
wedding planner:
The couple
wedding caterer:
Puff n Stuff
wedding tHeme/colors:
The colors were shades of pink and purple with a boho, natural theme.
First song:
“no other love” by Heart
interesting Fact:
Jennifer wore the wedding dress that her mother, aunt and sister had all previously worn at their weddings.
Photo by Art Faulkner
“i
Feel liKe i have learned ThaT
there are soulmates, or nothing can come between love,” Jennifer says about being with Julie over the years. “That you can love someone so much on good days and on bad days. No matter what happens, you still love that person, even if you’re upset or anything like that. I think that for me has been different and I feel like the only time I’ve ever felt that way has been with Julie.”
Jennifer, who is a program manager at a local mental health agency, and Julie Jewell, who is a letter carrier, met at an Aerosmith concert. They had mutual friends that were going to the concert, and they were both invited to join. After the holidays of that year, Julie decided that she wanted to move back to Kentucky, which is where she is from, to be with her family. Jennifer told her if that’s what she wanted to do, then they would make that move. They ended up living there for two years until deciding to return to Orlando. “Being in Kentucky, it had really strengthened our relationship even more only because I’m not from Kentucky, and the only people we knew back in Kentucky
were Julie’s family, whom I had never met until we moved there, and some friends she still had from there,” Jennifer explains. “We lived in a really small town in Kentucky, and we really only had each other, besides Julie’s family. When they had moved back to Orlando, they worked toward finding a home to move into, and they finally accomplished that goal in May 2015. It was Fourth of July of that same year that Julie brought up the topic of marriage and if they wanted to take that next step. They had talked about getting married and mentioned doing something small, having a witness and getting it just done and over with. They then thought about it more and decided that maybe
their family would really want to be there to celebrate that moment with them. Julie asked Jennifer to marry her by using a garden labeler that you stick in the ground, for when you’re growing a garden. She put that in their flower garden out front and wrote on it: “To the love of my life, will you please be my wife?” She had Jennifer go outside and acted like she didn’t know it was there. When Jennifer turned around, she got down on one knee and asked her to marry her, and she said yes. One important thing for the couple was making sure the wedding day was spiritually lucky; they wanted to pick a date and do things that would represent good luck. They wanted the wedding date to be a powerful number. They saw that November 11, 2016 was a Friday and they liked the 11/11 date, so they went with that. “My favorite part, or most memorable part, for me was when we turned around were presented to everyone as ‘Julie and Jennifer Jewell’, and everyone was just celebrating that and really happy,” Jennifer says.
local birtHdays
Watermark contributor and Gulfport activist Greg Stemm, Phish Phest phenom and realtor Sue-Bee Laginess, portrait of beauty and former Miss America Ericka Dunlap (Dec. 29); Tampa ROTC member Steve Deal (Dec. 30); Mr. Ybor Eagle 2010 Carlos “Wolfy” Diaz, Tampa massage therapist Russell Fox, St. Pete Pride volunteer and Tarpon Springs native Paul LeCouris, former Fringe ED George Wallace, Orlando bear Justin Homer, teacher and activist Clinton McCracken, Florida House of Representatives’ Carlos Guillermo Smith (Dec. 31); St. Pete business analyst Jason Bracewell, University of Central Florida lecturer and associate director for the Nicholson School of Communications Boyd Lindsley (Jan. 2); Sarasota graphic designer Tim Cameresi, Tampa photographer Charles Allen, former Watermark Tampa Bay account manager Bill Jeffries, promoter Chris Pittman (Jan. 3); veteran and die-hard Pittsburgh fan Bill Stiller, St. Pete realtor and St. Pete Pride co-founder Brian Longstreth (Jan. 4); Orlando psychologist and athlete Guillermo navarro (Jan. 5); Tampa activist, mortgage broker and phlebotomist Bill Polley, former Partners Bar and Grill co-owner and St. Pete resident Emmi Grainger (Jan. 6); St. Petersburg performer Madisyn Michaels (Jan. 8); former Watermark Orlando reporter and St. Pete native Susan Clary, Orlando Fringe performer Logan Donahoo, St. Petersburg florist and local “Cher” Bobby york (Jan. 10); St. Petersburg instructor and massage therapist Jeremy Couture, Lakeland massage therapist David Lesnett, Gulfport retired Birkenstock USA specialist Danny Hughes (Jan. 11).
do you Have an announcement? Having a birtHday or anniversary? did you get a new Job or promotion? See your news in Watermark! Send your announcement to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com or go to WatermarkOnline.com/Submit-a-Transition.
it’s tHat easy!
—Samantha Rosenthal
Do you have an interesting wedding or engagement story you’d like to share with Watermark readers? If so, email the details to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com for consideration as a future feature on this page.
46
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
GET YOUR TRON ON
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JANUARY 13-16, 2017 WWW.OTRONICON.ORG Purchase your tickets online by December 31 and save $5.00! GAME TOURNAMENTS INDIE GAME SHOWCASE
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
WORKSHOPS & SPEAKERS FUSION OF ART & TECH
Decemb er 29, 2016 - J a nua ry 11, 2017 // Issue 2 3. 26
47
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