Watermark Issue 26.20: Planet Pride by Watermark Publishing Group

LGBA marches into Orlando for annual conference

Come OUT St. Pete returns for third outing

OCT 31NOV 3 2019

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departments 7 // Bureau Chief’s Desk 8 // Central Florida News 12 // Tampa Bay News 16 // State News 17 // Nation & World News 25 // Talking Points 49 // Community Calendar 51 // Tampa Bay Out + About 53 // Central FL Out + About 54 // Tampa Bay Marketplace 56 // Central FLorida Marketplace 61 // Wedding Bells/ Announcements 62 // Last Page

page

This year’s Pride theme, Heroes, is a perfect example of the many individuals and local organizations that are partnering together to make Orange County a community that works for everyone.

– Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, in his letter celebrating Come Out With Pride’s 15th anniversary

On the cover

page

Planet Pride: Come Out With Pride goes eco-friendly for 2019 festival and parade at Lake

Eola. Photography by Dylan Todd; Design

by DiBenedetto/Wiedemann

scan qr code for

WatermarkOnline.com

page Brazilian Bombshell:

International drag superstar Pabllo Vittar headlines Come Out With Pride’s Lake Eola Pride Stage.

Watermark Issue 26.20 // October 3 - October 16, 2019

City Elections

Celebration Central

Citywide Equality

A Shining Example

page Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan runs for sixth term against new-to-politics Corey DeVogel.

page Come OUT St Pete returns for its third year, adding grand marshals to its parade.

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

Fort Lauderdale enacts an HRO and bans conversion therapy against LGBTQ youth.

LGBTQ youth lead Come OUT St. Pete project for SHINE Mural Festival.

oc tob er 3 - O c tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

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central florida

bureau chief’s

Jeremy Williams cfl bureau chief

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

Desk

t’s October, which means it’s

that time of the year when I climb into the attic, dust off the boxes that read “HOLIDAY CRAP” and start figuring out how I am going to decorate for... Christmas! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Yes, I know that we have a couple more months and several other holidays to get through before the big, jolly elf brings me a bunch of stuff that I will love and play with for five minutes before moving on to making a fort out of the boxes all that junk came in, but I can’t help it. I love Christmas and, to be honest, I’m not a big fan of Halloween. I know, that is sacrilegious to say being gay but it doesn’t carry the same joy for me that it does for all the other L’s, G’s, B’s, T’s and Q’s I know. Even as a kid I didn’t get as hyped about Halloween as the other kids did. I think the main reason was I spent most of my

youth as a chubby child here in Florida. As any big person in a tropical climate will tell you, layering in 90 degree weather is a bit of a challenge for us. Even at night as it would get “cool,” I would pull off the mask of my costume to get air and a pool of water would fall to the ground. My face would be beat red and I would be the only kid on the block going door-to-door, not asking for candy but a tall glass of water. My slightly older brother and our friends would be running up and down the streets, pillow case in hand, like a band of raiding pirates taking down the British fleet, constantly yelling back

at me to hurry up as I waddled down the sidewalk, arms flailing side to side, attempting to walk. My entire body sounded like a wet sponge stuck in a Ziploc bag. As my later teen years came on and I got bigger, I started staying in on Halloween—as any good gay son would do—with his mother. I remember decorating the front hall, getting dressed up as Frankenstein and handing out candy to the kids. In between knocks on the door, Mama and I would watch AMC’s Monsterfest, eat candy and hang out. When I graduated high school and went into the military, Halloween just became an excuse to drink and see guys ... I mean girls, Sergeant! To see girls scantily clad in tight costumes that showed a lot of skin. Yeah, that’s what I was looking at. My costume at those events were usually a black T-shirt with orange writing that said something stupid like “This shirt is my costume.” Yeah, I was that guy. There are some years where friends forced me into a getup to head down to the bar and go all Halloween crazy but it was always for them. I never had the same spark they did for the holiday. Funny enough, while I don’t care for the holiday dedicated to frights and scares, I do love films dedicated to them. I watch four or five horror films a week. Most night and weekends, I can be found relaxing in the living room with my best friend and roommate Chris flipping through Netflix, Hulu or HBO trying to find a scary movie we haven’t already seen. So as you are enjoying your month of tricks and treats, if you see me out in costume looking miserable, please come up and tell me what your favorite scary movie is. I’m always keeping a list, just like Santa Claus. Merry Christmas!!!

watermark staff Owner & Publisher: Rick Claggett • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Business Manager: Kathleen Sadler • Ext. 101 Kathleen@WatermarkOnline.com

Also, in the month of October is National Coming Out Day and that is when we celebrate Come Out With Pride (COWP). In this issue, we look at what eco-friendly alternatives COWP will be bringing to Lake Eola Oct. 12 as the city’s new policy ban on single-use straws, plastic bags and Styrofoam at city-owned properties takes effect Oct. 1. We also hear from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who has a few words to the LGBTQ community for his first pride parade and festival as mayor. In Arts and Entertainment, we chat with Brazilian bombshell

I’m not a big fan of Halloween. I know, that is sacrilegious to say being gay but it doesn’t carry the same joy for me that it does for all the other L’s, G’s, B’s, T’s and Q’s I know.

and the world’s most popular drag queen, Pabllo Vittar, as she prepares to perform at COWP. We also preview St. Pete’s fifth annual SHINE Mural Festival. In Central Florida news, we look at the upcoming Orlando City Council race for District 4 between incumbent Patty Sheehan and new-to-politics Corey DeVogel, and we talk with members of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association as they prepare to hold their annual conference in Orlando. In Tampa Bay news, we preview Come OUT St. Pete’s parade and festival and check in with Rep. Jennifer Webb as she kicks off her re-election campaign.

contributors Greg Stemm

lives in Gulfport, Fla., and has worked as a freelance writer for several local publications. He is a founding member of St. Pete Pride and active politically in Tampa Bay. Page 21

Michael Wanzie is

an Orlando-based playwright, actor and ordained minister. He is most recognized for his direction of productions in the Orlando area. Page 23

Marianella Falbo

is a former journalist and layout editor turned event coordinator. She loves to cook, read and travel. She also volunteers at several Central Florida Charities. Page 61 Sabrina Ambra, Nathan Bruemmer, Scottie Campbell, Miguel Fuller, Divine Grace, Holly Kapherr Alejos, Jason Leclerc, Melody Maia Monet, Jerick Mediavilla, Greg Stemm, Dr. Steve yacovelli, Michael wanzie

photography Brian Becnel, Nick Cardello, Bruce Hardin, Jamarqus Mosley, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift

distribution LVNLIF2 Distributing, Ken Carraway, Vanessa Maresca-Cruz 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.

Orlando Office

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

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oc tob er 3 - Oc tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

tampa bay

bureau chief’s

Ryan Williams-Jent TB bureau chief Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

Desk

n 2016, Evan Minton was

scheduled to receive a surgeon-approved hysterectomy at a faith-based hospital in California. After disclosing his transgender status, they canceled the procedure. Minton filed a lawsuit claiming that his civil rights had been violated, which the courts dismissed. He appealed the ruling and his suit was recently revived. “I feel really affirmed,” Minton told the Bay Area Reporter, a newspaper which has served San Francisco’s LGBTQ community since 1971. “In this day and age, trans people should be not treated this way and I look forward to my day in court.” Another organization furthered its own anti-LGBTQ agenda in Pennsylvania last month. In partnership with an “ex-gay” ministry that advocates for conversion therapy, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia co-hosted a conference “to address the

challenges of gender and sexual identity problems.” After attempting to distance itself from the gathering, the Philadelphia Gay News confirmed the organization’s involvement. The newspaper has served the area’s LGBTQ community since 1976. While these and other stories like them were impacting members of the LGBTQ community across the country, a woman named Yolanda del Mundo began searching for her missing transgender sister Pauline. She was last seen in Dallas Sept. 14. Yolanda says she felt that authorities were slow moving in their investigation, prompting her daughter to suggest she contact the LGBTQ media “because they are

more active.” She found the Dallas Voice Sept. 20. The newspaper, which has served Dallas’ LGBTQ community since 1984, quickly published a report on the disappearance. They did so before most mainstream outlets followed suit and because Pauline is from Tampa, shared Yolanda’s contact information with Watermark. We’ve proudly served the LGBTQ communities of Central Florida and Tampa Bay since 1994. We contacted Yolanda to offer whatever assistance we could. That’s what Watermark has done for 25 years, and what our aforementioned fellow members of the National LGBT Media Association have always done. We share the triumphs and tragedies facing LGBTQ communities worldwide as only members of our community can, with the urgency and gravitas that our stories deserve. As of press time, Pauline hasn’t been found. I urge you to familiarize yourself with her story in our Tampa Bay news section and to check back with LGBTQ outlets as critical stories like hers unfold. I also urge you to denounce generalizations about the LGBTQ media whenever they arise and whomever they’re from, especially when they’re from leaders in this or any other community. Like, say, openly gay presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg. I like Mayor Pete. A lot. I admire his military service and respect the compassion and intelligence he seems to exude with ease. Heck, I even bought his T-shirt. Unfortunately I couldn’t wear it for three days recently, during our first fight prompted by his remarks about the LGBTQ media. If you’re not as invested in politics or the press as I am, it all began Sept. 18. After being asked in an interview how his campaign may differ if he presented more effeminately, he responded, “It’s tough for me to

watermark staff Owner & Publisher: Rick Claggett • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Business Manager: Kathleen Sadler • Ext. 101 Kathleen@WatermarkOnline.com

know … I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore, because it’s all: ‘Too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay.’” It was national news almost instantly: the openly gay candidate had disavowed his people. While most national outlets simply quoted Buttigieg in their headlines, Fox News summarized that he was “fed up with LGBT media’s criticism of his homosexuality.” It wasn’t a glowing endorsement for an industry that works diligently to fight for the freedom of the press and the equality of all, two things currently under attack from D.C. On Sept. 21, Buttigieg attributed the exchange to a “grumpy moment,” ending our fight and

Buttigieg attributed the exchange to a ‘grumpy moment,’ ending our fight and elaborating on his views.

elaborating on his views. “LGBTQ media plays an increasingly important role, especially at a time like this,” he said. “I don’t want to take away from the very good work that’s being done in the queer media right now.” It was a very welcome response, the kind I’ve come to expect from him. I encourage you to read a detailed account in this issue’s Nation & World news. We examine Come Out With Pride 2019 for this issue’s in-depth coverage, finding another type of world news in Orlando. The event promises to be the most planet-friendly in the city’s history. In Tampa Bay news, we detail Pauline’s plight and the third annual Come OUT St. Pete. Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

contributors Greg Stemm

lives in Gulfport, Fla., and has worked as a freelance writer for several local publications. He is a founding member of St. Pete Pride and active politically in Tampa Bay. Page 21

Michael Wanzie is

an Orlando-based playwright, actor and ordained minister. He is most recognized for his direction of productions in the Orlando area. Page 23

Marianella Falbo

photography Brian Becnel, Nick Cardello, Bruce Hardin, Jamarqus Mosley, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift

Orlando Office

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

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

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

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

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

Orlando Account Manager: Brianna Rockmore • Ext. 105 Brianna@WatermarkOnline.com

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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oc tob er 3 - O c tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

central florida news

LGBA marches into Orlando for annual conference Lora Korpar

RLANDO | The Lesbian and Gay Band Association (LGBA) will be making music over Come Out With Pride (COWP) week this October in Orlando with their annual conference. The LGBA’s mission is to unite LGBTQ musicians of all backgrounds and skill levels through music, with 38 member bands all across the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K. This year’s conference will be co-hosted by all three Florida LGBA members: Central Florida Sounds of Freedom Band & Color Guard, Tampa Bay Pride Band and South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble. It will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Downtown from Oct. 10-13, aligning with COWP’s parade—in which Central Florida Sounds of Freedom Band & Color Guard is one of the grand marshals, on Oct. 12. “This is probably the experience that our members look forward to most during the year,” LGBA President Cliff Norris says. “Since we are a group that serves the LGBTQ community, there’s also that kind of connection between all the members. It’s really amazing how the community forms each time.” The LGBA traces its roots back to Jon Sims, who founded the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band—the first-ever LGBTQ band—in 1978. The band, along with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, made headlines in both the LGBTQ and straight communities when it launched, most notably with a performance at a candlelight vigil held for assassinated San Francisco Board of Supervisor member Harvey Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone that same year. Soon after, LGBTQ bands began popping up across the country. The LGBA was formed in 1982 as a way to unite them. Reflecting that history is this year’s conference theme, “Looking Back, Marching Forward.” With this year being the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and Orlando being the site of the Pulse nightclub tragedy, Central Florida Sounds of Freedom President Joe Kennedy felt it was the perfect time for this theme. “I think the ‘looking back’ is certainly looking back to all of the people who paved the way to where we are today,” Kennedy says. “It’s really a celebration of all of the events from 1969 until now.” Tampa Bay Pride Band President Daniel Stevens agrees, adding that “marching forward” is the acknowledgement that there is still a lot of work to be done for LGBTQ equality. “Marriage equality is the law of the land, but for how long? We have people who are discriminated against and victims of crime at alarming rates,” Stevens says. “You have to be able to acknowledge how far you’ve come and where you’ve been, but also acknowledge that there are definitely things that need to be improved. And for us, that means making sure that our message is visible in very public forums like conferences like this.” Continued on pg. 10 | uu |

District Race: Poltical newcomer Corey DeVogel (L) takes on incumbent Patty Sheehan for the Orlando City Council’s District 4 seat.

