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watermark Your LGBTQ Life.
ISSUE 24.10 • MAY 18 - MAY 31, 2017 WATERMARKONLINE.COM
GR GRAY AY DAY MACY GRAY gets stripped down for her gay Days concert at PARLIAMENT HOUSE ALSO: wicked wonder IDINA MENZEL comes to Clearwater
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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ORLANDO 110 W. Church St. Orlando, FL | HamburgerMarys-Orlando.com | 321-319-0600
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
departments 6 // mail 7 // editors desk 8 // orlando news 10 // tampa bay news 13 // state news, nation & world news 17 // talking points 37 // community calendar 39 // tampa bay out+about 41 // orlando out+about 42 // tampa bay marketplace 43 // wedding bells/ announcements 44 // orlando marketplace
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I think considering the affair and it’s in honor of being yourself and being free with who you are, and the fact that we are playing in Orlando after what happened there, it’s going to be a honor for me and my band to come there and play and we are going to make sure that we do a show that is incredible for everybody.
—mAcy GrAy on pErforminG At pArliAmEnt houSE for hEr firSt GAy dAyS concErt.
on the cover
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PAGE GRAY DAYS: Macy
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Gray, along with Debbie Gibson and Keri Hilson, light up Parliament House’s concert series line-up for Orlando’s big gay weekend
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wickedly talented:
Broadway legend Idina Menzel brings her 50-city world tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater May 25.
watermark i ssue 24 .10 //may 18 - may 3 1, 2017
mba makes mvp
baker action
the handkerchieF’s tale gay orlando
PAGE Orlando’s Metropolitan Business Association receives award from National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
PAGE The LGBTQ community gathers to oppose former St. Pete mayor Rick Baker’s announcement that he is re-running.
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read it Online! In addition to a Web site with daily LGBTQ updates, a digital version of each issue of the publication is made available on WatermarkOnline.com
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Florida legislators wrap up a contentious session leaving the LGBTQ community relatively unscathed.
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Visitors are all getting ready to soak up the fun for one of the planet’s biggest LGBTQ celebrations.
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give us a FOLLOw On twitter anD instagraM at @waterMarkOnLine anD Be sure tO Like us On FaceBOOk. watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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top web comments “Where were you when Trump insulted a disabled journalist? Or when he insulted all Mexicans, accusing them of being murderers, rapists and drug dealers? Insulting the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier?” —Arnault Garcia
WatermarkOnline.com On David Lee’s new Orlando Fringe show, O-Town: Voices from Orlando:
“The Fringe is one of our cultural treasures and successes that is on a world class level! And David has helped shape that along the way. Go see this collection of moving and beautiful monologues.” —Margaret Nolan
Watermark’s Facebook On Patti LuPone throwing shade at Madonna’s acting skills:
“Jealous bitch syndrome. That’s like Trump calling Comey a showboater.” —Jeff Stephens
“I loved [Madonna] in Evita, Desperately Seeking Susan, Dick Tracy, A League of Their Own; her SNL skits were all hilarious.” —Kevin Cunningham
On Credit Suisse Bank adding 1,200 N.C. jobs which were stalled by HB2:
“BS! They changed nothing and are being rewarded for it.” —Dawn Kallio
On same-sex couples suing over Tennessee’s “natural meaning” law:
“This directly affects my family. Our daughter was born in Tenn. Now that we live in Florida and I can adopt her, Tenn. won’t issue an amended birth certificate showing both
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my husband (adopted her 3 years ago) and me as her parents.” —David Angevine
“Governor Goober Dipshit is on his last term hopefully to be replaced by Karl Dean ... god willing.” —Jeff Chandler
On Texas adoption agencies soon being allowed to ban LGBTQ couples:
“Texas - home of the American Taliban.” —Warren Rowley
On Trump’s “religious freedom” order being silent on LGBTQ issues:
“After June when all the Pride marches are over, he will sign an anti - LGBT order to avoid mass protests.” —Hen Ry Mays
“You guys are paranoid!” —Nat Jo
On gay men and straight women getting hit with “stealthing”:
“If it’s not agreed upon ahead of time, it’s sexual assault!” —Tim Stahl
On Susan Sarandon fueling her Twitter feud with Debra Messing:
“Ugh. The person who tweeted that Trump would be a better president than Clinton is calling someone ELSE “Trumpian?” (Read “ignorant.”) Pot. Kettle. Black.” —Bill Hirschi
“Oh Janet, stuff it.”
—Kristen Waylen Hackett
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
On whether Stephen Colbert’s Trump/Putin joke went too far:
“Not at all out of line. It was funny! Especially since there is a lot of truth to it. Can we really look at the state of our government and not laugh? It’s a circus right now.” —Reid Rosenbarger
“Right wingers, anti-everything – their feelings get hurt when we mock them – grow some skin! Where were you when Trump insulted a disabled journalist? Or when he insulted all Mexicans, accusing them of [being] murderers, rapists and drug dealers? Insulting the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier? But yet you chose to elect this prick. Stephen Colbert is a comedian for crying out loud!! Don’t watch him if you don’t like him, no one forces you, you’ve got a billion other channels to choose from, like FOX news, CMT or CBN, lovely channels. Good for Stephen for telling it like it is, many of us feel the same way, and kudos for Jimmy Kimmel too.” —Arnault Garcia
“At the very least, distasteful. Wondering if he had said it about a popular president? This is why God invented the remote. Click.” —Linda Ponton
On the new font honoring rainbow flag designer Gilbert Baker:
“A most fitting remembrance to one of our community’s pioneers.” —Thom Bland
editor’s
Billy Manes eDitOr
BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com
i
desk
t’S timE for A GloriouS diStrAction.
It’s time to look up and out of our socioeconomic boxes and tear-rusted cages to remind ourselves that we still know how to have fun, whether in red shirts or in swimming trunks that bear a startling resemblance to underwear. It’s time to remind ourselves of what has happened and what is yet to come for the LGBTQ community. In short, it’s time to party.
Though everything feels like it’s being viewed through a dilated pupil right now via our political refractions and their requisite reactions, there is still a lot to be happy about, and much of this issue of Watermark – our annual issue that pays tribute those days for the gays in early June – will throw confetti at your face and kiss you on your cheek, slipping you a number on a cocktail napkin and leaving with a sideways glance. Seriously, for 27 years now,
watermark staFF
the GayDayS® brand, One Magical Weekend, Parliament House and any other LGBTQ venues around Central Florida have been throwing ice into the foam-party heat and making magic happen out of thin air and, by now, thin hair. This year, we need that blast of happiness more than ever for obvious reasons. Nothing recharges the mind and the self quite like dropping the cynicism for a minute and frolicking among friends in a pool or a theme park or a bar. Go
home, rinse, repeat. If you’re not from Orlando or its surrounding regions, then you may not know that we effectively have two Prides: one in June, one in October. June is when we go crazy from the heat, giggle a lot and generally test our boundaries of conviviality while running through the theme-park regimen; October is when we celebrate National Coming Out Day, which also includes a certain eclecticism, only it’s anchored by the seriousness of moving forward in the LGBTQ community writ large. Also, it’s not generally as hot. Still, for that we’re lucky. We do have a gradient of acceptance embedded in our urban centers that allows us to celebrate ourselves and stand on the shoulders of the giants – and the shoulder pads of the stars – that brought us here to this precipice of near-equality. But we also have our demons to keep at bay. There are several disturbances in the force, if you will, that are peppered throughout this issue, because sometimes we stand off on the sidelines and just think about it all. Hearing the words of legend Harvey Milk’s nephew Stuart Milk at the 2017 Orlando Diversity Awards on May 12 brought tears to our eyes. This is all recent history. Our wounds have yet to completely heal. And, as an aside, Orlando is struggling with its attachment to the Confederacy and the Civil War, though Orlando wasn’t really Orlando at the time of the fight. On May 15, dozens of people chose to stand in solidarity outside of City Hall with Confederate flags that, symbolically and historically, only represent hate. The issue was a statue – that of “Johnny Reb,” a seemingly fictitious John Doe erected to emblemize one of the darkest periods in American history. The statue will likely be moved from its current home in the middle of downtown to a cemetery, unfortunately above ground. America, meanwhile, is dealing with the coded subtext of a presidency that is trading secrets
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with Russia, bringing back memories of another war – the Cold War – and leading even his own Republican Party to speak out against the President. Ann Coulter is on line one, Mr. President. She’s not happy. That doesn’t mean that, at least for an extremely long weekend, we can’t be happy and we can’t exhale. The fights will wait for the elections. The fun is for now. That’s why we’ve invited Macy Gray – who will be playing the Parliament House in the big gay weekend – to the table, and phoned up Idina Menzel to talk about being Wicked and wonderful at the same time. Some serious news bits – historically conservative Rick Baker is making moves to become the mayor of St. Pete again, and the progressives don’t like it; OneBlood
Nothing recharges the mind and the self quite like dropping the cynicism for a minute and frolicking among friends in a pool or a theme park or a bar. Go home, rinse, repeat.
of Orlando is explaining its positions on the blood-donation ban for gay men as it uses Pulse survivors in its collateral – are here, too, because information is the new cocktail. In our next issue, we’ll speak of the obvious: the one-year mark of the Pulse massacre and how things have changed. For this issue, we’ll celebrate our otherness, don our red shirts and stare at the sun until we have to go back to work. We’ve got this. Now you go have some fun.
