Watermark Issue 25.18: Money Shame by Watermark Publishing Group

watermark Your LGBTQ Life.

issue 25.18 sept. 6-19, 2018 Watermark Online.com

Money

$hame The taboo subject of money and why not talking about your finances can be detrimental

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departments 7 // puBlisHer’s desk

PAGE

8 // central florida news 10 // tampa Bay news

What I see with our community is we’re already one down… coming from a shame-based place about being gay or being bisexual or being transgender or being lesbian. It’s really hard to be in your power with money when you don’t even feel good enough to be walking around in your own skin. —CERTIFIED MONEY COACH AND AUTHOR TAMMY LALLY ON MONEY AND sHAME.

12 // state news 13// nation & world news 17// talking points 35// community calendar 37// tampa Bay out + aBout 39// orlando out + aBout 40// tampa Bay marketplace 42// orlando marketplace 45// wedding Bells/ announcements on tHe coVer

PAGE Hometown Heroes:

PAGE MONEY $HAME:

The taboo subject of money and why not talking about your finances can be detrimental.

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Watermark Film Company’s new documentary “Greetings From Queertown: Orlando” shines a light on Central Florida’s LGBTQ history.

watermark issue 25.18 // septemBer 6 - septemBer 19, 2018

primary record

reacHing out

mama Bearings

werkin’ gal

PAGE Orange County has its largest primary voter turnout ever in the 2018 midterms.

PAGE The city of Tampa’s Youth Leadership Council will be hosting an LGBTQ youth forum.

New columnist Sylvie Griffiths talks about supporting her transgender son and community.

“Drag Race” star Ginger Minj dishes about bringing “Crossdresser for Christ” to Tampa.

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

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contriButors

publisher’s

rick Claggett PUBLISHER

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

desk

’VE bEEN TOLD I COMMUNICATE TOO

much. I really am an open book and there isn’t much I won’t talk about, no matter how personal it is. I also tend to divulge all the information I have when telling a story. It’s strange to me that everyone doesn’t do this, yet I assume they do anyway. This often gets me in trouble with my roommate.

“Why did she do that?” she asks when I’m done with my story. To which I reply, “I’ve given you all the information I have.” “Why didn’t you ask more questions?” she retorts. I explain that I just go by the information people give me. She calls me weird and I call her weird. After 18 years of living together, I assure you we are both weird. I used to think communication was easy. In all fairness I used to be drunk all the time, and it’s easy

to run your mouth when you’re drunk. Is it really communicating at that point, or is it just gossip? Gratefully, I am sober now and I detest gossip. I used to think it was cool to know everything. Nowadays I’m just interested in the truth, and facts. The process I took to get sober taught me about communication. It taught me how I was doing it wrong and what steps I could take to improve my method. Immediately I realized

watermark staff Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer tom@Watermarkonline.com

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

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Multimedia Assistant: Meghan Sweeney • ext. 100 Jake@Watermarkonline.com

communicating is hard. It’s hard to tell someone you are unhappy and it’s even harder to hear someone say they are unhappy with you. What’s worse? Realizing they are right. If communication is key, then the key to communication is listening. It will be important to remember this as the primary season comes to a close and midterm elections race to the finish line. I recently had an exchange on a Facebook thread that was surprising to me. A longtime friend and mentor posted about Andrew Gillum winning the Democratic nomination to be Florida’s next governor. As many of us do, he had a Trump-loving friend in his thread with a sharp tongue. Many in the thread were going back and forth, shouting through angry fingers. I simply posed a question. He responded. I acknowledge where he was coming from and posed another question. He responded again with a position that left both of us satisfied with the conversation. I didn’t change to his point of view and he did not change to mine, but we were able to find common ground and leave the door open for further discussion. I hope this country, on both sides of the aisle, can learn from the process that brought us President Donald Trump. We need to realize that truth matters, facts matter. We cannot live in a society that is all or nothing, because when you chose nothing you may get something even worse than you expected. We don’t have to compromise our beliefs when we compromise on how to get there. Communicate with each other. Ask questions and actively listen.

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Politics sparked the idea for this column, but healthy communication is important in every aspect of your life. We can all work through our differences, but only if we know what they are. Don’t be afraid to express disappointment to a partner, co-worker, friend or family member. Talk about the issues so you can resolve them. When people open up to you, listen. Let them make their peace and ask questions. Communicate about the good things too. It will make a world of difference. In this issue we explore

If communication is key, then the key to communication is listening.

how vital communication and understanding are. The Money Coach, Tammy Lally, opens up about her book and the personal tragedy she experienced with money shaming. Our news sections are filled with primary election results. We also take a look at Tampa’s Youth Leadership Council as they address challenges faced by LGBTQ youth, and mark some changes with Hope & Help’s Headdress Ball in Central Florida. In our entertainment section we dive deeper into the making of the documentary “Greetings From Queertown: Orlando” and check in with Ginger Minj who is bringing “Crossdresser for Christ” to Tampa Bay. We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

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sYLVIE GRIFFITHs

is a proud, minivan-driving mother of four with a degree in behavioral health and Master’s in Business Administration with a nonprofit concentration. She loves art and horror movies. Page 15

AARON DRAKE

is a contributor to Creative Loafing, South Florida Gay News and ManAboutWorld. He loves getting lost in other countries and his German Shepherd. Page 49 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

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central florida news

Hope & Help ditches the headdress for its annual gala

ELECTION RUNOFF: Susan

Melanie Ararat

Makowski hopes to become the first openly gay Orange County Commissioner when she goes up against Maribel Cordero for the District 4 seat in the November runoff.

RLANDO | After 28 years as the Headdress Ball, Hope & Help has changed the name of its signature event to the Hope & Help Gala. The 29th annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser will be at the Rosen Centre Hotel on International Dr. in Orlando Sept. 8, and it will not solely focus on HIV/AIDS prevention. “Florida ranks very high across the board for many health disparities and we’d like to address as many as possible, including HIV,” says Joshua Myers, Hope & Help’s development and communications director. The Headdress Ball—named after the handmade headdresses that were crafted by LGBTQ groups, bars and organizations and worn by drag queens and dancers at the event—removed the namesake headwear several years ago. According to Myers, they did so to make room for a more creative message and more diverse entertainment to draw a wider audience. “We wanted all of our events and programs to reflect the change that Hope & Help has undergone and headdress as an art form is dying out. We want to thrive along with the rest of our community,” Myers says. While the name and focus have now changed, the reason for the event remains the same—to raise money for Hope & Help’s programs and services. This year’s event, themed Mystic Island, will feature a variety of valuables available in both the live and silent auctions; including a 17.2 karat ruby diamond, trips to amazing locales such as Belize, concert tickets, Kate Spade purses, Aretha Franklin memorabilia and more. Myers says that Hope & Help’s Mystic Island theme encourages guests to ditch the black ties and fancy dresses and attend as if they were on an exotic island. “We want you to have fun and be part of the experience, and that is something that has not really happened in the past,” he says. “Based on the surveys that we’ve done recently, that is something that our audience actually likes.” New HIV cases have steadily increased in Orlando the past three years, something Myers says Hope & Help is aware of. “Our goal is to raise $100,000 that night to fight new HIV infections in our area and also help Hope & Help provide quality affordable primary care services to everyone,” Myers says. “So we’re not just focusing on HIV, however it is still a proponent in what we do.” For more information or to purchase tickets to the Hope & Help Gala, visit HopeAndHelp.org/Gala.