DeVogel Photo from campaign website, Sheehan photo from City of Orlando website

City Council Election City Commissioner Patty Sheehan goes up against new-to-politics Corey DeVogel for District 4 Jeremy Williams

RLANDO | While most political eyes are set squarely on 2020’s election year, the City of Orlando is holding general elections Nov. 5 for mayor and several city council seats; including that of District 4, currently occupied by the city’s first openly LGBTQ commissioner Patty Sheehan. Sheehan, who was first elected to the District 4 seat in 2000, is running for her sixth term. During Sheehan’s fifth term as a city commissioner, she helped to pass the Orlando Police Department’s Safe Place Initiative, which provides safe spots for those within the LGBTQ community throughout Orlando should they find themselves victims of crime. She also assisted in the creation of the Orlando Youth Empowerment

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Summit, which is a free conference dedicated to empowering LGBTQ youth and allies through education and support. But Sheehan’s current term was dominated by one event, the Pulse tragedy in 2016. “People don’t realize how very difficult that was. Elected officials, if you’re lucky, you never have to deal with something like that where the entire community is suffering for something so horrendous like what happened at Pulse,” Sheehan says. “[Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer] and I went through hell after Pulse together and the bottom line is, I think we just both needed some time to heal.” Sheehan says that several projects she planned to address in her fifth term are going to be a focus of her sixth term if she is re-elected.

“I really want to work with some art stuff now,” she says. “I’m the senior member of council. There are things I’m able to do that I wasn’t able to do when I was a junior council member.” It looked as if Sheehan was going to have an easy go at picking up her sixth term in office as she was running for the position unopposed, until the last minute. Political newcomer Corey DeVogel seemingly came out of nowhere— filing to run against Sheehan on Sept. 13, the filing deadline for the 2019 election. “It’s a democracy. Anybody can run but we intend to beat him,” Sheehan says. “My alarm is I can’t tell anything about him. He seems to have wiped all the social media history clean. I don’t even know who this person is. I’ve been integrally involved in everything happening in this area for the past 25 years and I’ve never heard of this person. So I’m a little alarmed by that fact.” At 26 years old, DeVogel fits comfortably into the millennial generation, and while having a social media presence isn’t a millennial requirement it seems odd to Sheehan and many of her supporters that he wouldn’t have any social media. DeVogel says he realizes that a millennial without a heavy social media presence is odd,

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Continued on pg. 10 | uu |

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central florida news | uu | LGBA marches into Orlando for

annual conference from pg.8

The conference will end with a concert at The Plaza Live on Oct. 13. Out composers Julie Giroux and Randall Standridge have commissioned two pieces for the concert. “They’re both openly gay composers who are very active in the band literature, so it was important we not only highlight people who are active right now and that created music that potentially was going to be played at high schools and colleges around the country, but to specifically have composers who were out themselves,” Stevens says. By being visibly out and proud and through music, the LGBA aims to “make a powerful political statement in a non-political way” with their conference and performances. “It seems like it just takes the stroke of a pen to remove a freedom that we thought that we had won,” Norris says. “This year gives us that chance to reflect on heroes, on people we lost too early, on events that have united and caused elation in the community. And then there are many new things that the people who were organizing the Stonewall march had no idea would even happen. They didn’t know that this would keep continuing year after year and that it would spread to cities around the world.” The LGBA’s “Looking Back. Marching Forward.” concert will be held Oct. 13 starting at 4 p.m. at The Plaza Live in Orlando. Tickets are $20 and available at the door or online at LGBA2019.com.

| uu | City Elections from pg.8

but states that it isn’t for any nefarious purpose. “I didn’t go through and scrub my social media clean,” he says. “I had a Facebook and an Instagram but I just wasn’t active with them in college. Throughout high school I was really active on it and then I just stopped using it.” Watermark did find a Facebook account for DeVogel under the name of “Corey LegoVed” but the account had privacy settings set so no postings could be read. An Instagram for DeVogel was also found but had no photos posted. “When I had them I found myself just spending hours scrolling through and I decided instead of focusing on social media I would go bike riding or go to the gym or volunteer,” DeVogel says. “I just didn’t put a lot of time into social media.” DeVogel does admit that a social media presence is a necessity for public office and says he will

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

be launching a new Facebook account soon. As far as filing on the final day, DeVogel says he had planned to launch his campaign in early July but that unforeseen medical reasons caused him to back out at that time. “I ended up having to have minor surgery and had to put everything on hold,” he says. “A month before the deadline I was contemplating whether or not I should even do it. When I decided that I was going to go for it and run this term I started together the proper paperwork and that’s when Hurricane Dorian came. So it seemed like one hurdle after another and I managed to get everything together that I needed and went down on the deadline.” Lack of a social media presence and filing at the deadline in and of itself is odd for someone with aspirations for political office says Sheehan, but the thing that concerns her most is the only information she can find on DeVogel is an uncle who Sheehan describes as a white nationalist.

Speaking with DeVogel, he says that he has an uncle who lives in Georgia who he describes as “your standard beer-drinking, Trucker hat-wearing Southern guy.” “I don’t know if he’s got all that other stuff going on. I think it was like four or five years ago that I last saw him. We were in North Carolina and we drove through to say hi. I haven’t really spoken to him since then,” he says. Sheehan says she welcomes the challenge but cautions voters who may vote for DeVogel because they feel local government “needs a shake up.” “I have been doing this for almost 20 years and it wasn’t all about me, and I never made it all about me,” she says. “It’s about taking time to build relationships in the community. Those are relationships that I have.” The general election for Orlando City Council District 4 is Nov. 5.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

oc tob er 3 - O c tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

tampa bay news

Trans Tampa woman disappears in Dallas, search continues Ryan Williams-Jent

AMPA | Family members and detectives are continuing their search for Pauline del Mundo, a 59-year-old Tampa resident and transgender woman last seen at the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport on Sept. 14. “We want all the support from the public, most especially the LGBTQ community,” Yolanda del Mundo tells Watermark. “My sister’s life is at stake in Dallas and it seems authorities are slow in providing updates on her whereabouts.” According to Yolanda, Pauline may have been traveling under the names Paulino Norberto del Mundo Jr. or Paula del Mundo. She was en route to Cozumel, Mexico via American Airlines but never boarded her connecting DFW flight. Instead, she contacted another sibling for help returning to Tampa because she wasn’t feeling well. Her phone died shortly thereafter. “It was such a nightmare for our entire family because she was the kind of person who is bubbly and loves her trips documented,” Yolanda explains. “Unfortunately, we never heard from her since then … It was so frustrating.” Pauline is described as a naturalized American citizen of Filipino descent. She has brown eyes, a medium build, stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and is one of 12 very close siblings. Yolanda notes that her sister works as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for the veterans’ hospital in Tampa, adding that she recently suffered an injury that impeded her work. She says this led to a state of depression, potentially impacting Pauline’s judgment. “We feel she is not in her right frame of mind,” Yolanda says. “She was on the verge of desperation and we are so worried.” Pauline’s family has been traveling between DFW and Tampa since Sept. 20 to work with police at the airport and in Hillsborough County. DFW released terminal surveillance imagery of Pauline on Sept. 24. DFW police are also investigating additional surveillance footage and consulting with local ride-sharing services to determine if Pauline left the airport. Yolanda is hopeful that her sister’s bank and phone records will be reviewed and notes that her family is particularly concerned with the area’s record of anti-transgender violence. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more transgender people have been killed in Texas than in any other state. Dallas police arrested a suspect Sept. 25 who authorities say repeatedly shot another transgender woman five days prior. The hate crime followed three fatal attacks on transgender women in Texas this year alone, two of which also occurred in Dallas. “We hope and pray that all necessary concerted efforts be made to search and find her as we are nearly losing hope to get her back,” Yolanda says. To view photos of Pauline del Mundo, visit WatermarkOnline.com. Family members ask that anyone with information regarding her disappearance call DFW Airport Detective Sgt. Karl Ross at 972-391-7221.

MARSHAL MADNESS:

(L-R) Come OUT St. Pete board members and grand marshals Brian Longstreth, Claire Elisan, Jim Woodfield, Cole Foust, Jayson Clancey, Chris Jones, Bill Kody and Chuck Henson at Metro’s LGBTQ Welcome Center Sept. 17. Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent.

Celebration Central Come OUT St Pete returns for third year Ryan Williams-Jent

T. PETERSBURG | Come OUT St. Pete (COSP) will hold its third annual outing Oct. 3-11 in the Grand Central District (GCD) and nearby neighborhoods to celebrate National Coming Out Day 2019. COSP exists to advocate for community awareness and acceptance of all sexual orientations and gender identities. They do so with events that celebrate “coming out of the closet and into the world.” “Entering year three, we are continuing to grow and expand on who we are as a non-profit,” COSP Co-Chair Chris Jones says. “Our focus is on how we can be effective within our community.” Official events begin Oct. 3 with the Taste of Grand Central, a celebration highlighting restaurants and bars in the GCD. Participating establishments will donate a percentage of their sales to the GCD Association and COSP. Bambu the Eco Salon will subsequently host The Elemental Ball Oct. 4 from 7-10 p.m., a fundraiser inspired by New York City’s ball culture. The gathering benefits the VFW Post No. 39 and is spearheaded by salon co-owner Chris Kiss, who

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will also entertain as Miss COSP 2019 Victoria Michaels. A lip sync battle at Dog Bar St. Pete will be held Oct. 4 from 8-11 p.m., with winners receiving substantial cash or prizes. COSP’s parade will follow Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. until noon. It will begin at 20th St. and head west on Central Ave., featuring more than 20 entries, Miss COSP and three grand marshals. This year’s honorees were chosen by COSP’s board. They are Cole Foust, Metro Inclusive Health’s LGBTQ Division Manager; Claire Elisan, Project No Labels CEO and Chuck Henson, Spectrum News 9 anchor. “What’s a parade without drag queens and grand marshals?” Jones muses. “All three of our grand marshals and our 2019 Miss COSP are wonderful representations of our mission statement as influential leaders within the community!” “The activists of historical events like Compton’s Cafeteria riot and Stonewall paved the way for a transgender person like me to be out, proud and visible,” Foust reflects, calling his inclusion surreal. “It is my hope that LGBTQ+ people and allies never forget our history.” Elisan agrees, stressing the importance of working together. “It’s important that we always remember the core of our efforts,” she says, “to

give strength to those living in the shadow and grant them the courage to step out and be themselves.” “I am extremely proud to be part of the grand marshal team,” Henson adds. “It is my goal to be a good representative of our diverse community. St. Pete is my home and whether you’re my neighbor or one of our wonderful visitors, I hope you feel our welcoming spirit.” The COSP festival will also begin at 11 a.m. along the parade route, featuring 100 vendors. “There will be live entertainment throughout the day, creative vendors, food and more,” Jones says. Rounding out the official events are an after party at Enigma and two beach parties Oct. 6. COSP will hold a Family Beach Day at Pass-A-Grille Beach and a Rooftop Sunset T-Dance at Hurricane Seafood Restaurant. Mayor Rick Kriseman will then recognize COSP with a proclamation at the Sunshine Center Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. before organizers close out this year’s festivities Oct. 11. The closing party will be held at Metro’s LGBTQ Welcome Center from 6-8:30 p.m. “Many of us have been out for several years and it is more accepting today than ever. We understand there are still individuals … that remain in the closet,” Jones says. “It’s not just about coming out to family, friends and co-workers; it is also about finding your place within the LGBTQ community. COSP is a fantastic way to become more involved.” For more information about COSP and its surrounding events, visit ComeOutStPete.org.