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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AT WATERMARKONLINE.COM contributors mAiA monEt is a photographer at Southern Nights in Orlando and a singer with the band Mad Transit. Page 15
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 43
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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central florida news
Local blood bank turns to Pulse survivors in ad campaign Billy Manes
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recent push for blood donations has raised some concerns in the gay community. On the days following June 12, people lined up around blocks to help save those who were not among the 49 killed onsite. Last week, OneBlood – Central Florida’s blood bank – began using images of five Pulse survivors in a campaign to draw in more blood. The problem? Gay men are effectively forbidden from donating blood by the Food and Drug Administration, despite the fact that all donations are carefully screened. That should not diminish the importance of blood resources, OneBlood says. “The week of the Pulse tragedy OneBlood collected nearly 28,500 units of blood,” OneBlood vice president of marketing and communications Susan Forbes says in an email. “It is an unprecedented amount of blood to be collected in such a short amount of time. That said, ten days after the tragedy, 85 percent of what we collected had already been distributed to our hospital partners. As quickly as blood is donated it is tested, processed and distributed to hospitals. Usually within 2-3 days of a person donating their blood, it will be sent to a hospital. The turnaround is that quick, the need is constant.” But the acceptance of blood from gay men has not been. Some people Watermark has spoken to have admitted to lying about either their orientation or their sexual activity in order to help those dying in the wake of the June 12 massacre at Pulse. Though, to be fair, some members of the OneBlood staff are LGBTQ, and it is a federal mandate, one that has been unsuccessfully challenged in previous years. “The deferral policy does not exclude all members of the LGBT community. The deferral is specific to male sex with males in the past 12 months,” Forbes says. “The survivors that are sharing their stories with OneBlood understand the restrictions which are mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the same time, they are also extremely grateful to blood donors because they saved their lives. When they learned of the vital role that blood donors played in their survival, they were eager to lend their voices to help encourage people who are eligible to donate blood to do so on a consistent basis and not to wait for a tragedy to donate.” And, as Forbes points out, times are incrementally changing. OneBlood is among the nation’s blood centers that is progressing with the times. “In 2015, the FDA lifted its lifetime ban (from 1977) on men who have sex with men (known as MSM) and moved to a one year deferral policy. OneBlood supports that change and has implemented the new policy. In addition, OneBlood is one of four large blood centers who have received a multi-center research agreement to identify and further characterize risk factors in blood donors who are infected with HIV and hepatitis. This research will permit an effective and focused assessment of risk for all potential blood donors, regardless of their sexual orientation.” In the meantime, OneBlood will maintain a presence at the scheduled Pulse memorials around June 12.
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keep it together:
MBA president Lu Mueller-Kaul at the MBA Pride Gala August 19, 2016. Photo by Snap Out LouD! Photography
MBA makes MVP Orlando’s Metropolitan Business Association receives award from National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Billy Manes
“E
ven though we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, most of the rest of the community doesn’t know that we exist,” Metropolitan Business Association executive director Kellie Parkin says. That may not be exactly true. For more than two decades, the organization has been bridging ideological and business-oriented gaps between small and large businesses alike, finding common threads for economic growth within those operations while projecting an inviting atmosphere that surpasses just tolerance across the Greater Orlando region. That, as a result, has delivered Orlando one of the largest Pride celebrations in the region via its sister organization Come Out With Pride,, Parkin says,. Both the MBA and COWP will be holding their large annual events in October. When the local MBA chapter was granted the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s highest award – Chamber of the Year – in early May, it was a cause for
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
celebration, Parkin says. But then, most MBA events are celebrations, so it wasn’t too far of a leap. The group has recently added JP Morgan Chase, Tupperware Brands and the Orlando Magic. “I’ve seen some individuals and some businesses come out and say we support you,” Parkin, who just started in her position less than a year ago, says. “I think the Orlando Magic is one of those businesses. Of course the employees have always been supportive. But for management to say yes, we support you and we’re going to be involved, I think that’s a big deal for our community.” And as niche as a gay chamber may sound, the group is always expanding its circles of influence. Parkin says that she is a member of the Supplier Diversity Council, formed by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as a means of bringing the fringes of the region’s cultural disparity together, fighting on the same playing field. She says that Orlando Health, Wyndham Worldwide, Universal/NBC and Disney are all at the table. Collaboration is key, and having
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access to contracts in the same statute-oriented manner as other minorities can only advance equality, she says. Likewise, the group has been creating inroads with such local lynchpins as Lockheed Martin, assisting their employee resource groups in finding proper resources to connect transgender residents with the proper paths toward fair identification via the Southern Legal Counsel and Orange County Legal Aid society, she says. Another I.D. event is planned for the fall. “MBA Orlando is creating new, exciting opportunities for its members and for local businesses to thrive throughout Central Florida,” said Justin Nelson, NGLCC Co-Founder and President, in a statement. “Executive Director Kellie Parkin, and the dedicated board of directors and volunteers, have fostered consistent growth in membership, programming, and corporate partnerships, and inspiringly served as a valued hub of support for the entire Orlando community following the Pulse nightclub tragedy. We are proud to have them as our local partner.” But it’s important to remember that the mission of the MBA isn’t one of glad-handing big businesses that do not support the LGBTQ community. “You don’t have to be gay; you do have to be an ally,” Parkin says. “We are definitely an inclusive group, we welcome people from the LGBT community and we welcome allies, we’re all-inclusive, however there is an important part that you need to be gay-friendly.”
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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tampa bay news
Out of the Closet brings HIV/AIDS awareness and discount shopping together under one roof
VOICING CONCERNS:
Local members of the LGBTQ community gather at City Hall to oppose former St. Pete mayor Rick Baker, who announced he is again running for the position.
Jeremy Williams
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T. PETERSBURG | Out of the Closet, a thrift store with a twist which benefits the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, opened its new location in St. Petersburg with a grand opening celebration May 13. Out of the Closet St. Pete is located at 3400 26th Ave. South and offers up designer clothes, furniture and housewares at a fraction of the cost. Out of the Closet has 21 locations throughout the U.S. and, unlike your typical gently used discount thrift stores, they serve a variety of purposes for the organization. “One thing we do is to provide some quality, trendy clothing for the local community at a discounted price,” says Imara Canady, regional director of communications and community engagement for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “I think it’s important to note that most of the money raised from the thrift stores, 96 cents of every dollar, is invested back into the work that we do around advocacy and HIV/AIDS services.” The main thing that separates Out of the Closet from other retail stores is that along with selling products, it is also a safe place to get a free, private one-minute rapid HIV test. “We want to create safe spaces that help to remove some of the stigma and judgment around people who are being proactive and getting tested,” Canady says. “So no one knows if you are in the store just doing a little shopping or if you are there to get tested.” Out of the Closet in St. Petersburg will also offer pharmacy services so that those who are diagnosed with HIV can also pick up antiretroviral medications from them as well. Anything that can help eliminate the stigma and fear of getting an HIV test would be welcomed in the Tampa Bay area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tampa/St. Petersburg ranks among the top 20 cities in the nation for new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. “We choose our Out of the Closet locations based on how we think we will be received in that community,” Canady says.”But also where we think the other services in the space can be beneficial.” Out of the Closet’s grand opening wasn’t just to show their great prices, although that was part of it, but to show just what they bring to the community. “It allows people to see whether they are coming down to donate or shop; that they are really helping out the cause; that their money is being reinvested into some critical work for our local communities around HIV/AIDS,” Canaday says. Out of the Closet also offers free pickup on large donated items. Check out OutOfTheCloset.org for more information on their services and to see all 21 locations.
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Photo by Samuel Johnson
Baker action Opponents of former mayor Rick Baker sound off on his equality record Samuel Johnson
S
T. PETERSBURG | We will go forward; we’ve come too far to go back. This was the overarching sentiment of some 20 LGBTQ advocates at a press conference in Saint Petersburg May 11. They gathered on the front steps of City Hall to voice their concerns about ex-St. Pete mayor, Rick Baker, and his announcement that he is entering the city’s mayoral race for this year. Ed Lally is a St. Pete resident who works with Equality Florida. He was on hand for the event, brandishing a “Rick Baker Never” sign. Lally didn’t mince words in his assessment of Baker. “He’s not a man for equality for the whole community. I don’t trust the guy and would never vote for him. ... His prior actions with the LGBT community would rate a big fat F,” he says. The failing marks for Baker are based on what some would deem his antagonistic and dismissive track record with the LGBTQ community in Saint Petersburg. Those at the event were quick to point out that he never recognized the city’s Pride festival or marched in the parade. Executive director of St. Pete Pride, Erik Skains, reiterated a dual importance of the Pride Festival.
