Watermark Issue 27.13: Black Lives Matter

Your LGBTQ Life.

June 25 - July 8, 2020 • Issue 27.13

Black LGBTQ voices assert Black Lives Matter

Contigo Fund launches All Black Lives Fund Tampa Bay marks inclusive Pride Month

Special Inside:

Rainbow Family Guide

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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It’s time to have that honest one-on-one conversation about race to explain my daily challenges as a Black, gay man. If change is to blossom and become infectious, its roots lie in my white friends listening and attempting to understand my truth.

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voices assert Black Lives Matter.

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From ana, with love: “Love, Victor” star Ana Ortiz reflects on Latin, LGBTQ representation.

Watermark Issue 27.13 // June 25 - July 8, 2020

Taking Action

Tampa Proud

#LoveHandlin

Marriage Story

page Contigo Fund announces All Black Lives Fund.

page Tampa officials mark inclusive Pride Month.

page

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Read It Online!

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

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Columnist Jerick Mediavilla reflects on COVID-19.

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Wedding Bells returns to celebrate love.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

cityfurniture.com

tampa bay

bureau chief’s

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

T

Desk

ime has almost no meaning in

2020, which somehow manages to feel like it’s only just begun and like it’s lasted for at least 10 years. This Pride Month in particular has been quite the decade.

It’s certainly been a historical one for our community, marking 50 years of publicly celebrating LGBTQ Pride. The first march which morphed into the festivities we hold today was held June 28, 1970.

Christopher Street Liberation Day was designed to serve as an annual reminder of the Stonewall Riots, which one year prior launched the LGBTQ civil rights movement. Our community challenged abusive authorities for the first time en masse, signaling enough was enough.

Their days-long, riotous response was a product of its time.

Marginalized communities across the nation had begun to speak out and stand up; demanding the equality promised to every

American that so many of us are still fighting for today.

That battle was on full display this June in our nation’s highest court when the Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ workers were protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. No longer could we be fired just for being LGBTQ. The legislation was conceived in response to the injustice Black Americans faced in 1963, which in 2020 has only evolved into other forms of horrific hatred.

Streets across the globe, filled with protestors forced to proclaim Black Lives Matter, prove that’s the case.

But the Civil Rights Act’s extension to LGBTQ Americans is just one of the latest examples of how tied LGBTQ civil rights are

to the fight for racial justice. It’s a connection that LGBTQ historian Edmund White discussed last year.

White was present for Stonewall, then as a self-described “middle class, white 29-year-old who’d been in therapy for years trying to go straight.” He explained that it wasn’t those who looked the most like him who initially fought back. Instead, the LGBTQ liberators were people of color who were “resisting the police, of all things!” He was soon grateful, as generations of LGBTQ Americans would come to be.

“Whereas gays had always run away in the past, afraid of being arrested and jailed, these Stonewall African Americans and Puerto Ricans and drag queens weren’t so easily intimidated,” White wrote. “They lit fires, turned over cars and mocked the cops, even battering the heavy Stonewall doors where some policemen were retaining members of the staff and customers.

“When someone shouted ‘Gay is good’ in imitation of ‘Black is beautiful,’ we all laughed,” he continued. “We went from seeing ourselves as a mental illness to thinking we were a minority.”

Credited among the Stonewall leaders is Marsha P. Johnson, the Black, transgender woman who helped usher in LGBTQ civil rights. But while her brave fight would go on to inspire LGBTQ Pride celebrations across the globe, far too often they ignore the parts of our community that made them possible. Or as White summarized, “the first group to benefit from the freedoms won 50 years ago were white men. Now the struggle continues among young lesbians, people of color, the trans population – and all those living under dangerously rightwing, hostile religious regimes.”

That was made clear just days before the Supreme Court’s favorable ruling. On June 12, as

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our community reflected on the four-year mark of Pulse in an already socially-distant Pride Month, the Trump administration finalized a rule eliminating health care protections for our transgender siblings. During a global pandemic.

The attack was just the latest effort from D.C., which advocated against the court’s ruling and subsequently denounced it. It was further proof that equality and justice are on the ballot in the coming election – making it more essential than ever that the most privileged members of the LGBTQ community work to protect the most marginalized. It’s certainly what the most marginalized among us have always done in reverse.

Black, LGBTQ lives gave us Pride and fought for our rights in every battle that came after.

Black, LGBTQ lives gave us Pride and fought for our rights in every battle that came after. They matter.

We must all speak out and stand up beside them.

It’s also imperative that we listen to them. Black, LGBTQ voices from throughout Central Florida and Tampa Bay allow us to do exactly that in this issue’s in-depth coverage, sharing their experiences and asserting that Black Lives Matter. All of them.

That’s evident in our news coverage. Tampa Bay leaders organize a vigil showing “Together We Rise” and Central Florida’s Contigo Fund launches new efforts.

Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories.

Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

contributors Edward Segarra

currently attends the University of Central Florida as a journalism major. Page 8

Jerick Mediavilla

is a former journalist from Mexico City, an educator in Central Florida and an human rights activist for the LGBTQ community. Jerick is one half of an Orlando power couple with State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith. Page 15

Gregg Shapiro

is a Chicago-based freelance journalist and entertainment reporter whose work appears frequently in Watermark. Page 31

Tiffany Razzano

is the founder and president of Wordier Than Thou, a literary arts nonprofit that creates fun, engaging events for writers and readers. Page 39 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.

WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail).

The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication.

WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

Watermark Publishing Group Inc.

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central florida

bureau chief’s

Jeremy Williams cfl bureau chief

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

A

Desk

s anyone who has worked

with me here at Watermark can tell you, I am an AP Style purist.

For those who are not familiar, AP Style — short for The Associated Press Stylebook — is the standard of the mass communication world. This book instructs journalists on basic grammar and punctuation when writing the news. It’s the reason no self-respecting journalist will use an Oxford comma no matter how much sense you think it makes and why you will see a hyphen link two words one moment, then no hyphen the next day and then the same words hyphenated once again a week later.

Does it always make sense? No, but that nonsense is how it has been since the first AP Stylebook was published and it is how most journalist — this one included — were taught. “The AP Stylebook is your bible,” I was told by my favorite journalism professor

Ken Carpenter, and I have kept that bit of knowledge — as well as the Stylebook — front and center when I write, edit and read any news story.

So I was very happy when AP announced June 19 that it would be adopting the capitalized “B” when writing stories about the Black community.

“AP’s style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa,” AP wrote in a social media post. “We also now capitalize Indigenous in reference to original inhabitants of a place. These changes align with long-standing capitalization of other racial and ethnic identifiers

such as Latino, Asian American and Native American.”

Increased coverage of anti-racism, police brutality and Black Lives Matter by mainstream news outlets opened discussions in newsrooms as to whether the “B” in Black should be capitalized when reporting about the Black community.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) issued a statement calling for all media outlets to begin capitalizing racial identifiers, something news outlets like NBC News and USA Today have done.

On matters of Black people, Black communities, Black culture and Black institutions, the NABJ should be the group that other news organizations look to for stylebook guidance just as The National LGBTQ Journalist Association (NLGJA) provides guidance on LGBTQ terminology.

When the fight for marriage equality was frequently in the news, the NLGJA encouraged media to use “same-sex marriage” instead of “gay marriage” and “LGBTQ rights” rather than “gay rights” to show inclusivity in reporting.

Watermark and other LGBTQ publications in the U.S. used terms like Latinx, capitalized the word Pride and added the Q to LGBT in news reporting before The AP Stylebook began to utilize them.

Many detractors to the style change of capitalizing Black point to the fact that the word “white” when referring to race isn’t capitalized.

The term “white” does not indicate a culture, just the color of a person’s skin. It is simple for most white people to trace their lineage back to where and when their ancestors came to North America.

I have taken one of those mail-in DNA tests and found that I am mostly British and Italian

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

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with some Irish, Scottish, French, Greek and German mixed in. I can easily research the history and culture of my ancestors. Notice that these words are capitalized as they indicate the culture of my ancestors. Because of slavery, most Black people in the U.S. have a more difficult time tracing where their ancestors came from.

If you’re a white person still calling for “White” to be capitalized in news publications, please keep in mind that in most cases these days “White” is usually proceeded by a racist indicator like “Nationalist,” “Power” and “House.”

As we listen to Black voices in the world of journalism, we open up our pages in this issue to local,

[I]n most cases ...

‘White’ is usually proceeded by a racist indicator like ‘Nationalist,’ ‘Power’ and ‘House.’

LGBTQ Black voices. The best way to learn where someone has been and what they have lived through is to open up, be silent and listen; so that is what we do in this issue as six LGBTQ Black activists in Central Florida and Tampa Bay express their views, open dialogues on race and share their stories.

In news, we learn what Contigo Fund’s All Black Lives Fund is about, we check in to see how Tampa is celebrating Pride Month and look at Jacksonville’s updated HRO. In our Arts & Entertainment section, we chat with actress Ana Ortiz, who stars in the new Hulu Series “Love, Victor.”

Orlando Office Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Senior Tampa Bay Account Manager: Russ Martin • Ext. 303 Russ@WatermarkOnline.com Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer Tom@WatermarkOnline.com National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. • 212-242-6863

1300 N. Semoran Blvd.

Ste 250 Orlando, FL 32807 TEL: 407-481-2243

Tampa Bay Office 401 33rd Street N. St. Petersburg, FL 33713 TEL: 813-655-9890

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

contributors Edward Segarra

currently attends the University of Central Florida as a journalism major. Page 8

Jerick Mediavilla

is a former journalist from Mexico City, an educator in Central Florida and an human rights activist for the LGBTQ community. Jerick is one half of an Orlando power couple with State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith. Page 15

Gregg Shapiro

is a Chicago-based freelance journalist and entertainment reporter whose work appears frequently in Watermark. Page 31

Tiffany Razzano

is the founder and president of Wordier Than Thou, a literary arts nonprofit that creates fun, engaging events for writers and readers. Page 39 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.

WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail).

The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication.

WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

Watermark Publishing Group Inc.

7

central florida news

LGBTQ Officials and organizations celebrate Supreme Court ruling Edward Segarra

O

RLANDO |Local politicians and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups across Central Florida praised the landmark Supreme Court decision June 15 that bars workplace discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The U.S. Supreme Court – in a 6-3 vote – ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person’s sex, among other factors,” also encompasses a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida’s first openly-LGBTQ Latinx lawmaker, called the SCOTUS decision “a tremendous ruling and a great day for LGBTQ Americans.”

“The SCOTUS has affirmed what advocates have long argued— that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is sex discrimination and is illegal under federal law,” Smith stated on Twitter.

State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani shared a section of the Supreme Court’s decision along with the message “Still sobbing BRB.” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer posted his excitement on the decision to his social media, writing “No one should have to choose between a job and being who they are. I applaud today’s Supreme Court decision to extend federal civil rights protections to members of the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace.”

Several of Central Florida’s U.S. House representatives took to their social media to respond to the Supreme Court decision also including Reps.

Stephanie Murphy, Darren Soto and Val Demings.

“The Supreme Court‘s decision is a major milestone in our journey to make these United States a more perfect and equal union. Now Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination for sexual orientation in the workplace. Love is redeemed & justice served today,” Soto stated on Twitter.

“A much needed bright spot during this #PrideMonth. When the House passed the #EqualityAct last year, we knew then what SCOTUS has reaffirmed now: LGBTQ+ rights are human rights,” Murphy tweeted out.

Demings kept it short and sweet, writing “Great news. Glad to see they got this one right.”

The LGBTQ+ coalition One Orlando Alliance marked the occasion by hosting an “informal, pop-up celebration” June 15 to bring together local members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.

Central Florida LGBTQ+ activists and leaders came out to Lake Eola Park to celebrate with masks and social distancing in place.

You can view photos from One Orlando Alliance’s Pop-Up Supreme Court Ruling Gathering at WateramrkOnline.com.

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SUPPORT BLACK LIVES: Protesters in downtown Orlando during the “Justice for #AllBlackLives Rally.” Photo by Jeremy Williams

Funding Change Contigo Fund’s All Black Lives Fund champions intersectionality Edward Segarra

O

RLANDO | The All Black Lives Fund, created by Contigo Fund, officially launched June 10 to coincide with the “Justice for #AllBlackLives Rally” that took place at Orlando City Hall the same day.

The purpose of the fund is to “dedicate funding to frontline LGBTQ+ organizing groups and efforts that are Black LGBTQ+ led in Central Florida to build on the movement for Black lives –particularly those led by and for Black transgender, gender nonconforming, … gender nonbinary community and sex workers.”

“The Black LGBTQ+ Central Florida community feels invisible and neglected,” Daniel Downer, a community board member of Contigo Fund, says. “We have been on the frontlines of economic, racial and social justice throughout history. Fighting for the equity and equality of the Black heterosexual community and broader LGBTQ community but not having either

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

of those communities fight for us …

We are ready to see a change.”

For Downer, an intersectional approach to fostering inclusivity is the key in effectively dismantling the intertwining oppressions that disempower members of the Black LGBTQ+ community.

“Intersectionality is crucial to the heart of social equity,” he says.

“It illuminates the disparities, inequities and oppression that marginalized individuals have experienced for centuries.

Without an intersectional lens, the perpetuation of inequities and oppression towards marginalized individuals will not only continue but worsen.”

The All Black Lives Fund is receiving financial backing from Out in The South Fund, an initiative that distributes grant money in an effort to “catalyze locally-driven Southern funds that address the needs and strengthen the assets of LGBTQ+ communities in the South.”

The grant given by Out in The South Fund is a 3-to-1 matching grant, meaning that for every dollar donated to the All Black

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

Lives Fund, Out in the South Fund will donate three dollars in return.

Apart from donating to the All Black Lives Fund, Downer says that people can help progress the fight for racial and LGBTQ+ equality through a diligent process of self-examination, educating oneself and one’s peers, using outside resources and showing solidarity with Black LGBTQ+ activists.

“Understand your own biases and privileges, speak up about racial and social inequality to those around you and keep the conversation continuously going,” he says. “Take it upon yourself to educate yourself and see it through no matter the discomfort. Use this Anti-Racism toolkit … Follow and share [local Black LGBTQ+ leaders and organizations] on social media; hire them for your diversity and inclusion training, partner with them and invest in them – whether in kind or monetarily.”

The All Black Lives Fund is part of a long-term restorative process that aims to improve the quality of life for Black LGBTQ+ individuals.

“Contigo envisions [the fund as] being an ongoing philanthropic endeavor[,] recognizing that our Black LGBTQ+ communities have historically been under-resourced and pushed to the margins of society, opportunity and power,” Downer says. “This historic moment calls on all of us to be a part of yet another transformative moment in the movement for All Black Lives.”

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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tampa bay news

Virtual vigil unites LGBTQ, African American communities Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | Come OUT St Pete (COSP) has partnered with Project No Labels (PNL) and the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum to virtually present “Together We Rise” June 27, a virtual vigil designed to unite the LGBTQ and African American communities.

The gathering will take place along the city’s Bayshore Dr. at 8 p.m., where more than 100 volunteers will unfurl a 375-foot rainbow flag. They will silently kneel for nine minutes to reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement. Organizers strongly discourage public attendance.

“In talking with several people, there was consensus to do something in lieu of the St Pete Pride parade,” COSP Board Member Brian Longstreth recalls. This year’s parade was cancelled in response to COVID-19.

“We reached out to Terri Lipsky Scott, executive director of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, and she described her efforts to include the museum in LGBTQ events.”

The gathering was designed as a vigil for George Floyd, whose murder May 25 in Minneapolis launched global protests against police brutality. Longstreth says organizers expanded it to reflect on the murders of Black, transgender members of our community and others, including Tony McDade of Tallahassee.

“We must recognize the origin of Pride was a riot against police actions,” Longstreth says, “and show solidarity when any minority is facing persecution.”

PNL CEO Claire Elisan, whose organization assisted in volunteer and other efforts for the vigil, says it’s critical that the LGBTQ community shows its support.

“Black, trans women are being murdered at an alarming rate,” she explains. “Every year, during Transgender Day of Remembrance, the numbers are disturbing.

“This fight goes hand in hand,” she continues.

“We have to acknowledge and validate our Black, transgender siblings in this fight. They’re fighting every single day to survive.”

Organizers advise that city officials have been essential in ensuring volunteer safety, a paramount concern as the coronavirus continues to impact Tampa Bay. Those unfurling the flag will be provided an event-branded T-shirt and face mask, made possible by sponsorship from the Home Shopping Network as well as hand sanitizer, provided by St. Petersburg Distillery. Participants will also maintain a minimum of six feet of distance from one another in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines.

“While we understand everyone would like to participate in this event, only the volunteers that have previously signed up to hold the flag will be present,” organizers share. “We want everyone to follow along on Facebook Live.”

“Together We Rise” will be streamed via COSP’s Facebook page June 27 at 8 p.m. Watch live or afterwards at Facebook.com/ComeOutStPete.

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TAMPA PROUD: (L-R) Christie Hattersley, Rep. Adam Hattersley, Mayor Jane Castor, Nadine Smith and Justice Gennari at Tampa’s Old City Hall June 20. PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF TAMPA

Pride for All Tampa officials, organizations mark inclusive Pride Month Ryan Williams-Jent

T

AMPA | Mayor Jane Castor partnered with Equality Florida and the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber of Commerce June 20 to raise the Philadelphia Pride Flag above Old City Hall in recognition of Pride Month.

The Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs adopted the flag in June 2017, designed to address racism and represent a more inclusive LGBTQ community. Black and brown stripes were added to the traditional Pride flag’s red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.

The rooftop ceremony was intentionally small in response to COVID-19. Castor was joined by Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith, Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber CEO Justice Gennari and Chair Christie Hattersley as well as State Rep. Adam Hattersley to reflect on the intersectionality of LGBTQ civil rights.

Castor began by addressing Pride Month and the cancellation of LGBTQ celebrations throughout Tampa Bay. The coronavirus

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

prompted both Tampa Pride and St Pete Pride to cancel their annual in-person festivities this year.

“We’ve had to curtail those celebrations, so today we’re very excited here in the city of Tampa to be able to raise our Pride flag,” Castor said. “When we do raise the Pride flag I would like everyone to pay attention to this particular flag because it has a black and brown stripe to be inclusive of all of our minority communities.”

Gennari spoke next, advising that the chamber was proud to represent minority-owned businesses in the seven counties served by the organization.

“Diversity is good for business,” he said. “We stand in solidarity for all minorities in the community.”

Smith subsequently called Pride’s origins at Stonewall in 1969 an inflection point. It marked “not just the pushback against police brutality,” she shared, “but a new envisioning of what America could be for the LGBTQ community.”

“You cannot seek justice for the LGBTQ community without seeking justice for those targeted

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

because of race or religion or gender,” she stressed. “Pride Month for me is the moment where all of those things come together.”

State Rep. Hattersley, an area resident who is seeking to represent Florida in the U.S. House, also reflected on Pride Month.

“It’s an honor to live right here in Hillsborough County where everyone is inclusive and ready to help celebrate Pride,” he said.

Castor concluded by reflecting on Pride and the Black Lives Matter movement. She called on all citizens of Tampa to “see the common humanity and work together to be a better place.”

“Stonewall is still celebrated as a time when a community said ‘enough is enough’ and intensified the work of securing equality under the law,” Castor shared.

“Today, Pride Month arrives as people have once again taken to the streets in response to injustice … I will listen, understand and act to make Tampa a place where everyone is included, respected and protected as equals.”

