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dePartments 7 // Publisher’s desk

PAGE

8 // central florida news 10 // tamPa bay news

It’s very scary for me to see where the nation as a whole is going. every day we wake up and, whether it’s the environment or whether it’s women’s rights or LgBtQ rights, we are seeing them either be threatened or stripped away. If we don’t keep the door open and elect people that are like-minded individuals, we can see just how fragile these rights are. —ERIC ROLLINGS, CANDIDATE fOR ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 3

12 // state news 15// nation & world news 21// talking Points 43// community calendar 45// tamPa bay out + about 47// orlando out + about 48// tamPa bay marketPlace 50// orlando marketPlace 53// wedding bells/ announcements 54// last Page on the cover

PAGE oh myyy:

PAGE PRIMARY SEASON:

We talk to LGBTQ and ally candidates ahead of Florida’s primary elections.

Illustration by Jake Stevens

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Activist, actor and social media guru George Takei is getting into the app game with “House of Cats.”

watermark issue 25.16 // august 9 - august 22, 2018

eXtended Pride Parade central house music

last Page

PAGE Come Out With Pride announces its weeklong schedule of events for 2018.

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 Come OUT St. Pete’s second year will feature a daytime Grand Central parade.

PAGE

An LGBTQ-themed show joins Winter Park Playhouse’s new musical festival.

The Last Page returns with a look at Central Florida theater legend Michael Wanzie.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

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publisher’s

Rick Claggett PUBLISHER

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

“G

desk

UYS IN ORLANDO SUCk!”

“The gay community in Orlando is so transient.” I heard these phrases way too often in the early 2000s, but I never bought into that way of thinking.

I moved to Central Florida in 1986. This was back in the days when the 408 was just two lanes each way, The Winter Park Village was an enclosed Mall and Ronnie’s was serving the Mogambo Extravaganza (a sixth grade ice cream lover’s dream dessert). I didn’t know it at the time, but I was on track to meet some amazing people with incredible stories to tell, and who would disprove the notion that Orlando was not a strong LGBTQ community. Flash forward to June 12, 2016. Within days of the Pulse massacre, 18 organizations banded together to help meet the needs of a grieving community – now a

watermark staff

30+ member coalition. Countless volunteers and donations poured into the The Center. Strong political leaders, like City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Rep. Carlos Guillermo-Smith, Mayor Buddy Dyer and Mayor Theresa Jacobs, spoke out for our community. New organizations like QLatinx, Pulse of Orlando and the onePulse Foundation formed to help a marginalized community, fill gaps with financial support and honor the victims. The community stepped up. Ben Johansen, Blue Star, Barbara Poma, Jennifer Foster, Carlos Carbonell and Robin Maynard-Harris – just to name a few. These people didn’t come out of nowhere; these organizations

didn’t come out of nowhere. They just gave more, proving Orlando was strong. Flash forward to February 27, 2017. I sat in front of my TV and watched the first episode of “When We Rise,” the NBC mini-series chronicling the rise of the LGBTQ rights movement. I was in awe of those early pioneers. Knowing they would be beaten, knowing they would be arrested and knowing they were hated, they stood on the front lines and fought for their rights. It was truly inspiring. It made me think, though. Central Florida has that same story to tell. Every city does. We had to fight for our rights here. We had to navigate the HIV/ AIDS crisis here. We created the foundation for a strong Orlando, allowing us to work together in the face of tragedy–and that story needs to be told. I am happy to announce that Watermark is working to tell that story. I have created a sister company to Watermark Publishing Group called Watermark Film Company. We have begun work on a documentary, “Greetings from Queertown: Orlando,” to tell the incredible history of the LGBTQ community in Central Florida. It’s important for our community to understand its local history. It’s important for us to know the truth about how we got where we are and who those people are that fought against insurmountable odds. There are many stories to tell, and some of those will be difficult. It’s not all sunshine in the City Beautiful. There were pockets of bad leadership and in-fighting, but we have to talk about the bad to understand the good. We need to know our fight so we can overcome it in case it resurfaces. Our community deserves that. How can you be part of it all? Dig into your closets for old photos and videos because we will be

asking for your stories. Dig into your wallets because producing something worthy of this town will not be cheap, and NBC isn’t backing this one (not yet, anyway). We will launch our fundraising efforts and website Aug. 24. Follow Watermark on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on how you can participate. The dream is to continue this project by telling the coming out stories of St. Pete and Tampa, launching those efforts in 2019. In this issue of Watermark, we take a look at those looking to make a little history of their own in our primary preview. Our team covers the issues that matter to the LGBTQ community for the

Knowing they would be beaten, knowing they would be arrested and knowing they were hated, they stood on the front lines and fought for their rights.

midterm primaries and outlines our options for Florida’s next governor. In news, we welcome the National Center for Transgender Equality to Tampa and highlight changes in Come Out St. Pete. Come Out With Pride announces its weeklong schedule of events and we update you on the Orlando paintball shooting. For A&E we bring to the stage Winter Park Playhouse’s musical festival while our Tampa Bay Bureau Chief has a one-on-one with George Takei. We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

orlando office

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

CFL Bureau Chief: Jeremy Williams • ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

Creative Assistant/Photographer: Dylan Todd • ext. 102 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com

Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

Owner & Publisher: Rick Claggett • ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

Tampa Bay Bureau Chief: Ryan Williams-Jent • ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

Director of Marketing and Events: Brandon Decker • ext. 301 Brandon@WatermarkOnline.com

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Art Director: Jake Stevens • ext. 109 Jake@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com

National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. 212-242-6863

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

contributors STEvE BLANCHARD

is a former Watermark editor turned media relations coordinator at Moffitt Cancer Center. He returns with his viewpoint column, Fit to Print. Page 17

MAIA MONET is a photographer at Southern Nights in Orlando and a singer with the band Mad Transit. Page 19

SAMUEL JOHNSON

is a reporter for non-commercial radio station WMNF-88.5 in Tampa who focuses on social issues. He resides in St. Petersburg. Page 23 sabrina ambra, nathan bruemmer, scottie camPbell, miguel fuller, divine grace, samuel Johnson, Jason leclerc, melody maia monet, david moran, greg stemm, rachel stevenson, dr. steve yacovelli, michael wanZie

PhotograPhy brian becnel, nick cardello, bruce hardin, Julie milford, travis moore, JamarQus mosley, chris stePhenson, lee vandergrift

distribution lvnlif2 distributing, lisa Jordan, Jill bates, ken carraway CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations. WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail). The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

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central florida news

Paintball shooting in Lake Eola linked to potential LGBTQ hate crime Jeremy Brener

RLANDO | Police are investigating possible hate crimes at Lake Eola Park and Ivanhoe Village in Orlando after several LGBTQ individuals were shot by a paintball gun from a moving vehicle July 27. The attacker also shouted homophobic slurs at the victims. The attacks took place late at night and witnesses were unable to identify the vehicle license plate or the physical description of the individuals responsible for the attack. Orlando resident Sully Wellington was shot in the leg with paintballs while playing the popular app game “Pokemon Go” with a friend at Lake Eola Park. He posted a photo on Facebook showing him covered in paint, showcasing bruises and blood as a result of the attack. He also stated that a lesbian couple in the park told him they were hit with paintballs as well. Wellington also stated that several vehicles displaying the Human Rights Campaign equal rights sticker were also hit with paintballs. Orlando resident Joe Dodd posted on his Facebook page that he was hit with paintballs July 27 around 1:30 a.m. while leaving work at Savoy Orlando. He did not think much about it, but once he learned that he was not the only victim, he began to think that the attack was not a coincidence. “My initial thought on this was that after it happened, once I realized what it was that happened, I thought it was probably some drunk asshole kids,” Dodd says. “It wasn’t until the next day that I heard people at Lake Eola were targeted. That’s when I realized they were actually targeting LGBT people.” Dodd hopes the attack brings awareness to the amount of homophobia that still exists in a post-Pulse Orlando. “My main concern is there’s no place for that kind of thing to happen, especially with everything we’ve been through in Orlando already. It’s 2018, there’s no place for this anymore,” Dodd says. “[The shooting is] not going to leave my mind for a while. The bruising is temporary, but that’s not the part that bothers me. The part that bothers me is that people out there have that mindset and they think it’s OK to do it.” Both Wellington and Dodd have filed reports with the Orlando Police Department. OPD is investigating both incidences as possible hate crimes. Local television news stations have stated that the victims reported a silver four-door sedan, possibly a Honda Civic or Accord, with three white male occupants has the vehicle in question. Orlando Police are asking anyone with information to contact them immediately at 321-235-5300. Additional reporting by Layla Ferris.

SHOW YOUR PRIDE:

Come Out With Pride returns to Lake Eola with the Most Colorful Parade, plus six more days of Pride fun. Photo by Brian Becnel

Extended Pride Come Out With Pride announces its weeklong schedule of events for 2018 Jeremy Williams

RLANDO | Come Out With Pride (COWP) announced its schedule of events at its 2018 Big Reveal at Tin Roof Orlando July 30. COWP will extend its official events from the traditional three-day weekend to a full week of events. COWP’s week-long series of events will take place throughout Orlando Oct. 8-14. The Monday event, hosted by Zebra Coalition, will be a Drag Race 5K on Oct. 8 at Lake Baldwin. The Tuesday event will be a partnership between COWP and QLatinx called Reel Pride, a film event screening “MAR (The Sea).” The event will also include a Q&A with the film’s director William Vitoria. The event will be at The Venue Oct. 9. The Wednesday night event—called House of Pride— will resurrect The Edge, one of Orlando’s premier dance clubs—and one of the city’s most successful “gay nights.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

House of Pride will feature performances from some of Orlando’s top drag houses, and will be held at ACE Cafe Orlando, the former home of The Edge, on Oct. 10. The official COWP launch party will be held Thursday, Oct. 11 at The Veranda in Thornton Park. The launch party, hosted by Orlando’s own Gidget Galore, will showcase a variety of entertainment, special performances and feature music provided by DJ Joanie. COWP’s Friday night Pride Block Party will move from Church Street Station in front of Hamburger Mary’s to Stonewall Bar Orlando and the surrounding neighborhood Oct. 12. The Pride Block Party—which is presented by Stonewall Orlando— will feature four separate DJs, themed rooms, a throwback area, a main stage with a special performance by recording artist Luciana and a non-profit showcase. The big day will be Saturday, Oct. 13 as COWP anticipates welcoming more than 160,000 attendees in Lake Eola Park. The festival opens at noon with the

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Marketplace set up on E. Robinson St. this year. The Most Colorful Parade will follow the same path as last year, except in reverse, coming down Rosalind Ave., across Central Blvd. and up Summerlin Ave. This year, COWP will add judges along the route that will award the best floats in the parade that keep with the parade’s theme—Keep Dancing Orlando. This year will feature two entertainment stages, both will be filled all day long with performers and entertainers including recording artists Betty Who and Crystal Waters, as well as VariaTEASE, the cast of the hit Orlando Fringe show “El Wiz” and Drag Queen Extravaganza. The evening will conclude with the always popular fireworks show over Lake Eola. The official COWP after party will take attendees back to Stonewall Orlando where cast members from the hit FX series “Pose” will perform. The “Pose” cast will also participate in the parade by riding on the onePULSE Foundation float. The week wraps up Oct. 14 with the Pride Recovery Brunch at Celine in downtown Orlando. The event will feature live musical performances and a catered brunch buffet by Chef Jason Schofield. More information and tickets are available at ComeOutWithPride.com.