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
He cited the roughly $20 million in revenue that the Pride festival injects into the local economy. On a cultural front, Skains emphasized the intrinsic universal importance of St. Pete Pride. Skains prosaically says St. Pete is important because, “It’s always someone’s first Pride.” Florida Consumer Action Network executive director and Stonewall Democrats president Susan McGrath helped organize this event. She says the LGBTQ community of St. Pete is worried that a Baker mayorship would turn the clock back on equality. McGrath drove that idea home when she noted, when Baker was mayor, it was the “most unwelcoming and repressive” period in the city’s history. This may be hyperbole, Jim Crow segregation aside, but it is perceived by some as a deeply repressive period of the 21st century. Jan Lund, a member of the Stonewall Democrats in St. Pete, stood in opposition to Rick Baker on the steps of City Hall. Lund is also a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran. According to him, he went through the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era. Lund says there are many LGBTQ military veterans in St. Pete who are glad the armed services now allow openly LGBTQ people to serve. It’s Lund’s belief that Rick Baker has not evolved past a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality. He
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
stands behind current mayor Rick Kriseman, who he feels is on board with LGBTQ equality. This sentiment of inclusion and equality isn’t just resonating with St. Pete straight and LGBTQ residents. There are nearly half a million visitors to the city each year. Visitors are vital to the city’s tourism. Since Kriseman has been in office, an LGBTQ Welcome Center has opened up on Central Avenue – one of only two in the state of Florida. For the year 2016, St. Pete boasted a score of 100 on the Municipality and Equality Index, the measure of laws, policies and services which make up the inclusiveness of an area for the LGBTQ community. Todd Richardson, Pinellas regional coordinator for Equality Florida, elaborated. “Florida’s economy depends on being able to draw top talent to our state. And drawing top talent requires having a high quality of life,” he says. Whoever is in the mayor’s office, they will have to build bridges and work in conjunction with the city council members, of whom three out of eight are openly gay. Steve Kornell, one of the three gay city council members, wasn’t at the event but had a clear message to whomever is mayor. He says he wants to push progress and that going back is foolish. Moreover, he affirmed that the rights of all St. Pete’s residents will be protected, including those of the LGBTQ community. These are some progressive LGBTQ milestones which are already in place: things like workplace protection, an LGBTQ liaison and transgender health benefits. However, Kornell says there is still work to be done.
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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NAZI PERSECUTION OF HOMOSEXUALS 1933-1945 On Display through July 2, 2017 at The Florida Holocaust Museum Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi German regime promoted racial health policies that sought to eliminate all sources of biological corruption to its dominant “Aryan” race. Among the groups persecuted as threats to the national health were Germany’s homosexual men. Presented locally by
Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945 was produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Image credit: US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy Schwules Museum, Berlin.
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
state, nation+world news
Florida legislators wrap up a contentious session leaving the LGBTQ community relatively unscathed Billy Manes
S
ine Die, they call it, the antiquated drop of the hanky to end the legislative session in Florida. On May 8, the bicameral bluster in Tallahassee came to an end following the approval of an $83 billion state budget that will siphon more taxpayer dollars to charter schools, and, remarkably, pull some power away from the state’s tourism driver, Visit Orlando. Those were the big headlines. And while LGBTQ issues made their way around committees and lobbies, Equality Florida was there to fight back on some of the social issues. “This was a very dangerous session. It was unorthodox. This was a moment when our opposition was emboldened by the recent elections,” Equality Florida public policy director Hannah Willard says. “We had to make sure that they didn’t turn back the clock by wiping out freedoms we had already achieved... We as Equality Florida benefitted from a lot of attention being diverted to other issues.”
As a result, Florida did not reach a consensus on so-called “bathroom bills,” but nor did it move forward with its centerpiece of legislation – even with bipartisan support – on the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, which aims to prevent discrimination in the workplace. Even in its post-mortem literature, though, EQFL counts this as a mild victory. At least it will have another chance. Willard, who has been lobbying Tallahassee for two years, says the group’s feet are still firmly digging into the ground. “The legislature was not prioritizing LGBTQ issues for better and for worse,” she says. “But we also saw leadership blocking the Florida Competitive Workforce Act. Which is frustrating, because we know there is a phenomenal amount of support.” LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace was not the only issue troubling the Equality Florida troops. Senate Bill 1158 and its companion HB 17 threatened to roll back all municipal ordinances affording equal rights to the LGBTQ citizens of Florida. The bills would have brought similar pre-emption measures to those which passed a few years ago
that took on earned sick-time and wage theft. Willard also points to an attempt to reform HIV/AIDS criminalization, SB 628/HB 605, which did succeed in Senate committee but remains an open issue for the next legislative session. The current law was written in the 1980s, she says, which means it does not meet with current medical standards and is punitive in its nature. It also distracts residents from checking their individual statuses for fear of retribution. Florida has seen unusually high rates of HIV infection in recent years, the worst in the nation. Additionally, Equality Florida has been working closely with other progressive infrastructures like Planned Parenthood and gun-sensitive groups like the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. It takes an army, Willard says. “The best defense is a good offense,” she says. “We have to promote our vision of a state that is safe for all of us, one that affirms the basic human dignity for all of us. And we did that this year. And I’m proud of that. We can’t just be in our defensive crouch.
rights of our friends and neighbors being threatened by the national government, at a time when we see LGBTQ youth turning to suicide at record rates, to remain silent is to be complicit,” Malloy said. “This legislation is about protecting children and teens who have been forced to undergo this so-called therapy, despite the fact that it is not supported by any medical evidence and its only proven results have been harmful, destructive, and lasting.” The legislation was approved in the Connecticut House of Representatives last week by a vote of 141-8 and adopted in the state Senate on the same day Malley signed the bill by a unanimous vote of 36-0. The lead sponsors of the legislation were Rep. Jeff Currey (D-East Hartford) and Sen. Beth Bye (D-West Hartford). Malloy’s signature makes Connecticut the eighth state in the country in addition to D.C. to ban
the widely discredited practice of “ex-gay” therapy for youth. States that preceded Connecticut are California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, New York and New Mexico. (New York’s ban is uniquely the result of an order signed New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and not legislation.) Laura Durso, vice president of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, said in a statement that Connecticut and other states that have enacted bans on “ex-gay” therapy “send the message that young LGBT people are welcome and accepted as they are.” “Young people who experience rejection from their families are more than eight times more likely to have attempted suicide than their peers who are accepted by their families,” Durso said. “LGBT young people are not broken, and they do not need to be fixed.”
Connecticut latest state to ban ‘ex-gay’ therapy for youth Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National Gay Media Association
C
onnecticut has become the latest state to ban for youth the widely discredited practice of “ex-gay” conversion therapy in the aftermath of Gov. Dan Malloy signing the prohibition into law. Malloy signed the measure – House Bill 6695, also known as “An Act Concerning the Protection of Youth from Conversion Therapy” – May 9, justifying it by saying in a statement “at a time when we see LGBTQ youth turning to suicide at record rates, to remain silent is to be complicit.” “At a time when we see harassment increasing against anyone perceived as being different, at a time when we see the
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in other news Bank adds 1,200 North Carolina jobs stalled by anti-LGBTQ law Credit Suisse announced a major expansion in North Carolina May 9, promising 1,200 jobs with an average salary of more than $100,000 at its technology hub after the state promised more than $40 million in tax incentives. The suburban Raleigh site, now housing 1,700 Credit Suisse employees and contractors, will grow to the Zurich-based bank’s second-largest U.S. location after New York City. Credit Suisse, along with companies Deutsche Bank and PayPal, had canceled North Carolina expansion plans after the anti-LGBTQ House Bill 2 became law in March 2016. Some major U.S. cities still forbid official travel to the state, saying HB2’s replacement still discriminates.
u. of iowa minister faces church discipline for same-sex wedding Rev. Anna Blaedel, a campus minister at the University of Iowa, is facing church discipline for performing a same-sex wedding. Blaedel is executive director at the Wesley Student Center and said she knew she was jeopardizing her United Methodist Church standing when she officiated at the ceremony April 4 for a fellow clergywoman and her wife. But Blaedel says she also knew “that saying ‘no’ to one of my best friends would cost me my integrity and my soul.” The center’s board of directors is supporting her. The Appointive Cabinet of the Iowa Conference has filed a complaint against Blaedel, charging her with practices considered “to be incompatible with Christian teaching.” The complaint is being decided by Bishop Laurier Haller of Des Moines.
Albania LGBTQ rights organizations hold annual Pride ride LGBTQ rights organizations in Albania have held their annual Pride event without any disturbances, while the country’s political opposition prepared for an unrelated national protest in the capital, Tirana. Scores of bikers with multi-colored balloons and flags started their mile-long (1.6 kms) ride May 13 passing a tent pitched by the opposition in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office in downtown Tirana. Opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha had assured the LGBTQ Pride participants there would be no incidents or threats during their ride, which started two hours before the other protest. A heavy police presence followed the ride. Unlike the previous year, no Western diplomats were seen joining the riders.
Australian state apologizes to men convicted for gay sex An Australian state parliament apologized May 11 to hundreds of men convicted decades ago for having homosexual sex, as the government introduced legislation to throw out their criminal records. Queensland State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk delivered the apology to those affected by a prohibition on homosexual sex, which was repealed in 1990. Once the legislation is passed, Queensland will join three states and the national capital in expunging criminal records for homosexual sex, which is no longer illegal anywhere in the country. Two states and a territory have not.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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viewpoint
Maia Monet
trans oF thought Parent’s Day
A
S wE pASS throuGh
this brief period of the year when it is no longer Mother’s Day but not quite yet Father’s Day, it occurs to me that this is an apt analogy for how many transgender parents sit between motherhood and fatherhood.