The city of Tampa joins Hillsborough County in recognizing Pride Month. On June 1, county commissioners raised the Pride flag in front of the County Center to show their support.

For more information about Equality Florida, the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber or Rep. Hattersley’s campaign, visit EQFL.org, DiversityTampaBay.org and HattersleyForCongress.com.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

11

state news

Jacksonville’s updated Human Rights Ordinance signed into law where I am today, about two years ago I should have signed the bill. I signed it. It’s law. I’ll do what I have to do to protect it.”

A number of LGBTQ-focused organizations celebrated the passage via social media. JASMYN, which has supported LGBTQ youth in Jacksonville for more than 25 years, thanked city officials and LGBTQ advocates for their prompt response.

“Moments ago the Jacksonville City Council reaffirmed protections from discrimination that cover the LGBTQ community on a 15-4 vote,” the organization shared June 9. “Mayor Curry has indicated he will sign those protections into law. We thank everyone who responded so quickly to the early May ruling by the 1st District Court of appeals that placed our 2017 HRO update in jeopardy.”

Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ-focused organization, thanked local leaders and called the passage a victory the same day.

“Thank you to sponsor Council Member Aaron Bowman, Jacksonville City Council District 3, the seven ordinance cosponsors

Ryan Williams-Jent

J

ACKSONVILLE | The Jacksonville City Council passed its Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) by a vote of 15-4 June 9, reinstating protections for LGBTQ residents in employment, housing and public accommodations.

The HRO’s protections were originally enacted in 2017 after passing 12-6, but ruled unenforceable May 1. Florida’s First District Court of Appeals found that while Jacksonville had intended to add sexual orientation and gender identity protections to its existing HRO, the additions were never actually completed.

Republican Mayor Lenny Curry, who did not support the HRO’s expansion in 2017, confirmed he would sign the legislation once it was passed.

“The HRO is back because of a technicality in the law,” he said. “The bill has been law for a number of years. I’ll sign the bill if the City Council corrects the technicality.”

Curry confirmed he did so June 16.

“I signed the current bill,” he shared. “Given

Indulge

and local partners like Jacksonville Coalition for Equality,” they shared.

The organization also shared an official response to Mayor Curry. “Your leadership on this ordinance sends a clear message about the values that have been established in Jacksonville,” they wrote.

“These protections originally passed with overwhelming support in 2017 from Jacksonville residents, the small and large business communities, and faith leaders.

The protections have been working as intended for three years, and they are making Jacksonville a more welcoming place for everyone to live, work, and visit.”

The Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, which represents the interests of LGBTQ Floridians as an arm of the state’s Democratic Party, subsequently celebrated the news in a press release.

“The Jacksonville City Council reaffirmed the principle that every resident should be treated equally and with respect, regardless of who they are or who they love,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill shared.

“Without state or federal protections in place, local laws like the one passed today

are critical,” he continued. “Jacksonville’s vibrant LGBTQ community can now go about their daily lives without fear of discrimination. We thank the Council for supporting equality.”

Communications Director Phil Perry, a Jacksonville resident, also celebrated the HRO’s passage.

“No one should ever be fired from their job or denied housing because of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,” he shared. “I’m grateful the City Council said yes to equality and no to discrimination. As we observe Pride Month, let’s also celebrate that Jacksonville is a welcoming community.”

According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2019 Municipal Equality Index – which examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are for LGBTQ people who live and work – Jacksonville was rated a 79/100.

Area LGBTQ advocates hope the updated HRO and other inclusive actions will lead to an increased score later this year in the annual report.

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nation+world news

Supreme Court says LGBTq workers protected Wire Report

W

ASHINGTON | The Supreme Court ruled June 15 that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBTQ rights from a conservative court.

The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 known as Title VII that bars job discrimination because of sex, among other reasons, encompasses bias against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court. “Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role

in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”

The decision was a defeat not just for the employers, but also the Trump administration, which argued that the law’s plain wording compelled a ruling for the employers. Gorsuch, a conservative appointee of President Donald Trump, concluded the opposite, and Trump said Monday he accepted the court’s “very powerful decision.”

Gorsuch was joined in the majority by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s four liberal members. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s other Supreme Court pick, dissented, along with Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.

“The Court tries to convince readers that it is merely enforcing the terms of the statute, but that is preposterous,” Alito wrote in the dissent. “Even as understood today, the concept of discrimination because of `sex’ is different from

discrimination because of `sexual orientation’ or ‘gender identity.’”

Kavanaugh wrote in a separate dissent that the court was rewriting the law to include gender identity and sexual orientation, a job that belongs to Congress.

Still, Kavanaugh said the decision represents an “important victory achieved today by gay and lesbian Americans.”

Trump had a restrained reaction, telling reporters that he’d read the decision and that “some people were surprised.”

He added: “But they’ve ruled and we live with their decision.”

The outcome is expected to have a big impact for the estimated 8.1 million LGBTQ workers across the country because most states don’t protect them from workplace discrimination. An estimated 11.3 million LGBTQ people live in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA law school.

Indiana asks high court to review birth certificate ruling Wire Report

L

AFAYETTE, Ind. | Indiana’s attorney general’s office is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court’s ruling that sided with Ashlee and Ruby Henderson, a lesbian married couple who challenged the state’s birth records law.

The petition, filed June 15, comes after the appeals court ruled in January that same-sex couples should have the same rights as other couples to be named as parents on birth certificates without having to go through the expense of an adoption process.

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed a lower court’s ruling and sided with the Hendersons.

Tom Fisher, solicitor general for Indiana, said in the state’s petition with the high court that the lower courts misinterpreted the intent of Indiana’s laws.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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HIV research r wewe can advance her can Together weadvance can advance Together weadvance can earch HIV HIVresearch research search Learn about a clinical research study evaluating an oral investigational medication for people living with HIV-1.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

viewpoint

Jerick Mediavilla

#LoveHandlin

N

Control othing in 2020 has

tested our own adaptation prowess more than the historic pandemic we are still experiencing, and one with which we will probably coexist with for the foreseeable future. It has tested our overall patience, developing culinary skills, hidden home improvement handiness and the ability to nurture (or kill) our gardens.

These past months — roughly half of the year, basically — have also served as a chance to shed some light at our collective inability to follow simple instructions, the grand majority’s craving to get back to what they refer to as the “normal” life; to be completely honest, the “normal” that no longer is.

In an attempt to return to this normalcy, some people have gone so far as to accuse others of being too sensitive, or following the media’s supposedly exaggerated facts. Some have even suggested that this is a hoax to rid us of our basic constitutional rights and freedoms. What I have seen is a bunch of scared individuals who are more afraid to lose control of their normalcy than to actually die from the pandemic. They are screaming out — without a mask on — with an entitled cry for their liberties.

What I see is that many have bumped into the reality that having no control over what is happening around them brings them to exert their ill individuality just to feel a little under control.

But what this virus has taught us so sharply is that we are not, nor have we ever been, nor will we ever be fully and completely under control of our circumstances. Control gives us a sense of stability because when everything flows smoothly, it feels easy and requires very little effort on our part.

There’s no ability for us to grow or learn. But one teensy tiny (actually not so teensy) detail about control is that we only appear to have it every once in a while, because what we experience as control

is merely a constant procession and recession of life events that are meant to keep life balanced. You may read that again and again until it sinks in.

Put simply, what comes up will eventually come down. What was once hot will become frigid with time; the young will inevitably become old. What we actually have control over is the ability to adapt to fast or slow changes; the degree with which we consciously mold ourselves to newer standards is our only determinant.

However, our apparent control over our lives is always dependent on a flux and reflux of situations surrounding us; our comfort is always balancing on the excessive presence, or lack thereof, of privileges of others, even when we are not aware of it. I am sure many of you prefer not to see protests and riots disrupting your “normality,” but much of our normal way of life does not balance with many other individuals that could be our own neighbors.

Those excessively proposing forceful regulations and stricter laws to control others fall for the same foolishness we all do. Men tried to control women for centuries, women revolted; government tries to impose and suppress religious dogmas, church revolts; parents try to control children, children yell; governors try to suppress people from voting, voters speak up; man overextends its dominion over animals and plants, and nature pushes back with microscopic parasites that take away our belief that we were ever in control.

By no means am I trying to psychoanalyze us as a collective, which is as daunting as it is needless for this column’s sake, but what I am seeking with this reflection is to take advantage of the time

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

this pandemic is giving us to understand these relationships of power and control, and to recognize that we actually have a choice when it comes to control.

Yes, it sounds like a dichotomy, but even though you have just read that

control how to react to the movement and be happy to understand the laws that govern our mind and body.

Many of us speak out first without even understanding the facts.

Even though we may not fully understand how racially charged your

economies and our sense of stability, but there is actually one way we can control this. Listen to what experts who use science are saying, think about others and listen to their stories, read on topics which you do not know a thing about or have very

you have no control over life, you actually have the control to sit back, look at the larger picture and listen. We are, for the most part, born with two ears and one mouth. If you look at yourself in the mirror, your own biology tells you that you need to listen more and speak less. We may not have control over how the world turns around on its axis, but we can actually

favorite ready-to-eat rice or the syrup you put on your pancakes is, or what it means to some for a childhood cartoon mermaid being brought back to life in another skin tone, if this is troubling to you, it’s because you are experiencing the results of not having the control.

This pandemic has wreaked havoc in people’s livelihoods, world

little understanding of and take a good look at how our true power and control lies in lifting up and elevating those lives who have been kept in the shadows way too long.

Breathe in and out, let go a bit and put the mask on; your heart will thank you, and so will your neighbors.

Breathe in and out, let go a bit and put the mask on; your heart will thank you, and so will your neighbors.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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talking points

965,350

By affirming that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Supreme Court has confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity.

transgender

adults Are

eligible to vote in the 2020 general election.