Photo from Susan Makowski’s Facebook page

Primary Record Orange County has largest primary voter turnout for 2018 midterms Jeremy Williams

RLANDO | Voters in Orange County turned out in record numbers for the 2018 midterm primary elections Aug. 28. More than 170,000 Orange County voters went to the polls to vote for their party’s nominees in state races for governor, Congress, attorney general and the Florida Legislature, as well as local races including Orange County mayor, Orange County Commissioners and Orange County School Board Chair. Voter turnout was at 22.06 percent this year, up more than 3 percent from 2016’s primary elections and up nearly 6 percent from the last midterm primary elections in 2014. Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings won the Orange County mayoral race with 61.6 percent of the vote. Demings beat out Orange County Commissioner Pete Clarke and business consultant Rob Panepinto, who got 22 percent and 16.4 percent of the vote, respectively.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Demings becomes the first African-American elected as county mayor. He will take the oath of office Dec. 4. Demings assumes the role of county mayor from termed-out Teresa Jacobs, who won her own election for Orange County School Board Chair with 52.2 percent of the vote. Jacobs’ nearest competitor managed only 25.8 percent of the vote. Orange County also had two LGBTQ candidates running for commissioner seats; Eric Rollings in District 3 and Susan Makowski in District 4. Rollings received 17 percent of the vote, putting him in fourth place behind Mayra Uribe (28 percent), Pete Crotty (22 percent) and Bobby Lance (21 percent). Uribe and Crotty will now face each other in a runoff Nov. 6. Makowski pulled out a victory in District 4, receiving 35 percent of the vote. Makowski will square off against Maribel Cordero who received 21 percent of the vote. If Makowski wins, she will become the first openly gay commissioner in Orange County.

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In Central Florida’s U.S. House races, Democrat Nancy Soderberg won her party’s nomination for District 6 (Flagler and Volusia Counties) and she will face Republican Michael Waltz in the general election. The District 6 seat is currently occupied by Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis. In District 7 (Seminole and northern Orange Counties), incumbent Stephanie Murphy easily won the Democrat nomination and will face off against Republican Mike Miller in the general. In District 8, which primarily includes the Space Coast, Republican incumbent Bill Posey will go against Democrat Sanjay Patel. Both candidates were uncontested in the primary. Democratic incumbent Darren Soto held off primary challenger Alan Grayson in District 9 and will meet the uncontested Republican nominee Wayne Liebnitzky in the general election. House District 10 (Orange County) incumbent Val Demings won her primary, obtaining three quarters of the vote in her district. District 10 does not have a Republican challenger. In District 11—home to parts of Lake, Sumter, Citrus and Hernando Counties—Republican incumbent Daniel Webster will face off against Democrat Dana Cottrell. Both candidates were also uncontested in the primary. The 2018 midterm general elections will take place Nov. 6.

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tampa bay news

Anti-LGBTQ Tampa Bay candidates lose election bids Ryan Williams-Jent

AMPA | Ronda Storms, who led Hillsborough County’s now-defunct ban on the recognition of Pride, and publicly anti-LGBTQ Wesley Chapel attorney Donald McBath, lost their respective election bids in Florida’s primary Aug. 28. Storms announced March 9 that she would run for House District 59. The former Republican state senator’s anti-LGBTQ ban on Pride celebrations in Hillsborough County lasted from 2005 until 2013. “I move that we adopt a policy that Hillsborough County government abstain from acknowledging, promoting or participating in gay pride recognition and events — little g, little p,” Storms infamously said as she introduced the anti-LGBTQ measure. Watermark reached out to Storms in March to inquire if she had a specific message for LGBTQ voters. “Look at my record,” Storms advised. “Make your decision based on your conscience and my record.” According to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, 12,905 people voted in the race between Storms and her primary opponent Joe Wicker. Of the votes cast, Storms received 5,906 to Wicker’s 6,999—or 45.77 percent to Wicker’s 54.23 percent. “I feel so blessed by the campaign we ran,” Storms addressed supporters on Facebook following the results. “I felt so encouraged by your prayers and many kindnesses.” McBath first generated headlines May 30 after the Tampa Bay Times highlighted his commentary condemning the LGBTQ and Muslim communities. “If the homosexual continues committing that sin of sodomy, his soul faces ETERNAL damnation,” McBath shared via Facebook, the outlet reported. “Abstain, if you really have that mental illness. It’s not love.” McBath did not respond to Watermark’s multiple requests for comment but did update his campaign website in June to include an official statement. “As a Christian, I love homosexuals too,” he wrote. “I just don’t like the sinful act of sodomy. In my personal opinion, the Bible is clear as to the sin. It is unnatural.” According to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, 175,438 people voted in the race between McBath and his opponent Doneene Loar to replace retiring Circuit Judge Frank Quesada. Of the votes cast, the self-described “PROUD DEPLORABLE” received 57,438 to Loar’s 118,000—or 32.74 percent to Loar’s 67.26 percent. “Thank you my friends for your support in the Judicial election,” McBath addressed supporters via Facebook following the results. “We fell short but we are all winners in so many ways!” Storms’ primary opponent Joe Wicker will face Democrat Adam Hattersley in the general election Nov. 6. Loar will assume her role as Pinellas-Pasco circuit judge following 15 years as an area prosecutor.

LEADING THE WAY: Mayor Bob

Buckhorn (center) assembles the Youth Leadership Council class of 2018. PHOTO COURTESY MOLLY BIEBEL

Reaching out City of Tampa hosts LGBTQ youth forum Ryan Williams-Jent

AMPA | Community advocates will gather for an interactive and educational forum Sept. 12 at the Barksdale Adult Activity Center to spotlight the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ youth. The forum is hosted by Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s Youth Leadership Council, a city program which allows local teenagers to develop leadership skills and apply them through service projects and workshops. To participate in the council, students must apply and have successfully completed one year in the Mayor’s Youth Corps. The latter program empowers youth to make community service a life-long commitment. Of the 20 spots allotted for the council, 13 are currently occupied by students in grades 10-12. The terms of service span from January through December, with forums scheduled once per quarter on topics the students personally feel are of importance to the community. “Our first forum this year was on depression and suicide prevention, the second was on human trafficking and our third is on supporting our LGBTQ community,” the city’s Youth Development Coordinator Molly Biebel says. “It’s a win-win; students learn how to plan an event, including

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

all of the intricacies that go into that, and they’re educating the community.” Biebel says topics are chosen based on areas in which students see a need for education. She notes that, “The youth of today are much more open-minded and accepting of people who are different than in generations past.” Areas of focus will include discrimination and legislation impacting the LGBTQ community, as well as ways to support community members. “They see a group of people who are being treated unfairly in schools, potentially bullied, and they know that education is the key to fixing this,” Biebel notes. “They want to show support for this community.” To help raise awareness, students invited panelists to participate in the forum. The presentation will feature speakers Janet Cruz, member of the Florida House of Representatives; Elle Ashworth, teacher and member of the LGBTQ community; Dr. Diane Straub, pediatrician with USF Health and Cole Foust, LGBTQ+ Division Coordinator for Metro Wellness & Community Centers. “It sends an impactful message of inclusivity that the city of Tampa is hosting a forum specific to LGBTQ+ youth and I’m excited to represent Metro Wellness & Community Centers at the event,” Foust tells Watermark. “We aim to share information about

Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // Issue 25.18

the free programs and services Metro Wellness offers for LGBTQ+ youth living in the Tampa Bay area.” Foust notes that, “The more the community comes together to share resources and bring these conversations forward, the more our local youth will have access to what they need.” He further asserts that, “Each and every young person living in Hillsborough County should have equitable opportunities to succeed in life.” Joining panelists in their community outreach will be the aforementioned Metro Wellness, as well as area organizations The Spring of Tampa Bay, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the University of Tampa’s student Pride chapter and Tampa Pride. The majority of community panelists and partners were chosen by the students. “I’m really happy that the teenagers chose this topic,” Biebel says. “We’ve gotten so much support and it’s been really nice. Teenagers get a lot of negative press and I don’t think that’s fair. “These teens are motivated, they’re incredibly hard-working, they’re open-minded and they’re accepting,” she continues. “They want to hear different ideas and are interested in learning more. Working with these teenagers gives you a positive outlook on the future.” The council’s LGBTQ youth forum will be held Sept. 12 from 6-8 p.m at the Barksdale Adult Activity Center, located at 1801 N. Lincoln Ave. While free, reservations are encouraged by Sept. 10. For more information or to RSVP, contact Molly Biebel at 813-274-5909 or molly.biebel@ tampagov.net.