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tampa bay news Activists welcome National Center for Transgender Equality to Tampa Ryan Williams-Jent

AMPA | Area activists will host a special reception for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) Sept. 12 at the Tampa Club to raise awareness and funds for the social justice advocacy organization. NCTE is devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues. They advise that by empowering transgender people and their allies to educate and influence policymakers and others, NCTE facilitates a strong and clear voice for transgender equality in the nation’s capital and around the country. Executive Director Mara Keisling, who founded NCTE in 2003, will be in attendance to provide a state of the transgender movement and detail the organization’s work. She will be joined by hosts and community advocates Ashley Brundage, Joanne Herman and Nathan Bruemmer, who were inspired to help raise awareness “for all NCTE is doing to protect and advocate for the transgender and gender non-confirming communities.” “The last 500 or so days have not been easy,” the VIP reception’s public invitation reads. “We’ve fought tooth and nail to help protect trans folks from an administration that is hell-bent on taking our rights away. But in spite of this, we have still made great strides in securing trans-inclusive policies at both the state and federal level.” Brundage says that she met Keisling while speaking at a transgender conference several years ago, which immediately became an opportunity to learn about NCTE’s work. “I was very, very excited to know that there was someone out there trying to advocate for the community on such a large scale,” she says. Since then, she’s wanted to help NCTE—noting that they operate on a much smaller budget than many national LGBTQ organizations. “They really rely on these kinds of donor events where they can share their mission,” she says. “I’ve been talking to them quite a while.” The hosts invited the organization to Tampa to help engage the community and raise awareness. “The spotlight is on Florida in so many ways,” Brundage says. “As an extreme minority community, we have to really be able to expand our donor base.” VIP reception tickets begin at $25 and include drinks and light fare, with available sponsorships ranging from $500 to $5,000. “There’s definitely time to be able to get in and partner with us. The event itself is going to strategically be more of a networking-style type of reception, allowing people to meet other people and local organizations,” Brundage says. “There’s more intersectionality to our community than you think. I think it’s so important to really make a stand right now and bring the leaders here to share their missions.” National Center for Transgender Equality’s VIP reception will be held at the Tampa Club Sept. 12 from 6-8 p.m. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit the NCTE Facebook page. For additional inquiries, sponsorship opportunities or to donate funds, contact Daniel Shad at dshad@transequality.org.

RAINBOW RETURN:

Come OUT St. Pete’s inaugural parade, the first daytime pride parade in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District since 2013, will include a city block-length rainbow flag. PHOTO COURTESY COME OUT ST. PETE

Parade Central Come OUT St. Pete’s second year to feature daytime Grand Central parade Ryan Williams-Jent

T. PETERSBURG | Come OUT St. Pete (COSP) announced its second year will include a daytime LGBTQ parade in the city’s Grand Central District Oct. 6. COSP, which began last year as a committee of the Grand Central District Association, has now applied for its own 501(c)(3) designation and exists as its own Florida nonprofit corporation. Its mission is to inspire those in the LGBTQ community to live genuinely, raise awareness of LGBTQ issues and encourage public support from community allies. The organization advises that quality is at the forefront of all of its initiatives and events, which last year saw several thousand attendees throughout its inaugural celebration, with a focus on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Saturday morning parade is currently scheduled from 10 a.m. until noon and will head west on St. Petersburg’s Central Ave. beginning at 20th St. It will be the first daytime parade held in the popular neighborhood since St. Pete Pride in 2013.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

“The St. Pete LGBTQ+ community passionately shows an abundance of Pride year-round,” COSP board co-chair Jimmy Biascan says. “They’ve expressed their desire to have a daytime parade during a cooler month on Central Ave. This provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate National Coming Out Day in October.” COSP board member Brian Longstreth agrees, adding that the parade will serve to enhance the organization’s message and further underscore the significance of coming out. “The act of coming out is more effective in changing people’s minds on the issues, whether you’re in your teens or in your seventies, than any other event,” he says. “Having the parade adds to the character of Come OUT St. Pete.” The parade will feature a custom rainbow flag, running one city block in length, which will be unfurled along the inaugural parade’s route. “We’re so grateful for our community’s support and sponsorship which makes it possible for us to do this for them,” Biascan says. Immediately following the parade, attendees can partake in the Grand Central Proud Market,

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held between the district’s 22nd St. and 31st St. It will feature local small businesses and artists as they sell their goods and services. COSP also notes that the market will feature live entertainment and special performances during and after the event, currently scheduled until 6 p.m. While this year’s COSP weekend kicks off Oct. 5 with “Croiseurs Della Noche,” a fashion show at Bambu the Eco Salon, festivities will begin Sept. 8. That evening, COSP says, a winning artist’s previously-submitted work will be revealed as the celebration’s 2018 commemorative artwork. Upcoming events also include a beach party, youth activities, a trivia pub crawl and the foodie-favorite “Taste of Grand Central.” COSP notes that volunteers are still being sought for this year’s celebration and sponsorships, ranging from $500 to $25,000, are still available. They further advise there is a Sept. 1 deadline for sponsors to be included in relevant marketing material. “We’re so excited to come together as a community to celebrate our Pride during this great new festival in October,” COSP co-chair Mandy Keys says. The second annual Come OUT St. Pete will be held Friday, Oct. 5 – Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. COSP Day, coinciding with National Coming Out Day 2018, will be held Oct. 11. For more information about COSP’s events, mission, sponsorship opportunities or to volunteer for this year’s festivities, visit ComeOUTStPete.org.

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What Is Mytesi? Mytesi is a prescription medicine used to improve symptoms of noninfectious diarrhea (diarrhea not caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on ART. Do Not Take Mytesi if you have diarrhea caused by an infection. Before you start Mytesi, your doctor and you should make sure your diarrhea is not caused by an infection (such as bacteria, virus, or parasite).

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• Upper respiratory tract infection (sinus, nose, and throat infection) • Bronchitis (swelling in the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs) • Cough • Flatulence (gas) • Increased bilirubin (a waste product when red blood cells break down) For a full list of side effects, please talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. 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.

Should I Take Mytesi If I Am: Pregnant or Planning to Become Pregnant? • Studies in animals show that Mytesi could harm an unborn baby or affect the ability to become pregnant • There are no studies in pregnant women taking Mytesi • This drug should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed A Nursing Mother? • It is not known whether Mytesi is passed through human breast milk • If you are nursing, you should tell your doctor before starting Mytesi • Your doctor will help you to decide whether to stop nursing or to stop taking Mytesi Under 18 or Over 65 Years of Age? • Mytesi has not been studied in children under 18 years of age • Mytesi studies did not include many people over the age of 65. So it is not clear if this age group will respond differently. Talk to your doctor to find out if Mytesi is right for you

What is Mytesi? Mytesi is a prescription medicine that helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea not caused by an infection (noninfectious) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

What Should I Know About Taking Mytesi With Other Medicines?

Important Safety Information Mytesi is not approved to treat infectious diarrhea (diarrhea caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite). Before starting you on Mytesi, your healthcare provider will first be sure that you do not have infectious diarrhea. Otherwise, there is a risk you would not receive the right medicine and your infection could get worse. In clinical studies, the most common side effects that occurred more often than with placebo were upper respiratory tract (sinus, nose, and throat) infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

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Rx Only Manufactured by Patheon, Inc. for Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. San Francisco, CA 94105 Copyright © Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mytesi comes from the Croton lechleri tree harvested in South America.

Please see complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com. NP-390-33

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

state news

transgender student in st. Johns county can now use men’s restroom Wire Report

ONTE vEDRA BEACH, fla. | U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan ruled July 26 that 18-year-old transgender student Drew Adams can use the men’s restroom at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. when classes resume next month. Citing a district policy, the school had required Adams to use a gender-neutral bathroom before the ruling. Corrigan said Adams posed no threat to the safety or privacy of other students and that the law required him to be treated “like any other boy.” Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit, on behalf of Adams, against the St. Johns County School Board in 2017. Adams, who began his transition in 2015, had been open with the school about being trans. Officials banned Adams from the men’s restroom because of “an anonymous complaint.” Adams was then only allowed to use one of the two gender-neutral bathrooms at the school, both of which were located out of the way of his classes.

driver throws eggs, homoPhobic slurs at PeoPle outside a gay bar in wilton manors colton adkins

ILTON MANORS, fla. | A man yelling homophobic slurs attacked a group of friends with eggs outside of Gym Bar in Wilton Manors July 23. Brian Carter, one of the men attacked, said he didn’t know who the man was but heard him yell a homophobic slur just before being hit by an egg. The man then drove off in a black BMW. “I mostly just heard the yelling and was pelted right away,” Carter told Local 10 News. “It was a pretty heavy hit right here, but it splattered so much and it hit a couple other people.” The attacker continued his drive-by chucking as evidenced by the trail of broken eggs found further down the road from Gym

Bar. The broken eggs were found on the sidewalk in front of Out of the Closet, a thrift store that does HIV testing and which is owned by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Out of the Closet is located directly across the street from the local police station. Wilton Manors is known for being an open community for LGBTQ people. Rick Schmutzler, the owner of Gym Bar, expressed disappointment at the incident. “Some idiot decides he’s going to drive by, throw an egg and yell a slur,” he said. “It’s cowardly. It’s stupid. It’s childish and it’s ridiculous.” Carter said the police were called and came out to take a report. Carter says that he isn’t going to let the incident get him down. Cater even posted a picture

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of himself, still covered in egg, on his Facebook page. “They were definitely shaming us for being something that we feel like we were born with. I feel no shame for who I am,” Carter said. “It didn’t hurt. I didn’t go home and cry. I went home and went to bed. I kind of laughed it off, but I feel bad for the person that threw it. Why would he feel like he needed to do that?” In response to the attack, Gym Bar held a special on July 24 selling $3 breakfast sandwiches all day, posting on its Facebook page that “we’re not afraid of any eggs!” While Carter is not letting the incident get to him, the police tell CBS Miami if someone is arrested they could face a second-degree felony because of the attack which could carry a punishment of up to 15 years in prison. Anyone with information about the thrower’s identity can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-492-TIPS (8477).

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

EOLA NORTH

nation+world news

Sessions announces the creation of a ‘religious liberty task force’ Wire and Staff Reports

ASHINGTON | American culture has become “less hospitable to people of faith,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said July 30 in vowing that the Justice Department would protect people’s religious freedom and convictions. Sessions spoke at a Justice Department summit on religious tolerance at a time when courts across the country have been asked how to balance anti-discrimination laws against the First Amendment’s religious freedom guarantees. Sessions announced that the Department of Justice is creating a “religious liberty task force.” Sessions said the new task force will be co-chaired by Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio and the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, Beth Williams.

Conservative groups immediately praised Sessions for promising to protect deeply held religious convictions, though Trump administration critics have repeatedly voiced concerns that the attorney general’s stance undercuts LGBT rights and favors the rights of Christians over those of other faiths. Sessions, the country’s chief law enforcement officer, warned of a “dangerous movement” that he said was eroding protections for religious Americans. He asserted that “nuns were being forced to buy contraceptives”—an apparent, though not fully accurate, reference to an Obama administration health care policy meant to ensure women covered by faith-based groups’ health plans have access to cost-free contraceptives. Religious groups that challenged the policy argued it violated their religious beliefs. Sessions also said it was inappropriate that judicial and

executive branch nominees were being asked about their religious dogma. And he praised a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple in a case that reached the Supreme Court and ended in his favor. That baker, Jack Phillips, was part of a panel discussion at the Justice Department summit. “A dangerous movement, undetected by many, is now challenging and eroding our great tradition of religious freedom. There can be no doubt. This is no little matter. It must be confronted and defeated,” Sessions said. “This election, and much that has flowed from it, gives us a rare opportunity to arrest these trends. Such a reversal will not just be done with electoral victories, but by intellectual victories.” Sessions, a Methodist and former Republican senator from Alabama, has made protecting religious liberty a cornerstone agenda item of his Justice Department—along with defending freedom of speech on college campuses. In his speech, the attorney general noted that he had issued guidance last year advising executive branch employees on how to apply religious liberty protections in federal law.

More than 100 people took part in Barbados’ first Pride parade that took place Bridgetown, the island’s capital, on July 22. Donnya Piggott, executive director of Barbados-Gays, Lesbians and All-SexualsAgainst Discrimination (B-GLAD), a Barbadian LGBTI advocacy group, told the Washington Blade in an email the Royal Barbados Police Force provided “excellent security.” Piggott also described the parade as “an incident free event full of allies, LGBTQ community and a diverse group of Barbadians from all backgrounds.” Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are among the countries in the English-speaking Caribbean in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized. A judge on Trinidad and Tobago’s High Court in April struck down the country’s sodomy law. Three LGBTI rights advocates in Barbados in June filed a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against the island’s colonial-era statute that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in January issued a landmark ruling that recognizes same-sex marriage and transgender rights.

