Watermark Issue 28.04: Doing the Work by Watermark Publishing Group

Your LGBTQ Life.

Work Doing the

Feb. 18 - Mar. 3, 2021 Issue 28.04

Trans business, nonprofit leaders seek equity and equality

Orlando kid's performance at Hamburger Mary's goes viral

Hometown hero shines at Tampa's Super Bowl LV

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

departments 7 // Editor’s / Bureau Chief’s Desk 8 // Central Florida News 11// Tampa Bay News 14// State News 15// Nation & World News 19// Talking Points 35// Tampa Bay Out + About 37// Central Fl Out + About 39// Wedding Bells 40// Tampa Bay Marketplace 42// Central Fl Marketplace 46// The Last Page

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A lot of people don’t know I’m trans, but some people do. I didn’t want people to come and destroy my salon – transgender people get killed for no reason and I wasn’t sure I wanted that attention. It can be scary. – Jiyah Bolden, owner of the hair clinic in lakeland

On the cover

page Rising Son: Author Robert

page Doing the

Work: Trans business, nonprofit leaders seek equity and equality.

Photos by Dylan Todd; background

Jones Jr. cultivates community with “Son of Baldwin” group and his debut novel, “The Prophets.”

Watermark Issue 28.04 // Feb. 18 - March 3, 2021

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This is Aidan

Hometown Hero

Queerly Beloved

The Talk of the Town

page Orlando kid’s performance at Hamburger Mary’s goes viral.

page Tampa nurse manager showcases her Pride at Super Bowl LV.

page

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

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw talks owning our scars in latest Viewpoint.

Theater West End takes on Judy Garland in “End of the Rainbow.”

February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

Editor’s

Jeremy Williams Editor-In-chief

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

Desk

have heard the phrase “cancel

culture” used in the past, but its usage seems to have increased over the last several months — particularly among Trump-supporting Republicans.

Former President Donald Trump was a big fan of calling any conservative held accountable for racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or xenophobic comments victims of the left’s cancel culture. So it was no surprise that in his second impeachment trial, his lawyers called the entire proceedings “constitutional cancel culture.” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan used the same argument when he defended Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was pulled from her House committees this month because of her continued support of untrue, dangerous QAnon conspiracy theories as well as several social media posts that were deemed racist. “Everyone has said things they wish they didn’t say. Everyone

has done things they wish they didn’t do so who’s next? Who will the cancel culture attack next?” Jordan said. Most recently joining the pity party that cancel culture is out to get them is “The Mandalorian” actor Gina Carano, who was let go from the Disney+ series after an Instagram post compared Jewish people persecuted in Nazi Germany to Republicans in the U.S. today. “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors… even by children,” Carano shared on her Instagram story. “Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How

is that any different from hating someone for their political views?” Carano’s post brought immediate condemnation for its comparisons and, along with being fired from “The Mandalorian,” she was also let go by her talent agent, UTA. This wasn’t the first time Carano has shown herself to be intolerant. She came under fire in the past for echoing Trump’s election fraud claims, calling COVID-19 a hoax and for mocking the transgender and gender nonconforming communities by posting “boop/bop/beep” as her pronouns in her Twitter bio. After Carano was fired, conservatives came out in force yet again calling it an attack by cancel culture. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took time out of his day to tweet his anger that “Disney cancelled her” and in the process made it very evident that he knows nothing about “Star Wars.” Conservative columnist and online troll, Ben Shapiro has even reached out to Carano about making a movie together. “Cancel culture” cries from conservatives are nothing more than wanting no consequences for their abhorrent actions. They stoke the flames, make snide comments, or what they say are just “jokes,” and then act all offended when they are expected to answer for those actions. When calls for Carano to answer for her pronouns “joke” rose on social media, she said that she didn’t understand their importance and would do better. Obviously she decided that instead of doing better she would double down on her ignorance. I hate to break it to Carano, Trump and all of those people supporting them, but being held accountable for your actions is what adults do. Recognizing when you are being hurtful and hateful, then apologizing, educating yourself and doing better is what an honorable,

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

Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com Tampa Bay Bureau Chief: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com Art Director: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com Tampa Bay Account Manager: Michael Wier • Ext. 105 Michael@WatermarkOnline.com

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productive member of society does. They don’t cry and whine while kicking their feet. After Shapiro tweeted about what I’m sure will be a thought-provoking, critically acclaimed film he is making with Carano, she said in a statement “I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before.” Well Carano, I assure you the grownups in the room will continue to use their voices to make sure your hateful ignorance is called out. This is the way. Speaking of using their voices

I assure you [Gina Carano] the grownups in the room will continue to use their voices to make sure your hateful ignorance is called out. This is the way.

Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. • 212-242-6863

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa. He and his husband are the proud parents of two teenagers.. Page 17

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,

for good, in this issue we talk with four amazing transgender women of color who are making positive changes in their communities: The Hair Clinic's Jiyah Bolden, The R.I.S.E. Initiative's Shea Cutliff, Haute Coudoor's Naomi Wright and Divas in Dialogue's Mulan Williams. In Arts and Entertainment, we talk with “The Prophets” author Robert Jones Jr. and preview Theater West End in Sanford's "End of the Rainbow." In news, we talk with the parents of a young boy who went viral for performing at Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando and a nurse from Tampa General Hospital who showed her Pride while at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl LV.

Orlando Office Tampa Bay Account Manager: Ricky Celaya-Renaud • Ext. 102 Ricky@WatermarkOnline.com

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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.

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tampa bay

bureau chief’s

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

Desk

side from petty debates

ending with Google search results in my favor, I’m not generally a fan of saying “I told you so.” There’s rarely a benefit to it and it certainly doesn’t change any minds.

That’s not to say it can’t also be rewarding, of course, particularly for marginalized communities like our own. LGBTQ voices are far too often minimized and deserve to be heard – and when they aren’t, acknowledging we spoke up in the first place can be a validating process. Even if we’re the only ones who hear it. The election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is a recent, high-profile example of that. It’s been nearly a month since they were sworn into office, but my gratitude that the nation chose to Build Back Better knows few bounds. I have yet to stop talking about it to anyone who will listen, writing about it for anyone who will read

or just dwelling on it at length in general. The results made me refreshingly proud of our country, as imperfect as it remains, but also even prouder of our community. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 83% of LGBTQ voters supported the Biden-Harris ticket at the ballot or mailbox. The nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization’s findings were also mirrored by GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy group. The organization found that 93% of LGBTQ voters turned out last year, with 81% of them backing Biden and Harris. 25% of them were also first-time voters, focused on the federal response to COVID-19, health

care, racial justice and LGBTQ equality – just a sampling of critical issues neglected or ignored entirely by Donald Trump and his administration. Exit polling continues to show that LGBTQ voters played a key role in his defeat. While it’s worth noting that the LGBTQ community isn’t of one mind on any issue – when it came to that man, by and large we told this country so. Prior to his 2016 win in the Electoral College, throughout the 17 years of his first term and well into his failed coup to secure another, we knew he was incapable of moving this country forward. Even more than a blending brush, the former president needed compassion, empathy and kindness – qualities he was too uncaring, unfit and un-American at his core to develop. Even more importantly, however, is the fact that LGBTQ voters were right about Biden and his commitment to equality. Just hours after taking his Oath of Office Jan. 20, the president signed an executive order directing federal agencies to prevent and combat LGBTQ discrimination. While there’s no doubt that every member of the LGBTQ community felt the harmful effects of his presidential predecessor to varying degrees, our trans siblings undeniably felt the brunt of it. He attacked them at every turn in education, employment, health care, housing, human services and even in their desire to serve this country. That’s why it was so critical that within five days, Biden signed another executive order and repealed Trump’s discriminatory transgender military ban. Despite the constant barrage of federal attacks, which undoubtedly trickled down into state legislatures across the country like Florida’s, members of the transgender community remained resilient. Their work to secure

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their rights began before Trump’s presidency and continues after it, something we examine at length in this issue. Jiyah Bolden, Shea Cutliff, Naomi Wright and Mulan Williams, four transgender women in Tampa Bay and Central Florida, detail how they’re seeking equity and equality in the nonprofit world and workplace. They hope not only to empower themselves but to empower others do so the same. In Tampa Bay news, a Tampa General Hospital nurse manager makes history. Hometown hero

LGBTQ voters were right about Biden and his commitment to equality.

