24.14: What the AHCA? by Watermark Publishing Group

watermark Your LGBTQ Life.

ISSUE 24.14 • JULY 13 - JULY 26, 2017 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM

How TRUMPCARE, or its senate component, may aFFect tHe lgbt community

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

departments 6 // mail 7 // publisHer’s desk 11 // orlando news 13 // tampa bay news 17 // state news 19 // nation+world news 25 // talking points 43 // community calendar 45 // tampa bay out+about 47 // orlando out+about 48 // tampa bay marketplace 50 // orlando marketplace 54 // wedding bells/ announcements

PAGE

Our president is very uncouth. It’s very apparent that he is nearly, completely aloof about how politics work. During his campaign he promised a repeal and replace plan. It failed. When you look at the facts, the health bill would cut 40 million, the senate’s version even more. They essentially signed a death certiﬁcate for millions of Americans.

— hOPE anD hElP COmmunity DEvElOPmEnt DirECtOr JOshua myErs

on tHe cover

PAGE

PAGE ahCa WhaT?:

Congress has begun to repeal Obamacare and replace it with Trumpcare, but what does that mean for the LGBTQ community?

scan Qr code For

watermarkonline.com

always bette on Jennica: Jennica McCleary gives a Bette-ducation in her new show, Dear Bette, at The Abbey.

watermark i ssue 24 .14 //J uly 13 - J uly 26, 2017

eskamani For tHe win cHieF’s legacy

HigH Fidelity

cosmic tHing

PAGE Staunch liberal Anna Eskamani announces a run at Florida House District 47 and State Rep. Mike Miller.

PAGE

read it Online! In addition to a Web site with daily LGBTQ updates, a digital version of each issue of the publication is made available on WatermarkOnline.com

PAGE Tampa Police Chief leaves Safe Places for victims of hate crimes, bullying as he announces his retirement.

Miguel Fuller has been back on the market for 6 months and is dating!

B-52s star Cindy Wilson climbs into the clouds for her new brand of solo dream-pop.

give us a fOllOw On twitter and instagram at @watermarkOnline and be sure tO like us On facebOOk. watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

top web comments “There was nothing in Feud that can’t be found in many books and articles, and artistic license is pretty much how this chick made her money.” —David Edward

Greek, Mediterranean, and Vegeterian Cuisine

WatermarkOnline.com On the gay-organized Trump rally drawing just 18 attendees:

WE HAVE A LOT TO THANK THE GREEKS FOR...

“Gays for Trump = Jews for Gas Chambers.” —Michael David Barber Moghul

MEDITERRANEAN BLUE IS JUST ONE MORE.

On Sabrina Ambra’s Ladyfingers column, “An ode to Jim Philips”:

“Good job, Sabby Cat! It is telling that someone as young as you can make a seasoned vet like Philips laugh and earn his respect. I wish him all joy in his retirement, and wish you many happy years on the air.”

435 E. Michigan St.,Orlando, FL 32806 www.mediterraneanblue.net 407-422-2583

—Jennifer German

Your Central Florida Ford Headquarters

“I have been listening to Jim Philips since the early ‘90s but never realized how old he is until his retirement announcement. That is proof that age really is just a number... I hope I’m as young at age 70 as he is.” —Thomas Zapor

“Nice tribute. It’s well-deserved. Best to Mr. Philips and to you as well, Sabrina.” —Charles McClung

Watermark’s Facebook On Andrew Garfield saying he is gay “without the physical act”:

407-644-7111 • PeacockFord.com 1875 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, Florida

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“So...I’m gay - but not really, in case I need a straight role? Is this like staying at a Holiday Inn and saying you’re a brain surgeon?” —Terry Bender

On Muslim groups in Malasia and Indonesia calling for Starbucks boycotts:

“And, so far, the boycott is having zero effect.” —Chuck Strom

“These religions are out of control, all of them.” —Milly Bou Miranda

On a report stating that Kathy Griffin was interrogated by Secret Service for more than an hour:

“It is what happens when you do stupid crap that involves the president and/ or their likeness. People are questioned all of the time, it’s high profile because of who she is.” —Charlene Collins

“Really? Like she is more of a threat to national security than Trump? He is handing over America to the Russians and nothing is said or done.” —Hen Ry Mays

“Good. What she did was inexcusable and inappropriate.” —Shane Douglas

“Bunch of pussy wankers! Leave her alone! #OffWithHisHead” —Tony Ayers

On Hollywood legend Olivia de Havilland suing Ryan Murphy and FX over Feud depiction:

“Once one gets over the “she is still alive” reaction... I’m fairly certain she will

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

lose this one. There was nothing in Feud that can’t be found in many books and articles, and artistic license is pretty much how this chick made her money. She should just have issued a statement calling the show silly and been done with it.” —David Edward

“Please don’t be unkind to Olivia. She is a screen legend who has nothing to prove.” —Timothy Wilson

“Do not mess with a queen.” —Jen Hamilton

On the gay-organized Trump rally drawing just 18 attendees:

“Arrogant liberals. You still don’t get it. Trump carried more gay voters than any Republican in history and more black and Hispanic voters than any Republican in recent history...plus the woman vote against a Democrat woman. Get a clue. Because your sickening hatred and intolerance of ideas except for your own most Republican gays stay in the political closet...but we show up to vote and will again in 2018 and 2020 to give more power to the President.” —JP Ell

“Any gay person who voted from Trump has zero right to complain that our rights are being trampled on. They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it.” —Adam Davis

Publisher’s

Rick Claggett PUblisher

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

Desk

ne day at a time. That’s what

they tell me. It’s one of the most useful tools in sobriety, especially in the beginning.

I stopped drinking on October 1, 2015. It was nine days before the annual Come Out With Pride celebration at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando and I was nervous. How was someone like me, someone who would binge drink at every opportunity, going to make it through this major weekend-long event at only nine days sober? The answer: 24 hours at a time. Looking at the big picture was too intimidating. I’m not drinking at Pride quickly became I’m not drinking ever again. It may sound ridiculous, but that can be frightening to an alcoholic. As the publisher of Watermark, I couldn’t simply avoid the events. I had to break them down in to manageable time frames. That Thursday I said I’m not drinking at the kick-off party, Friday didn’t matter at the time. I woke Friday determined not to drink that day, Pride Saturday wasn’t my concern at the time. And

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when Pride Saturday rolled around, I made it my mission not to drink that day and not to worry about avoiding Bloody Marys at brunch the next day. After a few 24 hours it got easier and less scary. At the time I am writing this I have 648 24 hours under my belt. Still, I don’t worry about tomorrow. Today is my focus. For some this concept is life or death. What they do in this 24 hour period will lead them to enlightenment or toward darkness. So, focusing day to day can be helpful to the alcoholic. Society could benefit from letting this idea permeate other aspects of life’s distractions, like social media. I’m pretty vocal about my disdain for social media’s keyboard quarterbacks. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice spirited debate, but only when it’s well thought out and civil. Knee-jerk reactions rarely meet those criteria. This is where the

24 hours can be helpful. If I come across something that angers me, I sit on it for 24 hours or talk to peers about their opinions. If it’s regarding a subject I know little about, I’ll use those 24 hours to do research and try to understand it better. I ask questions first and react later because the one thing I do know is that I don’t know everything. If we don’t give ourselves time to process, to think and form a rational response, then we often end up in a useless war of words where no one is listening. Sometimes people make mistakes and it’s important to address that with them, but it is not important to attack on social media. In Watermark’s last issue we ran a story with a major error. In our reporting of “Mind Over Matter” we attributed remarks from Two Spirit Health Services, Inc. to David Baker-Hargrove instead of co-CEO Robert Baker-Hargrove. Although he had a valid reason to be upset and rant about the mistake to the social media masses, David Baker-Hargrove instead reached out to me personally and allowed Watermark the opportunity to correct the error where possible. I admire that about him. Too often I see that is not the case in my Facebook feed. Too often we take to Facebook and end up fighting those on our side. Progressive ideas are at the core of my very nature. For example, I would happily pay higher taxes for subsidized healthcare and education. It’s really an investment in my future to have healthy, smart people leading the country. However, some of my opinions are unpopular and I’m not always in the right. Here is one case in point: The three major metropolitan cities in Watermark’s coverage area all have really big Pride celebrations: St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando. As of late, smaller prides have become popular. Polk County Pride, Volusia County Pride, Space Coast Pride and the newly added Sanford and Kissimmee Prides are just a few. My initial reaction to the growing interest in smaller community pride

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Ext. 301 • Debbie@WatermarkOnline.com Nat’l Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. • 212-242-6863

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

I enjoy a nice spirited debate, but only when it’s well thought out and civil. Knee-jerk reactions rarely meet those criteria.

or the people who have your back instead of fighting the root problem. There is no doubt in my mind that Andrew Garfield, the Orlando Magic, OneBlood and even some Chick- Fil-A franchises have the best interest of LGBTQ people at heart. I support them. If you disagree, just give it 24 hours before eviscerating me online. Better yet, let’s put the keyboard down and have a discussion. In this issue we say hello to Anna Eskamani’s run for District 47, say goodbye to Tampa police chief Eric Ward, look back at some golden oldies with B-52s’ Cindy Wilson and Bette Midler impersonator Jennica McCleary. Editor-in-Chief Billy Manes took a break from his Editor’s Desk column this issue.