The Organization of American States in 1979 created the Costa Rica-based court in order to enforce provisions of the American Convention on Human Rights. January’s ruling is legally binding in Barbados and the 19 other countries in the Western Hemisphere that recognize the convention. “We have finally reached a point in our country where we can have an open LGBT pride event that speaks to how far we have come as a country, as a society and more so, as a people,” Maharaj told Newsday after the Port of Spain Pride march. “That is what we value as success here, the fact that we can be out an open and have this kind of event, that is what we are banking on.” Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination Guyana, an LGBTI advocacy group in Guyana, organized the South American country’s first-ever Pride parade that took place on June 2. J-FLAG, a Jamaican LGBTI advocacy group, is organizing a series of Pride events in the country’s capital of Kingston that are scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in both countries.

Caribbean countries hold first-ever Pride parades Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

ASHINGTON | Activists in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados this month held their countries’ first-ever Pride parades. Hundreds of people took part in a Pride parade in the Trinidadian capital of Port of Spain on Saturday. Many of the participants were holding Pride flags as they participated in the event. Newsday, a Trinidadian newspaper, reported a health fair took place in a local park named after former South African President Nelson Mandela before the parade. “The visibility we share here, today, is going to shine a light on the issues that LGBTI people face, that so many people want to stifle and keep us in the closet and don’t want to deal with to find the kind of solutions we are looking for,” Kennedy Maharaj, chief administrative officer of the Silver Lining Foundation, a Trinidadian advocacy group, told Newsday.

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in other news Harris, Carper introduce bill to include LGBT questions on U.S. Census Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) announced on Tuesday they introduced the Census Equality Act, which would begin the process of adding questions allowing respondents to identify their sexual orientation and gender identity in the decennial U.S. Census and the annual American Community Survey. Last year, after initially indicating LGBT questions would be included in the American Community Survey, the Trump administration corrected and announced they wouldn’t be included. The reversal ignited a firestorm among LGBT rights supporters who accused the Trump administrating of trying to erase LGBT people.

‘I Care March’ on Washington planned for Sept. 15 A Facebook page and website surfaced last month to organize and promote an “I Care March” on Washington scheduled for Sept. 15 that organizers say is challenging the Trump administration by showcasing a range of progressive causes.Organizers say LGBT rights will be an important part of the message projected. Among those who have been contacted for support is New York City gay activist David Bruinooge, who launched a Facebook page that put in motion the initiative that led to the June 11, 2017 LGBT Equality March for Unity and Pride.

Russia fomenting discord over guns, gays, race A 29-year-old Russian woman living in D.C. who was indicted last week for allegedly engaging in a conspiracy to clandestinely act as a Russian agent is part of a longstanding effort by Moscow to foment discord in the U.S. by exploiting divisive issues such LGBT rights. After hearing evidence presented by federal prosecutors, a D.C. grand jury on July 17 indicted Maria Butina on charges of criminal conspiracy and illegally acting as a foreign agent within the U.S.

Study finds trans vets as healthy as cisgender vets Trans U.S. veterans have few health differences compared to their cisgender counterparts although their odds of having at least one disability are higher according to a new study, HealthDay News reports. Researchers from the University of South Carolina in Columbia used population-level data for 2014 to 2016 from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine whether and how the health of transgender service members differs from that of cisgender service members, HealthDay News reports. An estimated 0.5 percent of veterans in the sample self-identified as transgender. Researchers found very few differences among veterans.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

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SEPTEMBER 1 • 6 PM RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

viewpoint

steve Blanchard

fit for Print Stop weaponizing religion

ROM A vERY YOUNG AGE

it was drummed into me that there was a right way to act and a wrong way to act. I’m talking, of course, about my days in church.

Fortunately, the church I attended wasn’t a fire and brimstone kind of place. There were plenty of messages about kindness, doing unto others and helping those who are less fortunate. But every message had the same footnote: “By the way, stay on the straight and narrow and avoid an eternity in the fiery pits of hell. Do what you’re told to do and the big man in the sky who spends all of his time spying on you won’t have a reason to punish you forever.” Once I was older and comfortable enough to think for myself, I distanced myself from what I view as a made-up set of rules that were created to keep the masses in line. Instead, I decided that the difference between right and wrong was easy to decipher and that I didn’t need a creeper in the clouds to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. I can admit, when I do something wrong my gut punishes me plenty enough to get me back on the proper track. As I’ve distanced myself from religion, I’ve watched as the religious right weaponized everything I had learned in my formative years as a way to scare youth, sway politicians and influence communities. At first, it was mostly comical watching people freak out over what looked to me like a

mythological world view. But recently, it got very scary and very real. In July, Washington D.C. introduced us to the new Religious Liberty Task Force, which will be an actual physical creeper that will punish anyone who does not agree with a religious point of view. Well, let me amend that: it will take aim at anyone who does not agree with a so-called “Christian” point of view. While I have been surrounded by those who have called themselves “Christian” for a majority of my life, it’s rare that I actually see one support freedom of religion in the way it was created by our founding fathers. This country was set up on the grounds that people can worship whatever or whoever they want—as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. Today, people forget the second section of that sentence, and this new task force will continue to ignore that important caveat. In fact, according to NBC News, the task force is backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is no friend to the LGBTQ community. The ADF, founded in 1994, is a legal advocacy organizing coalition for Christian nationalists. Its definition of religious liberty only embraces Christianity and the members truly believe it’s up to them to save the United States from its moral decline. In the early 2000s, ADF president Alan Sears wrote that marriage equality was a plot to silence conservative Christians and lead men and women into homosexuality. The translation of that is that those different than the ADF’s base were a threat and that a line had to be drawn in the sand. Now we’re looking at battles over wedding cakes, floral arrangements and most alarming, health care rights.

My religious beliefs— or lack of beliefs—have nothing to do with my role in society. My relationship with my husband is also of no consequence to anyone but the two of us. But there will be a day, if we continue on this current path, when I will be denied some kind

Americans no longer attend church, they do still identify with their church roots. Translated, that means they feel disconnected from the church or that the overall church community is no longer welcoming or a comfortable place to visit. That is also my

fitting molds that simply don’t exist. I don’t care what your religious background is nor do I care who you pray to or what tenets you follow. For those who continue to promote messages of love and kindness and doing unto others, I applaud you.

of service because I don’t fit a certain mold that a religious zealot has carved out for society. Is it any wonder that church attendance is down? According to a recent Gallup Poll, less than 20 percent of Americans regularly attend church. One study also pointed out that while many

assessment. Why would I want to support or attend anything that immediately celebrates division? Religion is supposed to offer comfort. It’s supposed to provide hope. Instead, it’s become a weapon that divides us and tries to shame people into

I do have to object, however, when your beliefs are so abstract and dangerous that you have to form a task force just to ensure that your discrimination goes unpunished.

As I’ve distanced myself from religion, I’ve watched the religious right weaponize everything I had learned in my formative years as a way to scare youth, sway politicians and inﬂuence communities.

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

viewpoint

Maia Monet

trans of thought May I “Pose” a question?

“P

OSE” ON THE fX

channel recently completed its inaugural season run and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Every week we were treated to the largest cast of transgender women ever assembled in one show, strutting across our screens with their improvised catwalks, to the beat of glorious 80s music.

We dove into the lives of their characters and saw their struggles with poverty, family, the men who fetishize them, sex work and living with HIV. We felt their hurt at yet another rejection and relished their triumphs in the face of adversity. In a way not too often seen on television, we were centered in the story and humanized. For the last couple months as each episode ended, my social media would explode with posts from other trans women praising the insider nuance and thanking the trans women, both in front and behind the camera, involved in the show. They were clearly delighted to see a too rare sympathetic portrayal, and if I closed my eyes, I could almost hear the weeping of gratitude behind keyboards across the country. “Here, finally, is television that can make a difference for our community,” was the subtext in every post. It had positive impact that I could see as one or two people personally reached out to me with questions as a direct result of “Pose.” However,

I must also admit that, as the show approached the end of season one, I found a guilty dissatisfaction with it growing in me. Perhaps it is expecting too much of a show called “Pose,” but as amazing as it is to see the stories of multiple trans women of color told all at once, the lens by which we view them is through gender performance and the male gaze. Ryan Murphy, the creative genius behind “Glee” and “American Horror Story,” gives us the inner-workings of the lives of these courageous women in a way that tugs at the heartstrings, but backdrops it against a ball culture and men who quite literally judge them on primarily superficial terms. They win at the ball by becoming exotic glamazons. Away from the balls, they are the objects of obsession for cisgender men who exoticize them as the “girl with something extra” from straight male porn dreams. I don’t want to pile on, because I think the empathetic peek we get into the lives of these women more than makes up for any misgivings I have, but a consequence of the structure of the show is that we only see one kind of trans woman repeated over and over. Gorgeous, straight and— because this is television and the characters need to be acceptable to the general viewing public—all of them are not-too-obviously transgender. There is, of course, nothing wrong with any of that, but for a show with intentions at being groundbreaking for the transgender community, it is actually a very conventional depiction of trans women. What we get is more of the same stereotypes we’ve seen in other media countless times, but enhanced and redeemed by backstory and Hollywood caliber beauty. I’d hoped to see something truly different, like a character resembling one of my many real life transgender friends, and was disappointed

that I didn’t. I might have even been satisfied by the inclusion of one cisgender lesbian in the New York City created by Murphy, but they apparently didn’t exist in the 1980s. Now, why does this matter? Well, and I know this is hardly a new idea, being

doing to move the needle on the multiple fronts where the trans community is battling for our civil rights. Is it helping trans kids to get their schools to respect their gender identity? Will it increase empathy for trans women getting thrown out of ladies facilities across the

the transgender community at this critical juncture. There is certainly great value in having us appear in living rooms on a weekly basis. Especially given the violence trans women of color, like the characters on the show, experience too often. Unfortunately, this

visible is important. “Pose” is the most high profile vehicle to accomplish this to date for the transgender community. In case any of you hadn’t noticed, we are at a major crossroads in history. This is the time to build inroads to communities that have never seen a transgender person and popular media has historically been a great avenue by which to reach a large audience. I just don’t know how much “Pose” is

country? Can it bring greater understanding among radical elements in the feminist community who see trans women as a patriarchal encroachment by men in ultra-feminine guise? I have my doubts, but I dearly hope that I am wrong. I know I am supposed to be grateful that “Pose” even exists at all, and I think it is a great show as far as it goes. However, I think we need more diverse depictions of

show does so by serving up standard stereotypes of trans women. Our worth is much more than how attractive we appear when we pose. It is time the world saw that.

’Here, finally, is television that can make a diﬀerence for our community,’ was the subtext in every post.

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Melody Maia Monet is the co-founder of madrigalsoftware.com and owns a YouTube channel on lesbian and transgender topics. You can view her videos at YouTube.com/MelodyMaia.

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

LGBTQ

INDIVIDUALS

AGE 45

talking points The first gay men I met, I was 12 years old ... They were talking to my mom and her best friend ... they were so happy and excited about everything they were talking about, so animated. And I thought, ‘these guys are much more fun than the regular men that come over to visit.’ And I didn’t know that they were gay, but I just thought, ‘these guys are great.’ —CHER IN AN INTERvIEW WITH GLAAD

“9 to 5” seQuel Confirmed

With original trio on board

HE HIT 1980 COMEDY “9 TO 5” IS COMING BACk and the film’s original female trio of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are all on board. Rumors of a reboot began in February but Fonda confirmed the new movie in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, clarifying that it will be a sequel rather than a remake. Fonda will also be executive producer on the film and is working with 20th Century Fox on the project. The script is being written by Rashida Jones and Pat Rosnick. “9 to 5” is still one of the highest grossing box office comedies of all time, with an adjusted gross haul of $356 million. The movie inspired a short-lived TV series and a 2009 Broadway musical with a score from Parton. There is no set release date for the movie at this time.

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SOCIAL SUPPORT AS THEY AGE. 73% do not have aCCess to lgbt-speCifiC senior serviCes in their area, even though 91% of them are interested in suCh serviCes. —AARP STUDY

Kid fury and lena Waithe developing neW hbo Comedy series

ID fURY AND LENA WAITHE ARE WORkING TO BRING A NEW COMEDY focused on a gay, black man to the small screen. Variety describes the upcoming series as a “surreal dark comedy that follows Greg, a 20-something sarcastic gay black man navigating adulthood and responsibility in New York City while struggling to wrap his head around his undiagnosed clinical depression.” Fury will both write for the project and serve as co-executive producer. Waithe will join him as co-executive producer along with Jason Kim. Waithe’s television credits already include an Emmy award for screenwriting an episode of “Master of None.” Other executive producers will include Chloe Pisello, David Martin, Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner of Avalon Television.