378,450

of these voters do not have IDs that reflec t their correc t name

— Joe Biden, on the Supreme Court’s LGBTQ workplace protections ruling

Nickelodeon Pride tweet sparks conversation on SpongeBob’s sexuality

N

ickelodeon tweeted out June 13 the message, “Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” alongside a compilation photo of Nickelodeon characters. Two of the characters are known for their LGBTQ status: Korra, from the animated series “The Legend of Korra” is bisexual, and Michael D. Cohen, who played Schwoz on the sitcom “Henry Danger,” is a trans man. The post included SpongeBob SquarePants in a rainbow-tinted photo, setting off allegations that the yellow sea sponge is gay. The hashtag #SpongeBobisgay quickly spread on Twitter. Rumors of SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick being gay have been around for years. “We never intended them to be gay,” creator Stephen Hillenburg said in 2005, responding to the rumors. “I consider them to be almost asexual.”

Actor Justice Smith comes out as queer

and/or gender. “D

81,000 of

these voters reside in states with the strictest voter ID laws.

—Williams Institute report

etective Pikachu” star Justice Smith recently came out as queer on Instagram by sharing photos of himself with his boyfriend, actor Nicholas L. Ashe. In a caption for the post, Smith noted the reticence of some protesters in embracing the struggle of black trans and queer individuals and stressed the importance of advocating for the lives of black queer people. “As a black queer man myself, I was disappointed to see certain people eager to say Black Lives Matter, but hold their tongue when Trans/Queer was added,” Smith said. “I want to reiterate this sentiment: if your revolution does not include Black Queer voices, it is anti-black.” Smith’s latest film, the romance “All the Bright Places,” is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

‘Batwoman’ to feature new lead

T

he CW series “Batwoman” is set to replace the protagonist of the show with an entirely new character after original star Ruby Rose announced she was leaving the show. The news began to circulate, in part, when a casting call was leaked online June 2. Per the casting call, this new character’s name will be Ryan Wilder and is described as “athletic, raw, passionate, fallible and very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.” The casting call also makes clear that Wilder is “about to become Batwoman.” The CW is committed to maintaining the LGBTQ inclusivity of the series.

“Performers who identify as LGBTQ are encouraged to submit,” the casting call states. “Batwoman” season 2 is expected to air in January 2021.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

HBO doc looks at Roy Cohn history

I

vy Meeropol’s HBO film “Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn” doesn’t hide its loathing of its subject matter. Meeropol, the film’s director, is the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and executed in 1953 in large part due to Cohn’s influence. Cohn, a self-hating gay man who targeted gays as security risks, appeared as a loathsome character in playwright Tony Kushner’s masterpiece “Angels in America.” Meeropol interviews Kushner, director John Waters, gossip maven Cindy Adams, actor Nathan Lane, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, journalists, politicians and historians to document Cohn’s fall from power and eventual death from AIDS in 1986. “Bully. Coward.

Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn” is available to stream on HBO Max.

17

THE CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG CELEBRATES PRIDE MONTH TOGETHER. ALWAYS. 18

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

Black LGBTQ voices assert Black Lives Matter Ryan Williams-Jent

Black Lives Matter.

More than a mantra, it’s a movement; a fight for justice led by activists across the globe including the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Foundation. The nonprofit formally launched in 2013 after the murderer of 17-year-old Florida student Trayvon Martin was acquitted, working to eradicate anti-Black violence for every Black life.

That includes those in the LGBTQ community. “We must ensure we are building a movement that brings all of us to the front,” the BLM website reads. “We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.”

That means that Black lesbian lives matter. Black gay lives matter. Black bisexual lives matter. Black

transgender lives matter. Black queer lives matter.

Wherever they fall in the expansive LGBTQ community, All Black Lives Matter, an assertion leaders from the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida and hundreds of other organizations have affirmed this Pride Month.

Black, transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson also understood this, a testament that the fights for racial and LGBTQ equality have long been intertwined. More than 50 years ago, she became an architect of the LGBTQ civil rights movement when she fought against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969.

Johnson may have summarized the connection best while reflecting on her years of activism in 1992, asserting that we can all play an active role in the fight for justice. During her last known interview, she explained that “you never completely have your rights, one person, till you all have your rights ... As long as

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

there’s one gay person who has to walk for gay rights, then all of us should be walking for gay rights.”

Watermark firmly believes this. More than 25 years ago we were founded to give a voice to the LGBTQ community – all of it – and we stand in solidarity with all who oppose racism and hatred. To actively affirm this, we will capitalize “Black” in reference to culture and showcase the Progress Pride Flag in our editorial content moving forward, designed to emphasize the struggles of the most marginalized members of our community.

We will also continue to listen to their voices, which can be as critical as speaking up. In these pages, six Black, LGBTQ members of our community from throughout Central Florida and Tampa Bay share their stories to allow us all to do exactly that.

Black Lives Matter. All of them.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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photo by Jake Stevens

Too Long Coming Darcel Stevens

A

s a warrior from a strong civil rights family,

this moment feels very different than any previous civil rights movement. Partly because of its racially-diverse coalition of young citizens determined to bring about lasting change in the wake of Ahmad Aubrey, Breanna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks’ brutal deaths. watermark Your LGBTQ life.

I’m excited I can now taste and feel the winds of change strongly blowing. Yet daily I’m mindful from the moment I step outside my home, the first thing seen is the color of my skin. Instantly I am judged by the color of my skin and not the content of my character.

Doesn’t matter my wealth or education, I constantly experience systemic racism as a Black man in America. It is exhausting.

For far too long survival in “The South” is predicated on downplaying, settling for less or forgiving white folks for their ignorance just to be accepted and heard. Not to intimidate or make white people uncomfortable in my presence, yet in doing so sadly you deprived yourself of the best I have to offer.

As a Black gay man, there’s no real difference. To be Black and gay represents institutional racism at its best, and many of my white friends don’t even realize it. I can’t tell you the number of times, as a young entertainer, I was denied a show cast position because “there are too many Black girls,” or discouraged entrance into a gay bar because of being Black. From online dating sites — “No Blacks” — or being denied use of a credit card as payment for drinks, to being called “uppity ni**er,” I’ve faced such discrimination and racism not in some distant state, but here in my own backyard of Orlando.

Recently I’ve told many of my white friends, it’s time to have that honest one-on-one conversation about race to explain my daily challenges as a Black gay man. If change is to blossom and become infectious, its roots lie

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in my white friends listening and attempting to understand my truth.

Such hard, passionate conversations must be had and aren’t motivated or designed to unload years of anger and oppression, but to give you the opportunity to understand me in a deeper level as a Black man and learn why we so desperately need you to carry the message if there is to be real lasting change.

Make no mistake, personal, social and racial equality must come from the hearts and minds of white people. For too long after police brutality or racial injustices occur, we Black people have marched, protested, burned and even looted amongst ourselves. Then once the dust settles, our quest for justice and equality are again relegated back into the shadows, but I’m hopeful now more than ever that, with the help of white people, real lasting change will come about.

Finally, with Black Lives Matter on the conscience of every American, I pray this movement becomes not a pop culture commercial fad, instead remains true to its core. As a Black man, American, Christian, gay, Army veteran, drag queen and activist, I firmly stand against police brutality, systemic racism and voter suppression, because ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!

Darcel Stevens is the entertainment director for the Parliament House Orlando and has been a Central Florida LGBTQ and Black civil rights activists for decades.

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photo courtesy grace korley

Black Mental Health Matters Grace Korley

I

am a student, partner, daughter and

a friend. I teach trauma-informed yoga to adults who seek to find peace within themselves. I am a Ghanaian-American and a queer woman of color.

I am also a graduate student studying to become a mental health counselor, and I believe Black Mental Health is a national crisis.

I have regularly attended therapy for years to manage my own mental health and firmly believe that the right therapist has the capacity to change someone’s life for the better. Likewise, an incompetent therapist or medical professional has the capacity to deter someone from seeking professional help completely.

Even with reliable health insurance and proximity to care, I can provide countless examples of instances in which my concerns have been dismissed by medical professionals and mental health providers. The LGBTQ+

community is not impervious to instances of racism.

Historically, those most visible within our community have been cisgender, white and male. Women of color have been systematically overlooked throughout the LGBTQ+ movement, which is just now beginning to shift.

As a queer woman of color, I have faced discrimination from many sides. I have been met with racism within LGBTQ+ communities and deep-seeded homophobia within the Black community. At functions held by my local LGBTQ+ organizations, I am often one of a handful of Black people amid hundreds. I have been mistakenly called the name of a similar-looking

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

person of color, by means of a Freudian slip. I have been mistaken for an event server. I have been grossly objectified or otherwise ignored within spaces deemed “safe” by the LGBTQ+ community.

What happens within the LGBTQ+ community with concern to racism, sexism and socio-economic differences reflects what is happening in the world on a larger scale. Today’s racism is more muted than it once was, but still just as harmful. It appears in the form of micro-aggressions; offhanded comments, looks or poorly timed jokes. It perpetuates as those who see it happening say or do nothing to intervene. While we like to believe we would do the right thing in the moment, the reasons we do not are culturally and deeply ingrained.

We are conditioned to distrust systems of power because our nation’s law enforcement, government and healthcare were not originally designed with us in mind. When I say “we,” I mean both Black and brown communities as well as the LGBTQ+ community.

This is certainly an area in which both communities’ needs intersect.

Communities of color have historically experienced considerable barriers in accessing mental health services. In addition to challenges regarding access, deep cultural stigma within communities of color discourage many from seeking the help they may need. Black Americans are at odds with decades of intergenerational trauma caused by racism, police brutality, mass incarceration and the silence of our government at our cries of pain.

In addition to slavery and Jim Crow laws, race-based exclusion from health care, education and social and economic resources have created the socio-economic

disparities. Black and brown communities largely approach the promise of mental health care with suspicion – and for good reason. History is littered with examples of medical and mental health establishments taking advantage of our community’s most vulnerable at a time when we were considered less than human.