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Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // Issue 25.18

state news ag pam Bondi files suit against defunct legendary journeys, ‘al and cHuck’

eQuality florida action pac endorses andrew gillum for goVernor

Ryan Williams-Jent

IAMI | Equality Florida Action PAC, Florida’s only political committee working to end discrimination against LGBTQ Floridians, announced its endorsement of gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum Aug. 31. “Andrew Gillum has been a consistent champion for LGBTQ equality, and Floridians will see the stark contrast between his record on equality and his opponent who has embraced the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies of the Trump-Pence administration,” PAC Chair Stratton Pollitzer released in a statement. The PAC also announced a statewide fundraising tour and campaign to mobilize 1.3 million pro-equality voters. The campaign will focus on motivating nearly 500,000 voters who rarely vote and those who will be specifically motivated by a strong LGBTQ equality advocate on the ballot. “Andrew Gillum is the equality champion who can energize voters and win the governor’s mansion,” Pollitzer’s statement noted.

ALLAHAssEE, Fla. | Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi filed legal action against Legendary Journeys, Inc., owner/ president Adrian L. Ferguson, Jr. and vice president Charles T. Scott Aug. 21, alleging the defunct travel agency owes consumers over $3 million. Defendants Ferguson and Scott, commonly known as “Al and Chuck,” operated the LGBTQ-friendly, Sarasota-based travel agency and its statewide branches until its abrupt closure Oct. 24, 2017. According to the complaint, the duo “deceptively and unfairly collected millions of dollars from consumers for the supposed purpose of booking travel but failed to deliver on the promised trips or to issue refunds to their customers.” It further alleges that “in the run up to announcing Legendary’s

closure and even afterward, Ferguson took money consumers paid for vacation packages and used it to pay his personal expenses, make extra payroll distributions and to pay for Scott’s shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue.” Ferguson took to Facebook to address the matter. “Again, dramatic misinformation on the closure of Legendary Journeys happens today,” he publicly shared. “Publicity, innuendo and gossip rule our world, but for the last 10 months I have done everything possible to bring all of this to a satisfactory conclusion. I have followed to the letter the states bankruptcy and business closure procedures/administrator recommendations and requests. I have given all real estate and company assets and it has been sold for the customer settlement fund. “I have authorized dramatic refunds (more than seven figures) for credit card settlement already. I have cooperated in every way

possible including providing people to assist in admin, operating many services after closure and more,” Ferguson continued. “Information suggested today is completely inaccurate to completely wrong. All this said without advising me legally first. I will continue to do my best. I have not run away from this. I will not. So I say this loud and clear. I will stand up and face every legal issue suggested (but these personal allegations are NOT true). To those without ALL accurate information will say whatever. It doesn’t accomplish anything but venting against me. I understand. And will still do my best. And that is the absolute best I can do.” As of May 18, over 800 consumers have made claims against Legendary Journeys, Inc., totaling nearly $3.2 million. The Attorney General’s Office is seeking permanent injunctive relief, full restitution and the imposition of civil penalties and fees. Consumers who paid for travel can file a complaint by calling 866-966-7226 or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

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nation+world news Kyrsten Sinema wins Arizona primary, major first as bisexual candidate Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

rizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) achieved a significant victory in the Arizona primary on Aug. 28 when she became the first openly bisexual person to win a major party nomination to run for a U.S. Senate seat. Sinema, a three-term member of Congress, was declared the winner over Muslim progressive activist Deedra Abboud for the Democratic nomination to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. With 94 percent of precincts reporting, Sinema won 80.5 percent of the vote compared to the 19.5 percent won by Abboud, according to results from the New York Times. The primary contest is to run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeff Flake

(R-Ariz.), who announced he wouldn’t seek another term in the U.S. Senate and remains outspoken with his own party against President Trump. As the only openly bisexual member of Congress and co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, Sinema has taken the lead on LGBT issues during her time in Congress. Among other things, Sinema was a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, comprehensive legislation that would prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in all areas of federal civil rights law and legislation against Trump’s attempted ban on transgender service members. Representing a moderate district in Congress, Sinema has taken votes in line with the Republican caucus that have angered progressive and LGBT activists. Sinema has never voted for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as speaker, voted to delay implementation of the individual mandate in Obamacare and voted for a measure that would have inhibited Syrian refugees from coming to the United States.

Also revealed in the Arizona primary was the Republican opponent whom Sinema would face in the general election. The winner on the Republican side was Martha McSally, a former Air Force pilot who represents Arizona’s 2nd congressional district in Congress. Other candidates were Kelli Ward, a former member of the Arizona State Senate, and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who declared his candidacy after President Trump granting him a pardon for violating the law in his enforcement of immigration law. McSally won 52.9 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, compared to the 28.2 percent won by Ward and the 18.9 percent won by Arpaio. Although McSally has served in the U.S. House for only two terms, she has already cast at least one anti-LGBT vote. The Arizona Republican voted in favor of barring the U.S. military from paying for transition-related care for transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery. General elections will be held across the U.S. on Nov. 6.

Mother: Son killed self after he was bullied for being gay Wire Report

ENVER | Authorities say Denver Public Schools crisis counselors met with children at an elementary school after a 9-year-old student killed himself after he was reportedly bullied for being gay, the Denver Post reports.

The Post reports that the Denver Coroner’s Office confirmed Jamel Myles died by suicide on Aug. 23. DPS spokesman Will Jones says Jamel was a fourth-grader at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School. “My child died because of bullying. My baby killed himself,” Leia Pierce, the boy’s mother, told the Post on Aug. 27.

Pierce told the newspaper that her son came out as gay this summer and began wearing fake fingernails on Aug. 20, the first day at school. Pierce says she found Jamel’s body and tried unsuccessfully to revive her son. School district grief counselors met on Aug. 27 with students, teachers and school staff.

The caning in the northeast state of Terengganu was due Aug. 28 but reportedly postponed to Sept. 3 due to technical reasons. Amnesty’s Malaysian director Gwen Lee welcomed the deferment but said a delay was insufficient. Amnesty urged Malaysia to “end the use of caning and repeal the laws that impose these torturous punishments completely.” Malaysia moved forward and on Sept. 3 more than 100 people watched as the lesbians were each caned six times in the Sharia High Court in Terengganu.

Nearly two-thirds of Malaysia’s 31 million people are Muslims, who are governed by Islamic courts in family, marriage and personal issues. The international rights group also said the court’s decision occurred amid growing concern of a climate of fear and discrimination against people in Malaysia’s LGBT community. It said a few weeks ago, authorities removed the portraits of two LGBT rights activists from a public exhibition. Malaysia’s religious minister later said the government doesn’t support the promotion of LGBT culture in the country.

Malaysia moves forward with caning of lesbian couple after amnesty International urges sentencing be quashed Wire Report

UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia | Amnesty International urged Malaysia Aug. 29 to quash a caning sentence for a lesbian couple, calling the punishment cruel and unjust. Two unidentified ethnic Malay women, aged 22 and 32, had pleaded guilty for attempting to have sexual intercourse and were sentenced to six strokes of a cane and fined by a Shariah court early in August.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

NGMA announces national, local Ad POP Award winners Jeremy Williams

he National LGBT Media Association (NGMA) announced the winners of the 2018 Advertiser Pride in Online and Print Awards, better known as the Ad POPs. The Ad POPs award the best representations of LGBTQ advertising, in both print and online, that are placed in the regional newspapers, magazines and websites of the NGMA’s member cities. The NGMA represents legacy brand names, including Watermark here in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, as well as the Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco, Bay Windows in Boston, Between the Lines in Detroit, the Dallas Voice, Gay City News in New York City, the Los Angeles Blade, Philadelphia Gay News, South Florida Gay News, the Georgia Voice, the Washington Blade and Windy City Times in Chicago. Locally, each NGMA member publication selected Ad POP winners in their regional markets. Watermark, representing two markets, presented Ad POP Awards to advertisers in Central Florida and Tampa Bay. Watermark’s 2018 Ad POP recipients in Central Florida are Orlando Health through Efficiency Media, Avita Pharmacy and Pinero Preventative Medical Care. Watermark’s 2018 Ad POP recipients in Tampa Bay are the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Empath Partners in Care through Connectivity Marketing and Metro Wellness and Community Centers. The NGMA, with the help of Rivendell Media — which represents more than 150 LGBTQ media companies to advertisers, coordinated national entries across local LGBTQ media and named Target Corporation as the Ad POP national award winner. Awards were granted based on 2017 advertising campaigns on the local level. For more information, visit NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.