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“broKebaCK mountain” almost starred leonardo diCaprio and brad pitt

IRECTOR GUS vAN SANT DROPPED THE NAMES of some famous actors who rejected the lead roles in 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain,” in an interview with IndieWire. Before Ang Lee came on board as the director, Van Sant was attached to the project, and he admits that finding big name actors for the film was a struggle. “Nobody wanted to do it,” he said. “I felt like we needed a really strong cast, like a famous cast ... I asked the usual suspects: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe. They all said no.” Producer and screenwriter Diana Ossana confirmed the story. The roles eventually went to Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, earning Oscar nominations for both actors.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

“supergirl’s” niCole maines Will be tv’s first transgender superhero

ICOLE MAINES, A TRANSGENDER ACTIvIST AND ACTRESS, has been cast as Nia Nal (aka Dreamer) on the CW’s “Supergirl,” making her the first trans superhero in the history of television. The 20-year-old actress’ casting was announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Nia will appear in the upcoming fourth season as a regular. She will work as a reporter alongside Kara (Supergirl). According to Deadline, Nia is “a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others, Nia’s journey this season means fulfilling her destiny as the superhero Dreamer (much like Kara came into her own as Supergirl).” Maines has appeared in the series “Royal Pains” and the documentary “The Trans List.” “Supergirl” season four premieres on Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. on CW.

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

Samuel Johnson

HE MIDTERM ELECTION

primaries are right around the corner on Aug. 28. The LGBTQ community numbers nearly 900,000 Floridians, comprising 4.1 percent of the adult population of Florida. Of that adult LGBTQ population, more than a quarter of them are raising children. Based on these numbers, the LBGTQ vote can impact elections, especially in the primaries.

In Florida there are candidates throughout the state who are advocates for the LGBTQ community. They are vowing to protect and promote equality for LGBTQ—and all—Floridians. The midterm primaries in Florida are boasting at least eight openly gay candidates,

plus a slew of advocates and allies who are running. Voter turnout during the primaries of midterm elections is notoriously scant. Take the numbers from the last Florida midterm primaries: The percentage of Floridians who voted in the 2014

midterm primaries was a paltry 18 percent, according to the Florida Division of Elections statistics. Many pundits point to the fact that midterms don’t have the same allure as presidential election years. That notwithstanding, Florida didn’t exactly overachieve in 2016. The Florida Division of Elections estimates that less than a quarter of Floridian voters, just 24 percent, cast their ballots. Before the early 1990s, Democrats held sway over both chambers of the Florida legislature, something that changed in 1996 when Republicans wrestled

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control of both chambers of the legislature. The GOP hasn’t looked back. In 2014 the Republicans boasted an 82-37 majority. That was reduced in 2016, but not by much. After the 2016 elections the Republicans held 79 seats and the Democrats 41. To give some perspective, if a party has 80 members or more, that party can override the governor’s vetoes, even without a single vote from the opposite party. This year it appears as if there could be a paradigm shift in who governs the state.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

The Bureau of Consular Affairs has employed the mantra of “know before you go” for years when advising American citizens traveling abroad. One could easily apply the same phrase to going to the polls. It’s been reported that America is experiencing a schism of political ideology, where members of each party entrench themselves against the other. This might unfold into primary voting strictly along party lines. Even if this were true, which it may not be, it belies something which can sway the primaries, and by extension, the general election: undecided or independent voters. As of June 30, Florida’s Division of Election shows that of Hillsborough County’s 830,544 eligible voters, 262,829 are registered as Continued on pg. 25 | uu |

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

| uu | Primary Season from pg.23

Republicans, 322,254 as Democrats and 245,461 hold no affiliation or have registered with minor parties. For Orange County’s 764,173 voters, 205,646 are registered Republicans, 320,491 are Democrats and 238,036 hold no affiliation or have registered with minor parties. Pinellas County has the lowest number of eligible voters with 650,253. 229,893 are registered Republicans, 229,589 are Democrats and 190,771 list a minor party or no affiliation. We’ll be highlighting some of the salient issues impacting the LGBTQ community, meeting some of those candidates who are on the political frontline of promoting these issues. Will there be a blue wave of equality, equity, and parity? Before we start gazing into the crystal ball or analyzing the tealeaves, it’s beneficial to understand the issues that are germane to LGBTQ Florida. A tremendous repository for gathering a sense of current LGBTQ basic civil rights issues is Equality Florida. Equality Florida is an advocacy organization dedicated to LGBTQ civil rights. They monitor the LGBTQ and other candidates that are running, leverage a 300,000 member database and their 1.3 million member pro-equality voter database, as well as engage and educate people about the races. This makes up the day-to-day workweek of Joe Saunders, Equality Florida’s senior political director. Saunders was one of the first openly gay Floridians elected to the Florida House of Representatives. One of the major themes affecting the LGBTQ community in Florida, according to Saunders, is workplace equality. He said that for the past 15 years in a row, Equality Florida has been introducing a piece of legislation called the “Florida Competitive Workforce Act.” Saunders emphasizes its necessity, advising that “it would finally create a statewide non-discrimination law to protect the LGBTQ community in employment and in housing and accommodations, just like every other protected class in the state.” Right now, LGBTQ discrimination protections are based on zip codes. Meaning, if you are lucky enough to reside where the local government has established those rights, then you’re covered. The current senior director of Planned Parenthood Southwest and Central Florida, Anna Eskamani, is a Democrat running for Florida House

Every day we wake up and, whether it’s the environment or whether it’s women’s rights or LGBTQ rights, we are seeing them either be threatened or stripped away. If we don’t keep the door open and elect people that are like-minded individuals, we can see just how fragile these rights are. —Orange County Commissioner District 4 candidate Susan Makowski

District 47 Representative. She is also an Orlando native. She supports workplace equality for all Floridians and especially the LGBTQ community within her district, which includes the Pulse nightclub. She asserts that protecting the rights of LGBTQ workers is paramount to economic growth, noting that “this is an economic issue. We will not attract high paying jobs to Florida unless we guarantee equality for all.” The incumbent in Orlando’s House District 49 race, and the first openly-LGBTQ Latino Florida lawmaker, Carlos Guillermo Smith, goes one step further. He asserts that’s the reason Amazon passed up Florida for its second headquarters, because “it’s been an open secret that [for] Amazon’s HQ2, [for] Jeff Bezos, that workplace equality for LGBTQ is something they look for... we’re not going to get an HQ2. One of the

reasons why is that we’ve refused to update the Florida Civil Rights Act to protect LGBTQ people.” Smith views the ethos of workplace equality as moving in a bipartisan direction. He maintains that more and more GOP lawmakers and candidates are getting on board with the equality message. Orange County houses the third largest metropolitan area in Florida: Orlando. For decades Orange County has experienced a predominance of Republican control. This is despite the total average of registered Democrat voters versus Republican registered voters. There are two openly LGBTQ candidates who are poised to change that: Susan Makowski and Eric Rollings. Makowski is running to become Orange County Commissioner in District 4. Makowski is no stranger to District 4, having served seven

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

years as the chief administrative aide to current Orange County Commissioner for District 4 Jennifer Thompson. Makowski’s former boss supports her bid for the Orange County Commission, as does Earl Crittenden, chairman of the onePulse Foundation. Rollings is the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor and Board Chairman and is running in District 3. Much like Makowski, Rollings is no stranger to the district for which he hopes to be elected County Commissioner. “I have always been active in the LGBTQ community, as well as active in the environmental community,” Rollings has told Watermark. “It’s very scary for me to see where the nation as a whole is going. Every day we wake up and, whether it’s the environment or whether it’s women’s rights or LGBTQ rights, we

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

are seeing them either be threatened or stripped away. If we don’t keep the door open and elect people that are like-minded individuals, we can see just how fragile these rights are.” Garnering support for LGBTQ issues among the Republican candidates and lawmakers, particularly the Workplace Equality Act, is the strategy of Miami’s SAVE. SAVE is an overarching advocacy organization, with an educational branch, a grassroots branch and a PAC branch. Tony Lima, executive director at SAVE, succinctly labels it as an organization protecting LGBTQ people against discrimination through their efforts in getting candidates elected. SAVE has started an initiative called “Conservatives on the Right Side of Equality.” Although, Lima points out that SAVE is nonpartisan, noting “it’s really about bringing more conservatives into the fray... [getting] more of those conservative leaders who are willing to put their necks on the line for the sake of making non-discrimination protections a reality.” The focus is on centrist and moderate right Republicans, he says. The thrust of this campaign has been in South Florida for the past 3 years, but since about a year ago, SAVE has been pushing into Central Florida and Tallahassee. Currently, the Republicans in Tallahassee have a firm grip on almost all levers of power. This midterm election cycle may be a harbinger of drastic change. Not only will Florida be voting on a new Governor, but an entire Governor’s cabinet. This shake-up of high profile positions includes the Attorney General, currently held by Pam Bondi. Democrat Sean Shaw wants that job. At the moment, Shaw is House Representative of District 61 in Tampa and is quick to point out that he co-signed the Florida Competitive Workforce Act. He vows to use the full extent of his mandate, as AG, to prosecute those who discriminate, even if that means butting heads with the next governor. Shaw advises that if the next governor “does not believe that we need to protect people based on gender, based on sexual identity, based on sexual orientation, then they’re going to have a problem with my office. Because, I will.” One of the duties of the AG is to not only prosecute but also to defend Florida, and there is a lawsuit looming over the state. It centers around the gun safety measures passed earlier this year by the legislature, including

Continued on pg. 29 | uu |

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ron desantis Voted “No” on House Amendment 1128 to HR5055: The Maloney Amendment, a ratification of President Obama’s executive order making it illegal for federal contractors to discriminate on the basis of “sexual orientation and gender identity.” He did so on religious grounds. Signed The First Amendment Defense Act, a religious opposition to same-sex marriage. This would have hamstrung the federal government from acting against someone who has discriminated against another if the discrimination was based on religious belief or moral conviction. This would be permitted if the religious or moral conviction assumed marriage is exclusively between a man and woman.

adam Putnam Voted “No” on job workplace equality for the LGBTQ community for HR3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act Nov 13, 2007. Voted “Yes” on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the Marriage Protection Amendment, Bill H J RES 88 Jul 18, 2006.

andrew gillum Vows to protect the LGBTQ community. He advises that he will “make sure we protect all people, in particular those in the LGBT community, with an emphasis on the T, for transgender. Hate crimes have increased here and throughout the country.” Supports same-sex marriage, advising that “when many in the panhandle said they would no longer issue marriage

GUBERNATORIAL

CANDIDATES

Samuel Johnson

HE WHOLE Of fLORIDA

politics is in flux during this primary midterm election cycle. While the Democrats are looking to flip the balance of power in the state legislature, the incumbent Republicans are trying to retain their advantage on that balance of power. Many Floridians are keeping an eye at the top of the ballot, especially the gubernatorial race. Current Florida Governor Rick Scott has been term-limited out and has thrown his hat into the Senate race against incumbent Bill Nelson.

licenses to [same-sex couples] I stood up as the mayor Florida’s capital city and said, ‘come here and get married, where we recognize that love is love.’” Sees conversion therapy as a “ridiculous, unscientific practice that has no place in civilized society.” Seeks better healthcare for transgender individuals, advising they “are unable to access maintenance and healthcare other than via the emergency room. I think that’s unacceptable. It’s one of our main motivators for ensuring that we expand access to healthcare for all people.” Seeks reform on sex education in schools that “exposes individuals and communities, particularly communities of color, men and women of color, to dangerous practices that are not helping us gain control of this epidemic.” Seeks to ban certain high capacity weapons and wants to implement common sense gun reform like background checks to include people with domestic violence abuses. Gillum, who has an openly gay brother, says he vows to

This leaves a vacuum at Florida’s highest elected official position, and the candidates vying for the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee have a crowded primary race. Watermark’s focus will be on seven of the frontrunners:

help pass laws on LBGTQ civil rights protections that include employment and housing.

gwen graham Has called for a ban on conversion therapy. Has expressed solidarity with the LGBTQ communities throughout the state. Vows to help pass laws on LBGTQ civil rights protections that pertain to employment and housing.