The Tuskegee Experiments in 1932 are one example, beginning in Alabama when there was no known treatment for syphilis. Under the promise of free health care, 600 Black men were originally enrolled in the project, the majority of which were sharecroppers who had never visited a doctor and looked forward to medical care.

The men were deceived by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), who disguised ineffective measures as treatment.

Over the course of 40 years, PHS injected a control group of nearly 400 men with syphilis with the purpose of studying the effects of its untreated progression.

Those who were infected were not informed of their diagnosis, nor were they treated for complications including mental illness, blindness, deafness and heart disease. When the study’s details went public in 1972, it was promptly shut down – but by this time, hundreds of men had died and countless others had unknowingly transmitted the disease.

This is just one example amid dozens of similar U.S. experiments.

In order to meet the needs of the Black and brown communities, we need culturally competent medical professionals, mental health counselors and social workers. We need providers who believe us, providers who hear and respond to our needs.

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We need providers who do not gaslight or accuse us of not doing enough to help ourselves.

Black mental health matters at a time when we are on the cusp of great change as a nation. This is an emotionally taxing time for people of color, who are asked to answer questions and provide book recommendations to those who have had the privilege of remaining largely ignorant of our experiences until now. Please be mindful of our needs in your quest for information.

Being an ally to any marginalized group is not easy. It requires an open heart and an open mind. It asks one to unlearn what they have been taught and be humble in the quest for new information. Being a competent ally is not something one can achieve and there is no gold star certificate for being an excellent one. Being an ally is a lifelong journey of learning. Allyship should come from a place of “we” rather than “I.” We must continue to educate one another and keep an open dialogue if we are to collectively generate lasting change within systems of government, health care and law enforcement. We must VOTE at a local level and remain abreast of important legislation. We must sustain the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While we cannot turn back time, we can learn from past mistakes in an attempt to create a better world for all.

Grace Korley is a lifelong activist and volunteer with Sarasota’s Harvey Milk Festival, where she is collaborating to bring greater visibility to LGBTQ+ people of color. She lives in Winter Park and is working toward a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

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photo courtesy Angela Hunt

At a Crossroad Angela Hunt, with Octavis Henry

W

e’ve seen our country go through many eras —

from the 16th century to now the 21st century — where equality has been disconfigured, tangled, given to the American people in political arms. Every ethnicity labeled — our incomes staged to suppress those who are lower class and disadvantaged. The truth is that there is only one race, the human race, and when as people — Black, White, Latino, Asian and so on — we begin to embrace this stance of one race, discrimination can be a thing of the past. I struggle with the nation as we are protesting, taking a stance against discrimination.

As a Black trans woman, I stand at a crossroad concerned that my race is targeted, but on top of that I am fighting toward equality for the LGBTQ+ community. As my

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Black communities across the nation are taking a stance against systematic oppression, we must remember that we have to put our guns down and uplift all our

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

brothers and sisters. We cannot fight for change in the nation and go back to our communities killing each other and carrying on with business as usual.

The same applies to my LGBTQ+ community.

Fighting for equality yet tearing each other down is a form of self-discrimination.

I encourage my fellow communities — Black and the LGBTQ+ — to band together and continue to support each other like never before.

Our country is at a turning point. We are seeing our Black communities fight to change the names of schools and military bases that are named after confederate leaders.

The fight is based on the suggestion that whites are using these names paying homage to an era that suppressed Black people.

This is not a part of our heritage and the names of the bases and school should encourage and uplift the communities it serves. Leaving the names of the bases and schools with the same names of individuals who encouraged slavery and racism does not show promise for the future and justifiably should be changed.

My LGBTQ+ community has hit a historic milestone as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 1964 Civil Rights Act does protect our most vulnerable population from employees discriminating based on sex. It goes without saying that this is something that should have been stated in the original act in 1964. Although this is victorious, it is only a start for other situations that the LGBTQ+ community goes through daily. Now that this decision has given us a seat at the national table it is now time to fight for change in other arenas.

Just a little under a year ago, we marched because Black trans women were, and are, being killed. As most feared for their lives trying to make sense of all of this, one thing stuck out for me. Black trans women were dead and no one was upset. As we banded together to make

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our voices heard, we held the first National Trans March. In this movement we see today, there so many in our Black community who have taken notice of that injustice.

We must keep up this momentum for our nation’s fight is far from over. As this administration keeps reminding us that their vision is not the same as ours. To our youth out there, this is the time for your voices to be heard.

Know why you march, know what you stand for and, most importantly, speak up for your life. March to the polls when that time comes to speak up. Be a part of the decision making for your future.

Remember Martin Luther King, Jr. saying “I have a dream” and “We shall overcome.”

Remember George Floyd saying “I can’t breathe.”

Words like “hands up,” “stop don’t shoot” and so on will forever ring in our ears.

As we start to move forward we must know how we see our nation.

Will we keep overlooking hidden racism? Will we keep letting our past control our future? For someone like myself, with the work I am able to do going out in the community and seeing the Black communities still struggling to make it.

It is time for us all to be given that chance to live completely free and not be afraid. To walk in the light of justice. “No justice, no peace” should not be our last words as we end our day. But I, like so many, will not stop saying it until we see change. We will not stop speaking the names of those who are not able to speak up for themselves. We are their voice and we will keep this up until true humanity is restored.

No Justice, No Peace!

Angela Hunt is a support group facilitator at Hope & Help and a Central Florida activist for the Black and transgender communities.

It Happened to Me DJ Power Infiniti

L

et us be clear, systemic racism is

Like many Black Americans, I have experienced racism – and like many others, I too have experienced police brutality. People need to understand, particularly in our community, that though our struggles as an LGBTQ community and that of my Black race might be mutually exclusive, they still have a connection rooted in bigotry and discrimination. I walk in both worlds.

In 1993, those worlds collided violently with the very racism and bigotry we face today, which we have faced in this country for more than 400 years. I grew up in Miami, and back then the Miami-Dade police department still made terrorizing our community a priority. At the time there was a gay bookstore frequented by young queer and gay youth and used as a popular hangout.

While some bookstores are known for their seedy theaters, back rooms and sex booths, this one served as a meeting place for us club kids – a safe space where we met to go clubbing or just talk the night away.

One night, a car with some strange looking men pulled into the parking lot. I immediately thought they looked strange because they had amazingly horrible fashion sense – which was striking because they looked like they were actually trying to dress “gay,” or at least their idea of how gay men looked and carried themselves.

One walked up wearing a Hawaiian shirt tied in a knot in the front, with shorts and cowboy boots. Even back then in the 90s, it struck me as tacky. He looked like a caricature of a gay man,

but missed the mark on actually passing as one because he was trying too hard.

It almost seemed as if they were making fun of us by the way they dressed. No doubt they were.

We watched them walk in and we continued to joke and hold court outside. Soon however there was commotion inside – they came out and announced that it was a raid and that we all had to leave. Unfortunately for me, on that particular night, I had loaned my car to a friend who needed it to go down the street. When I agreed to let him borrow it, I knew he would be back shortly and thought nothing of it. Back then we had no cell phones, however, so when I was asked to leave, I knew I would have had no way of contacting my friend to let him know.

I didn’t know how I would get my car back so I was in a predicament.

I decided I would explain my situation to the officers. I was young and naive at the time, only 21. I had been taught to respect and trust them.

I had never been in any kind of trouble before. In hindsight, I probably should have just left and taken my chances on returning when they were gone.

Instead I made the mistake of trying to explain my predicament to them, and that’s when they arrested me, cuffed me, proceeded to punch and beat me, and then choke me. All this without me EVER RESISTING ARREST! Let me repeat, I DID NOT RESIST, in either a violent or a nonviolent way, yet because they felt superior and knew there would be no documented or recorded proof they did what they

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

photo courtesy charles wolf

real. As someone who is both Black and gay I am a double-marginalized citizen and know this all too well.

wanted. Sometimes that’s what people will do when they believe their actions will go unchecked.

To add insult to injury I was mocked and jeered the whole time I was being transported to the jail. Gay slurs and other homophobic teasing were hurled at me the entire car ride. I do remember getting one dig in when one officer asked if I “had a ‘hard on’ for his partner.” I replied that if either of them were my only options for men, I would go straight.

I spent a night in jail and was released the next day, but I was so outraged that I decided to fight back.

I filed a complaint which then launched an internal affairs investigation. I was

subjected to a polygraph test, which I passed with flying colors, and I continued to pursue every avenue I knew at the time to receive justice.

My case was ruled “inconclusive,” meaning they could neither substantiate nor disprove my claim. It was my word against theirs, with each officer complicit in their cover-up of the truth. This experience forever changed my view of cops and forever broke my trust. I am however lucky: I survived it.

So many have not.

As we celebrate Pride this month and focus on a movement highlighting the value of Black lives, it is important to remember that if we truly want to say

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

“ALL LIVES MATTER” then we have to recognize that for such a statement to be true that Black lives MUST MATTER TOO! ALL BLACK LIVES, not just straight and cisgendered but gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender and every other identification under our rainbow. Our struggles are different yet still the same. Let us come together to fight a common foe: BIGOTRY, in all its forms. #BlackLivesMatter.

DJ Power Infiniti is a renowned performance artist based in Tampa. His costumes and choreography have made him an icon in the Circuit scene. Follow him at Facebook.com/ DJPowerInfiniti.

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20 Min Results Walk-Ins Welcome

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

photo courtesy Cha Cha Davis

In My Corner Kimberly Caldway on Cha Cha Davis

I

was born in Houston but raised in

Orlando. All my life all I ever wanted to do is go to college, but I wasn’t brought up in the surroundings that allowed you to think like so.

From the age of six, I watched my grandmother wake up at 4 o’clock in the morning to go clean toilets at Rollins College. She would meet me by the time school let out and let me help her work at her second job on the first-grade floor at my school as a custodian.

I remember her telling me “you’re a smart girl. Stay in them books so you won’t have to work as hard as I do.”