Orlando Office

Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer • Tom@WatermarkOnline.com

Staff Writer: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 • Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

celebrations was admittedly selfish. Why not just go to the big Prides? It seems like there is at least one Pride every weekend in June with October filling up fast. In lieu of online commentary on the subject, I spent the day engaging a few locals in a conversation. They opened my eyes. Everyone wants to feel welcome in their own communities and celebrate their hometowns. I get it. I’m on board and I will spend my weekends celebrating with every town Watermark reaches. What’s the alternative? Belittling some Prides and fighting with each other over who has the best, most important celebration? Spoiler alert: You all do. Social media can be as intoxicating as alcohol. Too much of it and you can hurt the ones you love,

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

Correction In Watermark’s “Mind Over Matter” story from issue 24.13, remarks from Two Spirit Health Services, Inc. co-CEO Robert Baker-Hargrove were mistakenly attributed to David Baker-Hargrove. We regret this error.

contributors Miguel Fuller is the out and proud co-host of the Miguel & Holly show on HOT 101.5 FM in Tampa Bay. He also hosts everything! Page 21

Aaron Alper, Scottie Campbell, Susan Clary, Krista DiTucci, Kirk Hartlage, Joseph Kissel, Jason Leclerc, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, David Moran, Gregg Shipiro, Greg Stemm, Dr. Steve yacovelli, , Michael wanzie

photography Brian Becnel, Nick Cardello, Angie Folks, Bruce Hardin, Julie Milford, Travis Moore, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift, Tinkerfluff

distribution LVNLIF2 Distributing, Lisa Jordan, Jill Bates, Ken Carraway

CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations. WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail). The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

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What is TRUVADA for PrEP? TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION |What is the most important information I should know

about TRUVADA for PrEP?

Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: u You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are conﬁrmed to be HIV-negative. u Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: u You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. u You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. u To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. • Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. u If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

|Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: u Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. u Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection. |What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: u Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. u Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. u Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. u Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. |What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking

TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: u Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved

to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

TRUVADA for PrEP?

u All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or

have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis.

u If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA

can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA. u If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. u All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. u If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

8TVDC0093_B_9-25x10-1_Watermark_p1.indd

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

Have you heard about

TRUVADA for PrEP™? The once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when used with safer sex practices. • TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. • You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.

visit start.truvada.com

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

5/16/17 3:13 PM

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. • See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. • To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. • Bone problems. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection. • Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.

TRUVADA, the TRUVADA Logo, TRUVADA FOR PREP, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0093 05/17

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

5/16/17 3:13 PM

central ﬂorida news

some puerto ricans struggle to Find careers in Florida Wire Report

O wE Can DO it: Anne Eskamani makes a go for the State House.

PHOTO COuRTESy ESKAMANI

eskamani for the win! Staunch liberal Anna Eskamani to take on State Rep. Mike Miller in HD 47 Billy Manes

rlanDO | “It’s been wild. It’s been incredible, and just the support has been overwhelming and humbling.” As director of public affairs and communications at Planned Parenthood of Central and Southwest Florida, Anna Eskamani should know. Florida has not been kind to women, to the LGBTQ community, to minorities or to teachers, really. On July 3, Eskamani launched her campaign to unseat State Rep. Mike Miller (R-Orlando) in a bid to bring some reason back to the region. Miller’s victory over former State Rep. Linda Stewart in 2014 didn’t exactly ring with a shock, though Stewart has now advanced to the state senate. Florida’s governmental bodies have generally leaned to the right, and Stewart couldn’t be much more left. That is, unless, you consider the Eskamani campaign. “I offer a distinct advantage over other more traditional Democratic

candidates, especially today – a time of unprecedented excitement and participation on the left and among potential Democratic voters,” she wrote to floridapolitics.com. “Namely, I offer a clear contrast to the Republican Party which is profoundly unpopular and begging to be replaced by a genuine full-throated alternative like myself. I represent the Party’s future, and my ability to articulate a progressive message that speaks to hard working families of all background is critical to both winning elections and leading real social change.” “Republicans for two decades have implemented failed policies and dysfunctional misrule in Tallahassee,” she continued. “Democrats must not only shame them – as super important as that is – we must also offer our hard working Florida families a clear alternative and demonstrably work to build towards that vision.” Eskamani’s sister, Ida, famously worked with current legislator Carlos Guillermo Smith at Equality Florida. The two sisters have been awarded

frequently for their progressive values, including support of LGBTQ and women’s rights. “Well, I think that without a doubt, I have a great relationship with the LGBTQ community. I’ve served with Equality Florida; I’ve worked with the LGBTQ community. I wouldn’t even say that I’m an ally, but I’m an accomplice,” she says. “Even when it comes down to who is insured. For me, I’m so honored to work with the Latinx community in my time. Recently, I’ve realized it’s part of who I am: inconsequential, marginalized. Eskamani is keen to the keyword “intersectionality,” especially because she is Iranian by descent. Her support of LGBTQ rights is evident from her appearances at events to her history of defiance against conservative bigotry. “Especially after Pulse. I think people need to be reminded how the people of the LGBTQ community are targeted,” she says. “I saw it at my work with Planned Parenthood and other spaces of potential violence. After Pulse, we realized that people were marginalized. Not just people of color. Whatever the color of your skin, we’re all the same. So it’s really important to have these intentional, intersectional conversations.” But it goes beyond simple nomenclature. There are other means of building bridges, she says, and some of them might not be so comfortable. “I think that we have a lot of work to do in actually uniting with each other,” she says.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

rlanDO | Kaisha Toledo was studying for a doctorate in psychology in Puerto Rico, but after four years in Florida, she still hasn’t found a permanent job in her field. Ricardo Negron passed the bar on the island, but still can’t work as a lawyer in Florida. Carlos Martinez got his nursing license in Puerto Rico, but still serves up lattes as a Starbucks manager in Orlando. Residents of the U.S. territory have been U.S. citizens for a century now, and should have a built-in advantage as Americans when they move to the mainland. But as the island’s best and brightest join an exodus of nearly half a million Puerto Ricans coming stateside to escape the territory’s 10-year economic recession, they’re hitting the same barriers most migrants face: language difficulties, costly certifications, confusing requirements and culture clashes. “We don’t know the system yet that well, so we’re learning on a learning curve,” Toledo told The Associated Press. “We just find that jobs are very specific and they say you need to have two or three years of experience, but it’s like, `OK, but if you don’t open the door for me, how will I be able to get that experience?”’ Puerto Rico’s Instituto de Estadisticas said managers and professional workers made up the largest category of people moving from the island in 2015. Since then, the island’s 3.4 million people have endured multimillion-dollar debt defaults, soaring foreclosures, a crumbling pension system, states of emergency at government agencies, deep cuts in education and an unemployment rate of 12 percent, nearly triple the mainland rate. Before leaving the island in 2015, Negron had lined up a legal assistant job at an Orlando law firm. But after arriving, his position was cut. Although he doesn’t work as a lawyer, Negron has found job happiness running a nonprofit for the gay and lesbian Hispanic community in Central Florida. “I would have to shut myself in to study, and I’m like, ‘How am I going to live? I’m not going to get more student loans to study,’” Negron said. Martinez has worked at a theme park, a hotel and a store since he left the island three years ago, but he still hasn’t found a nursing job because he hasn’t found the time or money needed for the prep class needed to study for his license in Florida. “At the moment, I can’t do it,” Martinez said. “I got to make money.” Janice Dones, who moved from Puerto Rico a year ago and attended a recent orientation said, “It sometimes doesn’t feel like we are part of the country.” Gov. Ricardo Rossello now hopes to persuade Congress to make the U.S. territory the 51st state, which is unlikely under Republican control, since Puerto Ricans tend to favor Democrats.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

tampa bay news

una voce close out tHeir 15tH season witH a QuinceaÑera celebration Jeremy Williams tOP DOg:

Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward announces his retirement after 29 years with the TPD. PHOTO COuRTESy CITy OF TAMPA WEBSITE

Chief’s Legacy Tampa Police chief leaves Safe Places for victims of hate crimes, bullying as he announces his retirement Rachel dececco

amPa | Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward announced his retirement from the Tampa Police Department in a press conference with Mayor Bob Buckhorn July 6. Ward has served 29 years with the TPD, the last two years as its police chief. Ward was appointed to replace former Police Chief Jane Castor in 2015. Castor was Tampa’s first female and openly gay police chief. Ward said in the televised press conference that making this decision was not easy but that he knew he was “leaving the department in excellent shape and in good hands.” Buckhorn said he will be conducting a national search for Tampa’s new police chief and will be looking for someone who can demonstrate leadership in a diverse and progressive city like Tampa. Buckhorn appointed Assistant Chief Brian Dugan to serve as interim police chief. Dugan said he will be applying to be placed in the position permanently. Throughout his time with the TPD, Ward has been described as a quiet, shy person who has a passion for the law and the community of Tampa. He has a more than extensive

resume working for the TPD; serving in his 29 years as the Specialty Teams Commander and working through nearly every department including K-9, Mounted Patrol, Traffic, Air Service, Marine Patrol, Dive Team, SWAT, Hostage Negotiation Team, Bomb Team, Honor Guard and the Special Incident Management Unit. Ward has also been extremely involved in Tampa’s LGBTQ community. He helped to plan Tampa Pride during his two years as police chief, was visible at many of the vigils and tributes held throughout Tampa after the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Orlando and made one of his main goals as chief to focus on the often forgotten youth within the community. “It’s sad that we are losing a great asset to the community and to the LGBTA community here in Tampa,” said Tampa Pride Executive Director Carrie West in an email to Watermark. “Police Chief Ward always had an open door to the Tampa gay community and he stepped up with honor at most any occasion.” One of the most recent resources initiated under Ward’s tenure is the development of the TPD Safe Place program. They announced the program June 12, coinciding with the one year mark of the Pulse tragedy.

Through the Safe Place Initiative, TPD will provide decals to city facilities, schools, local businesses and other organizations for those entities to post as a symbol of safety for the victims of hate crimes, according to the City of Tampa website. The website goes on to say, “The City of Tampa and the Tampa Police Department are committed to the safety of all residents and visitors regardless of race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age or disability. As such, we are committed to tackling crimes that target specific demographics that are at a higher risk to be victimized.” The TPD Safe Place Initiative looks to provide the community with easily accessible safety information and safe places throughout the city they can turn to if they are the victims of crime. The first wave of participating businesses have received their decals, a sticker with the words SAFE PLACE written inside a rainbow-colored shield. Decals must be made visible on the business’ front door and/ or window. Participating business owners are also receiving some specialty training from the TPD on how to defuse and handle a potential threatening situation. “Our police force and the community we serve reflect a city that values diversity and inclusion,” Ward said according to TBReporter.com.”The TPD Safe Place program reaffirms the commitment we have to keeping every individual in Tampa safe. With the help of our business community, we are sending a unified message that crimes motivated by prejudice and hate will not be tolerated in our city.”