After our transitions, many of us struggle to redefine ourselves as parents within our reconfigured families. Sometimes the choice is not up to us. After consulting a psychologist before I came out to my son, she suggested that for his comfort, it was important to allow him to choose what he would now call the new me. After mulling over the different possibilities, including “father” in multiple languages, he decided to call me by my own created name of Maia. Admittedly, it is not what I prefer as my public identity as his parent has been rendered invisible. Kids don’t usually call their mothers or fathers by their first names. Other families with a transgender parent have come up with solutions both novel and traditional. Well-known author Jenny Boylan outlines in her memoir how her children chose to combine the words mommy and daddy to create the new parental term Maddy. Still others decide to stick with their old titles of mom or dad despite outward incongruent appearance and the possible risk of public embarrassment. Curiously, few of us seem to be able or willing to make the leap from dad to mom and vice-versa. This perhaps says more about our
struggles with guilt and conventional notions of gender roles. I am sometimes asked why I got married and had children if I knew I was transgender. The simple answer is that I didn’t know, or at least I didn’t want to know. The truth was much too scary to admit to myself. The more complicated answer is that I believe as transgender people, we add layers of restrictions to prevent ourselves from developing our generalized inner sense of gender discomfort into full-blown self-realization. Getting married thus becomes a kind of straightjacket to prevent the pain of coming out and becoming subject to the general lack of societal acceptance and hate directed towards transgender people. Of course, when we inevitably do come to understand that we are transgender and pursue transition, it often means immense collateral damage to our loved ones. Marriages disintegrate and families, both immediate and extended, are stressed to the breaking point and beyond. Children are caught in the middle and asked to cope with both the stresses of divorce and a parent who is transforming from the mother or father they knew into an unknown form. There are also the unavoidable embarrassments for all involved as a private family matter, by necessity, becomes a spectacle in front of other parents, coaches, educators, church members and even the friends of your children. Charges of selfishness directed at the transitioning parent are whispered behind closed doors and to our faces. The guilt it generates can be crushing. After all we put our families through, it is no wonder that we find it very difficult to move past the guilt and feel we are deserving of the title in our
family that our new gender presentation implies. I vividly remember once being asked by a friend towards the beginning of my transition if I thought I deserved to be happy. Up until that moment I thought that my answer would have been yes, but as I found myself frozen in my tracks
not exclusive to one person per family. I think it is at odds to argue that I am and always was a woman where it counts, but that the role I have and do fulfill in my family is determined by my biology. If adoptive mothers can be moms and lesbian families can have two moms, then I can be a mom
moment for me and in fact brought me to tears. I am still waiting for him to call me mom, but I have hope we will get there in time. So to those of you who are transgender like me, but are still waiting for a similar acknowledgment from your kids, I wish you a happy belated Mother’s
and doubled over in tears, I realized that wasn’t true. However, one day I had the epiphany that it isn’t selfish to survive. That being an alive mom was much better in the long run for my son than being his dead dad. And I do indeed see myself as his mom because that title is not a function of biology and it is
too along with my son’s biological mom. It looks like my son is starting to feel the same way. This year, for the first time ever, he bought me a Mother’s Day gift. For the first four years after the divorce he didn’t acknowledge me for Mother’s or Father’s Day, so this was a monumental
Day and a happy upcoming Father’s Day. I see you and send you my love.
Charges of selfishness directed at the transitioning parent are whispered behind closed doors and to our faces. The guilt it generates can be crushing.
Melody Maia Monet operates a YouTube channel on lesbian and transgender topics. You can view her videos at https://youtube. com/melodymaia.
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1-IN-4
LGBT PEOPLE
R e P O R T
talking points
Now more than ever, we have got to get to work, which is why I’m so happy Will & Grace is coming back in September. It is time to make America gay again. — dEBrA mESSinG durinG hEr ExcEllEncE in mEdiA AwArd AccEptAncE SpEEch At thE 28th AnnuAl GlAAd mEdiA AwArdS in nEw york city mAy 6.
“yeP, i’M gay”: haPPy 20th Out anniversary, eLLen Degeneres
w
ith A hEAdlinE “yEp, i’m GAy” on the cover of TIME magazine and the same declaration on her sitcom, Ellen DeGeneres made history 20 years ago as the first prime-time lead on network TV to come out. “The Puppy Episode” of Ellen aired April 30, 1997, and it was more than just a hit. It was a huge cultural “where were you” moment for anybody remotely interested in TV, or the advancement of LGBTQ people working in TV, or who were itching to come out of their closets at home at a still-perilous time. History was made. Friends gathered around TVs. The LGBTQ rights group GLAAD organized watch parties after an ABC affiliate in Alabama declined to air the episode. Eric Marcus, creator and host of the podcast Making Gay History and author of a 2002 collection of an oral history of the same name, put it this way: “For everyday people, Ellen made gay OK.”
EXPERIENCING
DISCRIMINATION IN 2016. N e A R L Y
55% r e P O r t e D
t h a t
DISCRIMINATION NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THEIR
WORK, NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT. — Center for American Progress
richarD siMMOns sues naTiOnal enQUirer FOr LiBeL
R
ichArd SimmonS filEd A liBEl and invasion of privacy lawsuit May 8 against the National Enquirer and its parent company over stories that said he is now living as a transgender woman. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages as well as an apology and retraction for stories published in June 2016 and March 2017 in the Enquirer and its website, RadarOnline.com. The lawsuit listed what is said were 16 factual errors in the first story, including that Simmons had transitioned to become a woman and had undergone gender reassignment treatments. Simmons retreated from public life in 2014, sparking rampant speculation about his health and wellbeing and a popular podcast named Missing Richard Simmons.
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weinstein cOMPany wins BattLe FOr Pg-13 rating FOr 3 GeneraTiOns
t
hE wEinStEin compAny hAS won itS BAttlE against the MPAA to change its transgender coming-of-age film 3 Generations from an R rating to PG-13, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The MPAA originally gave the film an R rating due to profanity and sexual references. The Weinstein Company agreed to edit the film, “mainly for language,” in order for youth to have access to the film. The film follows transgender teen Ray (Elle Fanning) who is transitioning from female to male. His single mother (Naomi Watts) attempts to find Ray’s father (Tate Donovan) to give legal consent. Meanwhile, Ray’s lesbian grandmother (Susan Sarandon) struggles to understand Ray’s transgender identity.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
new FOnt hOnOrs rainBOw FLag Designer giLBert Baker
G
Ay ActiViSt And rAinBow flAG dESiGnEr Gilbert Baker is being honored with a Technicolor font. Baker, who died March 31, designed the rainbow flag in 1978. It has become a recognized symbol of the LGBTQ community. The original flag design included pink to represent sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony and violet for the human spirit. NewFest and NYC Pride have joined forces with font design company Fontself to create typography project, Type with Pride. The project created a font called Gilbert that incorporates a rainbow design. Gilbert is available to download for free at TypeWithPride.com.
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MON – FRI 8am - 5pm SAT 9am -1pm
in-DePth: gay Days weekenD
Gay Orlando get ready to soak up the fun for one of the planet’s biggest lgBtQ celebrations
w
Jeremy Williams
hAt StArtEd out nEArly
three decades ago as a day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom for LGBTQ families has turned into one of the largest, and most lucrative, LGBTQ events in the world.
The first week of June in Central Florida brings over 150,000 LGBTQ people from across the globe to the state and generates millions of dollars every year for the local economy, and this year is
without exception. “Ticket sales are steady and on par from last year and we are estimating more than 185,000 people will be here for Gay Days,” says GayDayS creative director Steve Erics.
GayDayS, along with One Magical Weekend, Girls In Wonderland and the Parliament House have planned and put together events, parties and surprises across Central Florida that will have you bathing in beauty and soaking up the sun.
gayDays
GayDayS will get the adrenaline moving through your veins as you enter into the Big Top for GayDayS’ Circus at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld.
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“GayDayS will be very immersive this year,” Erics says. “The lobby will be filled with atmospheric performers, so you may be greeted by the ringmaster or stilt-walkers. Some crazy and interesting stuff will be going on. I can’t tell you all of the surprises but we can tease you a bit.” GayDayS kicks off at STK Orlando in Disney Springs May 30. “When I came on in 2013, GayDayS was not at any Disney properties. So it is great that we are going back,” Erics says. Erics will host the event alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race’s
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Coco Montrese, and will feature appearances by drag performers Miss GayDayS Alexis Mateo, Roxy Brooks and a few of this year’s Miss GayDayS competitors. “We will also be kicking off with one of our big GayDayS surprises,” Erics says. “I can’t say much but it does involve entertainment from Mathew Knowles camp.” Knowles, who is a talent manager and father to Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, will have a presence with GayDayS throughout the week.