Growing up I was always picked on because I was very tomboyish, always wore boy clothes, liked to play with boys. I was different and I realized that but I suppressed it.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

At the age of 11, I was physically and mentally abused by one of my mother’s girlfriends. Yes, my mother is a lesbian.

My mother was on crack cocaine and ended up in jail. I had so much anger because when my mother got out of jail, she went back to the lady that abused me instead of coming to me, so I threatened to burn my grandmother’s house down and I was taken away.

From the ages of 11 to 16, I was shuffled around the system; in and out of foster homes and treatment faculties. When I was 16 my mom got clean and got custody of me. She tried to do the best she could to be a mother, but I still had a lot of anger inside towards her.

She then started beating on the girlfriend that helped her get me back and they eventuality broke up and she moved away.

I started hanging out with the wrong crowd.

I got arrested for robbery with a firearm and was offered a 60-year plea.

While in prison I was on the highest maximum-security confinement. Most of my time was spend 23 hours a day in a 90-square-feet cell alone. The average sentence length in Florida for non-lifers is 45.6 years. The average age of the offenders is 33.8 years. I was only 21 at the time. I was a few cells down from a lady on death row, her name was Virginia.

40% of the offenders in protective management had life sentences.

I thought my life was over, but I’ve always believed in God and my grandma has always told me to stay true to what I believe in. I know that there is a higher power.

While I was awaiting trial this corrections officer used excessive use of force against me and after a lawsuit I was given a second chance at freedom. I came home to Orlando.

This is where I met Charlotte “Cha Cha” Davis,

who was raised in Miami and relocated to Orlando after her four-year prison sentence and immediately became active with the LGBTQ youth. She’s my “gay mother.”

I got my GED in 2014 and started college within a month of getting it.

I obtained a Technical Certification in graphic design at Lake Sumter State College and I got heavily involved in the Student Government Association (SGA), where I was Senator of Community Affairs.

I then went to Valencia College where, while attending, I became Treasurer of their SGA and in my last year I became Student Body President; which allowed me to be the voice for over 70,000+ students from my area. We had record student involvement and one of the most actively involved. I have over 365 Valencia volunteer hours and, in 2015, was a nominee of Valencia Alumni Association Mary S. Collier Distinguished Graduate Award.

I transferred to [Florida A&M University] and while I was there, I met my current girlfriend, and hopefully future wife, Britney. She has three kids and she motivated me to keep on pursuing my dreams and not to give up on what I wanted to do. She told me to keep standing in my truth and living for me.

I wanted to be the one to break the cycle in my family.

I eventually applied to and graduated from the University of Central Florida getting my BS in Clinical Psychology this past spring. Cha was right there.

Cha has always been a BIG influence on me because she is very supportive and, not only does she support, she teaches you how to do whatever it is you are trying to do. If it wasn’t for people like Cha, I don’t think I would have walked

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across the stage to accept my college degrees.

She is the ideal example of selfless. She just doesn’t get the support she puts in. I lack in this area myself but by sharing this I hope I’m able to shed some light on what Cha does for people in our Black LGBTQ communities. “[Kimberly] wants to be able to tell that little girl in that youth program or juvenile system that there is someone out here fighting to be their voice when no one understands,” Cha said.

“She wants to be able to tell someone, to show someone that even you can break the cycle. There is someone out here who wasn’t supposed to walk across the stage, but she did. With all odds against her.”

I’m a living testimony that you can do anything you put your mind to if you just do it. Thank you to whoever has taking the time out to read my story. I hope this nudged at your heart a little bit because I REFUSE to be another statistic.

Kimberly Caldwell is currently working on a book about her experiences.

Charlotte “Cha Cha” Davis is a Central Florida LGBTQ Black activist who was recent named the Racial Equality Liaison to One Orlando Alliance’s Anti-Racism Committee.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

Unapologetically Me TeMonet

I

was born in 1979. I was my mother’s

My family was driven to enjoy life, consisting of people who “did not look like me.” My parents ended their relationship before I was born and while my mom’s next two boyfriends were Black, she started dating Italian men after the birth of my brother.

These new additions to my family shaped my life. I grew up with the mindset that often people who look, act and sound nothing like you can indeed be your loved ones. To my young, queer self in a “Black-Ish” family, racism was a foreign concept. It didn’t exist in my world. At least not yet.

When I was nine, my mom was having a difficult time dealing with severe post-partum depression. She fought with this instability for eight years before a doctor treated her, leading her to deal with her suffering in other ways. She did the most selfless thing she could, giving my grandmother sole custody of her children.

She never left our lives and was very involved. My grandmother wanted the best for us and had recently moved into her idea of a “great neighborhood,” a bustling city with some of the best schools. It was in Polania, New York, where generations of Polish immigrants lived and raised families. It was in this new environment that I would learn how different I was.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw the word “N**GERS.” It was spray painted on the side of the grocery store at the corner of our street with a huge arrow pointing towards our house.

I remember hearing my aunt talking about it with my older cousins and they felt our family was unsafe, but it was

my grandmother who stood her ground and said “WE AREN’T MOVING!” She worked tirelessly and we became the “model black family.” We were well-behaved, we spoke politely, we were well-dressed and completely embraced and embodied the “American Dream.” In time we met the neighbors’ kids and people at our new school, finding that although there were people who didn’t care for our presence, there were also an overwhelming amount of neighbors who welcomed us with open arms.

I was invited to sleepovers and barbecues; I went to churches and parties all the while being YOUNG, QUEER AND BLACK ME. I never had to apologize for expressing myself, but I hated passing the word “N**GERS” everyday on my way to school.

One day I grabbed my aunt’s instant camera. I took a picture of the spray painted epitaph on the side of the building and marched into the grocery store to speak to the manager. When he came to greet me, he looked so puzzled.

I told him I was a kid reporter for a show called “Kids Beat,” which I wasn’t, but I figured I had to make this good if I wanted results.

I explained how offended our audience was to see the neglectful inaction of the store for not removing that graffiti and that we were prepared to boycott. He immediately stopped me and asked me to wait inside of his office. After what seemed like forever, he returned and asked me to come with him. To my astonishment he was having it removed upon the communities’ request and in honor of my bravery. He

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

photo courtesy temonet

first child and although my grandmother already had grandchildren, I was always told she was instantly drawn to me. She spent her lifetime preparing me for whatever obstacles the world had to throw my way.

told me how I had inspired him to never be silent on racial issues again. I share this because it was the catalyst for how I would tackle racial issues all of my life.

I was always wrapped in a bubble of privilege and protection from racism, bigotry and transphobia.

When I came out as trans at age 15, it was celebrated!

The people around me knew that this was who I was meant to be all along.

They allowed me room to grow and discover my truth, and I learned that racism is something we should reject.

Over the years I learned how lucky I was, watching friends rage against the world and even hurt themselves from living

under the constant dogma of what it is to be Black in America. I did not blame them, although there were times when my privilege showed. I didn’t always realize they didn’t have the tools to flourish the way that I did.

We have the ability together to change the world. I was able and willing over and over again to make changes in my life by rejecting bigotry, achieving things I never thought would be possible. Most importantly, I had love in my life from my family and friends to sustain me. We can use our voices to help uplift others and highlight the good in all communities across our great country,

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while remembering the systems and ideologies that were put in place to keep marginalized communities in the red. It seems now more than ever that a person is only as strong as the voices and people around them.

All of these things made me the woman I am today with the help of the people around me. I have been and will always remain a proud, Black American woman, undeniably and unapologetically me.

TeMonet is an activist and entertainer who works in nursing and as the co-show director of City Side Lounge. She performs throughout Tampa Bay, where she lives with her fiancée.

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

arts and Entertainment

From Ana, with love ‘Love, Victor’ mom Ana Ortiz reflects on representation

I

Gregg Shapiro

f you adored “Love, Simon,” the 2018

LGBTQ film based on Becky Albertalli’s popular young adult novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” you will most likely feel the same affection for Hulu’s “Love, Victor.”

The new series, set in the same high school from which Simon graduated and is still fondly remembered, premiered on the popular streaming platform June 16.

Original “Love, Simon” writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger serve as executive producers.

As if being the new kid at school isn’t stressful enough for any teen, after his family – including mother Isabel (Ana Ortiz), father Armando (James Martinez), sister Pilar (Isabella Ferreira) and younger brother Adrian (Mateo Fernandez) -- unexpectedly relocate from Texas to Atlanta, Victor (Michael Cimino) is also questioning his sexuality. Forced to think on his unsteady feet, he essentially tells tall tales about himself and his love life to everyone in his orbit.

Everyone that is except for Simon (Nick Robinson), with whom he has established a correspondence. But one way or the other – whether he is maintaining the charade or coming out – there are all sorts of challenges in the 10-episode season.

As Victor’s mother Isabel, Ortiz is given the opportunity to stretch as an actress and play a wide range of emotions. In her more than capable hands, Ortiz’s Isabel is a complex and multi-faceted character and it’s a pleasure to see such a talented actress give her all to the performance.

Ortiz, who many will also remember from her portrayal of Hilda on “Ugly Betty,” discussed the Latin and LGBTQ representation featured on “Love,

Continued on pg. 33 | uu |

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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| uu | From Ana, With Love from pg.31

Victor” with Watermark ahead of its premiere.

WATERMARK: Had you seen the movie “Love, Simon” prior to joining the cast of “Love, Victor” as Isabel – and if so, what did you think of it?

Ana Ortiz: I did see “Love, Simon.” I thought it was a really darling, feel good movie.

Something I could watch with my kids. That’s always a plus for me.

What was it about Isabel that appealed to you?

What appealed to me about Isabel is that there’s this expression that’s been going around a lot, “representation matters.” I don’t think we’ve ever seen a family like this. In my culture, the machismo is alive and well and so prevalent.

It could be really powerful for people in the Latino community to be able to say, “Oh, that’s me.

That’s my family.”