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amPa bay | It has been a busy year for Una Voce as they celebrated and performed in their 15th season as a gay men’s chorus in Tampa Bay. They have entertained in concerts from The Palladium to USF’s School of Music to The Space at 2106; they have kicked off Pride Night for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Rowdies with patriotic renditions of the National Anthem; and they took the stage at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts with the national It Gets Better tour performing an inspiring tribute to the LGBTQ youth of Tampa Bay. “Being able to perform with It Gets Better was just an honor,” says Will Hession, Una Voce’s production chair. “Being able to listen to all these stories of LGBTQ kids’ struggles and how they are overcoming them, and then being able to join the production on stage—it was just so powerful.” Una Voce have been a part of many powerful moments in the community this past year, both musically and non-musically. They were there to support and celebrate the community with appearances at Tampa Pride, St. Pete Pride and attending events at the one year mark of the Pulse tragedy that happened up I-4 in their sister city of Orlando. “Every member loves music and loves to sing and cares about the people watching our shows, and that’s why we do this,” Hession says.”It is just an honor to get to perform for our community.” Una Voce got their start in the summer of 2002 when a group of men came together to celebrate two like-minded passions: the love of singing and the embracing of diversity. “We have three hour rehearsals every Monday night and there is such a tremendous joy in getting together with these men and singing,” says Harold Harkins, Una Voce’s president and treasurer. “I will come into a rehearsal after working all day and be exhausted, and by the end of those three hours I am jazzed and up all night.” When Una Voce first formed they performed alongside the Tampa Bay Women’s Chorus called Crescendo. The group of men were affectionately known as the “Men of Crescendo.” By the fall, they were on their own and announced the official arrival of Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale. The newly formed chorus was under the direction of John-Philip Mullinax. Una Voce’s inaugural season began in December of that year and the rest, as they say, is history. It is that history the gay men’s chorus will honor with their 15 year anniversary celebration they are calling Una Voce’s Quinceañera at Quench Lounge July 15. In fact, several members of Una Voce will even be dressed in their favorite Quinceañera party attire. “Some of our members will be cooking some Mexican food and there will be karaoke and drinks. It’s a celebration not only for us but for the community that we sing for. It should be a lot of fun,” Hession says.

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

state news

Mother of Florida transgender boy sues over bathroom access at school Wire and Staff Reports

T. AUGUSTINE | The mother of a 16-year-old transgender boy who is being denied access to the boys’ restroom at his high school is suing the School Board. The boy, identified as Drew Adams in the complaint filed in U.S. District Court, was born a girl but has identified as a boy and began to transition in the summer of 2015. That fall Adams began attending Nease High School in Ponte Vedra. The Florida Times-Union reports Adams, who is now a junior, has been open about being transgender since starting at Nease High School. He dresses as a boy, is undergoing hormone treatments and is a Gay/

Straight Alliance student leader. Adams said he had never been harassed or questioned about is transition, “not even a funny look,” he told the Times-Union. According to the complaint filed against the St. Johns County School Board, Erica Kasper, the boy’s mother, said after a month into his freshman year Adams was denied access to the boys’ restrooms. School officials banned Adams after an anonymous complaint was made sometime in September 2015. School counselors told Adams to use the gender-neutral restrooms instead. According to The Florida Times-Union, Nease High School at the time had only two gender-neutral bathrooms, one in an art classroom and one in

the main office. Briefly a staff bathroom was made available, but Adams states that has since become off-limits. According to Kasper, Adams has to walk out of his way to get to the gender-neutral bathrooms and has often been late to class as a result of it. Adams tells the Times-Union that he began to limit his liquid intake and takes other measures to comply with the new requirements. According to The Washington Post, Kasper attempted to find a resolution with the school, but when no resolution could be reached she filed a complaint with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. An investigation was started but promptly stopped after a federal judge issued an injunction in August 2016.

That’s when Kasper filed the lawsuit. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and alleges that officials at Nease High School are violating Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in schools. The suit also states that school officials are violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. Adams and Kasper are represented by Paul Castillo of Lambda Legal. Castillo spoke with The Florida Times-Union, saying that in May a Wisconsin high school student won an Appellate case under similar circumstances, adding that if students complain then school officials should instead offer those students a different bathroom option. “If any student wants additional privacy, those students can opt to use a gender-neutral restroom,” Castillo said. The Times-Union requested

to speak with officials with St. Johns County and received a written statement from Superintendent Tim Forson. “We disagree with the plaintiff’s interpretation of the law,” the statement reads. “Beyond that it would be inappropriate for us to try this case in the media. We had no knowledge of the complaint filed today before a press conference was held. We will work through the legal process with our school board and its general counsel.” The Washington Post reached out to School board chairman Tommy Allen yet he declined to comment, saying through his executive secretary that he could not answer questions about an ongoing legal issue. Through all the uncertainty from the debates and lawsuits, Adams knows one thing for sure, saying to The Post, “Forcing me to use a separate restroom … makes it clear to me that the school district sees me as a lesser person.”

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

nation+world news

Rep. Hartzler seeks to bar transgender health care in U.S. military Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National Gay Media Association

n the heels of her tirade in committee over allowing transgender people to serve in the U.S. military, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) has proposed an amendment that would bar the Defense Department from providing transition-related care for troops. The amendment was among the many submitted to the House Rules Committee by the July 7 deadline in anticipation of a floor vote on major defense policy legislation for fiscal year 2018. The committee is set to meet this week to review and accept amendments ahead of the vote on the $697 billion bill. Hartzler’s amendment would add a section to U.S. Code for the military’s health care system barring funds for treatment — other than mental health treatment — related to gender transition. That would mean transition care like hormone therapy and gender reassignment would be off limits to transgender troops. A similar amendment

proposed by anti-LGBT Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is on the list of proposed amendments for the defense authorization bill, but the House Rules Committee website designates the proposal as withdrawn. Presumably, the lawmakers believed it was too similar to the Hartzler amendment to warrant consideration. It remains to be seen whether the House Rules Committee, which is heavily stacked 11-4 in favor of Republicans, will approve Hartzler’s amendment for consideration. If the amendment is accepted, it would be the first time the U.S. House floor has considered an amendment against transgender rights. Hartzler proposed the amendment after railing last week during the House Armed Services Committee markup of the defense authorization bill against transgender military service, calling it “ill-conceived.” The Missouri Republican proposed — then withdrew without a vote — an amendment barring transgender people from serving in the armed forces, but threatened to reintroduce it if the Pentagon didn’t reverse the Obama-era policy change in favor of openly transgender service.

Shortly afterward, the Pentagon announced it would delay a plan to allow openly transgender people to enlist in the armed forces by July 1 for another six months, although the policy barring the military from kicking them out remains in place. Hartzler introduced her amendment despite the rollback, although it seems less ambitious than her threat during committee. During the committee markup, Hartzler cited a dubious figure that paying for gender reassignment surgery for U.S. troops would cost $1.35 billion over the next 10 years with only 30 percent of individuals electing to transition. That figure is significantly higher than the RAND Corp.’s estimate that those surgeries consume between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually out of the Pentagon’s multi-billion dollar budget. It’s unclear where Hartzler came up with her figure. Hartlzer told USA Today she believes the RAND Corp. study was “flawed” and reportedly said her staff came up with its own figure using research from other sources. Another amendment submitted to the Rules Committee by Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) would express the sense of Congress LGBT service members, including transgender personnel, should “be commended for their service to the United States.”

Trump meets with Putin at G20 summit Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National Gay Media Association

t remains unclear whether President Trump raised the ongoing crackdown against gay men in Chechnya with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the G20 Summit July 7. The Associated Press reported Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who attended the meeting in the German city of Hamburg that lasted more than two hours, told reporters Trump raised the Kremlin’s efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. Tillerson said Putin denied his government sought to influence the

outcome of the election. Tillerson did not mention Chechnya when he spoke with reporters after the meeting “The two leaders exchanged views on the current nature of the U.S.Russia relationship and the future of the U.S.-Russia relationship,” he said. Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper, in April reported Chechen authorities have arrested more than 100 men because of their sexual orientation — or perceived sexual orientation — since the beginning of the year. At least three of these men have reportedly died after their arrest, while others have been beaten and tortured and sent to secret prisons. Chechen president and Putin ally, Ramzan Kadyrov, and the Kremlin have downplayed or even dismissed these reports. The Russian LGBT Network — a Moscow-based

advocacy group that is providing assistance to gay Chechens who have fled — has expressed skepticism over the Russian government’s claims that it has begun to investigate the crackdown. Trump has yet to publicly comment on the crackdown, which has sparked outrage around the world. Tillerson told U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) last month that he has not discussed it with Russian officials. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin on Wednesday urged Trump to raise Chechnya with Putin during their meeting. “I urge you to stand with the victims by calling on President Putin to take immediate action to bring the violence to an end and the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes to justice,” wrote Griffin in his open letter.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