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tampa bay news

Rep. Jennifer Webb launches re-election campaign for house district 69 Ryan Williams-Jent

ulfport, Fla. | Rep. Jennifer Webb officially launched her re-election campaign for Florida House District 69 on Sept. 24 at the Historic Peninsula Inn. Webb became the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to the state legislature in 2018, where she currently serves as Democratic Deputy Whip. Her district includes 12 cities throughout Gulfport, Pinellas Park, St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg and more. “I have been honored to serve my neighbors, local business owners and families of District 69 in the Florida House over the past year,” Webb shared ahead of the kickoff. “In my first year, I passed some important legislation and advocated for

issues that would strengthen our district and all of Florida.” Her advocacy includes co-sponsorship of the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, which has sought to extend statewide civil rights protections to the LGBTQ community for years. In August, Webb and other Tampa Bay lawmakers announced their intent to pass the bill with bipartisan support in 2020. “We’re walking into session with 2020 vision,” she said. “2020 is the year we get this popular and common sense legislation across the finish line and move our state and our LGBTQ community forward.” Focusing on how she would move her district forward, Webb reiterated her record and shared her vision for the future with kickoff attendees. Constituents, other elected officials and supporters new and old joined

her in welcoming Cynthia Wurner, her spouse with “the kindest heart in our family,” and her parents, who Webb said taught her the importance of community. Webb subsequently outlined her priorities, which she will fight for on the Criminal Justice, Gaming Control, PreK-12 Innovation and Higher Education & Career Readiness subcommittees of the Florida House. She committed to protecting the district’s drinking water and waterways, innovating education, investing in infrastructure and championing mental health awareness. She also utilized the opportunity to highlight constituents who had inspired her throughout her year in office. “I’ve met some amazing people who have expanded my understanding of who is engaged and who’s paying attention,” she said, introducing seven-year-old

Miles Fetherston-Resch and 22-year-old Christine Garner. Fetherston-Resch founded Kids Saving Oceans, the first conservation lifestyle brand by and for children (and adult allies.) The organization sells products made from recyclables to benefit conservation efforts. As Ms. Wheelchair Florida, Garner has used her platform to empower others and advocate for legislation to positively impact individuals who utilize wheelchairs. “We do some amazing things in our district,” Webb addressed the crowd. “As I get ready for this coming session and kick off this campaign, I’m going to make some promises to you. I’m going to keep focusing on what brings us together … We’re going to create a bubble of what’s good for House District 69 and we’re going to continue to work on that. I know that there is so much

to move on with what we agree upon; let’s start there, and then we can fight about things that we don’t agree on.” Recommitting herself to responsive governance, Webb ensured constituents that she would remain accessible and utilize creative solutions to put her district’s needs before partisan politics. “I promise to walk with integrity like you expect me to, to be answerable to you and to be able to account for how I spend my time,” she asserted. “I will report back to you and I will keep it simple … Thank you so much for turning out today.”

The general election will be held Nov. 3, 2020. To view photos of Rep. Webb’s re-election campaign kickoff party, visit WatermarkOnline.com. For more information about her campaign, visit ElectJenniferWebb.com.

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state news

SAVE begins next chapter with new executive director Denise Royal of South Florida Gay News

IAMI | Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE) has a new executive director. The Miami-based LGBTQ organization is welcoming Orlando Gonzales as its new leader. Gonzales is no stranger to the organization; he previously served as board chairman for the SAVE Foundation. Gonzales is only one week into his new role and has identified three main priorities. The first is working on the state’s anti-discrimination policy. “We’re working hard, both at the state and federal level to encourage laws that help protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations,” Gonzales said. The second priority is candidate endorsement. “As we gear up for 2020, we are going to be really busy with reviewing candidates, interviewing them, getting the community involved in the process and then issuing a disposition about whether or not we endorse these

candidates,” Gonzales said. “As we look at 2020, we are looking at a year that’s filled with lots of critical races.” The third main area of focus is on SAVE’s field work. “We knock on doors, we communicate with people, we connect and we›ve done it for a number of things, not just for just canvassing and our get out the vote effort, but also some of our work in projects for job reduction has been critical in terms of being able to connect with people who are unsure,” Gonzales said. “As we gear up for the elections in 2020, we need to get out there, and we need to have a field of volunteers led by the leaders out in the community that can help recruit people to come in. And then we do a lot of voter registration and education.” Right now, Gonzales is starting his new role by taking in as much information as he can. “I’m working hard to be in a listening mode to hear the concerns of people in the community, the thoughts and concerns of the board members, and just could be able to rapidly prioritize and set an agenda,” he said. “When we look at the work that we have to do for

2020, it’s a big list. The only way we can do it is if we’re focused if we had the kind of laser focus that puts the LGBTQ communities at the center. And so the movement to me is what guides me.” SAVE’s vision is a community where people who are LGBTQ have full equality in all facets of life. In the current political climate, equality is under attack, and Gonzales said that is motivating his volunteers and donors. “Right now, I think people are motivated to prevent and to ensure that every effort is made so that we can reverse any of the injustices that have taken place over the last four years and that we can be able to help secure viability for the LGBTQ community to thrive.” SAVE recently honored three community leaders recognized for their work in achieving equality during its annual Luminaries event. This year’s honorees include Physician Assistant Paula Brezavscek, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Legislative Manager Ebonni Chrispin, and SMASH Executive Director Adrian Madriz. Brezavscek specializes in dermatology and aesthetic treatments. Despite her hectic

schedule, Brezavscek is very supportive of the LGBTQ community, and has made time to support members of the trans community. She has invited trans people to her office for free cosmetic treatments that would otherwise be too costly to afford. Brezavscek leverages her time and professional talent to contribute to the LGBTQ community. “Any time someone makes efforts to address issues of access and affordability, I think they’re doing some of the greatest work to address disparities in income and access to level the playing field,” Gonzales said. As treatments for HIV/AIDS continue to evolve, Ebonni Chrispin is on the front lines at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Her title is Legislative Affairs and Community Engagement Manager; her mission is to educate people about the virus and the disease. “At the Luminaries Event, Chrispin did a great job of highlighting that all politics are local; that kindness is what needs to guide us and that we need to come together constantly to make sure that we›re addressing, the needs of our community,» Gonzales

said. “So while the foundation›s mission is focused on health, it also understands that as a strong player in the community, it can pull people together, to be unified and to be committed to the mission of equality.” Adrian Madriz is very active in local housing and resilience issues. He is a proud worker-owner of Miami’s first, majority-black cooperative business dedicated to video game events, WORLDS. As the Executive Director of SMASH, he works to help people who are taken advantage of by slumlords. “Adrian is leaving his mark in the space of a housing rights,” Gonzales said. “He has made tremendous efforts to be able to help people that haven’t been able to access housing. It is incredible to see somebody doing this work, doing it so selflessly. I think that Adrian does a wonderful job of being able to participate and enact and mobilize around housing. I’m looking forward to partnering with him, to work on projects that advance the mission that he has already endeavored on.”

“I don’t feel the adopted ordinance went far enough. Fort Lauderdale has a separate non-discrimination policy for city employees that is done by memo from the city manager and not affirmed by the city commission,” he said. “At minimum, that memo should come forward as a resolution for the city commission to vote and affirm.” Meanwhile city commissioners were elated the ordinance finally passed. “I am so proud of our commission’s unanimous vote against discrimination. This ordinance speaks to our values as a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive city,” said Commissioner Steve Glassman. While Commissioner Ben Sorenson added, “This is a great day for Fort Lauderdale. I am really excited at having the cause of equality and justice and fair treatment for all advanced in our city.”

Fort Lauderdale has a checkered past when it comes to LGBTQ rights. “Fort Lauderdale has long been problematic and slow to embrace LGBTQ policy. They’ve only been getting things right in the last several years and some of it has been painstaking,” Rajner said. “Just getting this ordinance to move forward took more than a year.” Currently two people on the commission are gay, Mayor Dean Trantalis and Glassman. The last mayor of the city, Jack Seiler, refused to support same-sex marriage. He left office in 2018. Before Seiler, Mayor Jim Naugle was regularly at odds with the LGBTQ community. But Sorenson said nowadays the city is fully on board with the LGBTQ community. In fact the lack of opposition surprised him. “I did not receive one email, phone call, or text message critical of what we wanted to do. That says

a lot,” he said. “We used to have a vocal opposition. But I did not experience any of that this time around and that says a lot about our community. Things have changed.” Sorenson said the city should not ignore the silence on this issue and noted that City Hall was not packed in support or opposition. The 44-page ordinance does three things according to Saunders. First, it establishes a human rights ordinance in the city. Under this provision discrimination against the LGBTQ community as well as other protected classes like race is prohibited in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Additionally someone who is discriminated against would be allowed to take their case directly to court, whereas under the Broward County ordinance a discrimination claim must be filed with the county first.

Second, it adds domestic partnership protections. This provision does not create a domestic partnership registry, but it does recognize domestic partnerships from other states, counties, or municipalities. Saunders said it’s important to recognize those families because marriage may not be the right fit for every couple. Third, it establishes a city wide ban on conversion therapy for minors. This provision bans the practice also known as “reparative therapy” on minors in the city. While this may be the most comprehensive LGBTQ rights ordinance ever passed in a Florida city, Sorenson said it’s important not to take this win for granted. “We have to continue to push and ensure equality and fair treatment is guaranteed every day in every town and community in the United States,” he said.

Visit SAVE.LGBTQ for more information about the organization.

Fort Lauderdale enacts Human Rights Ordinance, bans conversion therapy Jason Parsley of South Florida Gay News

ort Lauderdale, Fla. | Fort Lauderdale unanimously voted for a human rights ordinance banning discrimination against the LGBTQ community in the areas employment, housing, public accommodations Sept. 16. “This is something to celebrate. This is the first time we’ve seen such a comprehensive ordinance brought by a municipality in Florida. It’s fully comprehensive,” said Joe Saunders, Equality Florida’s Senior Political Director. “This is transformational.” Not everyone agrees with that sentiment though. Local LGBTQ rights activist Michael Rajner has been pushing for a similar ordinance in the city for at least a decade, but he decided to remain neutral on the measure.

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nation+world news

Human Rights Campaign comes out for impeachment inquiry against Trump Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association The nation’s leading LGBTQ group has come out in favor of the impeachment inquiry against President Trump over allegations he pressured Ukraine to investigate his potential political rival Joseph Biden. Alphonso David, the new president of the Human Rights Campaign, announced his organization’s support for the process set up by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a statement Sept. 27.

“These are serious allegations that, if true, thoroughly compromise the national security of the United States, the constitutional process, and the integrity of our electoral framework,” David said. “The safety and well-being of our democracy is at stake. The U.S. House is right to launch a formal inquiry and investigate all others who may have played a role in these alleged crimes or were aware of them. As the Speaker said, no one is above the law, and that includes the president of the United States.” The Human Rights Campaign announces its support for the impeachment inquiry after David said during an interview with the Washington Blade last week his

organization will “make a final determination in the next few days” on supporting impeachment “to the extent it’s something that’s germane.” Although support for the impeachment inquiry is technically not support for impeachment outright, it’s consistent with other congressional Democrats and the position of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the National LGBTQ Task Force. It’s hard to see how the impeachment inquiry as set up by Pelosi won’t lead to the eventual impeachment of Trump. The Human Rights Campaign made the announcement on the eve of its 23rd annual national dinner in Washington, D.C.