Suzie Dorner shares why she chose to showcase her Pride during Super Bowl LV as an honorary captain during the big game. St. Petersburg City Councilmember Darden Rice also receives the coveted endorsement of the LGBTQ Victory Fund in her race to become the city’s next mayor. In Central Florida, soon-to-be superstar Aidan goes adorably viral at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando. In State News, we detail how Biden’s commitment to equality has already impacted Floridians. New York Times-bestselling author Robert Jones, Jr. joins us in Arts in Entertainment. He discusses cultivating community through his site “Son of Baldwin” and “The Prophets,” his debut novel about two enslaved men in love. Central Florida’s Theater West End also examines the final days of Judy Garland in “End of the Rainbow.” Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.

Orlando Office Tampa Bay Account Manager: Ricky Celaya-Renaud • Ext. 102 Ricky@WatermarkOnline.com Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. • 212-242-6863

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

contributors Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa. He and his husband are the proud parents of two teenagers.. Page 17

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

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central florida news

The Center orlando to move health services Jeremy Williams

RLANDO | The LGBT+ Center Orlando announced Feb. 2 that it is expanding locations to include an additional site in the Mills50 District. The new location — at 1200 Hillcrest St., Suite 102 — will house all of The Center’s health-related services including HIV, Hepatitis C and STI testing, grab-and-go condoms, NARCAN distribution and HIV case management. The Hillcrest location will also house the Orlando United Assistance Center (OUAC) services. The Center Orlando incorporated OUAC under its purview of existing services in October. OUAC serves and supports the immediate family members of the 49 individuals taken in the 2016 Pulse tragedy and the survivors. The move of its health-related programs will give The Center space to expand the services at its Mills Ave. location to include the food bank, career counseling, computer access, resource navigation and more. The Hillcrest location opens March 1. OUAC services will continue to be provided at the E. Michigan St. site until the new location opens. For more information on the LGBT+ Center Orlando’s services, visit TheCenterOrlando.org. For more information on the Orlando United Assistance Center, visit OrlandoUnitedAssistanceCenter.org.

Ricky Martin becomes onepulse spokesperson Wire Report

RLANDO | Singer Ricky Martin will be a spokesman for a foundation that is building a memorial and museum to honor the 49 victims who died at Pulse nearly five years ago, foundation officials said Feb. 11. In the unpaid position, Martin will make public service announcements promoting tolerance and also support the foundation by making social media posts, taping video messages and possibly narrating some exhibitions, foundation officials said. “His global platform allows us to share our mission with even more audiences, ensuring Pulse’s legacy of love lives on forever,” said Earl Crittenden, chair of the onePULSE Foundation board, in a statement. Starting on Valentine’s Day, the foundation launched a fundraising campaign with a goal of getting 1 million people to donate $49. The goal of the OutloveHate.com campaign is to raise $49 million, with proceeds going toward building a permanent National Pulse Memorial & Museum, foundation officials said.

stage ready:

Aidan became a viral sensation after his Mary's performance.

This is Aidan Orlando kid’s performance at Hamburger Mary’s goes viral Isaiah Peters

RLANDO | A Central Florida family’s Sunday brunch at Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando turned into an impromptu performance for a six-year-old drag fan as he joined the Broadway Brunch Bunch cast for a lip synch number that ended up going viral. Parents Meghan and Adam Kehoe brought their son Aidan, a super fan of the hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” to the popular family drag brunch show Feb. 7. When the performers found out Aidan is a “Drag Race,” they brought him up on stage. After helping Aidan pick his official drag name, which is the name of your first pet and the street you live on, Sookie Mary was ready to make her Hamburger Mary’s stage debut performing “This is Me,” the Oscar-nominated song from the film “The Greatest Showman.” The performance garnered a standing ovation and Aidan made $57 in tips, and a video of the lip synch blew up online, even making its way onto the TV show TMZ.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

“My niece just messaged us and was like, Aiden is on TV right now,” Meghan Kehoe says. “I’m just so happy we have someone in our family who watches TMZ.” Adam Kehoe admits he had never heard of other kids going to drag shows but did not question it when Aidan, whose interest in the art has grown since first watching “Drag Race” with his mom, wanted to go. The couple say they are a very close family and were quite emotional as they watch Aidan perform. “We were crying our eyes out ... We are just so touched that so many other people were touched by him as well,” Meghan Kehoe says. “[Aidan] loves to perform. He expresses himself with music and movement and performing.” Meghan Kehoe says she loves to see their son thrive and live his best life, and seeing others celebrate him for this came at a crucial time for the family. “January and February are really difficult months for us,” Meghan Kehoe says. “Our first son was stillborn and his birthday is Feb. 1, so we’re always in a family