National LGBT Media Association Announces 2017 Ad POP Awards Staff Report

he National LGBT Media Association announced its second annual Ad Pride in Online and Print, or Ad POP, Awards June 26. The Ad POPs, which began in 2016 to honor the ad work of 2015, look to recognize the best representation of LGBT advertising in both online and print campaigns. All national ads placed in local LGBT media are eligible to be considered. The Ad POPs recognize advertisers within eight categories: Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Financial, Automotive, Technology, Travel to a Major LGBT Destination, Travel to an Emerging LGBT Destination and Hotel. The 2017 Ad POP winners are: Pharmaceutical: ViiV Healthcare (Creative: Havas Worldwide, Placement: PHD) Non-Profit: This Free Life (Creative: Rescue, the Behavior Change Agency) Financial: US Bank (Creative: Carmichael Lynch, Placement: Empower Media Marketing) Automotive: Nissan (Creative: fluent360, Placement: OMD) Technology: Xfinity/Comcast Universal (Creative: Gallegos United, Media Agency: Mediavest Spark, Placement: Novus) Travel- Major LGBT Destination: Visit Denver (Creative: Karsh Hagan, Placement: Karsh Hagan) Travel- Emerging LGBT Destination: OutRVA (Creative: In House, Placement: CMI) Hotel: Ace Hotel (Creative: In House, Placement: In House) Along with Watermark, the organization’s membership includes San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter, Boston’s Bay Windows, Detroit’s Between the Lines, the Dallas Voice, NYC’s Gay City News, the Los Angeles Blade, Philadelphia Gay News, South Florida Gay News, the Georgia Voice, the Washington Blade and Chicago’s Windy City Times. “NGMA represents a collective of top publishers in top U.S. markets and is a terrific vehicle for national advertisers to reach the LGBT marketplace,” said Todd Evans, president of Rivendell Media, which helps to coordinate national ad campaigns across local LGBT media and represents more than 150 other LGBT media companies to advertisers, in a press release. “Gay media is local media. It provides the best on-the-ground information to serve the diverse LGBT community.” Each member of the NGMA also recognized local advertisers with an Ad POP Award. Watermark presented the Parliament House Resort in Orlando and Big Storm Brewing Co. in Clearwater with awards. Additional local Ad Pops were given out recognizing Magruder Laser Vision in Orlando and Metro Health, Wellness and Community Centers in Tampa Bay.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

viewpoint

Miguel Fuller

HigH Fidelity It’s dating again

y namE is miguEl

Fuller. I am 31 years old and I don’t know a damn thing about dating. Do they still make the “For Dummies” books? If so, I need the How to date when you are in your 30s and are severely awkward for Dummies book.

So here I am, six months out of the longest relationship I’ve had and I have been on more dates in that time than all the dates counted together in my 20’s. So what’s wrong? Why am I not connecting? Why do I feel so awkward? Maybe you’ve been down this path of self-discovery and have worked out the kinks of your personality. I’m trying to do that now. So how did I arrive at this? When I watch my friends talk about new relationships or start the process of dating, everyone seems to do it with such an ease. Earlier this summer, I met my friend out for a drink. A few minutes in he told me that a man he had been chatting with for a bit online was coming to have drinks with him. I asked my friend if I should leave because it seemed weird that I would be there for their first “meet & greet.” He balked at my suggestion that it would be

weird. So there I sat, in all my awkward glory as they had the first hug, shared funny stories about each other and held each other’s hand for the first time. This was all in a span of two hours. I felt like an alien from another planet looking in on how humans interact with each other on an intimate level. So compare that to a date I went on earlier this spring. I met someone out at our neighborhood bar and grill. As soon as he sat down at the table, my mind raced with topics to talk about. Should I ask him about work? Do we have a simple talk about the weather? WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT??? After a couple of vodka sodas, I calmed down. Why couldn’t I be smooth, calm and collected during that first date? Here’s what I discovered after reflecting for a couple of weeks and going on more awkward dates (caused by me). You must get out of your head. You should be in the moment when on a date and most importantly, you should not give a crap about what’s going on. I know. You are reading this with one eyebrow up. This advice is probably not in any self-help book (yes, when I was 25 I bought the book Finding The Boyfriend Within.), but I have found it insanely helpful the last few months. So instead of sitting down on a date with a schedule of questions in my head, I normally start with your childhood trauma followed by your worst dating situation and end up with questions about your credit score and how much you are putting into your 40(1)K. Okay so it’s not that bad, but it’s pretty up there with the intensity level of questions I use to ask. Once I started to let go and not give a crap, I could have fun. Which in turn made guys not think of me as that

super intense awkward person. So how do you not give a crap while dating? You have to change your way of thinking. I used to go into dates with the mindset that I was going

buffalo wings and good conversation? This is a true story of how my craziness on a date a few months ago. I had a great date, the chemistry was there, after a couple of glasses of wine

aren’t supposed to say, but I did. We will date.” AHHHHH!!!!! Of course I never heard from him after that. I think he actually ran when he saw me at a pool party this summer.

to find my soul mate. This person sitting across from me and the cheese sticks could be my end all be all, the sun to my moon, the skies to my stars. Who wants to that much pressure on them when they are just trying to enjoy some boneless

I was at ease and not over thinking it. When I got home and was thinking about everything, my brain went into over drive and I wanted to express how much I enjoyed the date with him. I sent him a text that said, “I will date you at some point. I know, you

So to my neurotic friends, calm down, take a breath and when you go on a date, treat it like you are having drinks and cheese sticks with your best friends.

Why couldn’t I be smooth, calm and collected during that ﬁrst date? Here’s what I discovered after reﬂecting for a couple of weeks and going on more awkward dates (caused by me). you must get out of your head. you should be in the moment when on a date.

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

We can Bee-Dazzle your home, sidewalk, driveway, fences, wood decks and more!

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

talking points

859,000 TOTAL VIEWERS watched

THE SEASON FINALE OF

I think my community has overwhelmingly said, ‘We do not want that.’ I’m not Caitlyn’s publicist; I’m sure she has a whole team on that mountain in Malibu protecting her. But my community isn’t protected in that way. — transgEnDEr writEr JanEt mOCK talKing abOut why shE FEEls Caitlyn JEnnEr is nOt a sPOKEsPErsOn FOr thE trans COmmunity On thE nEtFliX talK shOw CHELSEA.

jay-z reveals his mOm is a lesbian On new album

AY-Z addresses several intimate topics on his 13th studio album 4:44, none more intimate than on a track which his mother, Gloria Carter, appears. On the track “Smile,” JAY-Z openly discusses, for the first time, his mother’s sexual identity rapping, “Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian / Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian.” JAY-Z continues. “Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate/Society shame and the pain was too much to take/Cried tears of joy when you fell in love/Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her.” The track ends with Gloria Carter delivering a spoken word outro where she talks about the fear of living two lives, concluding, “Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed / Smile.” 4:44 is now available to stream exclusively on Tidal.

RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE

SEASON 9 ON VH1 making it

THE MOST WATCHED

hOllywOOd legend sues ryan murphy, fX Over Feud depictiOn

FINALE h Of the drAG rACe series

EVER.

Overall viewership

Of the shOw was

UP 122% frOm last seasOn

when it ran On lOgO tv. — Deadline

OllywOOD grEat Olivia DE havillanD is launching her own sequel to the TV series Feud – a lawsuit. The double Oscar-winning actress sued FX Networks and producer Ryan Murphy’s company, alleging unauthorized and false use of her name and invasion of privacy. The suit was filed in Los Angeles June 30. De Havilland’s suit alleges that Feud: Bette and Joan used her name and identity without permission. The suit also claims the series inaccurately depicted her as a gossip, contrary to her behavior and reputation. De Havilland was played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the series, which focused on the testy relationship between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. FX Networks and Murphy have not commented on the suit.

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canceled SeNSe8 gets twO-hOur series finale special

EtFliX annOunCED On twittEr that Sense8 will return from cancellation for a two-hour series finale in 2018. Sense8 was canceled in June after two seasons with a major cliffhanger. Fans took to social media to petition for the series to be brought back which resulted in the extra-long finale. Series co-creator Lana Wachowski posted a statement on the show’s cancellation and revival. “It is my great pleasure as well as Netflix’s (believe me, they love the show as much as we do but the numbers have always been challenging) to announce that there will be another two-hour special released next year,” Wachowski writes. “After that…if this experience has taught me anything, you NEVER know.”

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

straight cOp shares heartfelt pride message tO lgbtq cOmmunity

straight COP sEnt a mEssagE OF sOliDarity with the LGBTQ community before working New York City’s Pridefest June 25. The ally, who goes under the name Huge Fat Loser on Facebook to chronicle his weight loss journey, shared a special photo of himself before the Pride festivities wearing a T-shirt with the words “I may be straight but I don’t hate” with the word “hate” in rainbow lettering. The photo was captioned with a heartfelt message on why Pride is important to him as a straight man, concluding “For anyone who’s had to hide who they are. I’ve got your back. Love is Love.” The post has been shared nearly 7,000 times and liked 18,000 times.

YOU MATTER AND SO DOES YOUR HEALTH

That’s why starting and staying on HIV-1 treatment is so important.

WHAT IS DESCOVY®? DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older. DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. DESCOVY combines 2 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day. Because DESCOVY by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1, it must be used together with other HIV-1 medicines.

being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. •

Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

•

Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking DESCOVY. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body ﬂuids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body ﬂuids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about DESCOVY? DESCOVY may cause serious side effects: •

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking DESCOVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away. What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking DESCOVY? •

All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

•

All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how DESCOVY works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take DESCOVY with all of your other medicines.

•

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if DESCOVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking DESCOVY.

•

If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

What are the other possible side effects of DESCOVY? Serious side effects of DESCOVY may also include: •

•

Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to ﬁght infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking DESCOVY. Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking DESCOVY if you develop new or worse kidney problems. Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain,

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see Important Facts about DESCOVY, including important warnings, on the following page.

Ask your healthcare provider if an HIV-1 treatment that contains DESCOVY® is right for you.

DVYC0054_B_9-25x10-1_Watermark_Nick_p1.indd 2-3

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment. ®

(des-KOH-vee) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DESCOVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DESCOVY

DESCOVY may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking DESCOVY. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

DESCOVY can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About DESCOVY” section. • Changes in your immune system. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. • Bone problems. The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of DESCOVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking DESCOVY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with DESCOVY.

ABOUT DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older. DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.

BEFORE TAKING DESCOVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with DESCOVY.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. • Go to DESCOVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit DESCOVY.com for program information.