Vatican removes reference to ‘psychiatric help’ for gay kids Wire Report

ATICAN CITY | The Vatican scrubbed from the official transcript of Pope Francis’ in-flight press conference a comment that young gay children might seek psychiatric help. Francis said: “Because it means something if it shows when you are still a child, when there are a lot of things to be done, either with psychiatric help, or to see how things are. While it is something else when it shows 20 years later.” The transcript on the Vatican website removed the “either with psychiatric help” phrase. The Vatican frequently cleans up Francis’ off-the-cuff remarks.

Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // Issue 25.18

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viewpoint

Sylvie Griffiths

mama Bearings Why I am here

“W

HY ARE YOU GUYs

even here?” This was the very direct and rude question my husband was asked in March during this year’s Tampa Pride. We were sitting at a crowded table shared with friends, old and new, at Hamburger Mary’s Ybor. Our eight-year-old son Jake was with us.

My husband, being the kind and patient human being he is, answered in great detail. He explained to his interrogator that we were attending Tampa Pride in support of our youngest child, who identifies as transgender. Jake was even on a float and gave out beads in the parade. It was an important and magical day for us as parents seeing our little dude being himself. Celebrating diversity is one of my fondest memories with Jake so far. After my husband explained we were there with our transgender child, she suddenly wanted to buy us a drink and chat. She even wanted to take pictures with Jake. This was after a lot of side eye and whispering with her male companion. I have been a cosmetologist since 1998. Within the hairdressing industry I have met so many types of people over the years. Gay, straight, gender fluid, transgender, gender non-conforming, black, white, biracial ... the list goes on and on. Although I am a 40-year-old white woman who drives a minivan, I am an ally and I am a champion of diversity and inclusion. I went back to school in 2013 to work in social

services and I have met even more amazing people on that career trajectory. If the young woman interrogating my husband had asked me the same question, she would have gotten a much different answer. I didn’t find out about the conversation until hours later when we were home. I felt so many things when my husband told me this individual was questioning our attendance at the celebration, but mostly I felt anger. Then I felt sadness and worry for the world my kids are growing up in. My anger from being asked this question comes from many places. If I had been approached in this manner, I would have asked this individual what she had done for her community. What role does she have in empowering and supporting the LGBTQ community? I proudly worked in HIV care for nearly a year after getting my degree studying mental health at USF. I have supported the community I personally love by shopping at local businesses, working with members of the community to promote health and wellness, and finally, I have strongly advocated for my transgender son. But do I need a sign or a button on my shirt to define why I am at Pride to explain my place in this community I consider myself an advocate and ally for? Over the last two years, as our son has transitioned, our family has been subjected to scrutiny, unwanted opinions, school struggles and the realization that not everyone will love our youngest because he is transgender. I have had to explain this to numerous school employees, pediatricians, daycare workers and all health-related providers in advance, just so the baby of the family isn’t addressed using the incorrect pronouns or a birth name that he doesn’t even associate with himself. We have felt both frightened and protective.

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We worry about all our children, but are aware that our son will be more likely to experience more anxiety and fear simply because he has become his true self. I have no reason to explain myself or my family. We are open-minded, we

person felt it was fine to question our attendance. Pride, to me, means a celebration of this community and a day of self-expression: an event without fear, ignorance or shame. Pride is a day to champion diversity and

frightening world because of their differences from the status quo. I will continue to love and protect this community because it is my family as much as my blood family is to me. I am an ally. I am a woman. I am someone who

volunteer, we support the LGBTQ community and we consider ourselves to be a part of this world. I am proud that my children are being raised in a modern family without discrimination or indifference to those not exactly like us. My sadness came from the way that this

inclusion and provides a sense of community. I will continue to support this community I love so dearly. I am a proud mother of four amazing children, one of whom is transgender. I am proud of all of my friends and family who have struggled to find their place in this harsh and

wants us to all live together with acceptance and love. And I will attend Tampa Pride next year and the years to come, like I have for so many years. This is why I am here.

I will continue to support this community I love... I am a proud mother of four amazing children, one of whom is transgender. I am proud of all of my friends and family who have struggled to ﬁnd their place in this harsh and frightening world…

Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // ISSue 25.18

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7% 9%

talking points

I’m thrilled that they’re nominated, but it was a little more groundbreaking back when we won an emmy in 2004. —CARsON KREssLEY, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FAb FIVE MEMbERs ON THE sERIEs “QUEER EYE FOR THE sTRAIGHT GUY,” TO VARIETY ON THE “QUEER EYE” REbOOT RECEIVING THREE EMMY NOMINATIONs

lena Waithe buys out sCreening

OF “CraZy riCh asians”

OF LESBIAN AND GAY ADULTS,

ENA wAITHE sHOwED HER sUPPORT FOR ROM-COM “Crazy Rich Asians” by buying out an entire theater. The actress, producer and writer attended the premiere and hyped up the film, which boasts an all Asian and Asian-American cast, on Twitter. “Go see this film this weekend! It’s just as important as #BlackPanther & #WrinkleInTime. Let’s do it for the culture. *and if you got an Asian tattoo you should buy a ticket just out of respect. I’m looking at you Wu Tang Clan!!!” Waithe tweeted. Jon M. Chu, the film’s director, noticed the tweet and gave Waithe a shout-out for her support. She responded that she and her team bought out a theater for a screening of the film. “Crazy Rich Asians” is currently in theaters.

OF BISEXUAL ADULTS

8.7% AND

OF TRANSGENDER ADULTS report using e-Cigarettes daily, making lgbtQ people one of the largest minority groups in the u.s. to use the produCt.

—REPORT FROM ANNALs OF INTERNAL MEDICINE

nfl’s neW orleans saints danCe team’s first male member debuts

EssIE HERNANDEZ MADE HIsTORY As THE FIRsT male performer on the New Orleans Saints Saintsations dance squad. Hernandez, 25, performed with the squad for the Saints’ preseason match against the Arizona Cardinals in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Aug. 17. Hernandez is one of three male cheerleaders joining an NFL league this season. Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies will also perform with the Los Angeles Rams’ squad. “The process has been great, everyone has been really nice to me and I can’t wait to see where this goes,” Hernandez told local news channel KATC.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Chanel to launCh makeup ColleCtion for men

HANEL Is OFFICIALLY LAUNCHING bOY DE CHANEL, its first makeup collection for men. Boy de Chanel will include a tinted foundation, eyebrow pencils and a matte lip balm. The foundation will offer eight sheer shades and has SPF 25. The eyebrow pencils will come in four shades. The collection’s name comes from Gabrielle Chanel’s lover and muse, Boy Capel. The company also has a unisex perfume, Boy, named after him. According to WWD.com, Boy de Chanel launches in South Korea Sept. 1 and will be available online in November. The line will be released in Chanel boutiques in January 2019.

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matt bomer Cast as Will’s loVe interest on “Will & graCe”

ATT bOMER Is jOINING THE CAsT OF “wILL & GRACE” as Will’s love interest. Bomer will portray “smooth-talking, self-satisfied TV news anchor,” McCoy Whitman, who strikes up a romance with Will (Eric McCormack). Other guest stars in the upcoming season include “Friends” star David Schwimmer as Grace’s (Debra Messing) on-off again love interest and Chelsea Handler as a “high-powered” lesbian. Alec Baldwin, Jon Cryer, Mary McCormack and Olympian Adam Rippon will also make appearances. Minnie Driver will return as Karen’s (Megan Mullally) menacing stepdaughter. “Will & Grace” returns Oct. 4 on NBC.

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Money

$hame

The taboo subject of money and why not talking about your finances can be detrimental

“H

Jeremy Williams

AVE YOU EVER HAD TO bREAK

your family’s rules? Today, I’m breaking mine around money, secrecy and shame.”

That was the opening line of Tammy Lally’s 2017 TED Talk, but for Lally that is more than just the opening line to her lecture, it also describes her personal money journey. Lally is a Certified Money Coach and author of the new book, “Money Detox: Your

Invitation to Liberation.” Her journey started in 2006 with a phone call from her brother on his 40th birthday. “My brother Keith called me,” Lally recalls during her TED Talk. “He said to me ‘Tam, I’m in dire

THE MONEY COACH:

Tammy Lally is a Certified Money Coach, TED talk speaker and author of a new book on money shame.