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| uu | Gay Days Weekend from pg.19
GayDayS is notorious for throwing epic pool parties and this year the water will continue to splash. In the past, they have featured separate pools for different groups, at times having a separate bear pool, lesbian pool and Latin pool. This year they have done away with the segregation and will feature two pools: the main pool will be called the Midway and will be the sight of each day’s themed pool party, and the Arena will be a non-themed pool party. The pool parties start May 31 with a welcome pool party at the Midway pool starting at noon. “Wednesday’s pool party is a more laidback and chill party as people are starting to arrive for the week,” Erics says. “When you get to the pool party on Thursday you will definitely find out why it is called Freakshow. That’s all I am going to say about that.” Friday’s Midway pool party is a BayWatch-themed pool party called BearWatch. “BearWatch is hosted by the very David Hasselhoffian Bearonce Growles and will feature bear go-go dancers,” Erics says. Saturday’s big GLOW pool party, Illumin8, will feature Chi Chi LaRue and gay porn stars Jack Hunter, Sean Duran and Wesley Woods. Alongside the pool parties at the DoubleTree will be GayDayS’ Sideshow Expo running June 1- 4. “The expos will have over 150 vendors and they are all free to attend,” Erics says. “It’s one of the largest Gay and Lesbian Expos in the U.S., second only to New York’s LGBT Expo.” GayDayS will feature three types of expos: the traditional expo, an 18-and-up expo with more adult-themed vendors and the auxiliary expo featuring non-profits and pet adoptions. Taste of GayDayS, one of their most anticipated events each year, returns June 1. “There are a lot more food vendors this year,” Eric says. “Taste of GayDayS is a production in itself, and with the theme being Circus, you can expect to see the aerialists to come back. We have another group coming from DreamWorld in Los Angeles that will make an appearance as well. I can’t say who they are.” Miss GayDayS Alexis Mateo will relinquish her crown June 2 at the Miss GayDays pageant hosted by Chi Chi LaRue and Coco Montrese
SEEING RED: A sea of red t-shirts will fill Disney for the event that started it all, Gay Day at Magic Kingdom, June 3. Photo by Brian Becnel as nearly a dozen queens will vie for the 2017 title. “The pageant theme is ‘Inspirations of Tim Burton.’ So if you are a fan, you definitely want to be at this pageant because it is going to be really dark,” Erics says. The most talked about event for GayDayS is also the one Erics can say the least about. GayDayS will partner with the onePULSE Foundation for Love, a cabaret-style, Broadway-based show June 3. The 90-minute show opens with “Willkommen” from the Broadway musical Cabaret. “And then you’ll just have to check out the show to find out more,” Erics says. “What I can say is
One Magical Weekend One Magical Weekend is back at the B Resort and ready to bring you all the Disney magic you expect from Orlando. “Almost everything we do this year is at Disney resorts,” says One Magical Weekend’s Tom Christ. “When people think of Orlando and this time of year, they think of Disney. So from Typhoon Lagoon to the House of Blues to the B Resort, nearly the entire weekend you are surrounded by Disney.” One Magical Weekend kicks off the weekend with the only party featuring a wave pool and lazy river, RipTide at Disney’s Typhoon
Vol. 2: #LoveWins. It’s going to be a celebration of dancing and community,” Christ says. “We loved the Red party at Epcot, but we think House of Blues is the perfect location for what we want for Red Vol. 2. It will give a more intimate setting and after the year we have all had I think that’s what we want to go for.” One Magical Weekend’s Therapy Pool Parties return to the B Resort going all day June 2- 4, with the June 4 pool party being a bigger than ever pool party bash featuring DJ Manny Lehman. One Magical Weekend will also be returning with the 21-and-up Cadabra After Hours parties at Old Town’s Sun of the Beach.
We filtered through 150 applications and narrowed it down to 13 performers. The show will entertain and will honor the memory of the 49 souls we lost and support the survivors of the Pulse tragedy. There will be some heavy hitters and awesome performers there from all over. — GayDayS® creative director, Steve Erics, on the onePULSE Foundation cabaret-style show, Love.
we filtered through 150 applications and narrowed it down to 13 performers. The show will entertain and will honor the memory of the 49 souls we lost and support the survivors of the Pulse tragedy. There will be some heavy hitters and awesome performers there from all over. Two of the acts will be performing their new singles for the first time at GayDayS. “ All proceeds from the Love cabaret show and GayDayS kickoff party will go to the onePULSE Foundation.
Lagoon June 2. Disney is going through a lot of changes at the theme parks so RipTide at Typhoon Lagoon will be the only official event at any of the Disney parks, so make sure to make it out to the 52-acred waterpark which is expected to have more than 6,000 attendees. One Magical Weekend continues the party June 3 at the House of Blues in Disney Springs for the main event party, a sequel to 2015’s Red party. “Saturday night is called Red
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Girls In Wonderland Pandora Events is back for the 17th year of Girls In Wonderland at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort June 1- 5. Girls In Wonderland believe in partying with a purpose and will donate a portion of proceeds to a Central Florida non-profit or charity. This year a portion of the proceeds will go to the GLBT Center of Central Florida. The Girls In Wonderland kickoff the celebration with Traffic Jam party at Ember. Ladies, this is
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where you find a gal of the night, the weekend, or maybe for life. Colored bands will be handed out; red means she’s taken, yellow means approach with caution and green means go for it. The Girls In Wonderland pool parties happen June 2- 4 at Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort pool and are all 21-and-up. Girls In Wonderland’s signature dance party, traditionally held on Saturday, moves to Friday, June 2 at the House of Blues. The party moves downtown June 3 at the Cheyenne Salon for Climax with guest DJ Pat Pat, top 40 and hip hop favorites and go-go dancers galore. The weekend concludes with DJ Citizen Jane and the huge bash Indie Rock at the host hotel.
Parliament House
Parliament House Kicks off their events with PI @ PH June 1, featuring the PH explosion dancers, a laser light show, a countdown to midnight and a sexy Latin Diva Revue Show. Parliament House starts off the Adult Film Stars and Expo event in the courtyard June 2 which continues all weekend long. They will also have the foam parties June 3 and 4. “Sunday is Parliament House’s biggest T-Dance of the year,” says Parliament House’s Tim Evanicki. “Everything kicks off at that afternoon with a Marco Marco fashion show, huge pool party and some of the best entertainers.” Parliament House also continues their tradition of bringing some big names to Orlando’s Big Gay Weekend with the poolside concerts. The concerts start June 2 with ‘80s pop star Debbie Gibson singing all her hits that she made popular across the stages and malls of America, and the world. Macy Gray takes the stage June 3 with her turn of the millennium hit sound, blending pop, R&B and jazz, but she will not be on stage alone. “Macy is bringing her full band with her and will perform with them on stage, which is a first for our Gay Days concerts,” Evanicki says. Keri Hilson will bring her “Pretty Girl Rock” to the Parliament House for the June 4 concert. For more information on all the events and parties, make sure to pick up a copy of Watermark’s GD2017 Guide to Orlando’s Big Gay Weekend.
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in-DePth: gay Days weekenD
GRAY
DAY Macy gray gets stripped down for her Gay Days’ concert at Parliament House
m
Jeremy Williams
Acy GrAy iSn’t your
traditional artist. Her unique voice and style has allowed her to perform in many different genres without being fully submerged into one. It is unmistakably her when you hear her vocals on a track whether you are listening to R&B, hip-hop, soul, pop or jazz.
Her style – wild and crazy hair along with a relaxed, casual dress – have left many asking her, in interviews and online, if she is more than just an ally in the LGBTQ alphabet, which she is perfectly fine with. “I’m not really a girly girl; I like to wear my sneakers [laughs]. I’m 6 feet tall, so
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| uu | Macy Gray at PH from pg.23
walking around in heels for me is uncomfortable and pointless. I used to be very self-conscious about my legs too, I felt like I had turkey legs, so I always wore pants,” Gray says. “So people, some are like, ‘you look like a lesbian.’ That’s never bothered me. I’m just like, ‘thank you.’ I know it’s always corny to say this, but I think it’s important to just do you, you know.” Gray has been “doing her” since she started singing. She developed that unique sound making the rounds of the music scene in Los Angeles in the ‘90s. “I started out in jazz. I started singing in supper clubs doing standards with jazz bands, and that’s really how I learned to sing, listening to all these old jazz recordings,” she says. Gray took her jazz roots along with her love of rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and hip-hop and infused them into her own voice. She also credits listening to legendary artists Prince, Nina Simone and Biggie Smalls for teaching her how to sing. “I learned a lot from listening to Biggie. I remember when Biggie came out and I remember focusing on singing with that kind of crazy rhythm. I wanted to have that kind of rhythm in my singing,” Gray says. Gray released her first album, On How Life Is, in the summer of 1999, a time when MTV and radio had artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, ‘N Sync, and Backstreet Boys in heavy rotation. Gray offered something different. “As much as there was a lot of pop, I think music was really open at that time,” Gray says. “They were ready for something new and fresh. I think it was a really great time for music and to try different things.” Gray’s first album, fueled by the massive success of the single “I Try,” went triple platinum and won Gray a Grammy and fans worldwide; something that came as a surprise to her. “It was awesome, but I wasn’t expecting it,” she says. “I was just grinding it in L.A., playing little clubs and bars, playing for nine people for so long, so anything other than that was like being at a toy store. When [the album] got that successful,
SECOND TO NONE: “I Try” was the second single, and biggest hit, from Macy Gray’s debut album On How Life Is. Screencap from youtube.com/Vevo
I’m not really a girly girl; I like to wear my sneakers. I’m 6 feet tall, so walking around in heels for me is uncomfortable and pointless. I used to be very self-conscious about my legs too, I felt like I had turkey legs, so I always wore pants.
So people, some are like, ‘you look like a lesbian.’ That’s never bothered me.
I’m just like, ‘thank you.’
I know it’s always corny to say this, but I think it’s important to just do you, you know. —Macy Gray
no one was more shocked or happy than I was. I was just glad I got a record deal, but I had no idea it would go that crazy at all.” Gray says she was happy that fans took to “I Try,” but admits she fought for it not to be released as a single. “I didn’t think ‘I Try’ was a hit record,” Gray says. “I kept arguing with the label and telling them to try another song.