HOW TO TAKE DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine that is taken with other HIV-1 medicines. • Take DESCOVY with or without food.

DESCOVY, the DESCOVY Logo, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. DVYC0056 07/17

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

7/6/17 10:46 AM

in-depth: Health care

What the

AHCA? How Trumpcare, or its Senate component, may affect the LGBT community

“T

Billy Manes

his is a funeral

procession. When we get to Sen. Marco Rubio’s office, we’ll have speakers and then we’ll have a die-in,” was the rallying call on June 28 as protesters took to the streets to march against the competing Republican agendas meant to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. The march, which started at Orlando City Hall and ended up across the street at Rubio’s home away from home, was blotted by rain and was suitably somber.

“What do we want? Healthcare. When do we want it? Now,” was the refrain as dozens of people walked the street in favor of coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and those who were simply blocked out of coverage by Florida’s refusal to expand Medicaid to nearly one million people caught in the coverage gap. Likewise, others just saw the crumbling pieces of the nation’s healthcare conundrum, currently being argued between the U.S. House and U.S. Senate regarding a complete overhaul of medical care in the United States. “13 old white guys want

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Americans to die,” one sign read. A mother, with her disabled son in a wheelchair, carried a sign that read “Dying for Trumpcare,” while her son held a sign that said “1 of the 22 million.” Others carried coffins while wearing black clothes and veils before lying down in the rain outside of Rubio’s office. The reference, of course, was to what is being called “Trumpcare,” or the American Healthcare Act (AHCA), but the possible affects are far more dire than affordability, most say. “It’s sickening is what it is. You have people that are part of the LGBTQ community,

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

which is just happenstance, but they deserve health. They’re threatening to cut millions from state coverage,” Hope and Help community development director Joshua Myers says. “The media is currently portraying the country as a very divided nation. Our president is very uncouth. It’s very apparent that he is nearly completely aloof about how politics work. During his campaign he promised a repeal and replace plan. It failed. When you look at the facts, the health bill would cut 40 million, the senate’s version

Continued on pg. 31 | uu |

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

| uu | The AHCA frOm pg.29 even more. They essentially signed a death certificate for millions of Americans. Now for our clients, we’re praying that things go well; it just puts us all in jeopardy.” Hope and Help early intervention specialist David Rodriguez likewise takes a downcast view. “As far as professionally, I don’t have a full understanding of what’s going on. But as a client for Hope and Help, our funding is going down drastically. There’s a lot of fear, and it’s definitely changed people’s mindsets,” Rodriguez says. “It’s becoming a lot more real for everyone. The clients every week come in and say, ‘What can happen?’” The reason for the fear he says is that Florida is number one in the nation and Orange County is number six in the nation for new HIV/AIDS cases. “The biggest problem is there are very few champions of the Republican proposals,” said Alex Conant, a former spokesman for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to NBC in June. The conservative senators who currently don’t support the legislation will never be inclined to support it if they don’t feel pressure from Trump’s base, and only Trump can rev up his own base.”

A May report by the Kaiser Family Foundation quickly raised the hackles of those living in the federal medical machine: “Prior to the ACA, under federal law, individuals could not qualify for Medicaid based on income alone. Enrollees had to be both low income and fall into another category, known as ‘categorical eligibility,’” the report reads. “Such as disability, pregnancy or being parents. This excluded most low-income childless adults from coverage and created a particular ‘catch-22’ for many low-income people with HIV who could not qualify for Medicaid until they were already quite sick and disabled, often as a result of developing AIDS, despite the availability of recommended medications that could prevent such disease progression.” The report goes on to indicate that both the American Health Care Act passed by the House and the Better Care

There’s a lot of fear, and it’s deﬁnitely changed people’s mindsets. It’s becoming a lot more real for everyone. The clients every week come in and say,

‘what can happen?’

— hOPE anD hElP Early intErvEntiOn sPECialist DaviD rODriguEZ

Reconciliation Act, released by Senate Republicans on June 22, would equally repeal the Medicare payroll surtax for the wealthy, meaning the wealthy will shave off taxes while the poor will suffer in uncertainty about whether they are covered at all. “According to the Congressional Budget Office, the provision in the AHCA and the BCRA to repeal the Medicare payroll surtax would reduce revenue for Part A benefits by

$58.6 billion between 2017 and 2026,” the report reads. “Proposed changes to the ACA’s marketplace coverage provisions and to Medicaid financing in both bills would also increase the number of uninsured, putting additional strain on the nation’s hospitals to provide uncompensated care. As a result, Medicare’s ‘disproportionate share hospital’ (DSH) payments would increase, leading to higher Part A spending between 2018 and

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2026 of more than $40 billion, according to [the Congressional Budget Office].”

This isn’t just a political battle of rubric and judgment; it’s a real human conundrum. Angel Santiago, one of the survivors of the Pulse massacre in 2016, is clued into what is going on while his health lies in the balance. He may have walked away, but the challenge stays with him. “This left me with two

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

choices: either remain uninsured, or pay $400 or more a month for health insurance, and that to me wasn’t economical, so I decided to remain uninsured, because it is just not affordable at this point to be insured, so that’s my situation right now. The reason I’m not working is because I’ve decided to got to school full-time and have decided to pursue that while I have the opportunity, so cOntinued On pg. 32 | uu |

A human right: Winning health care back in the street. Photo Courtesy stop Trumpcare!

death becomes us: A funeral street march. Photo Courtesy stop Trumpcare!

| uu | The AHCA from pg.31 at this point if anything happens to me about my health, I don’t know what I would do.” So, for now, he’s functioning on instinct and on personal motivation. “Well I started at Valencia just to do prerequisites for nursing, but my plan is to go to a university for health sciences, one which is affiliated with Florida Hospital, which is actually the hospital I stayed at during my recovery,” he says. “So

as far as any health insurance, I obviously don’t have any, but Two Spirit Health Services has been good in the sense of being able to provide very minimal level healthcare, which I don’t want to call it that, but I went there, got blood work done and they didn’t charge me any premium or co-pay because I was affected by Pulse. But if I were to get the flu or, say, break my leg or something like that, I don’t have any way out.”

On June 13, dozens of organizations, including Equality Florida, the Human

Trumped: Turning back health care. Photo Courtesy stop Trumpcare!

Suffer never: A protester does her best to fight the AHCA. Photo Courtesy stop Trumpcare! Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal and the Trevor Project issued a statement to the U.S. Senate opining on the near-certain attack on LGBTQ rights. This is just part of it: “The American Health Care Act will have a detrimental impact on the positive trend of health coverage for LGBTQ people and so many other vulnerable populations. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the provisions of the legislation will result in 14 million. Americans losing their health insurance by 2018. That number skyrockets

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

to 23 million by 2026. These projections foreshadow an unacceptable growth in the uninsured rate and an equally unacceptable exacerbation of healthcare disparities,” the statement reads. “The American Health Care Act fundamentally changes the healthcare safety-net program we know as Medicaid, imposing a per capita cap funding structure that is estimated to cut $880 billion in federal funding from state Medicaid programs. The magnitude of the lost funding will have a swift, stark, and devastating impact on the most

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

vulnerable among us: women and children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and persons living with HIV. The legislation also strips the requirement to cover essential health benefits under the Medicaid expansion, leaving millions without access to the critical benefits that often save lives, such as substance abuse treatment and mental healthcare services,” it reads. The date of the vote remains uncertain.

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

arts and entertainment

COSMIC THING B-52s star cindy wilson climbs into the clouds for her new brand of solo dream-pop

Billy Manes

hat’s that On yOur hEaD? “A wig!” I said, what’s that on your head? “A WIG!”

Few bands have successfully reached the pinnacle of kitsch in the manner that the B-52s (named after the signature bouffant hairdos that Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson sported) pulled off in the early ‘80s.

The band was also one of the initial LGBTQ influences to populate the charts from 1977 on, churning out classics like “Rock Lobster,” “The Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland,” and, of course, “Love

Shack” and “Roam,” which you will hear at any and every public event that requires dancing. The history of the B-52s is the stuff of legend. In 1976, Wilson – along with her brother Ricky – joined in a sacred contract with Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland and Kate Pierson to make the band a band. And they did it at a Chinese restaurant, as you do. They ended up in that clunky mix of people who played Max’s in Kansas City and CBGB

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in New York while pulling hair nationwide. Was it new wave, or was it punk? It was both. Just as they seemed to be peaking, Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in 1985, throwing the band for a loop around the promotion their hit album Bouncing of Sattelites, and into a radical rethink about what the trajectory would be from there on out.

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cOntinued On pg. 39 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

| uu | Cindy Wilson from pg.37

But it wasn’t over, not in the least. The band launched its biggest hit album Cosmic Thing after some downtime, and now we all live in a “Love Shack” while we “Roam” with the “Deadbeat Club.” This particular writer was once handed a drumstick from a packed Miami Arena by one Fred Schneider and it remains one of his favorite things. “You must have been extra special; really getting down!” Wilson says with all the Athens, Ga., drawl you can conjure. Wilson, who stepped aside from the Good Stuff album that followed Cosmic Thing, is still pressing out music, however. She did return for Funplex with the band in 2008; she screamed about malls, as you do. Over the past year, however, Wilson has stepped aside to make her own mark on the music scene, mostly with breathy vocals built atop psychedelia and fruit punch. Her two EPs – Supernatural and Sunrise – are available on bandcamp.com, and she’s wasting no time in touring the nation to let the new Cindy Wilson take to the front of the stage. Watermark caught up with the starry-eyed diva for a quick chat before her shows on July 27 at Will’s Pub in Orlando and July 28 at Crowbar in Tampa. And, to be fair, we could hardly understand a word that came out of her Southern mouth.

Watermark: I’ve been really impressed with these two EPs that you have right now. It’s like a new dream pop.