Jeff greene Supports the Florida Competitive Workforce Act. He asserts that discrimination is not part of his value system and won’t let it be part of Florida’s value system.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

two Republicans and five Democrats. These include Republicans Ron DeSantis and Adam Putnam, as well as Democrats Andrew Gillum, Gwen Graham, Jeff Greene, Chris King and Philip Levine. Watermark reached out to each of the candidates multiple times with a list of questions pertaining to LGBTQ equality ahead of the Aug. 28 primary. We received responses from Gillum and Greene and spoke with King in November 2017 about his run for the governor seat. What follows is a brief look at the candidates running to become the next governor of Florida.

Says he will appoint Florida Supreme Court justices who are against LGBTQ discrimination. Vows to fight against any attempts at a repeal of same-sex marriage. Considers conversion therapy to be “barbaric” and commits to making a statewide ban on the practice one of his first priorities in oﬃce on “day one.” Says he will be tough on hate crimes targeting the LGBTQ community, especially those in the transgender community. Says he sees public education as a means to teach tolerance and acceptance. He supports age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate and comprehensive sex education. Says he wants to ban the sale of military-style weapons immediately, get rid of the gun show loopholes and wants to get the weapons “off the streets as soon as possible.”

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Says he became a candidate in order to promote equality.

chris king Advises via his website that he “will work to protect the right to choose, end workplace discrimination and close the pay gap so everyone can reach their fullest potential.” Says he will get the Competitive Workforce Act passed, something he believes could have already been done if it wasn’t for the state’s current leadership. “I believe it’s leadership: the governor, the speaker and a lot of the guys running on the Republican side right now who just stopped that from happening,” King says. This should be something we all agree on: that you can’t bully and discriminate against a group of people.”

PhiliP levine Advises via his website that “as Mayor of Miami Beach, he led the first same-sex weddings in his city after the historic ruling in 2015. Under his administration, his city won consecutive perfect scores from the Human Rights Campaign for inclusiveness and tolerance––the highest in the state of Florida.” Advises via his website that “just as he did as Mayor, [he] will make sure that Florida is a state known for its tolerance and inclusiveness.” Advises via his website that as Governor, he “will fight to make the Florida Competitive Workforce Act a reality, to ensure that no one of any gender or sexual orientation faces discrimination on the job.”

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| uu | Primary Season from pg.25

certain background checks and bans on ammunition. Shaw says he is willing to fight against the National Rifle Association, noting that Florida could have an “Attorney General, like me, who believes in sensible-commonsense gun safety measures,” or “an Attorney General, like the Republican nominee, who is going to taut their NRA A+ grade.” Guns, gun violence and curbing the ubiquity of military-style weaponry are top of mind for all of the LGBTQ and the LGBTQ advocacy candidates. Smith points to the fact that minorities and the minorities within minority groups are the target of gun violence. “We’re targets of hate crimes,” he says. “Three transgender women of color have been murdered in Jacksonville just this year... and unfettered access to weapons of war makes us even easier targets.” Jennifer Webb, a Democrat running for House District 69 Representative in St. Petersburg, is an openly gay candidate. She is an anthropologist by education, having graduated from the University of South Florida where she worked as the director of community partnerships. Developing relationships among disparate entities is a well suited job for an anthropologist and a definite springboard for a politician. She underscores the poignancy of gun violence and what it means to the LGBTQ community. “I was of the generation that was raised in bars,” she says. “That’s why Pulse was so devastating, because that really was our safe place.” Eskamani suggests starting early, in schools, to educate kids on tolerance and acceptability as a way of curtailing and reducing gun violence against the LGBTQ community, so that “every young person grows up with a sense of respect and love for each other. That alone will help reduce violence in the future.” School and education figure prominently on the agenda of LGBTQ-friendly candidates going into the primaries. Webb insists that kids often get positive affirmation at schools. Moreover, she says, that affirmation needs to be buttressed with more counselors and LGBTQ-oriented clubs in schools—such as the Gay-Straight Alliances, or GSAs. Smith suggests a model that is being testing in California, where LGBTQ history is taught as part of the curriculum. He says the civil

House District 49 candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith (left).

House District 69 candidate Jennifer Webb (right).

rights curriculum taught in California public schools encompasses the life and work of Harvey Milk, lamenting about his own school curriculum. “We need LGBTQ role models to look up to,” he says. “I didn’t have any when I was growing up, not one... having LGBTQ role models [is important] when you’re a young queer or questioning person.” Smith says sex education has to have parameters in order to be effective. “What we need is comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education to also include sex education for LGBTQ youth.” He also sees the state’s adherence on teaching abstinence only sex education as contributing to Florida’s high level of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. The Florida Department of Health recorded an increase of 20 percent, throughout the state, of new HIV/AIDS cases has been recorded for people in their 20’s during the period 2007 to 2016. Eskamani recounts that a comprehensive sexual education curriculum is essential for LGBTQ youth being their authentic selves. Webb is thankful, but alarmed,

Florida Attorny General candidate Sean Shaw.

House District 47 candidate Anna Eskamani.

that sometimes the only mental healthcare that LGBTQ youth receive is at school. “That gives them the resiliency to go back home or into a community that might be less than accepting,” she says. Webb calls this “upstream treatment,” meaning that it is preventative or offers early detection. Healthcare, in general, is a concern within the LGBTQ community going into primary season, particularly for those within the transgender community. What is of grave concern is ensuring that healthcare be both equal and affordable. The old adage rings true; what is done to the most vulnerable of us is done to all of us. What will this look like on a legislative landscape? Eskamani breaks it down, pointing toward the need for “having policies that also support members of the transgender community [and] that ensure that healthcare providers are inclusive, and trained, to provide LGBTQ competent care.” Another issue facing the LGBTQ community is the practice of conversion therapy, which the

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Orange County Commisioner District 4 candidate Susan Makowski.

Orange County Commisioner District 3 candidate Eric Rollings.

candidates Watermark spoke with unanimously condemn. “Conversion therapy—sometimes called ‘ex-gay therapy’—attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” Equality Florida has previously advised Watermark. “It has been discredited by the American Psychological Association and every other major professional health organization as ineffective, unethical and dangerous. Conversion therapy has been shown to lead to higher instances of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide.” While there is no statewide law banning conversion therapy, many cities and counties have passed local bans on the practice, although it’s estimated that it is still legal in nearly 30 percent of Florida. Lima reminds everyone why this odious treatment should be a motivation to get the LGBTQ community and its allies out to vote. “It’s something that can be addressed,” Lima notes, “because it’s something that is aimed specifically at our children.” SAVE is taking its political advocacy machine into the cities and other municipalities

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throughout the state in order to awaken voters to the fallacious treatment. Lima emphasizes the need to keep the ban on conversion therapy in the political discourse of Florida. “There aren’t, necessarily, any [conversion therapy ban] bills out there; pushing forward... whereas, with some of these other issues, there is actually the possibility to affect positive change.” Looking forward to the general election, not one of the primary candidates is resigned to sit back, and watch the ethereal blue wave scoop them up to victory. The candidates are counting more on the constant drumbeat of equality to be the message. They’re also of like mind, focusing on the ground game and spreading the message. Motivating voters could be the real blue wave. However you approach the midterm primaries, dramatically, drastically or direly, change is going to come—and the openly LGBTQ and ally candidates are leading that charge.

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8/6/18 9:11 AM

arts and entertainment

BOLDLY

GO Activist and actor George Takei treks through the past to fight for the future

“I

Ryan Williams-Jent

’M A PASSIONATE LOvER Of MY

career, my acting,” George Takei says, “but also I’m equally mindful of the important responsibility I have as an American citizen in advocating for justice.”

It’s why the 81-year-old actor is as well-known for originating Mr. Sulu on 1966’s “Star Trek” as he is for his social media dominance today. Takei takes neither for granted, noting that “an actor’s career is dependent on fans,” and uses his platform to foster a connection with audiences worldwide. In part, he’s done so because he spent years of his life behind barbed wire fences—both figuratively and literally. “I grew up imprisoned behind American barbed wire fences when

I was a child simply because we happened to look like the people that bombed Pearl Harbor,” Takei recalls. “Because we looked like those people of Japan. With no charges, with no trial, with no due process, we were summarily rounded up and imprisoned. Right here in the United States.” The California native, his family and 120,000 other Japanese Americans were unjustly imprisoned

Continued on pg. 33 | uu |

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

| uu | George Takei from pg.31

during the outbreak of World War II, first in a prison camp in the swamps of Arkansas and later in Northern California. Takei calls it “a defining, formative experience,” one that led him to treasure his American citizenship. It was during Takei’s early years that he realized it was more than his “Asian face that made him different” from other boys. “They would get excited about Monica who was prematurely buxom,” he recalls. “I thought Monica was nice, but it was Bobby that was really exciting to me. I was different again.” As the years passed and Takei decided to pursue an acting career, he says he realized there would be challenges, in part because of his then-heartthrob Tab Hunter. Hunter, who passed away in June, was a leading man whose career suffered following rumors of his homosexuality in the 1950s. “Every movie coming out of Warner Bros. starred Tab Hunter,” he says, “and when one of the gossip sheets exposed him as being gay, suddenly he disappeared. He lost his contract.” If he wanted to be an actor, Takei thought, he had to remain closeted. As he ventured into Hollywood, he created what he now calls “another kind of invisible barbed wire fence.” “I had real barbed wire fences that imprisoned me because of my ancestral background,” Takei says. “Then I had another kind of barbed wire fence that I couldn’t see but was just as confining. I pursued my career behind those invisible barbed wire fences.” It was during his closeted years that Takei, who has now appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television guest-starring roles, happened upon “Star Trek.” In its more than 50 year history, the series has launched a myriad of films, in which Takei has starred in six, along with a host of television spin-offs. He still heralds creator Gene Roddenberry’s series as groundbreaking. “It was his vision, his talent, his idealism, his imagination of putting the story out three centuries ahead into the future and finding the strength of the starship Enterprise in its diversity, in people coming from all over this planet,” he says. “Not only of different races, but different histories, heritages, cultures, languages and ideas, working together in concert,” Takei

OH MEOWWW: George Takei shares an “Oh Myyy” with Trumpy Cat, the star of his new political augmented reality app “House of Cats.” PHOTO BY BRAD TAKEI

adds. “It was an idealistic, utopian image that he had created.” Decades after its creation, Takei was advised that 2016’s reboot “Star Trek: Beyond” would feature the franchise’s first openly LGBTQ character in actor John Cho’s version of Mr. Sulu. “He called me to say that they wanted to pay tribute to me for my LGBT activism,” Takei says,

That’s the motto of the starship Enterprise: to boldly go where no one has gone before.” He still calls the new film’s representation of Sulu’s sexuality “meek, timid” and an “overly-cautious toe in the water of LGBT recognition,” noting that Roddenberry had intended Sulu to be straight. “‘Star Trek’ was created back in the early

and create a new character with his own history.” The first season of the franchise’s latest installment, CBS’ “Star Trek: Discovery,” did exactly that. Takei applauds the spin-off’s two original gay characters. “They finally went back to what I recommended,” he says. “‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is doing it right; not only do they have a gay

I had real barbed wire fences that imprisoned me because of my ancestral background, and then I had another kind of barbed wire fence that I couldn’t see but was just as confining. I pursued my career behind those invisible barbed wire fences. —George Takei on his closeted years in Hollywood “and I said that the movie would be coming out on the 50th anniversary of ‘Star Trek.’ The person to truly pay tribute to was Gene Roddenberry.” It was well-publicized at the time that Takei wasn’t ecstatic about the news. “I’m all for representation of the LGBTQ community and all its diverse forms,” he says, “but I also believe in being forthright and bold.