I was like, ‘It’s too wordy, the chorus is too long, no one is going to know what I’m talking about.’ So I was totally wrong, I had no idea what I was doing!” While Gray hasn’t reached the same kind of success as her first album in the U.S., she has maintained a huge fan base overseas. “I’m still amazed by it,” she says. “In the states, I do small theaters and clubs, when I
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go overseas I have like 3,000 people show up. I did a show in the Czech Republic; I didn’t even know I had fans there. But the U.K. is where I kind of had my first success. It started there and made its way back over here, and it was crazy, because I had never even been out of the U.S. before and to see my career take off there. Just to find out that there are people all over the world that listen to my
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music was an honor.” Gray’s career choices have been as unique and unconventional as the voice and style that first got her music recognized at the turn of the millennium. She has put out nine albums so far. They include a song-for-song remake of Stevie Wonder’s 1972 album Talking Book as a tribute to the legendary artist, an album entitled Covered in which she covers songs from the likes of Radiohead and Metallica and, most recently, returned back to her roots with Stripped, a traditional jazz album. “This was an experiment that was offered to me and I knew I could pull it off because I know that whole world and I’ve toured with other jazz artists. It was a perfect opportunity to do something that I don’t get to do every day,” Gray says. Stripped was recorded live over two days in a church in Brooklyn using binaural recording, a process of capturing audio using microphones the way your ears hear sounds. “It’s a microphone in the middle of me and the musicians, we were kind of in a circle around the microphone, and we were all standing in the middle of this church,” Gray says. “Churches have these acoustics that you can’t get anywhere else. It gave the album that old school, pure sound without any mixing or edits, no sweeteners. Everything was completely pure and naked.” Gray is bringing that pure and naked sound, along with her full band, to the Parliament House June 3 as a part of their Gay Days’ concert series, her first time to Orlando for the annual event. “I’ve done tons of LGBT events, but I haven’t done Gay Days yet. I’m looking forward to it,” she says. “It’s going to be awesome. I’m going to be on stage with my band, and we have been touring and playing for so long that we perform so naturally. I think considering the affair and it’s in honor of being yourself and being free with who you are, and the fact that we are playing in Orlando after what happened there, it’s going to be a honor for me and my band to come there and play and we are going to make sure that we do a show that is incredible for everybody.”
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arts anD entertainMent
Yas
Qween The reigning queen of Broadway, idina menzel, is on top of the world and she isn’t letting it go anytime soon
i
Jeremy Williams
dinA mEnzEl hAS thE Billion-
dollar voice – that is billion with a “B.” It is in no small part because of that voice singing the hit song “Let It Go” that Disney’s Oscar-winning animated musical Frozen became the highest-grossing animated film of all time with a $1.2 billion worldwide box-office showing. Menzel’s powerful vocals in Wicked also began that Broadway musical’s ascension over the billiondollar mark, which it crossed in 2016, only the third time that feat has been accomplished on Broadway.
The Tony-winning Broadway icon released her fifth studio album, idina., in September 2016; starred in Lifetime’s remake of Beaches; and will soon begin recording the voice of Queen Elsa for the much anticipated animated sequel, Frozen 2. You’d think with all of that she would take some time to kick back and relax, but Idina ain’t got time for that! Menzel has taken to the road with her band on a 50-city, worldwide tour, and that tour is bringing her to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater May 25. Her majesty held court for a few moments with us in-between gigs to take a stroll down memory lane.
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
DO yOu PreFer DOing cOncerts Over MusicaLs sO yOu have a LOt MOre inFLuence On what yOu get tO sing?
I like everything, because each one has something the other doesn’t. I like that I get to do all of it and I can balance it out. I can go out and do eight shows a week with all of the excitement and camaraderie with a cast but then it gets a bit exhausting, so I go into the recording studio and get a little more solitary and then, when I get lonely enough, I go back out and do maybe a movie of TV show, or I go on the road with my band and I get that
cOntinueD On Pg. 33 | uu |
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| uu | idina menzel FrOM Pg.31
camaraderie again, so it’s nice to be in a place where I can go back and forth like that. Many OF BrOaDway’s greatest PerFOrMers can Be tieD tO a ParticuLar rOLe they BrOught tO the stage. yOu have twO. One was Maureen in renT. hOw DiD yOu get invOLveD with that shOw?
I was struggling in New York and I was going on auditions. I also had my own band and was writing music and just doing what I could do. I got an audition for RENT and I wore my colorful, suede patchwork skirt that ended up being part of the show’s wardrobe, and I sang “When a Man Loves a Woman” and Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About” and then I got the call back and it has changed my life forever. it was an iMPOrtant shOw Because it Drew attentiOn tO the aiDs ePiDeMic anD what the gay cOMMunity was DeaLing with. what DiD getting tO wOrk On a shOw Like that FeeL Like?
rewrote this song, come here and sing it,” or Jonathan would say, “I reworked the duet with the girls,” so as they get to know you and get to know your voice and inflections, it becomes kind of like “what came first? The chicken or the egg?” And you start feeling them and they start feeling you, and before you know it, it’s this organic thing that’s happening, and you come out the other side and the character actually is written for you. I would much rather work that way than try and follow in someone’s footsteps in a big, iconic role on Broadway! It makes my life easier.
It was an emotional, sad, traumatic, exhilarating, thrilling time in my life; there was just so much going on. The beautiful thing about that whole experience was that a lot of kids our age, if they had gotten so successful and got to be on the cover of all these magazines, they might lose perspective of what really matters, but because of our relationship with [RENT’s writer and composer] Jonathan Larson, we had to get on stage every night and do his music justice. It was much bigger than us, so we had to get up there and keep going, keep performing. [Larson passed away from an aortic dissection the morning of RENT’s first preview performance Off Broadway.]
nOw My nieces wOuLD nOt FOrgive Me iF they knew i haD yOu On the PhOne anD we DiDn’t taLk aBOut FrOZen. frOZenMania swePt the cOuntry. it was everywhere. DiD yOu think it was gOing tO Be as Big as it was?
yOur Other icOnic BrOaDway rOLe, OF cOurse, is eLPhaBa FrOM wicKed. Maureen anD eLPhaBa are very DiFFerent characters But yOu enveLOP theM sO wOnDerFuLLy that it’s Like they were written just FOr yOu.
Just being asked to be a part of a Disney film was an accomplishment in my eyes, being a part of something like that. I had no idea it would be such a phenomenon, but I knew it was important for me to be in the room with these writers and artists, so that’s where my head was while we were making
I think because they were both original pieces when they came to me and I was with them from the beginning so I was in [Wicked’s composer] Stephen Schwartz’s studio when he would say, “I
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sOMething that caMe Out OF frOZen that was DiFFerent FrOM Other Disney Princess FiLMs was this iDea that a Princess DOesn’t have tO Be saveD By – anD enD uP with – a Prince at the enD OF the FiLM. it was eMPOwering FOr girLs tO see, But it aLsO eMPOwereD LgBtQ yOuth whO saw eLsa as Being DiFFerent Like they are anD stOries caMe Out that eLsa cOuLD POssiBLy Be the First gay Disney Princess. DiD yOu see any OF that suBtext?
I don’t get any say in Disney writing, so the trajectory that that character takes isn’t up to me, and whether they choose to take the character that way or not I don’t think anyone should read into it in any way, it’s just what’s the best storytelling. Now, if they did decided to go that way I think it would be a wonderful thing. I would be so proud to stand behind that character. Either way I think what’s important with Elsa is that it wasn’t about a man, Prince Charming, saving the day. It was about these two sisters coming together and celebrating the love
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between them. I think Elsa will always be the kind of girl who stands up for herself and doesn’t have to rely on anyone else which is extremely powerful and brave. So we’ll see what happens, but of course I would be an advocate for that, but I don’t have that kind of clout at Disney.
yOu are cOMing tO ruth eckerD haLL next MOnth. what can we exPect tO see FrOM the shOw?
It’s a real eclectic show. There are the songs you would expect from my past, songs that I’m really proud of from the shows I have been in, maybe a new arrangement of some of those songs. I have a few surprises in there, too. Because I’ve been playing with the same band for so long, I think we have a really good approach that makes it all seem seamless. It’s like one big, long story that we tell going through different phases in my life. I love it and I’m really proud of this show. I didn’t mess with the stuff that people want to hear – too much [laughs] – but they will hear what they came to hear, but I’m also going to take them on a journey in some new directions.
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Wednesday, June 7 6 - 8 pm mbaorlando.org | info@mbaorlando.org
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
RSVP: mbaorlando.org
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THE BARBER FUND HELPING THOSE LIVING WITH CANCER
www.thebarberfund.org WE HONOR THEIR COURAGE. WE HONOR THEIR STRENGTH. WE HONOR THEIR FIGHT!
ONE LOVE!