Buttigieg calls comments about LGBTQ media a ‘grumpy moment’ Jeremy Williams

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg addressed his comments that he “can’t even read LGBT media anymore” in an interview with Alex Berg on AM to DM with Buzzfeed News on Sept. 21. Berg began the discussion with a Twitter question from Out magazine editor-in-chief Phillip Picardi. Picardi wrote, “When LGBTQ+ journalism is dwindling despite our rights being threatened at higher rates, why come for queer media?” “Just to be clear, LGBTQ media plays an increasingly important role, especially at a time like this,” Buttigieg said. “I had a grumpy moment where I was thinking about some of the coverage that I do get frustrated with that seems to tell people how to be gay, and that’s to be fair happening in a lot of different sources and places online and in others, and it’s one of the reasons why as a candidate it’s healthy just not to read too

many clips about yourself to begin with, but I don’t want to take away from the very good work that’s being done in the queer media right now.” Berg followed up asking if Buttigieg felt the scrutiny over his remarks was unfair. “Look, when you’re a politician you’re fair game. … Everything you say is on the record, everything you say has an impact and it’s important that you are saying things in the right way and that they’re having the right effect,” Buttigieg said. Buttigieg’s original controversial remarks came in an interview with Clay Cane on SiriusXM Urban View Sept. 18. “I’m sure you’ve heard this before in LGBT circles that more masculine-presenting men have more access,” said Cane. “How different would it be if you were quote unquote ‘more effeminate’?” Buttigieg responded, saying “It’s tough for me to know, right? ‘Cause I just am what I am and, you know, there’s going to be a lot of that. That’s why I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore,

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because it’s all: ‘Too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay.’ It’s like, jeez alright. All I know is that life became a lot easier when I just started allowing myself to be myself and I’ll let other people write up whether I’m ‘too this’ or ‘too that.’” Several LGBTQ media outlets took umbrage with Buttigieg’s characterization of their coverage pointing to the fact that the most discussed articles calling Buttigieg’s “gayness” into question were reported on in non-LGBTQ publications Vice, Slate and The New Republic. Some LGBTQ media outlets that took offense to Buttigieg’s comments thanked the South Bend mayor for apologizing and expressing the importance of LGBTQ media in op-ed articles. “I thank Mayor Pete for his apology, even presidential candidates are entitled to a grumpy day,” wrote the Washington Blade. “But surely he knows in the long run it is the LGBTQ media that will be standing with him when other media walk away.”

in other news Conservatives decry Wisconsin school district’s gender identity policy A conservative law group is challenging a Madison School District policy that prohibits school staff from telling parents if their child is transitioning genders at school, unless they have that student’s permission. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty is asking that it be repealed. The group’s president, Rick Esenberg, says the policy instructs employees to deceive students’ families. Sherie Hohs, who oversees the district’s LGBTQ student support services, says outing students to families who may not accept their transition could have “devastating effects on their safety.”

Virginia college students seek to end ban of blood donations by gay, bisexual men Several University of Virginia students want to overturn a ban that prohibits sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating blood. Students have banded together to create Homoglobin, a social welfare organization with branches at other schools including Virginia Tech and the College of William & Mary. The Food and Drug Administration instituted a lifetime donation ban on gay and bisexual men at the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1983. The policy was diluted in 2015 and now excludes donations from men who have had sex with men within 12 months.

Gay pride flag burned at Wichita home Authorities are investigating the burning of a gay pride rainbow flag that had been hanging on the front porch of a Wichita home. Wichita police say the flag was burned between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. At the time, a man, woman and 11-year-old girl were inside the home. It is in the city’s Riverside neighborhood, which is located near the Wichita Art Museum and a botanical garden. Police are investigating the incident as an aggravated and a hate crime. Anyone with information is urged to call police.

Transgender group’s birth certificate suit advances in Ohio Four transgender people challenging an Ohio rule preventing people from changing the gender listings on their birth certificates have won their day in court. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson denied the state’s request that the lawsuit filed by the ACLU, Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Ohio be dismissed. The lawsuit contends the birth certificate rule imposed by the state Department of Health and the Office of Vital Statistics is unconstitutional. Most states already allow such changes. Ohio and Tennessee are the last two to prohibit them. A federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s rule was filed in April. Kansas ended a federal lawsuit there in June, when Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly struck a deal by agreeing to allow gender identity changes on Kansas birth certificates.

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positive livinG For Me It’s Buttigieg in the Primary

e LGBTQ folks

have an unprecedented opportunity to vote for one of our own in the upcoming 2020 election cycle. Our candidate’s name is Pete Buttigieg—he’s openly gay, married to his husband and he is seeking the nomination to become the Democratic candidate for president of the United States.

I plan to vote for Buttigieg in the primary, and as members of the LGBTQ community I urge you to do the same. If he has the guts to run, we should have the fortitude to support him. Now is the time for community unity. Before supporters of any of the other presidential hopefuls come running at me screaming bloody murder, let me say this. While I plan to vote for Buttigieg in the primary, I will support whichever candidate we nominate in the general election. Admittedly he’s an underdog, but if he were to win the Democratic nomination, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay presidential nominee from a major political party. At 37, he would become the first millennial and the youngest president in our history if elected. Pete served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and took an unpaid seven months leave during his mayoral term for a deployment to Afghanistan. For his counterterrorism work, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal. While he hasn’t had any real “zingers” in the debates, he has had respectable performances. For me, his position on healthcare is a balanced view that isn’t too center like Biden or a little too left like Warren. It gets us to universal coverage but in a way that may be more palatable to some. I also have to admit I don’t think there would have been the unprecedented forum specifically on LGBTQ issues without his presence in the race. By

the way, I don’t care what his “prior commitments” were, Bernie should have been there. Perhaps the only real criticism we could have of him as a community is his comments about the LGBTQ media. I don’t think any of us who work in that media think he’s either “too gay” or “too white, too privileged and not gay enough.” But it really doesn’t matter what we think. If he has criticism about how he’s being covered by our media why isn’t he aggressively pursuing interviews with them? Watermark’s editor has graciously offered to interview him. Perhaps he needs to let us help him. Buttigieg has touted his work to improve his city of 100,000 residents as he’s prepared for an improbable jump from local politics to a presidential campaign. He’s also said Democrats could benefit from a new generation of leadership as they try to unseat Donald Trump in 2020. While some voters may question if he could he win in America’s heartland as an openly gay candidate, he already has. When he was in the middle of his campaign to be re-elected as mayor, he realized he needed to come out, even if that the idea worried him. “In the end, I got re-elected with 80% of the vote, even in a socially conservative community like South Bend, Indiana,” he’s shared. “So what that told me was that at least in that case, people were prepared to evaluate me and vote based on their judgment of the job that I was doing.” Buttigieg has also noted that the charm of his campaign can be beneficial. “[The] underdog characteristics of this project are also something that’s going to give us permission and a healthy pressure to be bolder than the others,” he’s said.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Survey data from a Gallup poll in 2015 certainly backs this claim, as it found that 74% of Americans say they’re willing to vote for a gay or lesbian presidential candidate—about the same percentage that would be willing to vote for an

homosexual, and spent much of his early career in a relationship with another politician, southerner William Rufus King. As presidential historian Jim Loewen noted, “There’s no [reasonable] doubt that King and Buchanan were both homosexual, and that

many candidates that you may be overwhelmed in the coming months. Just don’t forget our brother Pete—let’s make sure he has a good showing here in Florida even if he doesn’t win. The primary is March 17, 2020. In that election

evangelical Christian. We may be able to help here in Central Florida. Remember we are the queers of the politically important I-4 corridor. Our voices matter. Of interest, if Buttigieg were elected he might not be our nation’s first gay president, just the first one to be open about it. Our 15th president, James Buchanan, was elected in 1856 and served one term. Buchanan was most likely

they were known to be by political leaders at the time.” Perhaps the most damning public evidence is their cohabitation; the two men actually shared a room in a Washington boarding house for 15 years, while both men were members of Congress. It may seem early to ponder your vote in the primary, but there is bound to be such a deluge of information from the

my vote’s not going to be red or blue, it’s going to be rainbow!

The primary is March 17, 2020. In that election my vote’s not going to be red or blue, it’s going to be rainbow!

Greg Stemm is a 37-year resident of Pinellas County. He is a founder of St Pete Pride and currently sits on the board of the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Public Library. He is an outspoken activist on many issues including HIV/AIDS education.

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viewpoint

Michael Wanzie

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WANZIE What’s behind door number 3?

“R

emember, if it

doesn’t say Amana it’s NOT a RadarRange!”

How clearly I remember that advertising slogan from my youth. That tag line was always touted whenever the new-fangled contraption would be awarded to winning contestants on TV’s “Let’s Make A Deal” or “Truth or Consequences.” Microwave ovens weren’t always called microwaves. The leader in retail sales of the new-to-the-consumer invention was Amana who produced the first compact microwave oven for in-home use in 1967. They called their quick-heating innovation a Radar Range. When competing appliance manufacturers started hawking their own consumer-friendly microwave ovens, Amana was quick to end every promotion with the tagline, “Remember; if it doesn’t say Amana it’s NOT a Radar Range.” Amana stopped making a big deal of the Radar Range moniker during the ensuing heyday of Ralph Nader’s propensity for shining a light on things that might not be safe for consumers and radiation was then thought to be something terrible, possibly terminal. So Amana stopped proclaiming, “Remember; it doesn’t say Amana, it’s NOT a Radar Range.” Even more amazing was how women were exploited in commercials during my youth. The most memorable was National Airlines’ “Fly Me” campaign wherein scantily-clad, big-buxom women meant to be National Airlines stewardesses—usually a blonde—with breathy hushed seductive tones, would flirt with the camera saying, “Hi, I’m Donna. Fly me to Miami” or “I’m Judy and I was born to fly. Fly me to Houston.” How about the life-size pack of Doral cigarettes supported by the shapely legs of female dancers in stockings and high heels sashaying around the stage while singing, “Taste me, taste me. Come on and taste me. Take a puff and let me do my stuff.” Crazy, right? Can you imagine that being on TV now in the wake of the #MeToo movement? Now in the age of social media, an offensive commercial might air one time before there would be

an uproar over its lack of political correctness. This is Madison Ave. responding to the will of the people, but over on Pennsylvania Ave. we have a man-child who relishes in vomiting out an endless stream of offensive, barely-literate proclamations, admonishments, lies and opinions which seem to be designed specifically to outrage those among us who believe in the rule of law and in honoring our Constitution. While supporters of the current president delight in the appallingly un-presidential bile that oozes from his filthy mouth they parrot the chant “Make America Great Again” as they actively participate in tearing apart everything that has actually contributed to making America a great country in the first place. We have a president who is so insistent that he is never wrong that he digs in his heels like a petulant toddler, refusing to attend meetings or summits on climate change because he ridiculously concluded it isn’t occurring, even as towns and villages from small islands to coastal communities are undergoing relocation due to rising sea levels caused by global warming. This president has repealed basically every regulation that keeps our water, air and soil safe for us. Amid all of that nonsense we have a president who has proven repeatedly he is no friend of the LGBTQ+ community. The president is aided and abetted in his homophobic behavior by a VP who mixes no words in making his utter disdain for us known along with his belief that we should be treated as criminals simply for daring to live as nature designed us. If you think all of this is just silly or over dramatic you could not be more mistaken. We have a president who is transparently racist, openly treasonous and blatantly xenophobic. He is a soulless narcissist who has proven himself incapable of empathy. What we need now more than ever is a leader who can empathize with the plights of those of us who have yet

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

to achieve the fullness of our citizenship, and if you are an LGBTQ+ individual that means YOU! Perhaps you are not old enough to know firsthand the battles your predecessors fought. The blood and tears they spilled and the sacrifices

in the closet, and if YOU do not get out and vote against this administration YOU will have played an active role in a return to a time in which you will not fare well. If you are a Republican who is incapable of admitting your

three with a beautiful Amana Radar Range guaranteed to zap the homo tendencies out of your child. If that Radar Range doesn’t do the trick your kid won’t be allowed to serve in the military, be a teacher or marry the person

they have made so that you may lead fairly open lives and go about your daily business as an openly gay person with a feeling of relative safety. But believe me when I tell you those battles were fought over a lengthy, sometimes deadly, period of time and your rights were very hard won. We have an administration that wants your rights repealed and wants to see you back

party no longer exists—and you can’t bring yourself to vote for a Democrat in 2020—then do yourself and the entire LGBTQ+ community a great big favor and stay home on election day. Because a second term for the current president means our nation’s continued backward spiral toward a “Great America” where the lovely Carol Merrill emerges from behind door number

they actually love, and will soon find themselves on a forced bus trip to conversion therapy. Oh, and if that kid is black, they better be seated in the back of that bus! Have I said too much? There’s nothing more I can think of to say to you. But all you have to do is be honest with yourself to know that every word is true!

If you are a Republican who is incapable of admitting your party no longer exists — and you can’t bring yourself to vote for a Democrat in 2020 — then do yourself and the entire LGBTQ+ community a great big favor and stay home on election day.