Continued on pg. 21 | uu |

pHoTo bY TaMaRa knigHT

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Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // ISSue 25.18

FLAGWORLD WHERE YOU GO TO GET YOUR

PRIDE FLAG

A FREE COMMUNITY RESOURCE FOR THOSE LIVING WITH THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE.

EVERY 3RD WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH FROM 6:00PM- 7:15PM 320 N. FERNCREEK AVE. ORLANDO, FL 32803

805 VIRGINIA DR. 32803 407-895-9245 WWW.AFLAGWORLD.COM

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TO REGISTER EMAIL EMILY AT EFERLO@MHACF.ORG

bY THE bOOK: “Money Detox: Your Invitation to Liberation” is part self-help book, part autobiography and part textbook. It will be available late Sept. 2018. | uu | Money Shame from pg.19

straits. I wouldn’t ask unless I had to. Can I borrow $7,500?’” Lally describes the interaction, saying this wasn’t the first time her brother needed to borrow money. She goes on to say that this time was different. This time his voice frightened her. “I had never heard him so beaten down and shameful,” Lally said, holding back tears. “After a few basic questions that we would all ask, I agreed to loan him money under one condition. As the financial professional in the family, I wanted to meet with him and his wife to see what was really happening.” Lally met with the two several weeks later, where Lally immediately began “the tough love budget conversation.” Lally told them they needed to downsize and give up “the toys.” Keith and his wife blamed each other. “It got messy,” Lally recalled. Two months went by and Lally got another call. Keith had committed suicide. Suicide rates among adults between the ages of 40 and 64 have increased by 40 percent since 1999, according to a study by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Of those suicides, financial mishaps such as job loss, bankruptcy and foreclosures accounted for more than a third of them.

everyone knows that friend who is a bigshot, who picks up the tab, who drives the mercedes, who is spending outside their means. that’s not the answer. You can’t ﬁx money problems with money. —TAMMY LALLY

“[Keith] was caught in our family’s money shame cycle,” Lally said. According to Lally, “money shame” is defined as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging based on our bank account balances, our debts, our homes, our cars and our job titles.” “What I’ve learned is that our self-destructive and self-defeating financial behaviors are not driven by our rational, logical minds,” she said. “Instead, they are a

product of our self-conscious belief systems, rooted in our childhoods, and so deeply engrained in us they shape the way that we deal with money our entire adult lives. And so many of you are left believing that you’re lazy, crazy or stupid, or just bad with money. This is what I call ‘money shame.’” While the American Journal of Preventative Medicine study did not specify a gender identity or sexual orientation breakdown, Forbes reports that LGBTQ people are more likely to experience bad spending

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

habits, feel less in control of their finances and struggle to maintain savings when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Robbie Puskarich was the director for residential lending for a community bank in St. Petersburg. From the outside he seemed to have the ideal life. “I was making a very good salary,” Puskarich says. “I lived in the right place. I drove the right car. I always dressed the right way.” Puskarich may have appeared to have it all, but on the inside he says he felt like everything was

Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // ISSue 25.18

on the verge of crumbling down. “You don’t want people knowing you’re struggling financially, especially when you’re making a good salary because people look at you like, ‘Well, you make good money, what’s the problem?’ It’s not that easy,” he says. “Just because you make more money, it doesn’t mean you can keep up with the Joneses. It all just completely backfired.” Puskarich was in his own money shame cycle. “I felt like a failure. I would look at my bank account. I was living paycheck-to-paycheck. I was making great money and I just couldn’t get myself out from being underwater,” he says. “I was working so much that my health started to deteriorate. I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t eating. I was drinking myself to sleep at night.” Puskarich was keeping his money shame inside, all while portraying an image in the community that he was well off and doing fine. “I know I put the pressure on myself, but I also felt the community was putting the pressure on me too,” he says. LGBTQ individuals trying to “keep up with the Joneses” in the community is pretty common, says Lally. Along with the negative stereotypes that society has put on the LGBTQ community, a well-held view has been that people in the LGBTQ community have money, and lots of it. It’s rooted in the “old world view” that gay and lesbian couples couldn’t marry or adopt kids so they had expendable incomes. This image, Lally says, contributes to an LGBTQ person’s individual money shame. “What I see with our community is we’re already one down. We’re already, some of us, coming from a shame-based place about being gay or being bisexual or being transgender or being lesbian. Our families have potentially disowned us. It’s really hard to be in your power with money when you don’t even feel good enough to be walking around in your own skin,” she says. “I think what happens in our community is that people don’t launch. You know, they can’t find themselves, they’re underpaid, they don’t ask for what they need and they’re not getting their worth.” For a community that has spent years knocking down walls and starting conversations on subjects that the rest of society

Continued on pg. 23 | uu |

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Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // Issue 25.18

Have you met TED?: Tammy Lally tells her “money shame” story to a full audience for her TED Talk at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando in June 2017. Photo Courtesy of Tammy Lally

| uu | Money Shame from pg.21

wasn’t comfortable having, LGBTQ people in general have not breached that taboo subject of talking about money. It’s something Lally says comes from our “money autobiography.” “We all have these money beliefs that started back in our childhoods,” she says. “How did we handle money when we first got it? How did we see our parents handle money? We need to be willing to open up and have these conversations.”

As stated earlier, Lally is a Certified Money Coach, but she doesn’t just talk the talk because she was trained on the subject. Lally herself stared down the long tunnel of her own money shame. “So, there are two things that have been consistent in my life, two sources of pain: romance and finance,” Lally says. “I met a woman when I was living in D.C. that was in the Navy, and we fell quickly head over heels, and I moved to Jacksonville with her when she was transferred.” Lally had gotten into finance, but then she met a friend who introduced her into the mortgage business.

“The money that I started earning, wow,” Lally remembers. “Now I was always earning well, but this was just different. I was on my own by this time and it was like watching my talent earn. I got caught up in wanting more.” Lally sold her house and bought an ocean-front condo, putting over $100,000 worth of renovations into it. She bought a Mercedes and a Rolex. “I went nuts,” she says, “and then it ended.” After Lally’s brother committed suicide, she went to his house looking for answers. She found a stack of overdue credit card bills and a foreclosure

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

notice served to Keith on the day that he died. “[Keith] dies and six months later it’s 2007 and the market crashes. I lost everything,” Lally recalls. With everything weighing on her, she went into isolation. ”I didn’t tell anybody how bad it was,” Lally says. “I thought what I did was bad. I thought I was a total failure in my life. I internalized it in such a detrimental way. I totally got why my brother committed suicide. I mean, I didn’t understand it until that happened because I had so much negative energy on myself. I mean I was angry, I blamed

Sep t emb er 6 - Sep t emb er 19, 2018 // Issue 25.18

the government, George Bush, Republicans. I was doing that, no question. But it was more harm to myself than anything else.” In what seemed like overnight, Lally had lost her brother, her job and her income; but she didn’t seek help right away. “It took a year to actually tell one person that I was suffering,” Lally says. “I mean, I would go out and smile and still use my credit card to go to lunch with my girlfriends, still drive my Mercedes, still wear my Rolex. Still in a delusion, a total delusion.”

Continued on pg. 25 | uu |

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| uu | Money Shame from pg.23

Lally says things started to turn around when she opened up about her own money shame and did the one thing that so many people in her shoes rarely do. “I accepted the help that was offered,” she says. But it wasn’t an immediate fix. Not only did she need to accept the help offered, but she needed to get to the root cause of her personal money shame, she says: her past. “Debt is the tangible manifestation of not forgiving. If you have debt you have not forgiven your past. So, it’s our work to forgive ourselves and others so that we can live freely,” Lally said in her TED Talk. “Follow your dollars; your money will show you what you value. Ask yourself, ‘Do I really value all this stuff?’ And get curious about how you’re feeling when you’re spending.” Lally’s personal journey and her brother’s memory is what, in part, led her to write her book, “Money Detox.” “The book is really my brother’s legacy,” she says. “His death catapulted me into another level of self-inquiry, learning more about me and how I can understand myself. I subsequently created my dream job and now I get to help people that were in the same place I was in, the same place he was in, the same place millions of people are in with money, which is pain.” “Money Detox” is part self-help book, part autobiography and part textbook. “The book is a self-help book, you know, that’s the genre,” Lally says. “But it’s also layered with a lot of my personal stories, as well as client’s stories, as well as practical exercises, to help people move through their own life.” Puskarich is currently on his path to recovery from money shame. He left his job five years ago, which he says was killing him. Like Lally, he saw a major change come when he opened up to someone about his shame. “I had started dating somebody new when I left [my job], and that’s who I started opening up to,” Puskarich says. “I’ve literally been beating myself up for feeling like I’ve just completely failed myself financially. I’m constantly dealing with this. I’m healing, I’m getting in the process.”