60s and all the characters had to be,” he says. “Otherwise it would never have gotten on the air. If we’re going to pay tribute to Gene Roddenberry, we should respect his creations.” “It’s wonderful that now ‘Star Trek’ is bold enough to deal with the LGBT issue,” Takei notes. “So deal with it boldly; use your imagination, just like Gene Roddenberry did,

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character but he’s there with his beloved, working as a team. That’s the way it should’ve been done.” As rightfully-opinionated as he is on all matters “Trek,” Takei is even more vocal about today’s political climate. It’s something that began with his coming out in 2005, after California became the first legislature

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in the nation to approve a same-sex marriage bill without court pressure. The bill went to film star and then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk to be signed, something Takei expected him to do. “When he ran for office, he campaigned by saying ‘some of my best friends are gay,’ that whole rhetoric… but he was a Republican from the right-wing of the party, and when the bill landed on his desk he vetoed it. I was raging.” It was that night that he told his now-husband Brad, who at the time he’d been with for nearly 20 years, that it was time to come out. “We decided it was time,” Takei says. “I’d had an alright career and it was time for me to take that big risk. I was prepared for my career to fade away, just like Tab Hunter’s.” It didn’t. Instead, “my career blossomed,” he laughs. “I was being cast in roles that were gay people and a number of them were characters named ‘George Takei’ … ‘gay George Takei.’” The roles were often comedies, prompting Takei to discover that “a good way to fight narrow-mindedness or zero tolerance is to put it in a larger context.” He believes it’s essential “to laugh at it, to mock it and to lampoon it.” A vocal opponent of Donald Trump’s presidency and his administration’s stance on immigration and equality, it’s that mentality that led to Takei’s new augmented reality app “House of Cats.” The app combines what the internet loves best, he says: cats and politics. “‘House of Cats’ is the first political app that puts users in the center of the action,” its official description reads. “Using a cast of animated political characters and ‘Pokémon GO’-style augmented reality features, users can participate in the political news of the day by creating their own photos and videos—in and out of the Oval Office.” The app, available now, launched with its inaugural cast of characters: Trumpy Cat, Meowlania, Vladdy Putin and Lil’ Rocket Pug. It will continue to grow and evolve with the politics of the day, adding new characters and satirical content in sync with world events. A recent world event and point of contention for Takei was Trump’s joint press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. “My blood was raging,” Takei says. “We have proof that Russia attacked us [during the 2016 presidential election] and attacked the core of Continued on pg. 35 | uu |

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

Ok TO BE TAkEI: When George takei came out in 2005, he says he was ready for his career to fade away. It only blossomed. Photo by lUKe Fontana

| uu | George Takei from pg.33

our democratic system… and we have this man that’s acting like the so-called president of the United States standing side-by-side with our attacker. He took his side and criticized our FBI and the Democrats.” The press conference was criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike, Takei chiefly among them. “He’s an ignorant person, an ill-informed person, an incompetent person, and I don’t call him the president,” Takei says. “He’s a fake president. He’s a counterfeit…. to call him the president is fake news.” To combat Trump’s ineptitude both abroad and domestic, Takei advises, a portion of the net profits from his new app will benefit Refugees International. The group exists to advocate for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced men and women and promotes solutions to displacement crises. “It’s an organization that brings aide, housing, food

and legal support to those fleeing for their lives from authoritarian governments or governments in chaos,” Takei describes, specifically citing Central America, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Chiapas area of Southern Mexico. In a recent report, the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders found that these areas are experiencing “unprecedented levels of violence outside of a war zone,” prompting daily occurrences of kidnappings, extortion and murder. As women and children flee the areas and seek asylum in the United States, Takei says, “this so-called president has a zero tolerance policy in the same way that a broad brush characterized Japanese Americans as traitors.” “They’re seeking relief and fleeing for their lives,” he says. “Refugees International is bringing aide and support to them, showing the humanitarianism of the U.S. government as represented by the people of America; not that guy that’s inhabiting the White House.” While Takei notes the situation in America is

grave, he believes laughter is essential. “House of Cats is fun,” Takei says. “It’s engaging, it’s interactive, and it’s fresh… Laughter is powerful medicine, and it’s impossible not to laugh at the bright orange animal who lucked into a job running the United States. I’m talking about Trumpy Cat, of course.” Above all, Takei says that America’s democracy is a people’s democracy and that there’s work to be done. “The people can do amazing things as the history of this country attests,” he says. “I subscribe to the ideals of this country, with liberty and justice for all; all men are created equal. We as citizens who cherish those ideals have to be actively engaged.” If we are, Takei adds, “we will live long and prosper.” “House of Cats,” created by George Takei in partnership with the Montreal-based app development company BMAD, is available to download from the Apple App and Google Play Stores for $0.99. A premium content subscription version will be available soon and a percentage of the net profits will be donated to Refugees International.

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

“AS GOVERNOR, I WILL PROTECT

OUR LGBTQ COMMUNITY FROM TRUMP

Donald Trump threatens to reverse the progress we have made toward equality. Trump’s Supreme Court has already ruled in favor of bigotry, but Jeff Greene will fight to ensure Florida is protected from the dangerous Trump agenda.

and his Supreme Court.”

• Pass state level protections for LGBTQ rights, including marriage equality, adoption, and anti-discrimination laws. • Pass the Florida Competitive Workplace Act to protect LGBTQ workers from being discriminated against or fired. • Protect our children by establishing strict penalties for bullying based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

FIGHTING AGAINST HATE AND BIGOTRY

VOTE DEMOCRAT JEFF GREENE FOR GOVERNOR Paid by Jeff Greene, Democrat, for Governor.

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

musicals

New Music in the House

LGBTQ-themed ‘Somewhere Between’ among selected shows featured in Winter Park Playhouse’s Florida Festival of New Musicals

(above)

first year acts: Last year’s inaugural Florida Festival of New Musicals was a huge success. Photo courtesy Winter park Playhouse

Jeremy Brener

inter Park Playhouse has

prided itself on bringing the best in small, intimate musical theater to Central Florida for more than 15 years. Last year, the playhouse launched a brand new musical festival to help bring light to some up-and-coming musicals from across the country, and after a wildly popular opening, it’s back. Winter Park Playhouse will host six developmental musicals looking to expand its audience in the second annual Florida Festival of New Musicals Aug. 23-26. Roy Alan, the founder of Winter Park Playhouse and the Florida Festival of New Musicals, wanted to give new shows the platform to be seen by other theater directors across Florida and the rest of the United States. Alan was looking for an opportunity to showcase more light-hearted, smaller shows that would fit the stage of the Winter Park Playhouse while also giving them the

chance to be seen in front of an audience that otherwise may not have had that opportunity. The Florida Festival of New Musicals is a four-day event that will showcase the six brand new, never-before-produced musical works and will bring together writers and composers with patrons, press, producers and directors. The first act of

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each selected musical will be fully read and sung concert-style, without staging, by varying casts of professional actors and musicians. Alan says that festivals like these take place all over the world, but none in this area before Winter Park Playhouse stepped up last year. “There were no other shows [like this] in the southeast United States, so I said, why not [here],” he says. After the success of last year’s inaugural festival, the team at Winter Park Playhouse wasted no time in getting this year’s festival up and running. 24 musicals were submitted by playwrights and authors from all over the world, but only six were selected to be featured at the Winter Park Playhouse new musical festival. After the six shows were selected, the directors of the Winter Park Playhouse—Alan, George Colangelo, Michael Edwards, and Ned Wilkinson— were each assigned two of the shows to work on and collaborate with the authors of the musicals. Over the course

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of nearly a year, the directors gained the understanding of the show in order to be able to put one act of it in front of an audience three times. Auditions for actors and actresses took place at the end of July and in early August. Once the casts are chosen and finalized, they only have a handful of rehearsals before show time. This year, the directors have picked six shows with an eclectic mix of styles from a love story set in the Mexican Revolution to a one-man show set in an Amtrak. The festival looks to have something for everyone, but the one musical that may catch LGBTQ fans’ eyes is “Somewhere Between,” with book, lyrics and music by Alan Becker. Becker, an openly gay man and Washington state resident, submitted his musical to be featured in this year’s festival in Sept. 2017. He has been working on “Somewhere Between” for the better part of the last decade, he says, ironing out every kink to make the show as perfect as possible. Becker likes to juggle a lot of different projects at once. On top of his playwriting, he is an award-winning, professional stage and film actor and director. He has performed in numerous shows in his hometown of Seattle, as well as directed several productions in his black box theater in Los Angeles. Becker says that there were periods where he would work exclusively on writing the dialogue or work on the songs for “Somewhere Between,” but then he would put it down and step away in order to focus on other projects. He says that has been the cycle he has gone through for the last 10 years, and now he is getting to experience the benefits from his hard work. Becker submitted “Somewhere Between” to various festivals similar to the Florida Festival for New Musicals across the world, finding success both stateside and abroad. Recently, “Somewhere Between” was chosen as a World Finalist for a new musical festival in Munich. Becker says the festival coordinators flew him to Germany for the festival where he got to see his dream come to life, noting that the show was well received. A German theater director in attendance enjoyed the show so much that he reached out to Becker to get a European tour started right away. Currently, Becker is working with the director and a German translator to bring the show to life in German so that it can be seen by various audiences across German-speaking countries. He hopes that the premiere of his show at the Winter Park Playhouse will spark similar results. Continued on pg. 39 | uu |

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HOMEGROWN fESTIvAL: The Winter Park Playhouse will play host to the second annual Florida Festival of New Musicals. Photo coUrteSy Winter ParK PlayhoUSe

| uu | New Musicals from pg.37

Becker says even though “Somewhere Between” is an LGBTQ-themed show, he believes all audiences will be able to relate to the story and identify with the protagonists. In the musical, a young man from a small town comes of age 10 years late and is running out of excuses to settle down with his high school sweetheart. However, it all changes when a boy comes to town and he starts to question everything he has ever thought about love and relationships. “The story is about finding your own trail in life as opposed to the past your loved ones want to put you on,” Becker says. He advises that “Somewhere Between” lets the audience truly get into the characters’ lives and lets you really know the who they are, which Becker thinks sets his show apart from other musicals in the genre. “People will be surprised about the realism of people’s lives,” he says. “It’s not a musical comedy with cartoonish characters. It’s a story about real folks with messy lives and no easy answers.” “Somewhere Between” is a two-act musical that takes a deep dive into the lives of each of the show’s characters. It features a cast of just six actors, giving Becker the opportunity to really develop

them and giving the audience a chance to really get to know and understand each one’s motivations. Becker says while some other shows only offer cliché representations of LGBTQ character archetypes, “Somewhere Between” offers an authentic version of situations that LGBTQ people in society go through each and every day. “I think it’s always best to speak from one’s own experience,” he adds. The main character questions his sexual orientation throughout the show, adding to his internal struggle of being his true self rather than who everyone wants him to be. While the show is not entirely autobiographical, Becker says that there are elements to the story that can be traced back to his own journey or that of others in the LGBTQ community. “I think LGBT people [these days] are facing some of the greatest pressures in this society not to be themselves,” he says. Becker’s “Somewhere Between” will be joined at the festival by “Diamond and the North Wind,” “Extended Stay,” “How to Marry a Divorced Man,” “Miss Isabella Rainsong and Her Travelling Companion” and “The Stranger from Seville.”

“Diamond and the North Wind” (New York, NY) Book by Jeffrey Haddow | Lyrics by Jeffrey Haddow & Thomas Tierney | Music by Thomas Tierney

Aug. 23, 8 p.m.; Aug. 25, 6 p.m.; Aug. 26, 4 p.m.

“Extended Stay” (New York, NY) Book by Jenny Stafford | Lyrics by Jenny Stafford and Scotty Arnold | Music by Scotty Arnold Aug. 23, 2 p.m.; Aug. 24, 4 p.m.; Aug. 25, 8 p.m. “How to Marry a Divorced Man” (New York, NY) Book & Lyrics by Bryan D. Leys, based on the book by Leslie Fram | Music by Clare Cooper Aug. 24, 6 p.m.; Aug. 25, 2 p.m.; Aug. 26, 12 p.m. “Miss Isabella Rainsong and Her Traveling Companion” (fulton, MD) Book, Lyrics & Music by Ross D. Martin Aug. 23, 4 p.m.; Aug. 24, 8 p.m.; Aug. 25, 12 p.m. “Somewhere Between” (vashon Island, WA) Book, Lyrics & Music by Alan Becker Aug. 24, 2 p.m.; Aug. 25 4 p.m.; Aug. 26, 6 p.m.