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FUEL YOUR

imagination ARTS • CULTURE • ENTERTAINMENT A program of:

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talking points

Females

“I embraced bisexuality, which is the most misunderstood term in sexual identity. I never felt it was understood … You had to be either gay or straight, there was no in-between. I just opened myself up to the person rather than to the gender.”

made up

52%

—Record producer Clive Davis discussing his orientation with Rolling Stone

LGBTQ stars, issues take center stage at 71st Emmys

he 71st Emmy Awards on Sept. 22 were historic, with winners shining a spotlight on the LGBTQ community. Openly gay actor Ben Whishaw won Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role on Amazon Prime’s “A Very English Scandal,” VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” won Outstanding Competition Program and Billy Porter became first openly gay actor to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role on “Pose,” FX’s hit LGBTQ series. “The category is love, you all. Love,” Porter said. LGBTQ ally Patricia Arquette also advocated for transgender rights after winning Outstanding Supporting Actress for Hulu’s “The Act,” passionately referencing her late sister Alexis Arquette. “Trans people are still being persecuted and I’m in mourning every day of my life, Alexis,” she shared, “and I will be the rest of my life for you until we change the world so that trans people are not persecuted.”

of the nearly

1 million

same-sex couples in the United States in 2017.

Almost

60%

of the couples in same-sex households were married, up from 26.6% in 2008. –The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey

Lynch, Lauper developing ‘Golden Girls for today’

ane Lynch and Cyndi Lauper are developing a new comedic series which Lynch described as “kind of a ‘Golden Girls’ for today.” The half-hour comedy will star the LGBTQ icons alongside two other actors. After receiving an award for her role on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Lynch told reporters Netflix had bought the comedy. “I don’t know if I can even tell you,” she advised. Netflix has not yet confirmed the show, which writer Carol Leifer advised she is also working on. “Headed out next week with a new half-hour comedy, starring Jane Lynch & Cyndi Lauper,” she shared via social media. “[It’s] a writer’s dream to work with these two LEGENDS.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Sam Smith announces ‘they/them’ pronouns

scar and Grammy award-winning artist Sam Smith has declared the pronouns of “they/them” after coming out as non-binary earlier this year. The singer was met with thousands of supportive comments. “Today is a good day so here goes. I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM,” they wrote on social media. “After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out.” Smith said they was excited and privileged for the support, adding that they have been “very nervous” about the announcement because they “care too much about what people think.” Smith said they finally decided to go for it, adding “Love you all.”

Jonathan Van Ness reveals he is HIV-positive

etflix’s “Queer Eye” hair guru and grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness has revealed he is HIV-positive. The diagnosis is one of many topics Van Ness discusses in his new memoir, “Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love,” which he advised the New York Times he was anxious about releasing. “I’ve had nightmares every night for the past three months because I’m scared to be this vulnerable with people,” Van Ness said. Along with his story of becoming HIV-positive, the memoir discusses surviving sexual assault when he was younger from an older boy at church, his past drug use, his addiction to sex and how he found his calling in cosmetology. Van Ness’ memoir is now available.

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Jeremy Williams

ome Out With Pride will have a lot

of the same things that you have come to expect over the last 15 years since the parade and festival have been held in and around Lake Eola. Food vendors, parade floats, live entertainment, fireworks and thousands upon thousands of attendees. Some things you won’t see this year—or any upcoming years—will be single-use plastic straws, plastic bags and polystyrene foam single-use food containers. This is because the Orlando City Commission voted unanimously to

ban these items from all city properties back in June. “That means no single-use straws, no plastic bags and no Styrofoam containers at Amway Center, Camping World Stadium, Relax Grill, anything city-owned,” says Central Florida

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

environmentalist Eric Rollings. “Any city permitted events; the foot races that you see downtown like the corporate 5Ks, Come Out With Pride, all these other festivals at Lake Eola, those are all sanctioned events that have to have a city permit. They will all have to comply with the city’s new policy and procedure.” Orlando’s ban on these items is a city policy and procedure, not an ordinance that could have banned the use of single-use plastic straws, plastic bags and polystyrene containers citywide. During Florida’s legislative session last spring, the Republican-led Legislature imposed a ban of their own, preventing local governments from enforcing

ordinances banning these items for the next five years. That vote led Rollings and his conservation organization, the Foundation for Florida Environmental Protection, to go to the city and at least push for the ban at city-owned properties. “When we started this work around and I was working with the mayor’s office, we thought we’re going to get a lot of pushback from the people who invest a lot of money in these programs and on these events,” Rollings says. “But it was just the opposite. We had so much support.” Continued on pg. 29 | uu |

oc tob er 3 - O c tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

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| uu | Planet Pride from pg.27

The Orlando City Commissioners met on June 4 and unanimously passed the ban to a packed city council meeting. It made Orlando the first city in the southeastern United States to pass a policy and procedure to ban all three items. “I was embarrassed to see a few years ago that on Earth Day we covered Lake Eola Park on Earth Day in garbage, so I’m glad to see that we’re doing something about this,” said District 4 City Commissioner Patty Sheehan the day of the vote. “The people that came out to support and speak, it was really moving,” Rollings said in June after the meeting. “There were kids who showed up to say ‘This is our future, thank you for thinking of us.’ We had 40 people there, all with the same shirt on, showing solidarity in wanting this passed. We even had folks from Come Out With Pride there, and they have one of the largest events at Lake Eola, on board with this initiative.” Rollings says that the support of Come Out With Pride behind this ban is huge as it will be the first major event to happen at Lake Eola since the policy went into effect on Oct. 1, and because it is the city’s single largest permitted event every year. Come Out With Pride expects more than 175,000 people to pour into the Lake Eola area when it celebrates its 15th annual parade and festival Oct. 12. “Jeff [Prystajko] and Clayton [Altman; Come Out With Pride’s board president and festival director, respectively] came to the council meeting and they said, ‘We want to do what’s best, we’re the biggest one, we’re the largest event. We want to comply,’” Rollings says. “That was a really powerful statement for the council and the mayor to hear. After that—and even a week before the meeting—Jeff came to me and said, ‘So what else could we do?’” Rollings was ecstatic that Come Out With Pride not only gave no pushback on this policy but wanted to do more. “There is such a amazing difference between doing what

Rainbow road: Attendees wait, with Rainbow Pride flags in hand, for The Most Colorful Parade to make its way through the streets in downtown Orlando in 2018. Photo by dylan todd

you need to do and what you want to do and what you’re able to do,” he says. “It sends a huge message, not just for Come Out With Pride, but for every event in perpetuity. That it’s not: Why should we do this or how much is this going to cost? Come Out With Pride said, ‘How can we do more?’” Rollings and the Foundation for Florida Environmental Protection will be out at Lake Eola throughout the entire weekend, even before the festival and parade begin. “There are 17 people on my team that are from all different organizations, whether they’re privately funded or nonprofits, and none of us are getting paid for any of this. We are all volunteers who do this because we care about the environment we are leaving to future generations,” he says. The Foundation for Florida Environmental Protection

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

will be out with nearly 100 volunteers in tow to make sure Come Out With Pride is the most sustainable event in Florida’s history. “Everything that leaves a carbon footprint will be offset to make sure this event is the most sustainable in the state’s history and it’s a gay event. How exciting is that,” Rolling says. That means that every firework lit up in the sky to every parade float being pulled by a gas- or petroleum-based car or truck will be captured and offset. “We’re dealing with [the Orlando Utilities Commission],” Rollings says. “So any energy that is used that day is going to be offset by their solar array in East Orange County. Every light on the stages, every toilet that flushes, that’s all going to be mitigated.”

Come Out With Pride has worked with all of its festival vendors and food trucks to make sure everyone is in compliance with the city’s policy. They have also offered alternatives to replace the usual bags, straws and containers they use. “There’s the next generation of paper straws,” Rollings says. “When I started pushing for environmentally-friendly alternatives years ago the quality wasn’t there. What we’ve learned is that there are different manufacturers, some of them right here in Florida, making them with a white under wrap and different color over wrap that keeps it from unraveling.” Plastic straw alternatives are now made from a variety of different materials including paper, pasta, wood, bamboo and even sugarcane.

“They do this in South Florida,” Rollings says. “Instead of burning the sugar cane they actually use it to produce natural straws and it’s something that is local.” Rollings says that a discount is being offered to Come Out With Pride vendors from the plant-based catering supplies company Lean Orb, which is based out of Miami. Lean Orb offers environmentally friendly, biodegradable food service packaging and catering supplies such as cups, plates, straws, cutlery and to-go containers. “By investing in plant-based compostable products you help us reduce the carbon footprint and re-design disposable culture,” the company’s mission statement reads. “We want to create value through zero waste and participation in circular economy.”

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Continued on pg. 31 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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Orlando United: One Orlando Alliance’s Jennifer Foster (L) and Carlos

Carbonell attend the Come Out With Pride festival in 2018. Photo by Jeremy Williams

| uu | Planet Pride from pg.29

Lean Orb uses raw materials including palm leaf, sugarcane, wheat straw and bamboo to manufacture its products. “If we can get even just a few of the vendors using a company like Lean Orb and continue using these kinds of products I think we can start to see a dynamic shift that may flow into some of these fast food restaurants all over the city,” Rollings says. “If there’s anything that you do for five minutes and it lasts forever, you really have to rethink that behavior.” Rollings offered the following example. “Let’s say you go in and order a sandwich, a side salad and a drink. That sandwich wrapper is a year, maybe, depending on what it’s made of. That plastic container that you use for a side salad, the plastic fork, that straw in the Styrofoam cup. You just created waste that’s going to be here for a thousand years. We’re going to be long dead and it will just keep piling up.”

As the ban comes into effect, it not only will apply to the event organizers and participating vendors, but attendees as well. “It’s treated just like the policy for a dog without a leash,” Rollings says. “When people bring their stuff into the park area, there will be people walking around to let them know about the new policy. The

Orlando Strong: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (L) and City Commissioner Patty Sheehan address the crowd at Come Out With Pride’s bandshell rally in 2018. Photo by Jeremy Williams

gate isn’t going to be a bringing down-the-hammer moment. “This is a learning process. There’s an incredible amount of marketing that would have to happen to make sure that everybody the first year is going to comply,” he says. “That’s why we will be out there all day assisting. Whatever footprint that they’re leaving, we’re taking care of that.”

that we see all the time that fill up our bags every single time that we’re out,” Rollings says. “It’s the straws, the plastic bags, the Styrofoam, water bottles and those Black & Mild tips; those things don’t go away.” Rollings recalls going to lake and park clean ups and finding Styrofoam containers that were open and causing flooding because they were blocking

Everything that leaves a carbon footprint will be offset to make sure this event is the most sustainable in the state’s history and it’s a gay event. How exciting is that. — Eric Rollings vendors have all said they will be in compliance as well. First time is a warning, the next time is a fine.” Come Out With Pride will have the information up on its website letting attendees know the new policy, and Rollings says the first event out of the

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

While Come Out With Pride has not seen any resistance to the ban, Rollings notes that those in Tallahassee who have a problem with these bans need to come help with just one lake clean up in order to see why they are so important. “When you look at our lake cleanups, there are five things

storm drains. He adds wildlife has been near death because of the plastics and foam. “We were out at Lake Ivanhoe on a cleanup and someone picked up a turtle. When I looked at it, its back legs and tail were completely skeletal,” Rollings recalls. “These Styrofoam beads in the

water look just like the snail eggs they eat. They swallow them and can’t pass it and become buoyant.” Rollings says they cleaned up more than 60 bags worth of plastics and foam that came to the lake off the downtown streets of Orlando. It isn’t just the plastic bags, straws and foam containers that are being addressed at Come Out With Pride. Everything down to the zip ties being used are getting recycled. “The stanchions on the parade route, we have two volunteers that are following the end of the parade and cutting those zip ties,” Rollings says. “There’s a place that takes hard plastic recycling in Tampa we will take them to, so even those are going to be accounted for.” One of the newest companies getting involved with Come Out With Pride’s eco-friendly mission is Harvest Power. Harvest Power is a organics management company headquartered in Massachusetts that specializes in converting food waste into energy. “Harvest Power