Cindy Wilson: It’s a little bit psychedelic, but I think dreaminess is great. I’m working with a friend of mine. We’ve been working together for about two years now. He’s like the best musician to sit with. He wrote two blocks of songs to the whole thing. I think the words “Sergeant Pepper” when I hear it; it just glows. I’m just glowing. We’re starting to get interest from a label. It should be out in September. What is it like starting from scratch in this situation for you? I mean, coming in from Bandcamp and going through this process and booking these small gigs after being an international star of stage and weddings and Bar Mitzfahs?

Music has changed a lot. You’ve got to have fun. I’ve watched people at shows losing their minds. Living

The B’s Knees: Cindy Wilson and the B-52s. Photo by Joseph Cultice

Knowing Ricky’s past, and at the time you didn’t talk about what was going on, and [President Ronald] Reagan was horrible on AIDS rights and all of that. It’s just a clusterfuck. Also, being on the outside of normal space, the B-52s were always different. We spoke of marriage equality, because we thought it was important. —Cindy Wilson up to it is about having a balance, but I’m having a blast. It’s edgy, maybe raw. I’m having a blast.

Are you able to revisit the past in any of your shows? Do you do any of the B-52s chestnuts, or are you strictly minding the current?

This is all original songs, and the show profiles what the record is doing. It’s almost like an art show. The music reminds me of early Debbie Harry, in a sense. That whole “I’m not no limburger” brashness has given way to a far more wispy approach.

I was screaming. This project is a much more different approach.

consider yourself a B-52 or no? You’ve left quite a legacy.

I loved it, honestly.

There a couple of touchy questions I want to ask. Why did you go away during the Good Stuff album?

We had just come off the Cosmic Thing tours straight, and we’re talking old-fashioned touring. I got kind of burned out. I thought, “Ricky died and we have this new project that topped anybody’s expectations.” I just felt like this is where I get out. It kind of stirred up my own individual groove. This decision to make these records and go out on tour and present them, how does that feel? Do you still

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

It’s a process. There are not any problems. That’s some really prized and wonderful magic. I also love those songs. We’re in the process of just getting up there and seeing what’s wrong with it. Do you feel that the LGBT community has been important to your career? I’m queer and you’ve been important to me.

That’s sweet. Knowing Ricky’s past, and at the time you didn’t talk about what was going on, and [President Ronald] Reagan was horrible on AIDS rights and all of that. It’s just a clusterfuck. Also,

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

being on the outside of normal space, the B-52s were always different. We spoke of marriage equality, because we thought it was important. Just being with the community – and it’s a very important community that is very important, and it’s ongoing.

Well, I think that all of your albums describe what life really is. It is a strange life, and, basically, all lives are strange. I think that what you’re doing is brilliant.

I’m glad you like them. That means a lot to me.

I’m just sorry you had to live through something so terrible in public with the death of your brother.

It was a tough time for me. It was terrible. I just remember I was watching television with my brother. I was 28 when he died and he was 36. And that’s so young! He was one of the first to live it out loud, which is admirable.

Even my kids know his story, even though they never got to meet him.

Got Mustard? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got more weiner than we can handle.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

theater

Finding the Divine

Bette Midler impersonator Jennica McCleary wants to give you a Bette-ducation in her new show

(above)

I Am Bette:

Jennica McCleary becomes the legendary Bette Midler in Dear Bette at The Abbey. Photo courtesy The Abbey

Jeremy Williams

rowing up in a small, midwestern

town in Ohio can be tough for a girl with aspirations of big city fame, but that journey can be a bit more motivated when you share a likeness to one of the greatest stage entertainers in the world. “As I was growing up and getting into dance and theater everyone would always tell me, ‘Do you know who you look like? You look like a young Bette Midler,’” says Jennica McCleary. “And I would say ‘I hear that all the time.’” McCleary, who not only can be seen appearing on Big Bang Boom Cabaret stages and occasionally with the folks of VariaTEASE throughout Central Florida, is a well known Midler impersonator (rumor has it the Divine Miss M even knows of McCleary’s impeccable talent of being her). “Early in my life people would want me to try and do something with that but me, the theater nerd, would be like ‘No, I don’t want to pretend to be somebody else.’” [laughs] McCleary was finally inspired to

embrace her doppelganger when, just after graduating high school, she decided to compete for Miss America in her home state of Ohio. “So I’m really competitive and I wanted to try my hand at this pageant thing, but I was really lost with it and so I went to see this woman who is a pageant coach,” McCleary says. “Besides being a pageant coach she also represented an Elvis impersonator, and she was very persistent that I start a career as a Bette Midler impersonator.” McCleary didn’t become the next Miss America, but what she did become was a student in the school of the Divine Miss M. “My parents were huge Barry Manilow fans and I used to beg them to take me to the concerts with them

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

and listen to his music,” McCleary says. “It just kind of goes hand in hand if you know Manilow then you would know who Bette Midler is.” Milder and Manilow worked together early in their careers on albums and in New York’s Continental Baths in 1970. “She intimidated me so much,” McCleary says. “It’s just such a big bombastic personality, and she’s just so ostentatious on stage and there’s so much there. I just kept thinking I don’t know that I can pull that off, but I agreed to start doing the research.” McCleary began gathering everything she could find on Midler—albums, photos, books, concert recordings— anything that would give her insight into the entertainer. “This was several years ago so studying her was not as easy as putting ‘Bette Midler’ into Google. There was one time I had to track down someone who had a VHS of her Cleveland Concert, which was like 200 dollars, and then I had to go to the pawn shop and buy a VHS player and pray that it worked,” she says. “It’s kind of a fun scavenger hunt for me. There’s so much she did pre-Hollywood, I feel like I’m constantly finding things out about her.” One “on-the-job training” moment came during McCleary’s time in Las Vegas. “I was hosting drag competitions at some of the local bars at the Fruit Loop— that’s what they called the gay bars circle in Vegas—and I had just started coming out as Bette and this young man comes up to me after the show and says to me that he has a pair of tickets to the opening preview of Bette Midler at Caesar’s Palace,” McCleary recalls. “So a friend and I went to see Bette Midler preview her show, and that was the first time I had ever seen her in concert live.” McCleary watched Midler premiere her Vegas show, The Showgirl Must Go On, at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace on Feb. 20, 2008. “She would probably hate that I would say this, but there were flaws and there were mistakes, because it’s a preview, that what happens, but I learned so much from it,” McCleary says. “Right at the end of the show she sings ‘Wind Beneath My Wings,’ and just before she is suppose to go into the

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

second verse, she doesn’t, she jumps and goes into the bridge, and it takes the band but a measure to catch her and be where she is at, then she realizes what she’s done. I’m sure she could feel the audience pause of a second, and she makes a joke about it. She jumps back into the song. She always says. ‘You are the funniest joke in the room’ and I have rolled with that throughout my career.” McCleary’s first tribute to Bette Midler was a show she developed called Divine Deception. Backed by a pair of her own Harlettes (the name given to the trio of backup singers who support Midler during her live performances), McCleary walked the audience through Midler’s greatest hits. “That show goes through about 30 to 40 years of Bette’s career,” McCleary says. “From right after she did The Rose, when she did The Devine Madness Tour, to her final appearance on Johnny Carson where she sang ‘One For My Baby,’ which won her an Emmy.” McCleary used that show to remind audiences of those great “Bette moments,” points in Midler’s career that most people know about, and to sing her hits songs that they all remember. McCleary’s new show, Dear Bette — playing at The Abbey July 16, 17 and 24 — is less of a highlight of Midler’s career and more of what McCleary calls a “Bette-ducation” of the one called Bathhouse Betty. “Dear Bette is my chance to share all those facts and figures and all those interesting things about Bette that people don’t know or didn’t realize,” McCleary says. “I mean, this is a woman who sold out Carnegie Hall before she even released an album. No one else has ever done that.” McCleary says Dear Bette is a performance that will show the audience not only what lead to the creation of the character the Divine Miss M, but also some of the connections McCleary shares with Midler. “It’s this huge combination of everything I’ve been doing for the last 10 to 12 years, a show I’ve always wanted to do and now it’s being brought together in a much bigger way than I could have ever imagined,” McCleary says. “It’s my own personal story and, more importantly, how that intertwines with Bette.”

more information

What: Dear Bette, starring Jennica McCleary When: July 16, 17 and 24 Where: The Abbey, Orlando Tickets: $20-$35, TicketFly.com, Keyword Search: Dear Bette

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

arts+entertainment OrlandO Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, July 14-28, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando. 407-896-7365; OrlandoRep.com Puddles Pity Party, July 15, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org Pet Photo Shoot Fundraiser, July 15, Deadly Sins Brewing, Winter Park. 407-900-8726; DeadlySinsBrewing.com

community calendar

event planner

HANGIN’

IN THERE

Tacos and Tequila, July 15, Cheyenne Saloon, Orlando. 407-377-0400; OrlandoWeekly.com

Game of Thrones Premiere, July 16, The Cloak & Blaster, Orlando. 407-674-7435; CloakAndBlaster.com Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense, July 19, Enzian Theater, Maitland. 407-629-1088; Enzian.org Feast For The 14, July 20, Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Winter Park. 407-670-0384; Rubios.com Watermark’s July Third Thursday, July 20, AlbinPolasek Museum & Sculpture Garden, Winter Park. 407-481-2243; Polasek.org Shakespeare with Heart: Romeo & Juliet, July 21, Orlando Shakes, Orlando. 407-447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org Country JamBEARee, July 21, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Hairspray, July 2223, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Pro Equality Peace Rally saturDay, July 22, 6- 9P.m. DOwntOwn sQuarE, OCala Join community leaders and members as they hold a rally for peace and equality at the Downtown Square in Ocala July 22. The event will feature speeches, spoken word, a candlelight vigil, a balloon release, a wall of harmony and more. There will be an open call for anyone who wishes to speak. Performances are asked to be limited to no more than 5 minutes. For more information, visit the events official Facebook event page at Facebook.com/ProEqualityPeaceRally.