Finding what matters: “The Money Coach” Tammy Lally takes time away from writing to tell Bella that she’s a good girl. Photo by Tamara Knight Puskarich has taken the next big step in getting out from underneath his money shame. He quit his job, cashed in his 401k and now he and his boyfriend have moved to New Mexico, just outside of Santa Fe. “I’m starting my life over, but it’s going to be a whole new adventure, a whole new lifestyle,” Puskarich says. “I haven’t felt like I’ve had a purpose and I feel like I’m supposed to be helping people, I just don’t know what

that is yet. So I’m going to figure that out. It’s not about the money anymore.” Whether it’s a big lifestyle change or just simply opening up to someone, Lally says there is always light at the end of the tunnel. She says it comes as long as we recognize the issue in front of us and approach it from a place of understanding. “The last time I saw my brother was in a financial meeting and I shamed him. I literally

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

shamed the crap out of the guy,” Lally says. Lally says 100 percent of the profit from the sales of “Money Detox” will go toward organizations that work in suicide prevention. ”For me, I live from a lot of service. I earn a living through my work, and I want people to read it,” she says. “If that helps them read it, great. If that makes people want to buy the book, awesome. This is for a higher purpose, not my pocket.”

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That purpose? Helping people to recognize their pain and to overcome their money shame. “Everyone knows that friend who is a bigshot, who picks up the tab, who drives the Mercedes, who is spending outside their means,” she says. “That’s not the answer. You can’t fix money problems with money.” Tammy Lally’s “Money Detox: Your Invitation to Liberation” is scheduled for release this month.

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arts and entertainment

Werkin’ Werkin’

Gal

ginger minj dishes on drag and bringing ‘Crossdresser for Christ’ to Florida

“T

Ryan Williams-Jent

HERE’s NO ACCOUNTING FOR

people’s taste,” Orlando-based entertainer Joshua Eads, known worldwide as drag performer Ginger Minj, jokes about his years of post “RuPaul’s Drag Race” success. “It’s gotten crazy. Every year gets crazier.”

After finishing the popular drag competition’s seventh season as a finalist and sashaying onto its “All Stars 2” spin-off, Minj hasn’t stopped. She quickly brought her autobiographical, one-woman (but three person) show “Crossdresser for Christ” to fans worldwide and dropped a debut album.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Watermark caught up with Minj ahead of Tampa’s “Crossdresser” stop at the Straz Center to dish on drag, Disney divas and never slowing down. WATERMARK: it doesn’t

seem like you’Ve stopped Working sinCe “drag raCe.”

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Continued on pg. 29 | uu |

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Don’t heckle a drag queen, because we have faster tongues than you. I am the most un-athletic person that you will ever meet, but I can run my mouth; it’s the only exercise I get. You will never beat me in that kind of battle...

| uu | Crossdresser for Christ from pg.27

GINGER MINJ: It’s really strange. When you get on the show, you’re pretty much told “you have one year to make this thing work for you and then you kind of fade off into obscurity while the next group of girls come out.” But I realized I had worked seven days a week and had been successful in drag for almost a decade before “Drag Race.” I knew there was some way to take what I was given and parlay it into what I was doing, just on a bigger scale. What’d you do?

I hustled. I listened to [season 6 winner] Bianca Del Rio, who told me, “Take every booking that you can possibly take, make all the connections that you possibly can and you’ll be set.” And she was right. That’s exactly what I did for a very long time. It completely worked out in my favor. It’s been a year since “Drag Race” judge Michelle Visage married you and your husband. What was that like?

Michelle and I were working together not long after he and I got together. When she met him, she told him she was obsessed with him, that she saw why I loved him so much, that we were going to get married and be together forever. That’s high praise coming from Michelle Visage. We knew that whenever we decided to get married we wanted her to be a part of it because she was the first one to be so supportive of us. She was more nervous than we were. You were dressed as Snow White, that’s a lot of pressure.

It’s hard being a Disney princess. fans also want you to play the disney villain Ursula.

Isn’t that weird how that just kind of blows up out of nowhere? If you’re going to cast a drag queen; I’m fat, I’m funny, I’m a villain and I can sing. I think if I was given the opportunity I could blow it out of the water. You’re shining a spotlight on your own life with “Crossdresser for Christ.” What inspired that?

What changed?

We reworked the show and kind of rediscovered something, putting in a little bit more. We found this new love for it and this new energy. It’s very relevant. People are looking for something they can identify with and something they can take something away from. I think this is definitely that show. What are the challenges of sharing your journey?

There was someone in Chicago who physically attacked me. First they tried to heckle me during the show, which is never

a good idea. Don’t heckle a drag queen, because we have faster tongues than you. I am the most un-athletic person that you will ever meet, but I can run my mouth; it’s the only exercise I get. You will never beat me in that kind of battle. But he tried to physically assault me when I was leaving because he didn’t feel that anybody from the gay community should support religion. My whole thing is I don’t support organized religion, and I’m not saying the choices I’ve made are for everybody. My entire show is about finding what works for you, what you believe in, and applying that to your everyday life.

What’s been the most rewarding Part?

It’s cheaper than therapy. It gives you the desired effects—you go out there, you talk about the things on your mind. The show

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

“Drag Race” has faced criticism by some who feel it’s hurt local entertainment.

Everything is a double-edged sword. You can’t blame everything on just one thing… you can’t sit there and say “Drag Race” has destroyed local drag. There are times where it probably does detract, because the people who are coming out to the shows do watch drag in their living rooms and get a closed-off view of what they think drag is or should be. But on the other hand, everytime you bring a “Drag Race” girl to these local bars, you’re getting a much bigger fan turnout. So the local queens, I feel like they’re getting the exposure. Why is drag important in today’s political climate?

Drag has always been important in every political climate. We have the distinct ability to take something that is offensive, hurtful or scary and lampoon it, make fun of it and turn it on its head. What do you want fans to know about what’s next for you?

—Ginger Minj weighs in on fanatic fan

We’ve been doing it for the last four years, and we haven’t done it in Florida because it’s personal and about a lot of the experiences that I’ve had coming up here. So it wasn’t something that I was ready to share or put in the faces of the people it was about until recently.

It all just kind of coexists in this beautiful little bubble. You don’t get that everywhere else. You come to Florida and you can find any type of drag you have ever imagined.

changes every night. The opening segment is me talking to the audience about what’s going on in the world, what’s happening in our lives and how it all comes together to make this beautiful, terrible society. I think that is the best part— meeting these people, hearing their stories and realizing we’re all just a different shade of fucked up.

A number of “drag race” girls have come from Florida. Why do you think our state is so popular with producers?

Florida is such a melting pot in general. Everybody in the world comes to Florida, and that goes double for drag queens. You have club kids and you’ve got pageant girls, trans women, gender-fuck drag, you have bio-drag. You have every type of drag.

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Oh lord, there’s so much going on. After “Crossdresser” closes in Tampa, I’m in New York for the world premiere of my one-woman Divine show. I’m excited to get that on its feet. I did a movie with Jennifer Aniston called “Dumplin’” which is coming out soon. It’s a great movie and I can’t wait for it to come out. I have a couple of deals with Netflix that are in the works right now, so hopefully you’ll see me on your television screens very soon, and of course my album. Then we’re going on tour and my husband and I have started the process of having a baby, just because we like a challenge. That’s a pretty full plate.

It’s very full. It’s one of those good, Golden Corral, overflowin’buffet plates. I’m very excited about everything, I have no complaints.

Ginger Minj’s “Crossdresser for Christ” runs Sept. 8-16 in the Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa. For more information or to buy tickets, visit StrazCenter.org or DragFans.com.