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Continued on pg. 35 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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 

| uu | Planet Pride from pg.31

has a power plant out at Disney where all of its food waste from the parks, hotels and restaurants goes to,” Rollings says. More specifically, 50-60 tons of Walt Disney World’s food scraps and leftovers every day are taken to the Harvest Power facility on Disney’s property. “If you’ve ever seen a corn silo, imagine that cut in half and really wide,” Rollings says. “The decomposition of food waste creates methane gas. Methane gas is 15 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. So they capture that and they burn it as a fuel to power 1,700 homes and some of the hotels.” The unconsumed pulp is then dried out and used as fertilizer. Along with Disney, Amway Center and Camping World Stadium also send food scraps to Harvest Power. Now, all of the food waste from Come Out With Pride will be going there as well. According to Harvest Power, approximately 24 pounds of food waste enters Central Florida’s landfills every second, contributing to numerous environmental issues like global warming. The Foundation for Florida Environmental Protection will be back out at Lake Eola on Oct. 13 from 8 a.m.-noon with another 50 volunteers doing lake and park clean up to make sure that “not a single cigarette butt or bottle cap can be found.” Rollings adds that the city has given them unlimited access to Lake Eola in order to make sure items that aren’t supposed to be in the lake are gone. “Not only are we making this a sustainable event, but we’re leaving it better than when we started,” Rollings says. Come Out With Pride isn’t just the first major event to comply with the city’s ban, according to Rollings, but is also going to be the model for all future events, festivals and parades at Lake Eola. “This will be the example that we show everyone else when they are having a 5,000-person permitted event and they’re like, ‘We have too many people. There’s no way we can comply.’ We can say ‘Oh, really, because Come Out With Pride

Greetings! It is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to the re part in the 2019 Pr sidents of Orange ide Week in Orla County and the gu ndo. I would like they celebrate 15 ests taking to also congratula years of service in te Come Out With the Central Florid Pride as a LGBTQ+ and al ly community! My vision is for Orange County to be known not on residents, but also ly as the premier as an inclusive, di destination for vi verse and welcom Heroes, is a perfe sitors and ing community. ct example of th This year’s Pride e many individual together to make th s and local organi Orange County a zations that are pa eme, community that w rtnering orks for everyone . As you celebrate the progress to eq uality, I hope you hospitality and en set aside some tim tertainment amen e to explore our w ities. Orange Coun visitors from arou orld -class ty is nd the world, and home to the second a top destination for more than 75 venues, exciting th million -largest conventio eme parks, arts, sp n center, finest ho orts, and cultural spitality attractions. Once again, welco me Colorful Parade an and I hope you enjoy the upcomin g Pride events an d Festival! d Central Florida’ s Most Sincerely,

Jerry L. Demings Orange County M ayor

did 175,000 people,’” he says. “‘Here are our vendors. Here are our partners. This is how you can carbon footprint offset’. To be able to claim that an LGBTQ event of this magnitude is the most sustainable in Florida’s history, the third largest state in the country, that sends

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

miles of messages not just to other Prides, but to every organization and group that wants to try and pushback.” Rollings says in order to make sure that Lake Eola is left in pristine condition, the Foundation for Florida Environmental Protection is

going to need 300 volunteers during Pride weekend. If you would like to volunteer to help clean up during the Come Out With Pride festival and parade, you can reach out to Rollings at Eric@EricRollings.com. Vendors and food trucks looking for biodegradable food

service packaging and catering supplies can visit LeanOrb.com for more information.

For a list of Come Out With Pride events, volunteer opportunities and general information, visit ComeOutWithPride.com.

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Jeremy Williams

abllo Vittar may not be as recognizable

in the U.S. as she is in other parts of the world yet, but be prepared to remember that name because she is on the verge of becoming a global superstar. Vittar is a musical sensation in her home country of Brazil, has been called “the world’s most popular drag queen” by Vogue magazine and is widely seen as an important voice for South America’s LGBTQ community. Vittar burst onto the scene in 2014 with an appearance on a Brazilin music-focused television show where she brought the house down with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” Since that performance, Vittar has released two albums, collaborated with some of music’s

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hottest stars and became the first ever Grammy-nominated drag queen. She has also amassed a social media following in the millions and racked up video views on YouTube in the billions. Vittar will Continued on pg. 39

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| uu | Brazilian Bombshell from pg.37

release her next album titled “111” on her birthday, Nov. 1, and will celebrate Come Out With Pride in Orlando when she headlines a concert on Lake Eola’s Pride Stage Oct. 12. We chatted with the Brazilian bombshell via email ahead of her big Lake Eola concert. Note: Vittar’s responses were received in her native Portuguese and were translated into English via Google Translate. Please excuse any responses that may have been lost in translation. One of the reasons Orlando has its Pride celebration in October is to recognize National Coming Out Day. There are parts of the U.S. where it can be difficult or dangerous to come out. What was your experience like coming out in São Luís, in general and to your family?

My family always supported me, a lot. I had a lot of affection and respect at home. With society itself, I can no longer say the same. I suffered and still suffer a lot of prejudice, hatred and intolerance, unfortunately. When did you know that performing on stage was what you wanted to do for a living? It was very natural. As a kid, I loved to take anything and pretend it was a microphone. I loved to “introduce myself” to my family. I have always been uninhibited and music has had a lot of influence on my life. My mother listened to many songs from overseas stars like Whitney Houston, as well as regional songs from the cities where we lived. When I listened to the melodies, it felt good, happy, complete, you know? Anyway, being on stage was something that was born inside me, a true and unique love.

You made your television debut in 2014 on a Brazilian show singing “I Have Nothing.” That is a difficult song to sing, which you performed beautifully. When did you first realize that you had that powerful voice capable of singing a Whitney Houston song?

Look, at first I had no idea of my vocal potential. I just loved to sing, especially diva Whitney

superstar stage: Pabllo Vittar will headline the Pride Stage in Lake Eola Park for Come Out With Pride’s 2019 festival. Photo courtesy MelinaTavares Comunicacao Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, among others.

Houston’s songs. She always inspired me a lot.

In an interview you did with Vogue magazine last year, they said —with 9 million Instagram followers, 5 million YouTube subscribers and more than a billion views —you are “the world’s most popular drag queen.” What’s it like to know that you have that many people around the world interested in seeing what you are doing on a daily basis?

It’s a very big responsibility. Knowing that my attitudes and thoughts influence so many people only makes me reflect on what I post, how I speak, what values and messages I want to give to my audience. It is my duty as an artist to use my voice responsibly. Who are your musical inspirations? I have several inspirations: Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Rihanna, Beyonce, Britney Spears, as well as great national artists such as masters

You have collaborated with Charli XCX, Major Lazer, Anitta and Diplo. Who is on your dream list of performers who you would you like to work with in the future?

I have several people, girl! There are a lot of people who I still want to work together with, in Brazil and abroad.

You released your first English language track with Charli XCX, “Flash Pose” You also worked together on the song “I Got It.” How did you two first come together and start recording music? What is it about Charli XCX that makes her a great collaborator?

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These partnerships happen in a very natural way. In Charli’s case, I’ve always enjoyed her work and admired the person she is. She is very focused and talented. She’s an inspiration to me.

“Flash Pose” is the first single from your next album, “111.” What can you tell us about your new album?

I can tell you that I will be releasing the first part of my album on Nov. 1, which is my birthday. We will have songs in Portuguese and Spanish and, for now, that’s it. I’m working hard on this project and I hope you all enjoy it. I read that you are a fan of anime and comics, and that you actually have tattoos of Sailor Moon and the Powerpuff Girls. What appeals to you about anime and comics? What are some of your favorite animes to watch and comic books to read?

I love anime and comics. I enjoy the stories and the examples of the character’s overcoming obstacles. One of my favorites is “Hunter x Hunter.” There are quite a few similarities between the U.S. and Brazil, some good and some not so good. One not-so-good similarity

is the current political leader in charge of each of our countries is not what many would call LGBTQ-friendly. What advice would you give young Brazilian or American LGBTQ people who are worried about the social climate right now?

My advice is: Don’t be afraid to be who you are. There is nothing sadder than hiding our essences, than pretending to be what we are not. The struggle of our community is one that we are all in together. Feel embraced and fight! You are going to be headlining a Come Out With Pride concert here in Orlando. What can fans expect from you when they come to the concert?

You can expect a lot of excitement, dancing and very high energy. It will be a pleasure to perform at Come Out With Pride in Orlando and I hope to see you all there, eh!

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THE STRAZ

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ART

A Shining Example

LGBTQ youth lead Come OUT St. Pete project for SHINE Mural Festival

WALL OF LEGO LOVE: Volunteers and LGBTQ youth from Metro Inclusive Health finalize the first mural for the fifth annual SHINE Mural Festival on Sept. 28, located at 2451 Central Ave. in St. Pete, ahead of the third annual Come OUT St. Pete. Photos courtesy shine mural festival, chad mize

Tiffany Razzano

ince the inception of St.

Petersburg’s SHINE Mural Festival in 2015, multimedia artist and gallery owner Chad Mize has incorporated a community project into the annual art event. SHINE transforms the city’s streets by curating large-scale murals painted by renowned artists from across the globe, he says. “We bring international talent to the city to elevate the scene here. It puts us on the map.” While this global attention is important for St. Petersburg’s growing reputation as an arts destination, the local community is at the heart of the festival, Mize explains. “It’s important that we have a dedicated community mural each year.” In the past, he’s worked with groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters

and local students from Gibbs High School, which houses the Pinellas County Center for the Arts, on these special projects. Now in its fifth year, for the first time the SHINE community mural will showcase LGBTQ themes, Mize says. Local LGBTQ youth from Metro Inclusive Health were invited to help paint it. The mural brings a much-needed element to SHINE, he adds. “St. Pete is not only known for the arts, but it’s known for having a large LGBTQ population,” Mize notes. “It makes sense to bring this design to SHINE.”

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It also challenges the norms “in the mural world,” says Mize, who identifies as a gay male. “It’s usually straight men, predominantly—and females doing murals are also few and far between.” This year, the community mural, which will be located in the Grand Central District near Old Key West Bar & Grill and was designed by LEGO artist Jay Hoff, also celebrates Come OUT St. Pete, an annual series of events based around National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. This year, events hosted by various businesses and organizations are scheduled from Sept. 28 through Oct. 11. The key piece to this celebration is the Come OUT St. Pete Parade and Festival set for Saturday, Oct. 5 in the Grand Central District. Though this year’s SHINE festival is scheduled for Oct. 18-26, the community mural, referred to as the Come OUT St. Pete Mural, was painted Sept. 28 ahead of the celebration’s main event.

“We wanted it to be done before the parade and the festival,” Mize says. Though he typically designs the community murals, this year he enlisted the help of Hoff. The wall they painted reminded Mize of LEGO blocks, he recalls, which brought to mind Hoff’s colorful three-dimensional mosaic portraits of LGBTQ icons such as Elton John, Joe Dallesandro, David Bowie and Divine. The wall, with six-inch by six-inch tiles, had a “pixelated” appearance reminiscent of LEGO bricks, Hoff adds. He kept this in mind when designing the mural, treating each tile as though it were a LEGO piece and painting it a different color. After the mural was painted, Hoff and Mize went back over the mural with a stencil to give the bricks the three-dimensional look of LEGO bricks. Hoff went through several design ideas. He first considered “a very

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Continued on pg.

45 |

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(TOP LEFT)

all heart: Chad Mize (Top L) and Jay Hoff (Front C) team up with local LGBTQ youth Sept. 28.

Photos courtesy sHINE mural festival, chad mize

(TOP RIGHT)

kindness keepsake Participants receive a mini mural Sept. 28.

Photo courtesy shine mural festival, chad mize

| uu | A Shining Example

from pg. 43

Chad Mize agrees that the eye-catching design will capture the attention of locals and tourists alike. “I’m a big believer in creating murals that are backgrounds for photos,” he says. “This has a sense of, ‘Hey, take a

symmetrical simple pattern type thing utilizing images of the Pride flag,” he says. “It looked cool, but was kind of boring.” He and Mize also discussed incorporating Hoff’s iconic portraiture into the mural’s design, but eventually decided that wouldn’t work for the piece. Ultimately, Hoff came up with a simple, but powerful concept—hands surrounding a heart—that incorporated Pride and Trans flag colors. “It’s a simple, yet bright, photo in front of it.’” bold statement that utilizes images While planning this year’s of hands with a big red heart in the community mural, Mize immediately middle,” Hoff said. “That really spoke knew he wanted youth involved in to us the most.” He thinks it will the project and reached out to Cole quickly capture the attention of those Foust, an artist and LGBTQ division visiting the Grand Central District. manager for Metro Inclusive Health. “It’s great for a little photo opp,” he Foust brought teens who attend says. “Come stand in front of a big, red Metro’s weekly youth groups to help LEGO heart.” paint the mural.