In Memory of John “Tweeka” Barber 1972 - 2011
Sip, Shop & Stroll
A uniquely Winter Park food and wine walk
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community calendar
event PLanner
arts+entertainment
OrLanDO
OrLanDO
A Rock Hard Charity Boot Camp for The Zebra Coalition
orlando fringe, May 16- 29, Loch Haven Park, Orlando. 407-648-0077; OrlandoFringe.org oso glow Light up Dance Party,, May 19, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com orlando ballet: fast forward 2017,, May 19, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org Lady bunny,, May 19- 20, Footlight Theatre at Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com frankie Valli & the four Seasons,, May 21, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org Queens for the cure tour 2,, May 24, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com Megacon 2017, May 25- 28, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando. 470-685-9800; MegaConOrlando.com nina bonina brown, May 27, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com girl the Party: night of heroes cosplay night, May 27, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com orlando carnival Downtown, May 28, Camping World Stadium, Orlando. 407-440-5700; CampingWorldStadium.org neibearhood takeover bear-b-Q, May 28, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com gayDays®, May30June 4, DoubleTree by SeaWorld, Orlando. 888-942-9329; GayDays.com Dialogo: community conversations, May 31, Proyecto Somos, Orlando. 407-270-0597; ProyectoSomosOrlando.org
SundAy, mAy 21, 9:30 A.m.- noon rock hArd fitnESS, orlAndo
QUEEN’S
cOurt
Queens for the Cure are back for a second round as top Drag Race queens, including season 9’s nina bonina brown and Valentina, visit Southern Nights in Orlando May 24 and Southern Nights in Tampa May 25. PhotoS courteSy Logo PreSS
gay Days® @ P house, June 1- 4, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHosue.com
taMPa Bay nazi Persecution of homosexuals, April 30- July 2, The Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg. 727-820-0100; TheFHM.org End of the Rainbow, April 28-June 4, freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg. 727-498-5205; freeFallTheatre.com St. Pete Street food & beer fest, May 19, Port St. Pete, St. Petersburg. 727-893-7678; PortStPete.com Jennifer real, May 19, The Queens Head, St. Petersburg. 727-498-8584; TheQueensHeadBar.com Forbidden Fruit, May 1921, American Stage, St. Petersburg, 727-823-7529; AmericanStage.org improv games, May 20, Metro Wellness, St. Petersburg. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org
Project no Labels car Wash benefitting friends of Strays, May 21, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com Queens for the cure tour 2, May 25, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com idina Menzel, May 25, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com it’s a Drag Show, May 26, The Space at 2106, Tampa. 813-575-0230; TheSpaceAt2106.com Melissa crispo, May 26, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com tampa bay bears Pool Party, May 27, Gay St. Pete House, St. Petersburg. 727-365-0544; GayStPeteHouse.com resurrection retro reunion, May 28, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com
charity bingo for rotc, May 30, Hamburger Mary’s, St. Petersburg. 727-851-9386; HamburgerMarys.com/StPete Finding Neverland, May 30- June 4, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org balance tampa bay May Social, May 31, Seasons 52, Tampa. 727-512-1304; BalanceTampaBay.org tigLff May Month film: Pushing Dead, May 31, HCC Mainstage Theatre, Tampa. 813-879-4220; TIGLFF.com cult classics: Young Frankenstein, June 1, The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg. 727-823-3767; TheDali.org
sarasOta Fences, May 4-21, Venice Theatre, Venice. 941-488-1115, VeniceStage.com Beatsville, May 5-28, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota. 941-351-8000; AsoloRep.org idina Menzel, May 27, Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, Sarasota. 941-953-3368; VanWezel.org
Do you want to kick start your summer body workout while helping a great LGBTQ youth organization? Rock Hard Fitness is hosting a charity boot camp to raise funds for The Zebra Coalition. This boot camp is open to the community and for all levels of fitness with a suggested donation of $20 to participate. For more information call 407-802-4631 or visit RockHardFitnessOrlando.com.
Pink Collar Comedy Tour wEdnESdAy, mAy 31, 8:00- 10:00 p.m. improV comEdy cluB, orlAndo They’re back! Comedian Jeff Jones and his gang of “gals” are coming out for a no holds bar evening of 21-and-over-only comedy. The worlds of comedy and drag collide as Jones is joined this year by the first lady of Central Florida Theater Miss Carol Lee, RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Star Ginger Minj and the Pink Collar Comedy Tour host Trixie Deluxxe. Tickets are $10 and available to purchase at TheImprovOrlando.com.
taMPa Bay
Harvey Milk Day mondAy, mAy 22, 6:00- 8:00 p.m. mEtro wEllnESS yBor, tAmpA Celebrate and honor the legacy of LGBTQ activist and politician Harvey Milk with host Metro Wellness & Community Centers, as they are joined by The Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce and Equality Florida, to discuss how you can become more politically active. Members from each of the organizations will engage in discussions about political activism and instruct how you can best get involved. Onsite training will be provided by Equality Florida. Contact Metro at 813-232-3808 for more information or visit MetroTampaBay.org.
sarasOta
2017 LGBT Wedding Expo SundAy, mAy 21, noon- 5:00 p.m. thE dEVyn, SArASotA The Rainbow Knot is holding their first ever LGBT Wedding Expo in Sarasota. Join them at The Devyn May 21 to meet the best of the best LGBTQ-owned and LGBTQ -friendly wedding vendors in categories such as caterers, photographers, venues and more. Get there early as their will be vendor giveaways every hour. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Register at The-RainbowKnot.com.
to submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.
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#POLkPRIDE
20 Polk Pride 17 june 14-17
THURSDAY
W E D N E S DAY
pride for youth Lakeland youth alliance kickoff PRIDE IN FAITH AN INTERFAITH Pride SerVICE AGE
13-20S
Got Mustard?
6.14—7pm st. David’s Episcopal
We’ve got more weiner than we can handle.
145 E Edgewood Dr, Lakeland
6.15—7pm
Beacon Hill Fellowship 220 W BEACON RD, Lakeland
6.16—7pm
LKLD LIVE AT STUDIO B
FORTUNE FEIMSTER pride IN THE PARK 6.17 A FESTIVAL FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
www.DareToRescue.com
FRIDAY
202 N Massachusetts Ave, Lakeland
S AT U R DAY
TICKETSwww.polkpridefl.com www.polkpridefl.com
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10am-3pm
Join the Premier Chamber in the Bay Area where our diverse membership puts the Diversity in Tampa Bay.
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overheard
taMPa Bay Out+aBOut
a very sOrDiD night
i
t’S BEEn 17 yEArS SincE thE Sordid liVES of a small-town Texas family were plastered on the movie screens of Cineplex’s across the country in the film Sordid Lives. The film, based on the play of the same name by Del Shores (also the film’s writer and director), takes a look at this colorful, crazy family as they come together for a funeral. The movie obtained a cult status equal to that of an early John Waters film and has sparked rumors of a possible sequel ever since the original film was released and the short-lived TV series on Logo was cancelled after just one season. Well, the rumors were put to rest when Shores announced that he was working on a sequel, “A Very Sordid Wedding,” which would bring back original cast members from both the film and series, as well as the legendary Whoopi Goldberg. The film is filmed and ready for viewing and the good people of Tampa Bay are getting a chance to be some of the first people to see it, courtesy of the Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. TIGLFF will be holding a one-night only event on June 23 to screen the new film. That alone is enough to make one hoot and holler, but TIGLFF will also be bringing in the film’s writer and director Del Shores, producer Emerson Collins and LaVonda herself Ann Walker for a meet-and-greet, Q&A and viewing party. Tickets go on sale soon and this is expected to sell out quick, so get those Google notifications set. Now if you’ll PLEASE excuse me... I have a show to do.
aLL rOaDs LeaD tO st. Pete
m
orE thAn 400 touriSm profESSionAlS representing 36 countries (the largest number of countries represented in the convention’s history to date, I’ll have you know) hopped on a red eye to the Bay area for the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association’s 34th Annual Global Convention in St. Petersburg May 4-6. The IGLTA was looking to connect LGBTQ travelers and expanded LGBTQ tourism globally all while sipping on Mai Tais and having a little fun in the sun. The convention was held at the upscale, very fancy Vinoy Renaissance St. Pete Resort & Golf Club and featured a CEO panel focused on crisis management led by HE Travel president and owner Phil Sheldon. The IGLTA’s Fourth Annual Fundraising Gala, held at the Chihuly Collection, raised over $10,000 for education, research and expanding the next generation of LGBT travel professionals. While in town, the IGLTA Foundation spearheaded an art project which led to the creation of a beautiful mural along the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, now a permanent legacy of the convention.