For me, to play Isabel – I’m the polar opposite of her in so many ways. It was interesting to explore that notion that you could possibly not accept your kid because of who he loves.

It’s something I’ve experienced in my own family, so to be able to portray it and not keep it in the closet – pardon the bad pun – is an exciting prospect for me. I think our community needs it now more than ever and we do it in a sweet, humorous and honest way. That appealed to me incredibly.

You are so sweet! As a voice major -- and I never got to use my singing very much -- I’d done some musicals. I did “Hair” and we toured Europe with

(Laughs.) I was the new kid at school when I went to high school. I had gone to the same school for eight years and then I went to LaGuardia in New York as a new kid. It’s so scary and so intimidating.

I remember being frightened, but also, being the person that I am, just putting on a brave face and acting like, “I don’t care!

This is great! Whatever. Yeah, hi!” I think I covered it up with a lot of bluster, but inside it was a terrifying experience.

You have a few Emmy Award moments in “Love, Victor,” including the scene where the real reason why the family had to leave Texas for Atlanta is revealed. What would it mean to you win an Emmy for playing Isabelle?

When “Love, Victor” begins, Victor is the new kid at school. Have you ever had to be the new kid at school? If so, what do you remember about it?

love, mom: Actress Ana Ortiz’s Isabel Salazar (R) shares a moment with her on-screen son Victor, played by Michael Cimino in Hulu’s “Love, Simon” spin-off “Love, Victor.” Photo Ccourtesy the karpel group

Isabel is a piano teacher, and there is a wonderful scene in “Love, Victor” where you are sitting at the piano singing. You have a really lovely singing voice.

Do you have any stage musicals on your resume?

incredible moment not only for me as a Latin actress, but also for the LGBTQ community as a whole to have that recognition – to finally be recognized and to have our stories be told.

I think we’ve heard a lot of gay stories from many different perspectives, but I can’t think off the top of my head of a Latin family taking on the idea that their son is gay and the unacceptance of that.

Honestly, it’s going to sound so corny, but my mother has always been that person for me.

That’s not corny!

(Laughs.) She is! She’s the smartest woman I know. She’s kind. She gets angry at the right things but never gives up.

Always is fighting. I’ve been going to protests with her for time immemorial. I remember going with her to the “No Nukes” protest in Central Park

That was the thing about ‘Love, Simon,’ he was so accepted by his parents. In the Latin community, we don’t experience that as often as we would love to.

— “Love, Victor” actress ana ortiz that, which was super exciting.

Other than that, I’ve sung background vocals for friends of mine. I recorded some songs here and there with friends. But it’s never been as big a part of my career as I wanted. When the opportunity was presented to me in this show, I leapt on it! (Laughs.)

Oh, gosh, it would mean everything! It would also be an

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

That was the thing about “Love, Simon,” he was so accepted by his parents. In the Latin community, we don’t experience that as often as we would love to. In our community, machismo is still a big part of who we are.

I think it would be a great way to crack through that ceiling and say, “Watch this show. It’s important.” And to start to break those walls down.

Victor has Simon to go to for advice. Is there someone that you have in your life who is your Simon? What does that person mean to you?

when I was seven years old.

She’s civically minded. She’s the person who can talk me off the ledge. She never stopped believing in me. She never told me to choose a different career when I wasn’t getting jobs; when I was bartending and waitressing. She never let me give up on myself. She’s my biggest and strongest supporter. I can’t imagine my life without her.

As you did in “Ugly Betty,” you are once again playing the mother of a gay son in “Love, Victor.” What does it mean to you to be playing that type of role?

It has been life’s joy and honor to play these women.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

Hilda on “Betty” and Isabel.

They are polar opposites. Hilda accepted Justin and him being gay before he even knew he was gay. She would fight for him and she never let anyone talk smack about him. Whereas Isabel is the other side of that coin.

She’s very religious. It’s not that she doesn’t fully accept her son; she’s terrified that he will go to hell or that he’s a sinner and making a “choice” to live this life, when we know that it’s not a choice.

To be able to go through her arc and that learning experience was so intense and crushing and also illuminating. It was this whole bag of emotions that I’ve gotten to play for the first time as an actress. Like I said, usually the moms that I play are super-accepting and wild. Isabel is much more conservative and straitlaced. But she’s still a creative person. She’s so layered. Both of these women were my absolute favorite characters to play.

Comedian and actor W.C. Fields famously said “never work with children or animals.” You’ve now worked quite a bit with children – would you agree with him?

(Laughs.) I love W.C. Fields!

My experience is that I love working with kids. The kids I have been blessed with on this show are some of the most talented.

They are ones to watch. We will be seeing them for many years to come. They care so much about the work. There wasn’t selfies and Instagram.

They were really focused on the work. Half of them wouldn’t even bring their phones to the set because they really wanted to focus. I was absolutely blown away by these kids!

“Ugly Betty” was the same thing with Mark Indelicato who played Justin, my son, and he was only 10 or 11 when we started. He’s now one of my closest friends in the entire world. I just hung out with him.

Now, animals on the other hand… (Laughs.) I think I’d have to be drunk like W.C. Fields to work with animals.

The first season of “Love, Victor,” set in the world of the 2018 film “Love, Simon,” is now streaming. Watch it in full exclusively on Hulu.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

announcments

tampa bay out+about

CONGRATULATIONS Southern Nights Tampa marks five years in Ybor June 30.

CONDOLENCES LGBTQ community advocate and Sirata Beach Resort Director of Marketing Jeff Abbaticchio died June 11.

A celebration of life will be held at the resort June 30 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to honor him.

CANCELLATIONS/CLOSURES Sarasota’s LGBTQ venue Oasis announced its permanent closure June 18.

The City of St. Petersburg’s July 4 fireworks display has been cancelled.

The City of Tampa’s second annual “Boom by the Bay” July 4 celebration has been cancelled.

REOPENINGS Lakeland Community Theatre began its reopening process June 22.

St. Petersburg’s pier district and new St. Pete Pier will open to residents and visitors July 6 at 5 p.m.

Visit StPetePier.org for more information.

VIRTUAL EVENTS Empath Partners in Care will host its second drive-in screening in St. Petersburg June 27, showing “Grease” with a suggested donation of$20 per car.

Visit MyEpic.org for details.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Tampa Bay community activist Guadalupe Vargas, St. Pete twirler Dan Radwanski, Tampa outdoor enthusiast Scott Buttelwerth, Nielsen manager Will Edwards (June 25); Metro Inclusive Health VP Brian Bailey, Tampa Stageworks Theatre Artistic Director Anna Brennan, Hudson’s Furniture manager Aaron Horcha, St. Petersburg massage therapist Amy Dalzell (June 27); St. Pete whisperer Thompson Davis Kellett, Family woman Arleen Batronie (June 28); Tampa Bay photographer Morgan Le Shade, Musician Todd Wathen (June 29); Tampa Bay bartender Jerry Watson, Tampa Bay realtor Steve Blinder (June 30); Mellow Mushroom Sarasota owner Karen Atwood, St. Petersburg leather man Matt Wolf, Mad Theatre of Tampa’s DJ Holt, MRI Technologist Ian Henderson (July 1); Tampa philanthropist Matt Bachman, Metro Inclusive Health CEO Lorraine Langlois, Sawmill performer Sofonda Cox, St. Pete graphic guru Michael O’Connell (July 2); Tampa Pro Massage owner Cory Jeffries (July 3); Accuracy Painting’s Abe Gadikian, Career coach Tim Durling (July 4); Tampa Bay performer Kori Stevens, St. Pete swarmer Christopher Nason (July 5); Balance Tampa Bay’s Steve Watson, Educator Brad Rice, Tampa Bay entertainer Georgia Moore, Tampa Bay entertainer Mya Valentine (July 6); Sarasota Opera director of marketing Carlos Eduardo Vincente, USF IT guru Angel Arcelay, Tampa Bay actor Chris Stein, Capital man Keith Williams, Marvelous Tampa Pride entertainment co-chair John Chambrone (July 7); Tampa Bay DJ Greg Anderson, Tampa Bay horror master Scott Swenson (July 8)

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ART TALK: John Gascot paints an “L” in “Black Lives Matter” street mural in front of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum June 19.

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN GASCOT

2

QUEENS FOR A CAUSE: Georgia Moore (L) and Rockell Blu raise funds for fellow queen Stephanie Stuart at Cristoph’s June 21.

PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA MOORE

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3

SEEKING JUSTICE: The Harvey Milk Festival asserts Black Trans Lives Matter during a Sarasota demonstration June 17. PHOTO

COURTESY HARVEY MILK FESTIVAL

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DYNAMIC DUO: Frank Clish (L) and Marc Calvillo dine at Caddy’s Gulfport June 21. PHOTO

COURTESY MARC CALVILLO

5

4 YEARS LATER: Eddie Sotomayor’s mother (L) reflects on her son and Pulse with Hunter Vance at Oasis June 12. PHOTO COURTESY OASIS

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RIDE WITH PRIDE: Equality Florida revs up for Project Pride’s Car Parade in Sarasota June 13. PHOTO BY RUSS MARTIN

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VOTE: Pinellas County Young Democrat President Johnny Boykins (L) and Communications Director Bobbi Lindaman meet with the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections June 19. PHOTO COURTESY PINELLAS COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS

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SAFETY FIRST: City Side Lounge owner James Encke checks guest temperatures June 13. PHOTO

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COURTESY CITY SIDE LOUNGE

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

7 June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

overheard

central florida out+about

CONGRATULATIONS The Dru Project awarded Arlin Pedregon, attending the University of New Mexico; Cole Foust, attending the University of South Florida; and Christopher Zoeller, attending the University of Central Florida with a 2020 Spirit of Drew scholarship June 9.

The Orange County Regional History Center received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award by the Society of American Archivists June 9 for its collection of Pulse-related artifacts.

Hanks Orlando celebrates 33 years in business July 1.