“The Stranger from Seville” (Melbourne, Australia) Book & Lyrics by Victor Kazan | Music by Kevin Purcell Aug. 23, 6 p.m.; Aug. 25, 10 a.m.; Aug. 26, 2 p.m. Winter Park Playhouse’s Florida Festival of Musicals runs Aug. 23-26. Tickets are $10 per musical or $50 for a six-show festival fun pass, and can be purchased at WinterParkPlayhouse.org or by calling 407-645-0145.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

community calendar

event planner arts+entertainment Central florida anime Festival orlando 2018, Aug. 3-5, Wyndham Orlando Resort, Orlando. 407-351-2420; AnimeFestivalOrlando.com Jeff Jones comedy, Aug. 10, Bonkerz Comedy Club, Deltona. 386-878-8875; BonkerzComedy Productions.com centered in the arts Program – Spoken Word & Voice, Aug. 11, LGBT+ Center, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org Rock Hard Review – The Magic Mike experience, Aug. 11, Hamburger Mary’s, Orlando. 321-319-0600; HamburgerMarys.com Walker Stalker convention, Aug. 11-12, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando. 407-685-9800; WalkerStalkerCon.com/Orlando

Central florida

stan the (art) man

Shakira, Aug. 14, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7900; AmwayCenter.com

“The Suicide of James Rider,” Aug. 19, Enzian Theater, Maitland. 407-629-0054; Enzian.org

the center Kissimmee ribbon cutting & Grand opening, Aug. 15, The Center Kissimmee, Kissimmee. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org

chris redd, Aug. 22, CFE Arena, Orlando. 407-823-3070; CFEArena.com

art Show featuring Stan Madray, Aug. 16, Gallery Eola, Orlando. 407-793-6982; GalleryEola.com Summer/Fall 2018 exhibition, Aug. 17, SNAP! Downtown, Orlando. 407-286-2185; SnapOrlando.com orlando Vegan Fest, Aug. 18, Eagle Nest Park, Orlando. 407-246-2283; CityofOrlando.net/ fpr/eagles-nest-park

Join Parliament House Orlando for “A Night at the Rouge” dinner and show at the worldfamous Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre. A ticket provides guests with a French-style buffet, a complimentary themed cocktail and a night of entertainment. The event is hosted by Gidget Galore and features a show by Michelle Du Soleil & Company. Tickets are $35. Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktail hour, and the dinner and show begin at 7 p.m. For more information call 407-425-7571 or visit ParliamentHouse.com.

Orlando Disco Bowl 7 AUG. 12, 12-6 P.M. ALOMA BOWLING CENTER, WINTER PARk Join the Human Rights Campaign of Central Florida for the Seventh Annual Disco Bowl at the Aloma Bowling Center in Winter Park. Tickets include two games of bowling, show rental and an annual membership, or membership renewal, to HRC. The event starts at noon with bowling kicking off at 1 p.m. Tickets are $35 for individual bowlers, $135 for a team of four and $165 for a team of five and can be purchased at the HRC Orlando/Central Florida Facebook page.

Photo coUrteSy MaDray’S FacebooK

adults-only Science night live, Aug. 18, Orlando Science Center, Orlando. 407-514-2000; OSC.org

Watermark’s Third Thursday, Aug. 16, Fairvilla Megastore, Orlando. 407-425-6005; Fairvilla.com

fRIDAY, AUG. 10, 6–9 P.M. PARLIAMENT HOUSE, ORLANDO

Artist Stan Madray brings his work to Gallery Eola in Orlando Aug. 16 for an all-new art show.

Drake bell benefit concert with Kira Kosarin, Aug. 14, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6103; onePULSEFoundation.org

Free legal clinic, Aug. 15, LGBT+ Center, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org

“A Night at the Rouge”

tampa bay Georgie’s alibi St. Pete reunion, Aug. 13, The ZOO Studios & Event Space-Us Artist Group, St. Petersburg. 727-350-5962; TheZooStudios.net Darryl lenox, Aug. 15-19, McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, Sarasota. 941-925-3869; McCurdysComedy.com “hedwig and the angry inch,” Aug. 15-Sept. 9, Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa. 800.955.1045; StrazCenter.org come out St. Pete Planning Meeting, Aug. 16, St. Petersburg. 727-744-4037; ComeOutStPete.org

Picker Place ybor 4-Day Market, Aug. 9-12, Picker Place Ybor, Tampa. 813-952-4672; PickerPlace.com Pet Pal Pup crawl, Aug. 11, Pinellas Ale Works, St. Petersburg. 727-235-0970; PawBeer.com

cosplay night at the castle, Aug. 18, The Castle, Tampa. 813-247-7547; CastleYbor.com The Incredible Duck Race, Aug. 18, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa. 813-274-8615; DuckRace.com

tampa bay

Paint Nite, Aug. 18, Hamburger Mary’s, Brandon. 813-643-2110; HamburgerMarys.com/Brandon

improv: house teams live!, Aug. 11, American Stage, St. Petersburg. 727-823-7529; AmericanStage.org charity binGo, Aug. 13, Hamburger Mary’s, Clearwater. 727-400-6996; HamburgerMarys.com/Clearwater Doug benson, Aug. 15, Improv Tampa, Tampa. 813-864-4000; ImprovTampa.com

Drag Queen Brunch at Masons Live

St. Pete’s Art of Body experience: escape From Darkness, Aug. 18, Kozuba & Sons Distillery, St. Petersburg. 727-537-9286; CuriositoriumStPete.com

AUG. 12, 12-3 P.M. MASONS LIvE, LAkELAND Come join one of Lakeland’s most popular clubs as they drag up your life with one legendary drag queen brunch. Kathryn Nevets hosts as some of the area’s best drag performers entertain as you brunch and sip on all-you-candrink mimosas and Bloody Mary’s. For more information and to RSVP go to MasonsLive.com.

sarasota “Diverged Diznee,” Aug. 10-11, Venice Theatre, Venice. 941-488-1115; VeniceStage.com

Drinks @ ella’s w/ Jordan esker & the 100%, Aug. 17, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa. 813-234-1000; EllasFolkArtCafe.com evanescence and lindsay Stirling, Tampa, Aug. 17, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa. 813-740-2446; MidFlorida.com/ Amphitheatre

Political Hob Nob

Downtown Venice Wine Walk, Aug. 16, Centennial Park, Venice. 941-484-6722; VisitVeniceFL.org 17th annual Friday Fest, Aug. 17, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 941-953-3368; VanWezel.org

AUG. 14, 4-8 P.M. TAMPA CONvENTION CENTER, TAMPA Come out, meet local political candidates and get involved. The Tampa Convention Center hosts the event, reaching out to the Tampa community to give voters a better understanding of the candidates running in November’s elections. Spend the afternoon learning more about your representation. For more information, visit TampaGov.net/TCC.

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

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Thursday, September 13th, 2018 | 6:30pm to 9:30pm Tickets $45 in advance, $55 at the door * Purchase tickets by September, 1st for the chance to win 2 Crown Circle Passes.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

overheard

tampa bay out+about

usf’s pride

NIvERSITY Of SOUTH fLORIDA (USf) fOOTBALL WILL HOLD the second annual USF Pride Night Sept. 1. The Bulls will face competitor Elon at Raymond James Stadium at 6 p.m. for the outing, with Pride Night seats on the 50 yard line. “It’s critically important right now, especially in the political arena that we’re in, that we do all we can to support all of our communities,” Director of Internal Operations for the Bulls Club Todd St. John-Fulton says. “I feel like our community is coming under attack constantly, so it’s incredibly important to raise visibility.” “To me, it also shows the normalcy of our lives,” he adds. “We’re no different than anyone else that goes to the games. We’re just human beings going to enjoy a sporting event.” Tickets are $25 with a purchase deadline of Aug. 25 before midnight. They include a USF Bulls Pride t-shirt, which St. John-Todds advises will be made available ahead of the game. “We have a whole section of the stadium seating reserved just for us,” he says. “I think it would be powerful to see as many people as possible with their UFS pride shirts on in one area.” Attendees will meet ahead of Pride Night to socialize, he advises, noting that registrants will receive additional details once they’ve purchased tickets. ““We have to do all we can to raise the awareness of our community,” he says, “to say that we’re just as deserving as anyone else.” To purchase tickets, visit groupmatics.events/ event/USFPride18 or contact sales consultant Scott Proietti at 813-974-9112.

st. pete is danCing

AMPA BAY WELCOMED G ST PETE TO ST. PETERSBURG during the venue’s soft opening Aug. 2-3 and official grand opening Aug. 4. “We’ve wanted to be a part of the St. Pete community for a long time and the opportunity finally presented itself with the right venue and location,” co-owner Ernie Webb says. “We’re really excited to be a part of the community here.” G St Pete is the latest venture by Webb, Steve Donahue and Stephen Moss, the trio behind The Florida Entertainment Group responsible for Ybor’s The Honey Pot and G. Bar. The 7,000-square-foot club features two levels and has the sound and lighting synonymous with the group’s other LGBTQ hotspots. “There are really great bars to go to in St. Pete,” Webb says, “but as far as full-on, large-scale dance clubs, there was a little bit of a need for it in the area.” Following the successful opening, G announced a college night on Thursdays and a weekly lesbian party known as “Hello, Gorgeous!” on Fridays. Webb advises that once G St Pete is established, it will likely be open seven days a week. “We’re looking forward to a longtime place to call home,” Webb says. You can check out G St Pete at 350 1st Ave. N. in St. Petersburg. For more information, visit Facebook.com/GStPete.

2 3

BYTE SqUAD: (L-R) Darnell Bradley, Robin Roberts, TeMonet and Victoria alvarez log into Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer Tour at Jannus Live July 26. PHOTO BY ryan WilliaMS-Jent

WARM WELCOME: LGBTQ+ Program Specialist Alan Toussaint welcomes visitors to Metro Wellness’ LGBT Welcome Center Aug. 3. PHOTO BY RYAN WilliaMS-Jent

HAMMER TIME: Shelby Gardener’s Lady Loki (L) and Naomi Hicks’ Thor channel the gods for Tampa Comic Con Aug. 5. PHOTO BY

ryan WilliaMS-Jent

RED HOT: (L-R) Victoria Michaels, Jeremy Skidmore, christian Klimas and Nabil Harb get into the (early) spirit for Christmas in July at Enigma July 28. PHOTO BY

ryan WilliaMS-Jent

OH EM G: (L-R) David Zembrzycki and Ken Wenz are welcomed to G St. Pete’s soft opening by the door’s Danielle Aug. 3. PHOTO BY RYAN WilliaMS-Jent

CHILDREN ARE THE fUTURE: Pheyonce Montrese (C) and Metro youth share the spotlight for the Take the Stage! Youth Talent Show at freeFall Theatre Aug. 4. Photo coUrteSy

Pheyonce MontreSe

fLOWER POWER: (L-R) Kandace Mcelroy, petal designer eric Abril and laura ryan channel their Avant Garde for Balance Tampa Bay’s 4th annual masquerade benefiting EPIC Aug. 4. Photo by ryan WilliaMS-Jent

ADvENTURE AWAITS: Grecia Guerrero (L) and nicole herrington don their gay apparel ahead of The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre Aug. 5. Photo by Dylan toDD

8 7

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

READ IT ONLINE! Head to WatermarkOnline.com and click on the Digital Publications link to a read a digital version of the printed newspaper!

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

overheard

Central florida out+about

Kissimmee gets a Center AfTER RELEASING PLANS EARLIER THIS YEAR TO EXPAND INTO kISSIMMEE, The Center Orlando has announced the location and opening date of its new LGBT+ Center. The Center Kissimmee, located at 21 W. Monument Ave., opened Aug. 8 with an official grand opening and ribbon cutting scheduled for Aug. 15. The ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. and will be hosted by board and staff members of The Center, as well as organization volunteers. Tako Cheena will provide food for the event and there will be complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks. The Center announced in April that the organization would be expanding into Kissimmee after it secured a grant of more than $26,000 from The Contigo Fund. The expansion into Kissimmee will offer free HIV and Hepatitis C testing, local support groups, a cyber center and counseling to those in the community who need it. HIV and Hepatitis C testing at the Kissimmee location will begin Aug. 13. The Center Kissimmee’s hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with hours extended to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. HIV and Hepatitis C testing will be available Monday through Friday starting each day at noon until one hour before closing. For more information on programs and services offered at both LGBT+ Center locations, visit TheCenterOrlando.org.

1 3

and the Winners are...