PARADE + FESTIVAL + ENTERTAINMENT + FIREWORKS

OCTOBER 13 DRAG RACE 5K

WEEKEND LAUNCH

REEL PRIDE: “MAR”

HOUSE OF PRIDE

BLOCK PARTY

CELEBRATE THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER PRIDE WITH A FULL WEEK OF EVENTS

comeoutwithpride.org/events 30

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TWO BRUNCHES

film

Hometown Heroes

Watermark Film Company’s new documentary ‘Greetings From Queertown’ shines a light on Orlando’s LGBTQ history

(above)

The Film Crew:

(L-R) Jeremy Williams, Jake Stevens, Tye Belcher, Sandi Hulon and Rick Claggett are ready to hear Orlando’s stories. Photo by DyLan Todd

Christen Kelley

rom KKK members threatening

Pride-filled parade marchers to a sea of red shirts ascending on Disney World for Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom to standing “Orlando Strong” around Lake Eola, Central Florida has come a long way for the LGBTQ community. It’s a rich history that Watermark Film Company plans to detail in their upcoming documentary, “Greetings From Queertown: Orlando.”

Spearheaded by Watermark owner, publisher and editor Rick Claggett, director/producer Sandi Hulon, director of photography Tye Belcher and others from Team Watermark, the film company

was created to share the story of “Queertown.” Claggett was inspired by the people and organizations in Orlando who devoted their lives to making it a safer and more inclusive place. He wanted to tell the story of how that

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community came together in the very beginning when being gay was not tolerated. “It’s nice to go out to a parade now with 150,000 people, but when there were 1,000 people or 200 people, and you’re standing there, it takes a lot of courage to do that,” Claggett says. “My idea is to tell those stories of the progression of the LGBTQ history of Central Florida.” The documentary will explore events such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the first Pride parades in Orlando, the history of gay nightclubs such as Parliament House and Southern Nights, as well as the personal experiences of LGBTQ individuals who live, and have lived, in Central Florida. “Queertown” will feature interviews from out, local figures such as Orlando City Commissioner

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Patty Sheehan, drag performer Darcel Stevens, Watermark founder Tom Dyer, Florida House Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, as well as Orlando entertainers Michael Wanzie and Blue Star. The filmmakers also hope to include stories of everyday heroes. “It’s about sharing the history of what people have gone through. Not only Tom Dyer or Patty Sheehan, but there are other people out there that we don’t know about,” Hulon says. “I just want people to know that there’s a really deep, loving culture that survived all the hate more than anything.” Claggett and Hulon say the Pulse shooting will not be a focal point of the documentary; the film will show more of the history leading up to it. They say the sense of unity following the shooting would not have been possible without the foundation laid throughout the years. “I was in awe of how all of these organizations that had been around for so long came together and how new organizations emerged to help the immediate needs of people who were suffering,” Claggett says. “Everyone was working together to help each other through this tragedy. That was inspiring to me and I thought that Orlando has a really great foundation of help for the LGBTQ community.” Hulon, who has lived in Orlando, Los Angeles and now currently lives in St. Petersburg, says she has seen how Orlando’s LGBTQ community has grown over the last 20 years. “It’s real here, there’s authenticity. When people get together for these big events, it’s about love. It always comes back around to the love and caring,” Hulon says. “Because of what’s happened in this community, it’s really come together and there had to be that foundation in order for everyone to come together.” Claggett is grateful that when he came out in Orlando in 1991, there were already resources available to help young people like him who were questioning their sexuality. He credits the Delta Youth Alliance, now the Orlando Youth Alliance, with changing his life, providing him lifelong friendships and connections that led him to the career he has now. He says things would be different if it wasn’t for those trailblazers before him, protesting and fighting against inequality. “I want this documentary to answer the question of who were the brave pioneers that

Continued on pg. 33 | uu |

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DYNAMIC DUO: Sandi Hulon (L) and Rick Claggett aren’t all business as they look to bring Orlando’s LGBTQ stories to the big screen. pHoTo bY DYLan ToDD | uu | Queertown from pg.31

made Orlando what it is,” Claggett says. “To see how far we’ve come, I want this to tell the story of the people who got us here.” Hulon was one of those people. She says when she came out she had water balloons thrown at her and was beat up for holding another woman’s hand in public. She wants younger

“We have some rights, but we are not equal. There’s a saying; ‘you can get married today and fired tomorrow,’” Claggett says. “The basic rights are still not there and there are people fighting for those.” “Queertown” is Watermark’s first film endeavor. Hulon has been working in video production for the last 15 years, but it’s a new direction for Watermark and Claggett. He says the company will continue to

a digital download of the film or even VIP seats at the film’s premiere. Claggett says they’re hoping to create a documentary worthy of their city. “If we can make it into something that can tour film festivals, can be available on Netflix, Hulu, HBO; who knows what the possibilities are,” Claggett says. “But we want this project to reflect how amazing this community is.”

use film as a medium to tell these kinds of stories. “We’ve been a part of telling the story of this community forever, it’s just logical that this is the next progression in it. It’s the future of what we do,” Claggett says. The film is now in its fundraising stage, with the trailer released in late August. They’re aiming to raise as much as $200,000 with help from the community. They’re also giving out benefit packages for different levels of what they call “money love.” Donors can receive a Facebook thank you post,

There currently isn’t a release date, but Claggett says they’re hoping to debut it at a film festival within the next year. He wants the viewers to be as involved as possible in the making of the film. “This is a story about this community, by this community,” Claggett says. “This is about the people who did it, who currently live it and are the future of it.”

this is a story about this community, by this community. this is about the people who did it, who —RICK CLAGGETT currently live it and are the future of it. LGBTQ people to know and understand what she went through, so they can appreciate the freedom they have now. “We started this foundation, us older folks, so that the next generations could help make it easier to walk down the street in Orlando and be okay,” Hulon says. While homophobia is less common today, Claggett says there’s still progress to be made. He hopes “Greetings From Queertown” will inspire LGBTQ people to continue fighting.

For more information on “Greetings From Queertown: Orlando” and to donate to the film, visit GreetingsFromQueertown.com.

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community calendar

eVent planner arts+entertainment entertainment

Central florida

6 Year VenueVersary

art Show, Sept. 6, The Center, Orlando. 407-228-8272; thecenterorlando.org

sUNDAY, sEPT. 9, 3-7 P.M. THE VENUE, ORLANDO The Venue invites you to come out and celebrate its sixth year as a part of the Orlando community. It’s a VenueVersary! The event will include music, food, drinks, good people and good times. For more information, visit TheVenueOrlando.com.

“the Color Purple,” Sept. 7-23, Theater West End, Sanford. 407-548-6285; theaterwestend.com Hope and Help gala, Sept. 8, Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando. 407-645-2577; hopeandhelp.org War on the Catwalk – the Queens from season 10, Sept. 9, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; plazaliveorlando.org the Lady Boys of the peek-a-boo Lounge in “Possession,” Sept. 10, The Venue, Orlando. 407-412-6895; thevenueorlando.com 6th annual celebrity bartending night, Sept. 11, SAVOY, Orlando. 407-228-8272; thecenterorlando.org Paul Simon, Sept. 11, Amway Center, Orlando. 800-253-6500; amway.com kathy griffin, Sept. 13, Bob Carr Theater, Orlando. 407-839-0119; drphillipscenter.org fall out Boy, Sept. 16, Amway Center, Orlando. 800-253-6500; amway.com april fresh’s Comedy Brunch, Sept. 16, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; parliamenthouse.com 30th anniversary season gala, Sept. 16, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando. 407-447-1700; orlandoshakes.org global peace Film Festival, Sept. 17-23, Central Florida Community of the Arts, Orlando. 407-937-1800; peacefilmfest.org

extraordinary people of Orlando wEDNEsDAY, sEPT. 19, 7-9 P.M. THE LGbT+ CENTER, ORLANDO

heads up

Extraordinary People of Orlando is a Central Florida LGBTQ and ally organization that builds community through outdoor adventures, games, volunteering and more. Extraordinary People of Orlando is meeting at The Center Orlando to mingle, make new friends and plan activities for the coming weeks ahead. For more information on the group’s mission and future events, go to EPOrlando.com.