He saw it as a great opportunity for these youths in several ways. “It’s really awesome to connect them with different leaders in the community and show them there are different career paths in the arts,”

It had a really great message behind it about diversity, inclusion, acceptance and love. They’re all things that make St. Pete so special.

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-Cole Foust Foust explains. “Working with these kids is my way of giving back,” Mize says. “We’re showing kids that you can have a career in the arts. It’s so satisfying to have an impact on them.” The arts are also an inspiring outlet for LGBTQ teens, who are “disproportionately affected by bullying,” Foust notes. “Providing them

a platform like painting, spoken word, things of that nature can be really helpful in giving them a voice.” He particularly appreciates Mize’s LGBTQ outreach through SHINE. “It’s been really cool to see how Chad has helped facilitate diverse groups of people, allowing them to come together to express themselves,” Foust adds. “I’m grateful to have worked with him on this project.” As for the mural itself, he thinks it’s a testament to St. Petersburg’s reputation as a diverse, inclusive city. “It has a really great message behind it about diversity, inclusion, acceptance and love,” Foust says. “I’d say those are all themes that carry St. Pete. They’re all things that make St. Pete so special.” The fifth annual SHINE Mural Festival will be held Oct. 18-26 in St. Petersburg. For more information, visit ShineMuralFest.com. For more information about Come OUT St. Pete, read Watermark’s Tampa Bay news coverage in this issue and visit ComeOutStPete.org.

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September 30 - November 10, 2019

PRESENTING SPONSORS

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8th Annual

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Parade on Saturday October 5th, 11am

Eat and Drink on Thursday October 3rd at some of your favorite establishments in the Grand Central District, and they'll show their support for Come OUT St Pete with a donation. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Late Night. FREE to attend, Invite your friends! 

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community calendar

event planner arts+entertainment

Central Florida

Stonewall National Museum & Archives Opening

Taffy’s Tampa Trip, Oct. 5, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com

Friday, Oct. 4, 6-8 p.m. LGBT+ Center, Orlando The LGBT+ Center will welcome the public to “50 Years: The Stonewall Uprising” on Oct. 4, the first in a four-part traveling exhibit from the Stonewall National Museum & Archives. The Center was one of 20 LGBTQ organizations chosen to feature selections from the Stonewall National Education Project, a program of educational exhibits. The reception will feature light bites and a cash bar. For more information, visit TheCenterOrlando.org.

Pink, Benefiting Libby’s Legacy, Oct. 5, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Come Out with Pride 2019, Oct. 6-13, Various Locations, Orlando. ComeOutWithPride.com LGBTQ & Friends Comedy Showcase, Oct. 10, Grumpy’s Underground Eatery and Lounge, Orlando. 407-237-9180; Facebook.com/ GrumpysUnderground Wayne Brady, Oct. 12, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org The Chainsmokers, Oct. 12, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7900; AmwayCenter.com Community Sweat: Zebra Coalition, Oct. 13, Rock Hard Fitness, Orlando. 407-802-4631; RockHardFitnessOrlando.com National Bearded Empress, Oct. 13, Stonewall Bar, Orlando. 407-373-0888; StonewallOrlando.com Movie Monday: “Hocus Pocus,” Oct. 14, A La Cart, Orlando. 407-776-4693; ALaCartOrlando.com “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Sing Along, Oct. 14, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6103; AbbeyOrlando.com The Center’s Virtual Gala, Oct. 16-30, LGBT+ Center, Online. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org

Wayne’s World Comedian Wayne Brady brings his interactive improv to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center Oct. 12 and St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater Oct. 13. Read our interview at WatermarkOnline.com; photo courtesy Wayne Brady.

Butterfly Talks: Intersectionality, Oct. 16, United Assistance Center, Orlando. 407-500-4673; OrlandoUnitedAssistanceCenter.org Drag Queen Story Hour, Oct. 17, LGBT+ Center, Online. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org Disney in Concert: “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Oct. 18, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org SubWOOFer, Oct. 18, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com

Pasco Pride, Oct. 5-6, Various Locations, New Port Richey. PascoPrideFestival.org

“Hedwig & The Angry Inch,” Oct. 10, Gulfport Public Library. 727-893-1074; MyGulfport.Us

Crystal Reigns Birthday Celebration, Oct. 5, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com

“An Evening of Hocus Pocus,” Oct. 12, Masons Live, Lakeland. 863-333-0096; MasonsLive.com

SSL Extra Innings, Oct. 6, Pom Pom’s, St. Petersburg. 727-873-6992; SuncoastSoftball.org

Wayne Brady, Oct. 13, Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 727-892-5767; TheMahaffey.com

Bikes, Beers & Bites, Oct. 6, 3 Daughters, St. Petersburg. 727-495-6002; 3DBrewing.com

Pride Skate, Oct. 14, United Skates of America, Tampa. 813-876-5826; UnitedSkates.com

TAMPA BAY

Tampa Pride Drag Queen Bingo, Oct. 6, Stone Soup Company, Tampa. 813-247-7687; TampaPride.org

Come OUT St. Pete, Oct. 3-11, Various Locations, St. Petersburg. ComeOutStPete.org

SMART Ride Charity Bingo, Oct. 8, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com

TIGLFF 30, Oct. 4-12, Metro Inclusive Health, St. Petersburg; Tampa Theatre, Tampa. TIGLFF.com

PFLAG Tampa Wine Tasting, Oct. 10, MC Rainbow Plantation, Tampa. 863-535-5239; TampaPride.org

SARASOTA 2019 OUT Awards Ceremony, Oct. 6, SAGE SRQ, Sarasota. 941-445-5660; SarasotaOut.com Moxie Productions SRQ: The Originals, Oct. 9, The Gator Club, Sarasota. 941-366-5969; Facebook.com/ MoxieProductionsSRQ

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Greater Orlando Equality Connection Monday, Oct. 7, 6-8 p.m. Tim’s Wine Market Avalon Park, Orlando This networking event gathers Equality Florida members and supporters to learn about opportunities to get involved in the fight for LGBTQ equality. Join Equality Florida Business Outreach Manager Rene Cantu as he shares exciting updates about the organization’s partnerships with the business community and their commitment to creating a Florida that is truly open for business to all. Visit EQFL.org to RSVP for the exciting evening.

Central Florida TIGLFF presents Suzanne Westenhoefer Friday, Oct. 11, 8-9:30 p.m. Tampa Theatre, Tampa To celebrate 30 years of the Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF), comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer takes the Tampa Theatre stage by storm for the first time! The openly LGBTQ comic is celebrating a quarter century of no-holds-barred comedy and never does the same show twice. She can’t, because she doesn’t write anything down. Tickets range from $30-45 and are available now at TIGLFF.com.

Diamonds in Diversity 2019 Friday, Oct. 18, 6-10 p.m. The Vinoy, St. Petersburg The Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce returns with their annual Diamonds in Diversity awards gala. Organizers anticipate 250 community leaders will attend to celebrate the best in LGBTQ business and community. The Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber Foundation, along with Balance Tampa Bay, will also continue their tradition of awarding a scholarship to local LGBTQ young adults. Tickets and sponsorships are now available; visit DiversityTampaBay.org for more details.

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overheard

tampa bay out+about

COXTAIL PARTY

etro Inclusive Health announced Sept. 18 that recording artist and LGBTQ advocate Deborah Cox will headline the organization’s annual Cocktail Party scheduled for Nov. 9. “As one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, demand for community programs has continued to grow,” CEO Lorraine Langlois shared. “We serve a vital need in fulfilling that sense of community among our seniors as well helping the youngest of our LGBTQ+ community deal with the challenges of coming out, often within conservative households.” Cox is a longtime LGBTQ ally who has performed throughout Tampa Bay, including at St Pete Pride. The Grammy Award-nominated and multi-platinum artist has had 13 Billboard Dance chart No. 1 hits and led “The Bodyguard” tour. Tickets begin at $60 per person and include open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a ceremony followed by an intimate 30-minute performance by Cox. Tickets are available now at MetroTampaBay.org/CocktailParty2019.

LIVING OUT LOUD

he LGBTQ Resource Center at the Gulfport Public Library is seeking your coming out stories. “The LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Public Library is embarking on a project to produce a book entitled ‘Coming Out in Gulfport … Our Stories,’” the organization shared Sept. 30. “We are currently seeking local residents who would be willing to share their coming out story on audio tape that we could then transcribe into a publication for our collection.” Participants will share their stories Oct. 11-12 at the library. Interviews will be no longer than 30 minutes. Interested parties can email Greg Stemm at Gstemm@aol.com or visit MyGulfport.Us/ LGBTQ-Resources for more information.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

he sixth annual Story Days Tampa Bay, a week-long festival of storytelling, will begin by highlighting the fight for marriage equality on Oct. 8 at ArtsXchange in St. Petersburg. “Marriage Stories” will present an evening of theater and conversation based on interviews with Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith and her spouse Andrea. Their story will be featured alongside that of journalists Susan Green and Robin Phillips as two couples who faced adversity prior to marriage equality. Actors will portray their stories ahead of conversations with the couples. Tickets are free and the performance will be held at 7 p.m. Tombolo Books will be on location with copies of “The Marriage Battle: A Family Tradition.” ArtsXchange in the Warehouse Arts District is located at 515 22nd St. S. For more information, search for “Marriage Stories” on EventBrite.com.

2 3

FAIR PLAY: (L-R) Roosevelt Cevallos, Brian Bailey and Nate Taylor welcome crowds to the second annual LGBTQ+ Career Fair at Metro Inclusive Health Sept. 18. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

THREE AMIGOS: (L-R)

Chad Mize, Jay Hoff and Cole Foust lead the Come OUT St. Pete mural for SHINE Mural Fest Sept. 28.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

BEACH BUDS: (L-R)

John Desmond, Nancy Desmond, Abbi Rolf and Lucas Wehle take in the view at Sirata Beach Resort for Watermark Wednesday benefiting PFLAG Sept. 18. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

WEBB WARRIORS:

Largo Commissioner Michael Smith (L) and Stonewall activist Jay Chetney help kick off Rep. Jennifer Webb’s re-election campaign Sept. 24. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

FABULOUS FILM:

Grace Korley (L) and Shannon Fortner share a moment at the Fabulous Independent Film Festival’s opening night Sept. 27.

PHOTO BY RUSS MARTIN

FANTASTIC FOUR:

(L-R) LaDiamond Haze, Juno Vibranz, Dixie Lynn Michaels and Bridget FromRehab lead Diva Saturdays at Quench Lounge Sept. 28. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

ZERO HEROES:

Keonna Gilmore (L) and Daniel Velasco table for Zero Pinellas at the inaugural Mr. P Debonair All-Male Pageant Sept. 29. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

SINGIN’ SUNDAYS:

Beneva Fruitville (L) and John Shirley transport the crowd for Showtune Sundays at Punky’s Sept. 29.

PHOTO BY RUSS MARTIN

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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overheard

central florida out+about

Zebra gets $10K donation

Central Florida call center manager was awarded $10,000 to donate to a charity of his choice for his volunteerism by employer AT&T and chose to donate it to the Zebra Coalition in Orlando. Kristian Cosme, who is an out and proud member of Orlando’s LGBTQ community, has worked for AT&T for 17 years. Cosme worked through the AT&T Aspire Mentoring Program to create mentoring opportunities with various organizations which led to him being named one of the finalists for the AT&T Community Impact Award. As one of six finalists companywide, Cosme was granted $5,000 from the AT&T Foundation for the charity of his choice. The additional $5,000 was granted after AT&T employees from around the nation voted for Cosme as the award winner. “The only way that we can make the world a better place is to be involved with it. If we’re not there for the world, it’s not going to be there for us,” Cosme said of his volunteering efforts in a statement. The AT&T Foundation created the award to celebrate employees who go above and beyond to make their communities thrive through volunteerism. The Zebra Coalition is a Central Florida nonprofit organization dedicated to helping LGBTQ youth, ages 13-24. For more information, visit ZebraYouth.org.