BA ORLANDO WENT ALL OUT fOR ITS 2018 PRIDE GALA BUSINESS AWARDS at Universal CityWalk’s Hard Rock Live Aug. 4. The show opened with Alina Alcantara and the Brunch Bunch performing the Academy Award-winning song “This Is Me” from the 2017 film musical “The Greatest Showman.” Emcee’s Jorge Estevez and Miss Sammy then took the stage with their always entertaining comedy back-and-forth. The evening also featured entertainment from Eklectic Entertainment, Jose Navarro and Jeremy Hagen, as well as an empowering speech from keynote speaker Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the NGLCC. But the main reason people were there was to honor the best the MBA has to offer. The New Business of the Year went to Joie de Vivre Health and Chiropractic. Small Business of the Year went to Eck, Collins & Richardson, PL. Nonprofit Organization of the Year went to onePULSE Foundation. Corporate Ally of the Year went to Orlando Health. Business Leader of the Year went to Castle & Cottage Realty’s Katherine Bordelon. Business Owner of the Year went to Michael Thomas of John Michael Exquisite Weddings and Catering. Diversity & Inclusion Leader was Marisol Romany from Orlando Health. The Pride Superstars Award went to Turner Construction Company. Each year, MBA Orlando’s Board of Directors also recognizes two outstanding individuals for their service to the community. This year they named Joyce Almeida as the Volunteer of the Year and Michael Farmer of Equality Florida as the Community Champion of the Year. Congratulations to all the winners and to MBA Orlando for another successful event.

BIG NAME GALA: A Congresswoman, community leaders, business owners and Orange County’s sheriff (and future mayor?) were among the attendees of the MBA Orlando Gala Awards at Hard Rock Live Aug. 4. PHOTO BY MeGhan SWeeney

P. HOUSE POSE: Dominique Jackson (L), Elektra from the TV series “Pose,” poses with Ashton Tarbet for Jackson’s Meet & Greet at the Parliament House in Orlando Aug. 4. Photo coUrteSy ParliaMent hoUSe

LOOkIN’ SHARP: Ben laube (L) shows off his new look courtesy of Jonathan Sanderson at Xander Blue Salon 8 in Orlando Aug. 1. Photo coUrteSy ben laUbe

OHMYGAWD, SHOES!: christopher Milliron steps into the shoes of an M&M at the Florida Mall’s M&M store in Orlando July 29. PHOTO BY

JereMy WilliaMS

LIGHT UP kITTY: Patty Sheehan (L) shows off one of her “Bad Kitty” luminaries with Sandra Dee carr at the “Artist and Allies” exhibit at Southern Crafts in Orlando Aug. 1. Photo coUrteSy SanDra Dee carr

CANDIDATE’S fORUM: Seminole County School Board candidate Bobby agagnina hands out stickers and information at the Seminole League’s School Board Candidates Forum Aug. 1. PHOTO

coUrteSy Sharon lynn

COME OUT WITH EvENTS: (L-R) Anna eskamani, Heather Wilkie, christopher cuevas and Jeff Prystajko attend the Come Out With Pride “Big Reveal” event at Tin Roof in Orlando July 30. Photo by JereMy WilliaMS

CIRqUE ON ICE: Kristy Weick, sporting an amazing unicorn ensemble, attends Cirque du Soleil’s first ever show on ice, “Crystal,” at the Amway Center in Orlando Aug. 1. PHOTO coUrteSy KriSty WeicK

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Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

• Bold Heading • Photo

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info@orlandoyouthalliance.org www.orlandoyouthalliance.org

announcements

Wedding bells

Joshua Cruz and Richard Mahoney Jr.

congratulations

from St. Petersburg, Florida

Vincent Santamarina and Aaron Bailey announced their engagement July 24.

engagement date:

Savoy Orlando celebrates 14 years in the Orlando community in August.

Dec. 7, 2016

G St Pete opened its doors Aug. 4.

wedding date:

Southern nights Orlando celebrates its 4 year anniversary Aug. 16.

June 2, 2018

local birthdays

venue:

The Club at Treasure Island

colors:

Black & White

wedding song/ artist:

“All of Me” by Billie Holiday

live musician:

Gloria & The Gents

caterer:

The Club at Treasure Island

officiant:

The Rev. Tanya Young

cake bakery:

The Artistic Whisk

cake/cuPcake flavors:

Champagne & strawberries, almond & chocolate, coconut rum & pineapple

theme:

Modern & masculine with tropical undertones

PhotograPher:

Kera Photography

PHOTO BY Kera PhotoGraPhy

“W

E WERE IN NEW YORk AT

a rooftop bar and I remember looking at Rick and realizing that there wasn’t anyone else that I would want to be next to there or anywhere else,” Joshua Alex Cruz says about his now husband, Richard Mahoney Jr.

“I had spent 5 years living in NYC and I never had a sense of calm in the city with anyone that I had met, so for me it was a bit of revisiting a place where I had only really known without him, and feeling a sense of peace with someone in a place where I never knew any, that made me realize he was the one.” The couple first met in New York, but reconnected in Connecticut, where they both grew up. It seems the connection was very strong for both of them right from the start. “It sounds trite, but I knew right when I met Josh that he was the one,” Mahoney says. “The chemistry was enigmatic. I still feel the same butterflies when I look into his big, beautiful brown eyes each day, eight years later.” Mahoney was the one to pop the question to Cruz—while the

pair was on vacation in Florence in 2016. Flash forward to June of this year, the two exchanged vows on Treasure Island in St. Pete. “Our ceremony felt very intimate,” Mahoney says. “We held hands and looked very deeply into one another’s eyes for the entirety of the ceremony. Even though it was insanely warm outside with around 80 of our family and friends watching us get married, it truly felt like we were the only ones there. I’ll never forget that.” Cruz shares the most special moment for him during their wedding day. “For me, being on Florida’s Gulf coast, at what may be considered to be a traditionally conservative wedding venue and having an outdoor LGBT wedding ceremony was amazingly surreal,” he says. “Coming from the progressive Northeast I never expected to find

such an inviting and active LGBT community here, but have been even more pleasantly surprised at the inclusion and support of allies in the Tampa Bay metro area, even if they wouldn’t think of themselves as ‘allies.’” Cruz continues to discuss the powerful moment he experienced standing with Mahoney. “All of our vendors treated us just like any other couple and most were so excited to be a part of a LGBT wedding because it allowed them to ‘do it differently’ and ‘break tradition,’” he says. “Those phrases stick out in my mind because I never expected such open arms in an area not typically associated with being progressive or inclusive. The tireless work of Equality Florida and the ACLU kept popping into my mind, because it resonated with me that without the work of vigilant activists that we would not have been able to stand there together and become legally married. It was humbling to stand on the marina with my partner and our family and friends feeling a bit like, ‘We’ve come a long way, baby.’”

Sarasota actor/writer Steve Warren, The Dru Project’s Brandon J. Wolf, Numbers-cruncher rose Gamba, QLatinx executive director christopher J. cuevas (Aug. 9); Hospice of Florida chaplain randall Forshee, St. Petersburg activist Karen Murray, Largo beautician Jay berwanger (Aug. 10); Community builder Kevin Johnson, Bank buddy Jared Acuff, Florida Army National Guard company commander Katie Mace (Aug. 11); Orlando hair stylist bobby Kantz, Rotten S’more Shiala Morales (Aug. 12); Tampa Bay leather bear eric Siglin, Stand Up Florida’s Bryan Arnette (Aug. 13); Sarasota activist chuck redding, Regalia owner and beauty pageant emcee David lang (Aug. 14); Quench dear heart cJay Tauber, Orlando performer David Almeida (Aug. 15); Tampa Bay Drag Race season one winner Miah Van-Cartier, Tampa Bay photographer Josh Shipp (Aug. 16); Orlando entertainer Tod Kimbro, Tony-winner Kenny Howard, St. Petersburg mayor’s LGBT liaison Jim nixon, St. Pete photographer Jacie Ramsey, St. Petersburg interior designer Scott Velez, St. Petersburg drag performer alexis De la Mer (Aug. 17); Tampa Bay performer Macaviti, Orlando activist Bob Poe, Orlando actor chris Shepardson, Sarasota orthodontist Michael Radall, Orlando lawyer Paul San Giovanni (Aug. 18); Orlando performer Danielle Hunter, Lakeland singer Danny Pate, Tampa pastor Scott Manning, Former St. Pete ASAP Executive Director William Harper, former Georgie’s Alibi bar maiden Duffy Iorio, Winter Park Playhouse’s todd long, Tampa economics specialist lJ Sosa (Aug. 19); OIC’s Sam Graper (Aug. 20); Clearwater bear Keith Schorr, Brandon restaurant exec. Rob Roberts (Aug. 21); edgefactory’s Deb ofsowitz, HOT101.5 radio host and Watermark contributor Miguel Fuller, LGBTQ activist lynn Mulder (Aug. 22).

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!

—Aaron Drake

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.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

the last page

Photo by JaKe SteVenS

age: 61

hometown:

I have always considered Orlando my hometown.

identifies as: Gay

out year:

1982

hire date: Nov. 2014

Professional role model:

Michael Wanzie

autobiograPhy title:

“Wanzie with a Z”

VIE WPOINT COLUMNIS T

hobbies:

Attending theater and movies, collecting Melmac and other mid-century kitsch, especially vintage ﬂamingo motifs and roadside, touristy Florida memorabilia.

What Kind of Writing do you do for WatermarK?

Viewpoints, often political but almost always humorous. What is the name of your vieWpoint Column?

The Wonderful World of Wanzie What made you Want to Write for WatermarK?

They asked me. I like to write. I said yes. What is your favorite thing about Writing for WatermarK?

The paycheck. Seriously. Anytime I actually receive money for writing, it makes me feel vindicated. I’m a high school dropout. I’m dyslexic. I can’t spell. I was discouraged by certain teachers from aspiring to be a writer. I had a high school English teacher who actually told me that wishing to be a writer was an unrealistic goal and that I needed to adjust my aspirations to better suit my limited skills. Fuck You, Mrs. Velms!

I know it sounds silly but my honest answer is Walt Disney and Jim Philips.

When did you develop a passion for Writing?

I was always interested in writing but was made to feel I couldn’t. So I stopped trying for a good long while. It was because I couldn’t get cast in shows that I began to write my own. Once I wrote and produced my first play I was hooked and I haven’t stopped writing since. What do you liKe Writing about the most?

It’s not a “what” but rather “how” I like writing most. I love to write dialogue. I do think I have an ear for writing the way people talk. I’m fascinated by communication and the use of language. I love to write conversations.

What is your favorite lgbtQ event?

Gay Day in the Magic Kingdom which will always be the first Saturday in June and cannot be changed! I also thoroughly enjoy and appreciate Come Out With Pride, but there is something terribly gratifying about the enduring tradition of that designated visit-day to The Magic Kingdom by carefree LGBTQ individuals, families and allies - born of a simple

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16

concept with no political agenda or profit motive. That touches my heart every time I attend. What is your favorite thing about the loCal lgbtQ Community?

Our willingness to be seen. Our ability to be outstanding members of the Central Florida Community at large.

What Would you liKe to see improved in the lgbtQ Community?

I would love to see a greater interest and pro-active involvement in the political arena and the governance of our county and state by a much greater percentage of the LGBTQ community. Also, I am often disheartened by the lack of knowledge among our youth with regards to our local gay history. I am truly saddened that with all the information, education and support that is so easily and readily available in our area regarding HIV/ AIDS that Florida and indeed specifically Central Florida still ranks so very high in the number of new cases. We lead the nation I believe and that is truly sad. What do you Want the WatermarK readers to KnoW about you?

There is no guessing who I am. What I write is who I am. I strive to be authentic, truthful and genuine in all my associations, whether in person or in print. If you don’t care for me or my opinions that’s your prerogative, but no one need ever second guess my motives or agenda because I hide nothing. I will always be passionate about what I think is best for – or what I perceive to be a threat to – our community and our country. What adviCe Would you give your younger self?

Never listen to those who tell you “you can’t.” The wasted time spent doubting yourself can never be recovered.

Watermark is the collective product of a team of incredibly hardworking individuals. Over the next series of issues, we’re using this space to introduce each member of our staff and contributors to you. When you see us out and about in the community, stop and say, “Hello.” We’d love to meet you.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Augus t 9 - Augus t 22, 2018 // Issue 25.16