Dialogo: Unidos Against Hate thursDay, July 27, 6:30 - 8:30 P.m. PrOyECtO sOmOs, OrlanDO

Dear Bette starring Jennica McCleary, July 16-24, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com BRuNCH at Savoy!, July 16, Savoy, Orlando. 407-270-4685; SavoyOrlando.com

OrlandO

The ‘80s are coming back to Tampa when New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men join together for The Total Package Tour at Amalie Arena July 15. PHOTO COuRTESy OF TICKETMASTER.COM

Parliament House 42nd Anniversary Reunion Show, July 22, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Music of the Beatles, July 24, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org

Sam Hunt, July 14, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa. 813-740-2446; LiveNation.com The Total Package Tour: NKOTB w/ Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men, July 15, Amalie Arena, Tampa. 813-301-6500; AmalieArena.com

Jim Kennedy Fundraiser for Barclay Harless, July 18, Ricky P’s Creole Kitchen, St. Petersburg. 727-821-4061; VoteHarless.com

Balance Tampa Bay’s July Social, July 25, Ocean Prime, Tampa. 727-512-1304; BalanceTampaBay.org

Armed with Art, a cocktail party fundraiser, July 20, St. Petersburg Museum of History, St. Petersburg. 727-894-1052; HistoryStPete.org

Harry Potter Trivia Night, July 25, Brew Bus Brewing, Tampa. 813-990-7310; BrewBusUSA.com

Fuego Friday w/ special guest Jessica Wild, July 21, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com

tampa bay

Trans Community Dinner Outing, July 15, Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg. 727-490-9264; TransSupportNetwork.com

Pinky’s Bingo4Charity, July 19, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com

Tampa Bay Bears Pool Party, July 22, Gay St Pete House, St. Petersburg. 727-365-0544; GayStPeteHouse.com The Men of Flamingo, July 22, Flamingo Resort, St. Petersburg. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com legends - A Night of Illusions, July 22, Fresco’s, Lakeland. 863-683-5267; FrescosLakeland.com The 7th Annual Christmas in July, July 25, Centre Club, Tampa. 813-286-4040; CentreTampa.com

unified #GenderEquality, July 27, Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg. 727-821-7162; MoreanArtsCenter.org Pre-Comic-Con Author Event, July 27, Books at Park Place, St. Petersburg. 727-388-9093; StPeteBooks.com

sarasOta Suncoast Equality Connection, July 20, Sarasota Opera House, Sarasota. 941-328-1300; SarasotaOpera.org To All the Men I’ve loved Before, July 20- 21, Venice Theatre, Venice. 941-488-1115; VeniceTheatre.com

To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, QLantinx’s Christopher J. Cuevas, Human Rights Campaign’s Roxy Santiago and the GLBT Center of Central Florida’s Terry DeCarlo facilitate a conversation around the efforts made by the LGBTQ community to come together and support each other after the Pulse tragedy. For more information and to find out how to get tickets, visit ProyectoSomosOrlando.org.

tampa bay

Drag Queen Bingo for SMART Ride Info & Metro Beneﬁt tuEsDay, July 18, 7:00 - 9:00 P.m. hamburgEr mary’s, st. PEtErsburg Come out to Hamburger Mary’s St. Pete for 10 unbelievable rounds of drag, fun and a little bit of education as Drag Queen BINGO doubles as an information session on the SMART Ride and a benefit for Metro Wellness and Community Centers. Make sure to get there early and enjoy a big, juicy burger and happy hour specials. Reservations are highly recommended as this event will fill up fast. Call Hamburger Mary’s’ St. Pete at 727-851-9386 to make those reservations.

scott and Patti Pajama Party mOnDay, July 24, 7:00 - 8:30 P.m. amEriCan stagE, st. PEtErsburg Get in your comfiest pjs (there are prizes for best loungewear) and join Scott and Patti at American Stage for their all-new campy cabaret “Scott & Patti’s Pajama Party.” The evening will be filled with hilarity including, but not limited to: nocturnal songs selections, splashy makeovers, a tantalizing game of Truth or Dare, YouTube’s Greatest Hits, a wild game of Twister and more. For more information, visit AmericanStage.org.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

overheard

tampa bay Out+abOut

in need Of sOme gOOde peOple

amPa bay PErFOrmEr JuDy b. gOODE isn’t having the best run of good luck over the last few weeks. The beloved singer and entertainer fell off a ladder June 30 and broke her leg. At around 7:30 in the morning Judy was tending to some bushes in the backyard of her home, when the ladder gave way and fell out from under her and she ended up in the hospital. “Judy has a heart of gold,” says Tampa Pride president Carrie West. The 4 ft 5 in , 85 lb Judy is quite a force to be reckoned with, and has the fiery personality to boot. Her career extends across Florida, and the southeast United States where she performs at nightclubs with her sidekick “Piano Man” Dave Thomas. She was even selected as a finalist for Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee back in the day based on her signature act, “The 12 Faces of Judy” in which she does impersonations of famous personalities. When she is not performing she works as a companion and caretaker throughout the community. She cooks, cleans, does grocery shopping and volunteers for various households and organizations. She is a founding member of Tampa Pride, and was a featured performer that first year. Judy is also a board member for the Cleveland Browns Club, and an honorary “brownie.” She was finally released from the hospital July 10 but she was re-admitted the following day when she experienced trouble breathing. Judy is a mother of two and has four grandchildren, two of which are autistic, and due to the injury and hospitalizations Judy hasn’t been able to work, causing finances to become an issue. Friends and family of Judy set up a GoFundMe page to try and help raise some money for her. As of press time, the page has raised nearly $2,500 of the $4,000 goal.

thank yOu fOr being metrO’s friend

OP PErFOrmErs FrOm OrlanDO, tamPa bay anD sarasOta gathErED for a pair of performances at American Stage in St. Petersburg for a night of entertainment and charity. The Golden Gurlz Live showcase, which had a rehearsal time of only three-and a half hours, raised almost $11,000 for METRO Health, Wellness and Community Centers. According to Dorothy Zbornak herself, Mathew McGee (freeFall Thetare Company’s Community Outreach Director) what set this show apart from others was the fact that you rarely see a parody performance of The Golden Girls. The sitcom, which ran from 1985-1992 has become something of a cross generational phenomenon, with re-runs appearing on TV Land and The Hallmark Channel, and merchandise popping up in young-adult centered retailers such as Hot Topic and Spencer’s. METRO Health, Wellness and Community Centers provides Tampa Bay with a number of medical services including HIV testing and care, health education and LGBTQ youth council. “It was nice to forget your troubles and raise money for a great cause,” Mathew says.

2 3

FrOsty trEats: Anthony Citrola (L) and Jeremy Wade Neiman enjoy ice cream cones at Dairy Joy in Tampa July 4. PHOTO

COuRTESy JEREMy WADE NEIMAN

Just KEEP swimming: Dat Tan Nguyen (L) and Tuan lam check out Shark Con at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa July 9. PHOTO COuRTESy TuAN lAM

sOuthErn Charm: Murray Swanby (L) and Chris Hannay strike a pose at Southern Nights in Tampa for Swank Saturday July 1. PHOTO COuRTESy

SOuTHERN NIGHTS TAMPA

singin’ thE blu’s: Ashlee T. Bangkx performs in The Blu Room at the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg July 8.

PHOTO By J. MARC PHOTO

bEat by thE gODs: (L-R) Holly O’Connor, Kori Stevens and Miguel Fuller (with a painted face after losing at Headphone Karaoke) in the HOT101.5 studios for the Miguel & Holly Show in St. Petersburg June 27. PHOTO

COuRTESy MIGuEl & HOlly SHOW

stanDing tOgEthEr: (L-R) Marilyn Cappiello, Gayle Morgan, leslie Odom Jr., Susan Smith and Norwood Smith stand with Planned Parenthood at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa June 23 for “An Evening of Song with Leslie Odom Jr.”

PHOTO COuRTESy SuSAN SMITH

sErving tEa: Joey Brooks (L) and Mark West Bias share some laughs at Bradley’s on 7th in Tampa June 26. PHOTO

COuRTESy MARK WEST BIAS

DinnEr PartnErs: Matthew McGee and pal Brian enjoy dinner at Front Porch and Bart’s Tavern in Tampa July 8. PHOTO

COuRTESy OF MATTHEW MCGEE

7 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

Reach local LGBT communities across the nation. Start connecting with over a million loyal readers in print and online across the country. 212-242-6863 info@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

overheard

OrlandO Out+abOut

terry’s new title

PrEss rElEasE was sEnt Out by the GLBT Center of Central Florida July 3 announcing Terry DeCarlo, who was the executive director, is stepping down but will by remaining with the agency as their Chief Communications Officer, a position created for him. The change in position, which was immediate, will now consist of DeCarlo handling the demands of media relations, communication and events. “This decision was not an easy one,” said DeCarlo. “However, with all that has happened during my tenure as executive director, I need, for my health, and for my relationship, to step back from the day-to-day grind. Now that construction on the new building is coming to a close, and we have passed the one year mark of the Pulse tragedy, this is the perfect time for me to make this transition. I am so proud of the community, the board, and the staff for all they have done to help me along on this journey, and I look forward to this new opportunity.” It seems the position of executive director will not be filled, but the day-to-day duties at the Center will now be handled by the staff who will take on additional roles. If you recall, prior to the Pulse shooting, DeCarlo announced he was stepping down as the executive director and accepted a position with another organization. During the process of finding a new director Pulse occurred and DeCarlo remained in his role.

fabulOus five

vanhOE’s nEighbOrhOOD PErFOrmanCE thEatEr, The Venue, just celebrated five fabulous years from the day Blue Star, the owner, received the key. As one of the few LGBTQ owned and operated businesses, The Venue has become a staple of the Ivanhoe Village as a celebrated, multi-faceted space hosting everything from live stage shows to boot-camps and even instrument playing cats. Meow. Although the current location of The Venue will eventually move as the landscape of Ivanhoe Village is scheduled to change with the brand new mix-use development called The Yard at Ivanhoe Place, Blue Star has stated the eventual new location will offer a much larger space.

cirque sees green in blue

irQuE DE sOliEl rECEntly annOunCED the purchase of the Blue Man Group brand. In a recent press release, Cirque’s President and CEO Daniel Lamarre said, “We want to broaden our horizons, develop new forms of entertainment, reach out to new audiences and expand our own creative capabilities. Today, we are taking a decisive step towards materializing these ambitions, we are extremely excited to welcome the iconic Blue Man Group to our portfolio of shows.” No word how this new ownership will affect the Orlando production of Blue Man Group which can be seen at Universal Orlando Resort’s CityWalk and Cirque’s long time running La Nouba at Disney Springs which will close at the end of the year.