Taffy’s back with a drag queen party bus to Tampa

et on the bus bish, we are heading to the Bay! Orlando performer Doug Ba’aser—also known by his drag persona, Taffy—is organizing a night of “drinking, dancing and depravity” with Taffy’s Tampa Trip Oct. 5. The night will begin at the world-famous Parliament House at 7 p.m. followed by a luxury coach ride from Orlando to Tampa. Central Florida drag queen Gidget Galore will serve as the on-board hostess, with the bus ride featuring music, games and drinking. Once there, guests will have four and half hours in Tampa’s Ybor District with LGBTQ nightclub Southern Nights Tampa hosting. The bus will depart back to Orlando at 1:30a.m. “I just really wanted something that was different and fun,” Ba’aser says. “It’s just a drinking, fun, leave-your-worries, forget-about-the-world-for-a-while kind of time.” Ba’aser says he plans to continue this event once every few months. Admission for the event is $55, which covers the bus ride, one free drink on the bus, admission into Southern Nights Tampa and a 2-for-1 drink coupon at the club. For more information, check out Taffy’s Facebook event page. To book the trip, email DougmBaaser@gmail.com.

For The Kids: Zebra

Coalition’s Jason Doll (L) and Robin Daily tend to the beneficiary table during Watermark’s Third Thursday event at The LGBT+ Center in Orlando Sept. 18.

Photo by Jeremy Williams

Married & Proud:

Newlyweds Jerick Mediavilla (L) and State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith show off their Watermark Wedding Bells article while attending Space Coast Pride in Melbourne Sept. 28.

Photo by Jeremy Williams

Nailed That Pose:

Watermark Sales Manager Danny Garcia (L) meets funny lady and host of Netflix’s “Nailed It!” Nicole Byer at the Orlando Improv Sept. 27. Photo courtesy Danny Garcia s

Rainbow Runners:

Jennifer Kunsch (L) and Watermark owner Rick Claggett prepare for The Color Run 5K in Kissimmee Sept. 21.

Photo courtesy Rick Claggett

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Climate Crusader:

State Sen. Linda Stewart stands with the children for a better planet at the Youth Led Global Climate Strike in Downtown Orlando Sept. 20.

Photo courtesy Linda Stewart

House Party: (L-R)

Christopher Milliron, Omar Ramo and Rebecca Kaercher attend the Equality Florida Fall Council Mixer at the home of Steve Trigilio and Frank Reynolds in Orlando Sept. 18. Photo by Jeremy Williams

Peace Core: U.S.

Rep. Darren Soto visits Valencia College’s Lake Nona Campus to engage with students during Global Peace Week Sept. 23. Photo

courtesy Valencia College Peace and Justice Institute

Diaper Duty: State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani shows off how many diapers were collected in the #DiaperDrive to support local families via Central Florida’s Diaper Bank in Orlando on Sept. 30. Photo courtesy Anna V. Eskamani

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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announcements

wedding bells

Rachel and Margaret Covello, from St. Petersburg, Florida

Engagement date:

June 7, 2018

Wedding Date:

July 7, 2019

Officiant:

Diana Fryman

Wedding theme/colors:

Navy and Yellow

Wedding song/ Artist:

“When You Say Nothing At All,” Allison Krauss

Reception:

Maritana Grill

Florist:

Carter’s Florist

Photo Courtesy Rachel Covello

“S

he offered to buy me a

drink and Tito’s Vodka has forever changed our life journey,” says Rachel Covello.

Rachel was looking for a fresh start when she met Margaret Covello at Punky’s Bar. The two had connected on Facebook a few months prior and had even gone through their first argument, about politics. “We laugh about it now,” says Rachel. “She was at the bar and I was attempting to order a drink. I was in a transition place in my life and looking to unwind and start fresh. She derailed that plan!” It was Rachel’s “tenacity and ability to hold debate regarding what she believes in” that caught Margaret’s attention. In person it was “her striking appearance and charm” that won Margaret over. Rachel was just getting out of a long-term relationship

when they met, but that did not stop her noticing Margaret when they met face-to-face. “She’s hot!!” says Rachel. “Those muscles rival any gay man’s and her smile is contagious. I saw her in torn jeans and a Harley Davidson shirt. She was suave and took control. I loved that. She has a tough and seemingly unapproachable exterior, but as soon as she smiles, her demeanor changes.” Both brides agree that it was their authenticity that they fell in love with. “She’s 100% authentic and a hard worker,” says Rachel. Margaret proposed to Rachel at the SandBar Restaurant in Anna Marie Island at sunset. Although the brides first intended to have

a big wedding on the second anniversary of the day they met, in the end they decided to go a little smaller. The intimate wedding instead took place on July 7 at 7 p.m., “since the number 7 had been a consistent theme in our relationship.” “We met on December 7, 2017 and we lived exactly seven miles from one another at the time,” says Rachel. Rachel and Margaret decided to make the wedding about the two of them and not about “impressing family or friends.” “I’ve been married three times. I’ve done the big, the small and the elopement,” says Rachel. “ELOPE! Make the ceremony about you. You’ll never regret it. If you feel like having something with close family and friends, go for it, but make sure every detail is about the wedding couple, not about pleasing or impressing others.” The couple got married at the beautiful Don CeSar overlooking the beach. After the wedding, the brides celebrated with a dinner at the Maritana Grille. “In Florida, a beach wedding is the way to go. The Don CeSar made for a beautiful backdrop and dinner at the Maritana Grille afterward was incredible,” says the couple. Both Margaret and Rachel are looking forward to their future together with their pets and maybe adopting a few more rescue animals in the future. —Marianella Falbo

Congratulations

The Garage on Central Ave. celebrated 8 years Sept. 28. Se7enbites celebrated 6 years in business Oct. 1. G2H2 Sarasota celebrates its 8th anniversary Oct. 4.

Local Birthdays

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Vanessa “Miss Vanjie” Mateo, Stonewall Orlando’s Taylor Bulloch, “The Money Coach” Tammy Lally (Oct. 3); Spectrum News 9 traffic expert Chuck Henson, Hashtag Lunchbag Sarasota organizer Samantha Ponzillo (Oct. 4); St. Pete Stormer Edith Lewis-Allen, St. Pete sprinter Gabe Michael, Tampa Bay nurse Daniel Ravioli, The Milk District Executive Director Zac Alfson, Orlando bartender Tracy Thomas (Oct. 5); Lighthouse Realty broker/owner Mike Trexler (Oct. 6); Tampa realtor Mike Reedy, Gomez Law Firm of St. Petersburg’s Ian Gomez, Orlando Youth Alliance CEO Michael Slaymaker, graphic designer Jocelynn White, Central Florida radio host Loc Robertson, Watermark cover designer Katie DiBenedetto (Oct. 7); Orlando Meltdown coordinator Kyle Garther, Tampa Bay photographer Robert Castelli, Allendale United Methodist Church pastor Rev. Andy Oliver, D’Squared Productions’ Douglas White (Oct. 8); Southern Nights Tampa manager Michael Wilson, Mad Cow Theatre’s Mitzi Maxwell, Libby’s Legacy founder Robin Maynard-Harris (Oct. 9); Tampa Bay entertainer Victoria Michaels aka Bambu the Eco Salon owner Chris Kiss, St. Pete data specialist Stephen Gillin, Pasco Pride President Nina Borders (Oct. 10); Parliament House’s Robert Arroyo, USAA BOLD Leadership’s Michael Paonessa (Oct. 11); King of Peace MCC pastor Candace Shultis, Grand Central District Executive Director David Foote, Orlando DJ and magician VJ Nick Comis, Mills50 director Joanne Grant, Orlando Health’s Tim Leddy (Oct. 12); Old Town Kissimmee’s Todd Larkin, Tampa Pride’s Mark ‘Tea Cup’ West-Bias, WellCare Manager Michael Clouse, Former Tampa Bay bartender Jeff Beadle, Watermark freelancer Jerick Mediavilla (Oct. 13); Freelance writer Michael Kilgore, GaYbor entertainer Joey Brooks, Pink Flamingo Group Trips coordinator Dan Warren, Ybor City Barbering Co. owner Lisa Ann Harmon (Oct. 14); Orlando realtor Scott Benson, Central Florida Sounds of Freedom musician Melissa Fallcenbury, Art curator Mendi Cowles, St. Pete socialite Art Lawrence, Tampa retiree Howard Hawk (Oct. 15); Orlando Fringe show director Michael Marinaccio, Real estate agent Kase Elders, Suncoast softballer Michael Monnich, Out & About’s Tyler Butler, Orlando attorney Mary Meeks (Oct. 16).

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.

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the last page Age: 36

Hometown:

Virginia Beach, VA.

Identifies as:

Gay, Queer

Pronouns:

Jimmy Biascan G raphic D esig n er / C reative D irectio n

He/Him, They/Them

Out Year:

2001, at 18

Profession:

Graphic Design and Creative Direction

Professional role model:

Not any one person, I most admire and respect teachers.

Title of your autobiography:

“Not you, Yet One of Us”

Hobbies:

Cooking, entertaining friends, exploring St. Pete, pool volleyball, being a positive catalyst

he Last Page is dedicated to

individuals who are making a positive impact on the LGBTQ community in Central Florida and Tampa Bay. This issue, we check in with graphic designer and creative director Jimmy (not James, it’s Jimmy on his birth certificate) Biascan from Tampa Bay. Keep an eye on this space to learn more about the movers and shakers of your community. How long have you lived in Tampa Bay?

Almost 6.5 years. Ironically, I arrived on St Pete Pride 2013. What community groups and organizations do you belong to?

Recommend People to: Central Florida Bureau Chief Jeremy Williams at: Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com Tampa Bay Bureau Chief Ryan Williams-Jent at: Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

Photo by Dylan Todd

I volunteered for about two years as the Head of Graphics for Project No Labels. I’m proud to say it was before, during and after we were recognized as St Pete Pride’s 2017 Organizational Grand Marshal. I also co-chaired on the board of directors and organizing committee for Come OUT St. Pete 2018. I learned a lot, one thing being that there are a lot of respectable people in our community that I still have a lot to learn from. Over the past two and a half years it has also been my honor to grow amidst and along with Metro Inclusive Health, the non-profit organization that has been servicing Tampa Bay LGBTQ+ community for the past 26 years. As their

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Graphics & Production Specialist, I’ve enjoyed working with every level of the organization to supply visual communication that speaks to demographics ranging from local community members in need of support from over 100 programs and services to federal agencies. How do you champion our local LGBTQ community?

I’m the creator and admin of a successful Facebook group and LGBTQ+ community resource, St. Pete Q&A (formerly known as Saint Pete Boys.) While it is a question and answer page, the Q&A also stands for Queers & Allies. It’s designed for members of our community to openly seek help and guidance, share knowledge and support, and make event and plans. What’s it like running the page?

It’s a mixed experience that definitely gives me a sense of pride. I’m proud of all the members that do what they can to help one

another, and of myself for (I believe) providing its safe and tolerant space. Inversely, it can be taxing, but I’m glad to say I experience that least of it. Our community embraces the rainbow because we are all as diverse as all of the colors in it. Needless to say, some members are more colorful than others. Sometimes I have to step in and moderate interactions between heated individuals, but I believe I’ve succeeded in crafting a set of rules members seem to appreciate and abide by (for the most part.) What is your favorite thing to read in Watermark?

Being in the graphics business and living in the marketing world, I love seeing all of the different ads our local LGBTQ+ community has the opportunity of placing to advertise their proud products and sensational services. I also admittedly pride myself in seeing the ads I have been submitting for Metro over the past couple of years. They won me an award last year—an AdPOP (Pride in Online and Print: LGBT Regional Media Advertising) from the National LGBT Media Association. What is your favorite local LGBTQ event?

There are too many to pick one. We are so lucky to have so many outstanding organizations and people behind them that help move our LGBTQ+ community forward. From those that throw the

largest Pride in Florida, to those that acknowledge and support the importance of National Coming OUT Day, to those that bind our extensive Tampa Bay area LGBTQ+ professional network, to those that celebrate creative arts with an LGBTQ+ film festival, to those that belong to an inclusive bowling league or euchre club. What is your favorite thing about the local LGBTQ community?

There are just too many ways to celebrate our love and culture to count, and there is something for everyone! It’s truly amazing. What would you like to see improved in the local LGBTQ community?

I’d like to see more intergenerational events and people participating in them. There is an immeasurable amount of knowledge and insight we can provide each other by lessening our community’s focus on age to appreciate the other forms of intersectionality we share. What advice would you give your younger self?

I don’t know that I would advise my younger self. The important lessons in life can really only truly be learned by surviving the experience of them firsthand. We must appreciate all of the bad things. Without them, all of the good things would be mundane.

oc tob er 3 - O c tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

oc tob er 3 - O c tob er 16 , 2019 // Issue 26 . 20 wat e r m a r konline .com

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