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POSTPOnements TV Land Live’s “Gilligan’z Island,” originally scheduled to run at the Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre June 26-July 4, has been postponed due to Orlando’s rising COVID-19 cases.

COVID-19 TESTING SITES The LGBT+ Center, in partnership with BLISS Health Cares, will be providing FREE rapid COVID-19 testing at its Orlando Center location (946 N. MIlls Ave.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only. For more information, email Joél J. Morales at joel@ thecenterorlando.org.

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VIRTUAL EVENTS Come Out With Pride joins Pride organizations from across the planet for Global Pride June 27-28.

Watch at GlobalPride2020.org or on Todrick Hall’s YouTube channel.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Orlando Fringe Patron winner Nanci “Mama B” Boetto, The Ribbon Project founder and Embellish FX proprietor Ben Johansen (June 25); Mother to the publisher Ginger Bentz, “God is a Scottish Drag Queen” performer Mike Delamont, roller derby team captain Amber Luu (June 26); O-Town DJ and aspiring MD Chris “Cub” Mendez, Central Florida visual designer Adam McCabe, Practice manager at Pinero Preventive Mike Ames (June 29); Photographer Dixie Lee Todd (July 1); “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Coco Montrese, Tim Vargas of Embellish FX, Former Putnam County Courier Journal editor B.J. Laurie, actor extraordinaire Tommy Wooten, Assistant General Manager at JJ’s Fusion Grille Sandra Nasrallah (July 2); Central Florida performer and Mr. Comedy Queen Rob Ward (July 4); Orlando drag performer Ed Dobski aka Trixie Deluxe, co-owner of Shelbie Press Debbie Simmons, owner of PomPom Teahouse Pom Moongauklang (July 5); Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, owner of John Michael Exquisite Weddings and Catering Michael Thomas (July 6); comedian Ronni Radner, Montessori teacher Natasha Kay (July 7); co-owner of Hamburger Mary’s Daytona and Jacksonville Brittany Moore, Darden attorney and board member Carole Conroy (July 8).

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Sunday Funday: The bartenders are masked up and ready to serve for the return of Ember Sunday in Orlando June 21.

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Photo courtesy Nick Smith

Worldwide Pride: Come Out With Pride’s Jeff Prystajko Zoom meets with Pride reps from across the globe to talk Global Pride June 17. Photo courtesy Dan Shier

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Superhero: The Center’s George Wallace celebrates the Supreme Court decision at Lake Eola Park in Orlando June 16. Photo by Jeremy Williams

3

Stay Fit: Trainers Zach Rochette (L) and Max Dunley are masked up and ready to workout at Rock Hard Fitness in Orlando June 19.

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Photo courtesy Ashley Figueroa

Photo by Jeremy Williams

Back in the House: Bobby Lynch (L) and MrMs Adrien show their style at the Parliament House Orlando June 13. Photo courtesy Bobby Lynch

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Photo courtesy Max Dunley

Historic Day: Equality Florida represents in Orlando’s Lake Eola Park at the One Orlando Alliance’s Supreme Court decision pop-up celebration June 16.

Friendly Waters: (L-R) Kennedy Vrutaal, Ashley Figueroa, Juan Trujillo Agosto, Luis Alberto Sousa-Lazaballet and Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet have some pool party fun in Orlando June 20.

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Mask Fashion: Spektrum Health’s Joseph Knoll sports a pineapple-themed mask as he is out and about in Orlando June 22.

Photo courtesy Joseph Knoll

8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

wedding bells

Tom Gaige, and Dewey Turner, from New Port Richey, Florida

Engagement Date:

Jan. 1, 2019

Wedding Date:

March 1, 2020

Wedding Ceremony Venue:

North Redington Beach

Wedding Reception Venue:

DoubleTree Beach Resort

Photos by Lightheart Photography

T

om Gaige wasn’t expecting to

Wedding Song find love when he and his friends traveled to and First Gainesville for a weekend trip. But they invited Dance: along another friend of theirs, Dewey Turner, whom Rachel Patton’s “A Better Place”

Wedding Theme/Colors:

Rainbow

Wedding Planner:

Florida Paradise Weddings

Caterer:

DoubleTree Beach Resort

Bakery:

The Cake Girl

Cake:

3-tier Rainbow

Photographer: Lightheart Photography

Gaige had never met. Though they were connected on Facebook, it was surprising they had never met in person before.

“I heard my friends talk about him all the time, though. Dewey this, Dewey that,” he says.

Sparks didn’t fly during their first face-to-face encounter, rather it was the start of a slow burn.

Just before their weekend out of town, Gaige tripped and fell, breaking his wrist. “I was pretty banged up, but I was determined to go on this trip,” the New Port Richey resident says.

His doctor called in pain medications to a CVS in Gainesville.

“But nobody would bring me there,” he recalls. “Then Dewey stepped up and volunteered to take me.”

This was the first time he was struck by how sweet Turner was.

Over the weekend, they got to know one another better and Gaige learned that Turner lived in North Redington Beach. Turner’s family had been vacationing to the beach town for decades and was excited to meet someone else who knew the area.

“My family has had a timeshare there for more than 25 years,” he says. “He lived literally across the street from the apartment where my family had been vacationing. What are the odds of that? We knew all the same places.”

He was also enamored with Turner’s “odd sense of humor,” or rather, how gullible he could be.

Their mutual friend Bill jokingly invited him to Gaige’s house for a pajama party and Turner showed up in his PJs. “Still can’t believe he fell for that one,” Gaige muses. “Grown men in pajamas?”

Then, he landed in the hospital with pneumonia and though they had only met a few times, Turner drove more than an hour to visit him.

“We didn’t know each other that well yet, but I wanted to see him,” Turner explains. Because of the long drive, their friend Bill,

again, jokingly, suggested he stay at Gaige’s house since no one was there anyway. Turner did just that and later came back to pick up Gaige from the hospital.

“The real big start” of their relationship came as Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida in September 2017, Gaige says. Turner knew was being evacuated from his beachside home and asked if he could stay at Gaige’s house.

“He arrived four days before the hurricane,” Gaige recalls. “He stayed for two weeks and basically never went home. We were together that whole time through the storm.”

Turner relished the opportunity to spend time with him. “It was a great opportunity to get to know each other. We had some long conversations that were very nice,” Turner says.

Gaige adds, “It’s a little different when you’re older and not 20.”

When Turner’s lease was up, he moved into the New Port Richey home. “It made sense. Why stay there when you’re up here all the time,” Gaige says.

Over the next year, they decided together that they would get married.

Gaige had been married once before.

His husband died of heart failure eight years ago at the age of 46.

“I never dreamed I would get a second chance at love,” he says. “I’m so lucky. Dewey is amazing.”

He took rings he had owned with his first husband that were “made with love” and had a jeweler remake them into something new for him and Turner to wear.

Though their engagement was a mutual decision, Turner decided “one of us had to propose.” He got down on one knee on New Year’s Day in 2019, and where else would they get married other than North Redington Beach?

They held their ceremony on the beach and their reception at the DoubleTree Beach Resort there.

“Directly across from where Dewey used to live,” he says.

The ceremony was held an hour before sunset and the beach “was really a beautiful backdrop,” Turner says. Gaige adds that their rainbow-themed wedding was the perfect way to celebrate their love with friends and family.

“It was an amazing day,” he says.

“We wanted it to be fun and be a little campy, which is why we went with the whole rainbow theme, and that’s just what it was. We’re very fortunate we got to have the wedding that a lot of people wish they had.”

—Tiffany Razzano

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.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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407-435-9995

Between Conway Rd. & Bumby Ave.

Come see Dave, Ed & Staff for a Free Consultation!

Counseling

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CITY OASIS Your Downtown Garden Shop 407-898-8101 1214 N. Mills Ave. Orlando Mention Watermark and Save!

financial services

DICTOR FINANCIAL, LLC Wayne S. Dictor, CEP President, CEO

Member Board of Directors - Orlando Gay Chorus

Office: 407-562-1900

Mobile: 407-942-3366 Wayne@DictorFinancial.com

801 International Parkway, Suite 500 Lake Mary, Florida 32746 Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPIC

Exotic Orchids, Bonsai, Ornamentals, Tropical Plants

Home Improvement

Exterior and Interior Shutters Custom Blinds - Shades - Draperies

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Full Service Interior Design and Maintenance Free Estimates, Prices start as low as $99/mo

620 Douglas Ave Suite 1302 Altamonte Springs Fl. 32714 email: web:

jrose@SuperiorCustomShutters.com www.SuperiorCustomShutters.com

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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C e ntral

lawn care

F l o r i da

M ar k e tplac e

Medical

personal training www.rockhardfitnessorlando.com

FREE TRIAL PASS 1 WEEK UNLIMITED CLASSES 1 HOUR PERSONAL TRAINING 820 Lake Baldwin Lane p. 407.802.4631

Photography

Fine Art | Portrait | Wedding | Commercial www.DylanToddPhotography.com info@DylanToddPhotography.com (727) 310-1212

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Call to schedule FREE and CONFIDENTIAL assessment

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Optometrist

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Proudly Caring for the Pets and People of the LGBTQ Community since 1955 Open 7 Days a Week!

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NEW WELLNESS CENTER

M A R K E T P L1601 A CLee E Rd. Winter Park (407) 644-2676

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FREE TRIAL PASS

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F L O R I D A

DOGGIE DAYCARE

Changing the lives of LGBTQ teens and young adults for over 25 years

1 WEEK UNLIMITED CLASSES 1 HOUR PERSONAL TRAINING

Social support groups Make friends Scholarships for college Weekly groups in Orange, Seminole & Polk counties

820 Lake Baldwin Lane p. 407.802.4631

info@orlandoyouthalliance.org www.orlandoyouthalliance.org

watermark Your LGBTQ life.pHOTOGRApHY June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

June 25 - July 8 , 2020 // Issue 27.13 wat e r m a r konline .com

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