PHOTO COuRTESy BIG BANG BOOM! CABARET

JEREMy CONNER

liFE is a CabarEt: The cast from Big Bang Boom! Cabaret at The Venue in Orlando for Burlesque After Dark: One Love June 30.

DatE night: Cesar Gipson (L) and Jeremy Conner take in the Cirque du Soleil showLa Nouba at Disney Springs in Orlando June 27. PHOTO COuRTESy

COuRTESy JACKIE JONES

COuRTESy DAVID MORAN

wE thrEE Cats: Jackie Jones (L) with Bad Kitty artist and Orlando commissioner Patty Sheehan at Ritzy Rags Wigs & More in Orlando July 8. PHOTO

i’m with hEr: David Moran (L) with Anna Eskamani after she announced that she is running for Florida House District 47 in downtown Orlando July 5. PHOTO

BRENDAN O’CONNOR

SOuTHERN NIGHTS ORlANDO

i’m On a bOat: Brendan O’Connor is a Townie Tourist at the Winter Park Boat Tour in Winter Park July 8. PHOTO COuRTESy

it’s FriDay: luis Daniel lópez García (L) and lissy Bu relax at Southern Nights in Orlando for Flex Friday July 7. PHOTO COuRTESy

JANINE KlEIN

PARlIAMENT HOuSE ORlANDO

hOusE Party: Doug Ba’aser as Joan Crawford prepares to take the stage at Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre in Orlando July 8. PHOTO By

tOP QuEEn: Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9 Sasha Velour at the Parliament House in Orlando July 1. PHOTO COuRTESy

8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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Located in the same St. Petersburg, FL., location for 10 years at Tyrone Blvd N and 66th St N. More than 2,000 cars a day park in this shopping center. All equipment necessary to operate this business is included in the sale: Computerized Lifesaver point of sale system, computerized Wizard mat cutter, Universal double miter saw, Miter Mite VN144 joiner, VacuSeal 4468H drymounter, two work stations, Silent air compressor, 2000 GMC Savana delivery van, all existing stock.

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July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

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LGBT Primary Care Your Family Doctor’s Office

Piňero Preventive Medical Care Mon-Sat -New Patients Welcome 1720 S Orange Ave, Ste 200 Orlando

www.PineroMedical.com | 407.426.9693 Celebrating 10 years of LGBT Primary Care

Proudly Caring for the Pets and People of the LGBT community since 1955

BOARDING DOGGIE DAYCARE 1601 Lee Rd. Winter Park (407) 644-2676

nOn-prOfit OrganizatiOn

yOuth services Changing the lives of LGBTQ teens and young adults for over 25 years Social support groups Make friends Scholarships for college Weekly groups in Orange, Seminole & Polk counties

call 407-481-2243 fOr mOre infOrmatiOn

• Join • Volunteer • Donate

info@orlandoyouthalliance.org www.orlandoyouthalliance.org

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

Bodywork is More than Massage consultation & try out

only $45!

Best M in Or assage lando !

1220 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL 32804 www.balanceorlando.com 407-704-8867

www.NationsLandscaping.com

Private Personal Training • Yoga • Small Group Fitness

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603 Virginia Drive

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

www.jacobdickson.com

603 Virginia Drive

407.403.0880

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

407.403.0880

jake@jacobdickson.com

announcements

wedding bells

Didi and sy Hornbuckle from Heathrow, Florida

engagement date:

March 15, 2015

ceremony date:

December 19, 2015

local birtHdays

reception date:

July 23, 2016

reception venue:

Westin Orlando north lake Mary, Florida

Flowers:

Pixies and Petals

colors:

Black, white and gold

wedding song:

“All That I Am” Rob Thomas

dJ:

Wayne Osley

attire vendors:

Sassy’s Bridal Men’s Warehouse

cake bakery:

Christine Cody Cake Design

wedding planner:

Jennie Maretti, pixies and petals

tHeme:

White party (but the brides wore black!)

pHotograpHer/ videograpHer:

Cat lemus Photography

congratulations

Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Walt Disney World President George Kalogridis, Echo Interaction Group CEO Carlos Carbonell, interior designer Ted Maines and attorney Jeff Miller were named among Orlando’s 50 Most Powerful People by Orlando Magazine.

PHOTO By CAT lEMuS PHOTOGRAPHy

t hEr nEw yEar’s EvE Party

in 2010, Didi met Sy. “I was borderline pathetic, honestly,” Didi says of their first meeting. “Any excuse I could get for her to talk to me or notice me, I was on it.” Sy had been told by some friends that Didi was “trouble,” so she shied away from the beautiful, wild-child hairdresser. Sy had dreadlocks at the time, and Didi came up to her and begged Sy to let her cut them. Even though Sy already had plans to let her sister cut her dreads, she made plans with Didi. “Many females are beautiful, but not all of them have the sense of humor that Didi has,” says Sy. “She snorts when she laughs too hard and too fast – how can you not love that?” The two are about as outwardly different as they could be: Didi is a “violent femme” type with tattoos and dramatic makeup and hair. Sy’s low-maintenance, casual style is the perfect foil. “On our first date, Sy asked for exactly three lemons with her water. Who does that?” says Didi of her wife’s exacting personality. “I am the opposite: a total hot mess.” After about a year of dating,

Didi knew she wanted to marry Sy and spend her life with her. She made no bones about it, and suggested they stop at jewelry stores all the time (just to look, of course). Any excuse to go near a Jared or Kay Jewelers, Didi made it up. “Seriously. I did it for months,” she says. Sy concurs, “Didi is very good at giving hints.” Sy says she always wished for a woman who wouldn’t make her guess what she wants and wouldn’t play games. “That’s what I got with Didi.” Sy popped the question in Hawaii at a mutual friend’s wedding. She asked permission first, and got the friend’s blessing before planning the proposal. After the reception, Sy and Didi got into an argument, which quickly escalated to a full-on “determine the relationship” fight. “I was so worried that she was going to leave the hotel where we were and stay with our friends, that I panicked

and dropped to one knee and proposed right there,” says Sy. “I have no idea what the hell else was said that night because I was too busy ugly crying,” says Didi. Didi and Sy started planning the wedding, but it got so stressful they just gave up and went to Vegas for the ceremony and decided to do a separate reception in Orlando a little later. “I was a hot mess until I reached out to my friend Jennie Maretti of Pixies and Petals,” Didi says. The couple prides themselves on throwing a wicked party, and they love the company of their family and friends more than anything else. With the help of Maretti and photographer Cat Lemus, they planned an unforgettable White Party at the Westin Orlando North in Lake Mary. While the guests wore white, the brides decided to stand out by wearing black. “Being married was scary in the beginning, but now I feel so much stronger in our relationship, like we are an unstoppable force,” says Didi. “I have my favorite party buddy with me for life!”

Christopher Michael Westfall (July13); LGBTQ activist Gil Sainz, Al & Chuck namesake Al Ferguson, Tampa attorney Kim Byrd (July 14); Three Boys Café owner Matthew Downs (July 15); AIDS and Healthcare Foundation hero Russell Walker (July 16); St. Petersburg artist James Michael McCracken, St. Petersburg IT wiz Frank Meekins (July 17); Seminole business owner David Verdi, St. Petersburg LGBT liaison Robert Danielson (July 18); St. Pete Pride board member Robert Shaffer, die-hard theater lover Deborah Simpson, Tampa Bay bear Mike Tobias (July 19); Orlando entertainer Sam Singhaus, Orlando physician Dr. Jerry Horton,Rock Hard Fitness’ Max Dunley, Footlight Theater dancer Steven Johnson, Karmic Tattoo guitarist and vocalist Pam Green (July 20); Tampa Bay performer Jennifer Real, freeFall community director and “Patti” Matthew McGee, beloved activist Rachel Gardiner (July 21); St. Pete bear and Air Canada employee Bob Thayer, Orlando tech wizard Carlos Carbonell, Watermark columnist Jason leclerc, ACLU communications manager Baylor Johnson (July 23); wonderful human being pursuing his dreams and former Zebra director Dexter Foxworth, Quench Lounge’s Queen Bee Eden Deck, former Watermark intern Andrew Ramos (July 24); graphic designer Andres Duputel, Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel Associate Executive Director Sammy Goldstein, Orlando lawyer Michael Sheridan (July 26).

do you Have an announcement? Having a birtHday or anniversary? did you get a new Job or promotion? See your news in Watermark! Send your announcement to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com or go to WatermarkOnline.com/Submit-a-Transition.

it’s tHat easy!

—Holly V. Kapherr

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.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 13 - July 26 , 2017 // Issue 24 .14

I choose the convenience of online scheduling. I choose Orlando Health. Introducing Orlando Health Online Scheduling Now, scheduling a doctor’s appointment is easier than ever. With our convenient online tool, new and existing patients can schedule an office visit for a well-care checkup, a nonurgent medical concern or a follow-up for an existing condition. A tap or a click gives you access to Orlando Health’s network of primary care providers and physicians in more than 40 specialties. Because when it comes to your health, it’s important to find the time – at a time that’s right for you.

ChooseOrlandoHealth.com/OnlineScheduling