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hAll of fAmEr: ashley brundage speaks to the crowd at Equality Florida’s Greater Gainesville Gala at Touchdown Terrace at Milan-Pusker Stadium in Gainesville May 13. Photo by hoLLy Strout
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SpEAkinG truth: Dr. erik Jensen (L) and museum curator erin blankenship mingle at The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg before Dr. Jensen’s lecture on “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals” May 4. Photo by JereMy WiLLiaMS
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fEStiVE muSic: Shannon fortner makes the people come together at the Harvey Milk Festival at Five Points Park in Sarasota May 13. Photo by Mica Minero-DaiDone
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morninG tunES: natalie taylor (L) of “Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend” chats up Melissa Minyard (Center) and Michael ursua (R) May 11 about their show “End of the Rainbow” playing at the freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg. Photo courteSy
freefaLL theatre coMPany
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world trAVElErS: (L-R) aaron Drake, Stefan arestis and Sebastien chaneac enjoy drinks at The Canopy at the Birchwood in St. Petersburg for the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association May 6. Photo courteSy Stefan areStiS
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BirthdAy Show: anthony citrola (L) and “birthday boy” Jeremy Wade neiman enjoy a picnic in the park at Demen’s Landing as they watch American Stage’s Hairspray May 13. Photo by JaSon fieLDS
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mArGEritA mAyo: HOT 101.5’s “Miguel & Holly Show” hosts Miguel fuller and holly o’connor celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Miguel’s Mexican Seafood & Grill in Tampa May 5. Photo courteSy hot 101.5
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Good dEAlS, GrEAt cAuSE: AIDS Healthcare Foundation is ready to get you some great deals and a rapid HIV test at the grand opening of Out of the Closet in St. Petersburg May 13. Photo by Debbie reeVeS
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overheard
o
OrLanDO Out+aBOut
uni-viteD
n mAy 4, pulSE SurViVorS, fAmiliES of thE VictimS, city And county officiAlS and various media representatives gathered for an announcement regarding the future of the Pulse nightclub site. As people were checked and moved behind the fence, one news outlet was turned away. Latin outlet Univision was denied access, and when questioned why, they were referred to the onePULSE Foundation’s public relations contact. About three months ago, the station came under a lot of criticism for its TV show Baño De Sangre (Bloodbath). In the show, survivors shared their stories and were paired up with very vivid and unapologetic reenactments depicting the attack on the club goers on June 12. Although we weren’t able to confirm if this was the reason Univision was turned away, owner Barbara Poma was very vocal on her Facebook account regarding Univision’s choice to tell the story so soon and in such a graphic manner. An insider told Watermark that Univision is in talks so that they’re no longer blacklisted from any future Pulse related events.
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MegaLOve
oon AftEr thE pulSE ShootinGS, a group of more than 300 comic book creators contributed to the creation of a comic anthology, created by comic-book writer Marc Andreyko. The 144-page book reflected on spreading the message of love while raising funds from the comic book’s sales which went to the victims and their families through Equality Florida. Recently, MegaCon announced that starting May 26, it will host a weekend of Love is Love programming. The proceeds will benefit Equality Florida and Florida’s civil rights leaders working for the LGBT community.
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omEdiAn jEff jonES rEturnS with his gaggle of drag comedians for the Pink Collar Comedy show to be held at the Orlando Improv on May 31. This year’s lineup of glorious talent joining Jeff Jones will include Carol Lee, Trixie Deluxxe and, from season 7’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, Orlando’s own Ginger Minj! Everybody get your Adele hairpieces ready, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
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GAlA Group: (L-R) billy Looper, greg Mason, nicolo Stabile, barry Miller, tom christ at the Diversity Awards Gala at the Orchid Garden at Church Street in Orlando May 12. Photo by
ricK cLaggett
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GrEASEd liGhtninG: holly cowden (L) and tJ Padilla are ready for some summer nights at The Plaza Live in Orlando for the Orlando Gay Chorus’ “Happy Gays Are Here Again” concert May 13. Photo by JereMy WiLLiaMS
BAG mAn: ed Dobski picks out a new handbag at the new Pandora: World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando May 14. Photo by tiM giDeon
6
lAdiES niGht: (L-R) blue Star, Mimi Marks and chevelle brooks looking gorgeous at Southern Nights in Orlando May 13. Photo courteSy
Photo courteSy DaViD DorMan
3
anthony JoSePh
4
prom dAtES: XL106.7’s Sondra rae Valentino (L) and Marissa clark strike a pose at the Arnold Palmer Prom at the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando May 12. Photo courteSy
MariSSa cLarK
rEAltor chAmp: Dana tanner bumford (L) and David Dorman pose with one of the latest accolades bestowed upon one of Orlando’s top realtors May 9.
7
7
lookin’ clASSy: Leigh Shannon (L) and Darcel Stevens shine bright at the Parliament House in Orlando May 7. Photo
courteSy Leigh Shannon
8
totAl foodiES: trina gregory-Propst (L) and Va Propst show off Se7enBites’ Orlando Magazine award for Best Breakfast and Best Dessert at DoveCote in Orlando May 7. Photo courteSy trina
gregory-ProPSt
8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
41
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42
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
announcements
weDDing BeLLs
Allan Hero-Shaw and Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw from Tampa, Florida
4 years
engagement date:
September 2016
wedding date:
April 22, 2017
wedding venue:
wedding planner:
The couple with the help of friend Angelica Weber
wedding caterer:
Publix
wedding colors:
Purple and gray
First song:
“I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” by elvis Presley
interesting Fact:
The couple has a set of 15-year-old fraternal twins.
“J
AkoB iS thE kindESt And
most compassionate person I have ever met in my life,” Allan says. “He’s such a wonderful person. “I’ve never seen anyone who can relate to other people and give them spiritual support and emotional support. He’s always there for his friends. They look to him for that kind of role. He’s just willing to just drop everything and help someone who needs some help.” Allan Hero-Shaw, who is a commercial order manager for Carrier Enterprise, and Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw, who is the senior pastor for Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, met a couple years back and knew right away they had something special from their first date. Allan is a father of 15-year-old fraternal twins, so they decided to take their relationship slow. “Right from the beginning he said, ‘The kids come first’, and I really appreciated that,” Jakob says. “Once I got to know the kids, we became a family. We took time to get there. We were really conscientious of how much time I spent with the kids early on and them getting used to me.”
Over time, the couple says they became a family unit and that was something special and important to both men. During the first four years of them being together, Jakob became the senior pastor of the church. “One of the things that I got from him was the courage to take bigger risks with my career,” Jakob says. Jakob had been planning an elaborate proposal, when Allan ended up asking him first. Allan asked Jakob at the beach on Honeymoon Island, but the proposal wasn’t official until about eight months later. At the time, although the engagement was right for the couple, they did not think that the kids were ready for such a big change in their lives. After eight months, they told the children, and they were excited. They then began telling people and planning the wedding. The couple wanted two things out of their wedding: They didn’t want it to be stressful, and they wanted everyone to be able
Orlando’s framing of central florida celebrates 24 years of business this May!
local birthdays
years together:
Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa
congratulations
to be there who wanted to be. They invited people through Facebook and word of mouth with very few printed invitations. They eventually had 250 at their wedding, and they livestreamed it also. Jakob has a leadership role in his denomination. They had more than 1,800 views of the wedding ceremony the day of. “When I was saying my vows to Jakob, both kids stood with Jakob and I said my vows,” Allan says. “Jakob went first and the kids stood with me, and when it was my turn to do my vows, the kids stood with Jakob so that they were included in the vows. That was my favorite part.” The couple plans on going on a cruise for their honeymoon in fall 2017. “My absolute favorite thing about him is the way that he’s a dad. It’s not just that he has kids – it’s his whole personality,” Jakob says. “He’s a caretaker and he was a single dad, so he was on his own. The way that he just embodies that nurturing and caretaking with the children, with me, our friends, parents and everyone.” He adds: “And he’s cute.” —Samantha Rosenthal
Gypsy Productions founder trevor Keller, senior pastor at Joy MCC and former Watermark contributor terri Steed Pierce, Phish Phest phenom and phab photographer Julie Milford (May 18); Global Golf Post designer Marianella Zapata noriega (May 19); Equality Florida’s anna Vishkaee eskamani, State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith’s legislative aide ida Vishkaee eskamani, dance hero eric yow of Yow Dance, Hamburger Mary’s Ybor bartender James bailey (May 20); Two Spirit Health Services president and CEO Dr. David baker-hargrove, Orlando freelance writer and real estate agent Wes Miller, St. Petersburg photographer Jamarcus Mosley, Human Rights Campaign Orlando co-chair and attorney John ruffier, proud mommy tanya blasingame (May 21); Watermark editor-in-chief and king of the dead roses in the office billy Manes, Hamburger Mary’s St. Pete manager nikko Panagos, University of Tampa professor and Equality Florida Meetup volunteer Jack crepeau, Hunks Orlando Promoter Jeffrey torres, Iowa same-sex wedding planner and former Watermark subject beau fodor, amazing Orlando artist cake Marques, Sarasota University Club’s Peter Mcclain Jr., Harvey Milk Festival president Shannon fortner (May 22); Hammered Lamb resident angie rash, Balance Tampa Bay’s Jason fields (May 24); St. Petersburg karaoke star Javier Dones, Superman-loving Seminole personal trainer chip Wright, Queen of the Wardrobe Marcy Singhaus, graduate Sabrina napolitano (May 25); brother to the beloved and departed “Miss P” Dave Wegman (May 26); Tampa Drag Queen Bingo maven amy DeMilo, Orlando hairstylist Jesse colin yeager, Sarasota country line dancer David russell (May 27); neuromarketing guru alex Wall (May 28); St. Pete photographer Laurie ross, St. Pete theater supporter Jon hughes, GayStAugustine.com’s Emery McClune, Orlando behind-the-scenes theater guru bill St. yves, Dunedin stylist corey Judge (May 29); Fairvilla peddler Dc bulla; world traveler, pilot and Orlando-based photographer Jim barrett (May 30); Orlando restaurant magnate nicholas olivieri, St. Petersburg Target specialist and social butterfly Joe White (May 31).
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!
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.
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
43
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
Celebrating 10 years of LGBT Primary Care
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46
watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
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watermark Your LGBTQ life.
May 18 - M ay 31, 2017 // Issue 24 .10
47
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