tampa bay

Comedian kathy griffin will be serving up all the tea when she visits the Bob Carr Theater in Orlando for her “Laugh Your Head Off World Tour” on Sept. 13. pHoTo coURTesY kaTHYgRiFFin.neT

“the royal family,” Sept. 21-Oct. 14, Mad Cow Theatre Company, Orlando. 407-297-8788; MadCowTheatre.com

tampa bay Clyde Butcher: “Vision of Dali’s Spain,” June 15-Nov. 25, Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg. 727-828-3767; TheDali.org neibeaRhood Takeovers: Catchers and Pitchers, Sept. 7, Southern Nights, Tampa,. 813-559-8625; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsTPA

amateur burlesque 12, Sept. 21, The Venue, Orlando. 407-412-6895; thevenueorlando.com

Paul Simon, Sept. 7, Amalie Arena, Tampa. 813-301-6500; AmalieArena.com

“Legally blonde,” Sept. 21-30, Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford. 407-321-8111; WDPAC.com

ginger Minj’s “crossdresser for Christ,” Sept. 8-16, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7821; StrazCenter.org

Come out St. Pete art contest and exhibit, Sept. 8, Woodfield Fine Art Gallery, St. Petersburg. ComeOUTstpete.org

here Come the Mummies, Sept. 21, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuckEckerdHall.com

“the full Monty,” Sept. 8-Oct.1, Carrollwood Players, Tampa. 813-265-1891; CarrollwoodPlayers.org

Megacon Tampa bay, Sept. 21-24, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa. megacontampabay.com

“home is Where the art Is,” Sept. 15, at Studio @620, St. Petersburg. 727-895-6620; Studioat620.org Flamingo Resort pageant, Sept. 16, Flamingo Resort, St. Petersburg. 727-645-2179; flamingofla.com “chicago,” Sept. 18-23, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7821; StrazCenter.org sYTYcn wild card Drag Competition, Sept. 2, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsTPA

sarasota “anne of green gables,” Sept.13-30, Manatee Performing Arts Center, Bradenton. 941-748-5875; ManateePerforming ArtsCenter.com Jerry Seinfeld, Sept. 20, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 941-953-3368; VanWezel.org “annie get Your gun,” Sept. 20-Oct. 7, The Players Centre For Performing Arts, Sarasota. 941-365-2494; ThePlayers.org

tampa bay Diversity Chamber September Social THURsDAY, sEPT. 13, 6-8 P.M. HAMbURGER MARY’s, TAMPA The Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber is holding its September social mixer at Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grille Tampa in Ybor City. Meet members of the chamber while enjoying complementary appetizers and a cash bar. To learn more about the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber and to see more chamber events in your area, visit DiversityTampaBay.org.

sarasota

September G2H2 THURsDAY, sEPT. 6, 5:30-8:30 P.M. CATRINA’s TACOs AND TEQUILA, sARAsOTA Gay Group Happy Hour (G2H2) and SarasotaOUT.com host their monthly event at the lesbian-owned A’zul Cantina Lounge, located within Catrina’s Tacos and Tequila in Sarasota’s Rosemary District. The event is $10 and will include complimentary appetizers, door prizes and a 50-50 raffle. Find more information at G2H2Sarasota.com.

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

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Join the Premier Chamber in the Bay Area where our diverse membership puts the Diversity in Tampa Bay.

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overheard

epiC fundraising

GbTA VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION bALANCE TAMPA bAY announced Aug. 31 that its fourth annual masquerade ball raised $16,000 for Empath Partners in Care (EPIC). “On behalf of Balance Tampa Bay’s Executive Board, Committee Members, and EPIC, we would like to thank you for your support of Avant Garde, our 4th Annual Masquerade at the Armature Works,” masquerade Event Chair Ryan Young shared with attendees. “Because of your support and generous sponsorship, Balance Tampa Bay was able to raise over $16,000 to deliver to EPIC to help them continue to change the everyday lives of HIV/AIDS impacted clients.” Young noted that for the past four years, Balance Tampa Bay has been dedicated to raising awareness and support for EPIC. He further advised that the organization is “committed to our local community through the amazing services that are provided.” “EPIC brings together the nearly 60 years of combined HIV service experience of ASAP (AIDS Service Association of Pinellas) and Francis House to provide a wide variety of medical care, counseling, support and prevention services, and continued seamless care that supports clients to maintain healthy and self-sufficient lives,” he concluded. For more information about EPIC, visit myepic.org. For more information about Balance Tampa Bay, visit BalanceTampaBay.org.

tampa bay out+about

Clear Vision

ETRO wELLNEss & COMMUNITY CENTERs AND CAN COMMUNITY HEALTH leadership gathered Aug. 30 to introduce the community to their Clearwater Health Center and its team. “I’m theMedical Director at this office and I’m really blessed to be here and to be able to provide care,” Dr. Vilma M. Vega shared at the opening. “I am blessed to see this. We’re here for all patients, whether insured or not insured; they are all treated exactly the same.” Metro COO Priya Rajkumar echoed the sentiment, noting that the space will offer a “full spectrum of services,” including “everything from HIV medical care to PrEP services to mental health.” She further advised that if a particular service isn’t provided at the location, patients can be referred to another Metro or CAN site. “We’re all about partnerships, and when we talk partnerships at CAN, our number one partner is Metro,” CAN CEO Richard E. Carlisle added. “We have an excellent group here. Our staff is outstanding, both on the Metro side and the CAN side; we couldn’t do this without them.” Following the event, Metro advised via Facebook that the organizations were pleased to make essential healthcare services accessible to more of the community. To learn more about Metro and CAN’s Clearwater site, located at 2349 Sunset Point Rd., visit MetroTampaBay.org/ Health/Primary-Care.

2 3

‘bURGER bUDs: Megan Mcelroy (L) and Cole foust celebrate the 6th annual Good ‘Burger Awards at the State Theater Aug. 30.

pHoTo bY RYan wiLLiaMs-JenT

sPECIAL DELIVERY: Jerry travis receives copies of Watermark for the Gay Softball World Series players at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel Aug. 29. pHoTo bY RYan wiLLiaMs-JenT

CROwN ME: alexis Mateo (L) takes the Miss Gay Florida America 2018 crown beside Coco Montrese at Hamburger Mary’s Brandon Aug. 26. pHoTo coURTesY

VicToRia s. MaTeo

G-NIGHT: (L-R) hayden Bell, Brandon Dysard, Corey Kimsiwonsan and ricko Sananikone party at G St. Pete Aug. 25. pHoTo bY RYan wiLLiaMs-JenT

PAGEANT PARTY: (L-R) aJ otrebac, birthday boy Chris gudis, Jeremy fetters, Cody Williams and Brian Moody celebrate the first Miss Come OUT St. Pete at Enigma Sept. 2. pHoTo bY RYan wiLLiaMs-JenT

HEALING HANDs: (L-R) rose addison, Vilma M. Vega, priya Rajkumar and caroline white-smith open Metro and CAN’s Clearwater location Aug. 30.

pHoTo bY RYan wiLLiaMs-JenT

PLAY bALL: Suncoast softball League players gather at the 2018 Gay Softball World Series opening ceremony Sept. 3. Photo

coURTesY TaMpa gaY soFTbaLL woRLD seRies

LET’s HAVE A KIKI: (L-R) John DeVarti, Zach Stamper, Miranda Colette and Sebastian hathcock prep for “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Kiki and Shade” at the Capitol Theater Aug. 31.

pHoTo bY RYan wiLLiaMs-JenT

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FOOD TRUCK

Extravaganza

Hosted By: The Human Rights Campaign and The Closing Agent

A COMMUNITY EVENT AND FUND RAISER FOR THE 49 FUND Saturday, September 22 12:00p.m. – 7:00p.m.

The Closing Agent in Thornton Park 11 N. Summerlin Ave. Parking available on site and at the Thornton Park Central Garage 120 N. Eola Dr

FEATURING: FOOD TRUCKS ● FACE PAINTING ● BOUNCE HOUSE ● DUNKING BOOTH ● KIDS ARTS AND CRAFTS AREA ● CARNIVAL GAME TENT HOSTED BY