Photo courtesy Kehoe family

funk around this time of year. And it just felt like this came at such an important time.” Aidan’s newfound fame has led him to think he’s a Mary’s regular, Meghan Kehoe says, even asking for a microphone so he can practice his songs. “It was definitely a confidence boost for him,” Adam Kehoe adds. The couple are considering letting Aidan start a YouTube channel to help him continue to build his confidence and build a space for his creativity. Reflecting on all the attention they received, Meghan Kehoe says she’s not only surprised by the huge positive response but she is happy to say there has been very little negative response. “I think that what floored me is we haven’t received a lot of hate. This is affirmed love and joy transcends. It can reach people,” she says. “As a parent, you make thousands of decisions every day and you question all of them. So it’s just been so much encouragement from people saying you’re doing a good job. It’s amazing.” The couple says they’ve been deeply touched reading the comments from everyone. “We’ve heard from a lot more adults that have said, ‘I really appreciate you doing this because I was never accepted as a child,’” Meghan Kehoe says, “and my message to them is I’m your mom now. We’re your family and we accept you. We love you and we support you, keep doing you.”

February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

tampa bay news

LGBTQ Victory Fund endorses Rice for St. Petersburg mayor Ryan Williams-Jent

S TAMPA PRIDE:

Tampa General Hospital Nurse Manager Suzie Dorner serves as an honorary captain at Super Bowl LV Feb. 7.

PHOTO VIA ST PETE PRIDE

Hometown Hero Tampa General Hospital nurse showcases Pride at Super Bowl LV Ryan Williams-Jent TAMPA | Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Nurse Manager Suzie Dorner served as an honorary captain at Raymond James Stadium during Super Bowl LV Feb. 7, memorializing lives lost to COVID-19 and showcasing her LGBTQ Pride. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in the hometown game, a Super Bowl first. Dorner was one of 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers in attendance courtesy of the NFL. The COVID ICU nurse manager was personally invited to participate by Rob Higgins, the executive director of the Tampa Sports Commission and head of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee. He and former Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks surprised Dorner with the news last month. “I still can’t believe it’s real,” Dorner shared Feb. 3. “I’m just one of 18 million health care workers in America. So it’s just an honor to be chosen as their representative.” Ahead of the Super Bowl, TGH and the NFL released a video

reflecting on “Suzie, her team, and healthcare workers around the globe who have been pushed to their limits this past year.” They noted Dorner would honor her fellow healthcare heroes and all who have lost their lives. As it begins, Dorner reflects on her years of service at TGH. The Florida State University graduate is currently in her eighth year and was promoted to nurse manager of the Medical ICU in 2019 – just months before COVID-19 began spreading across the country. “I have a relatively young team and everyone was in a little bit of shock – it was really hard in that time,” Dorner says in the video. “We lost a lot of lives. Caring for these patients is emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting … it’s really the nurses that are there the most.” “We have all endured so much this year,” Dorner also added. “When I step onto the field on Super Bowl Sunday I’m going to take a minute to recognize all the lives that we’ve lost to COVID-19 this year. It’s absolutely amazing that the NFL is taking the time to honor everything that we have been through.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

It was during the ceremony that Dorner’s Pride bracelet was on full display. It caught the attention of LGBTQ and ally sports enthusiasts in Tampa Bay and beyond, including Florida’s largest LGBTQ Pride celebration. “Did anyone else spot the rainbow bracelet Suzie Dorner was wearing as she lead the coin toss at #SuperBowlLV tonight?” St Pete Pride shared via social media. “The Tampa General Hospital ICU Nurse Manager served as an honorary captain, representing 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers in the stadium and 18 million healthcare workers across the United States. One of them was her girlfriend, Melanie who accompanied Suzie to tonight’s game.” Dorner told Watermark the addition of her rainbow bracelet was a game-time decision “because I knew this was a national platform.” She says she saw St Pete Pride’s post and all of the reactions after the Super Bowl and “knew I’d made the right decision.” “Seeing the rainbow represented at the Super Bowl means an awful lot to so many of us,” she explains. “My girlfriend Melanie and I cried reading all the comments on the post. We are so proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community, and that is why I chose to wear the rainbow bracelet.”

T. PETERSBURG | The nation’s only organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office has endorsed Darden Rice for St. Petersburg mayor. The LGBTQ Victory Fund shared its support for 15 nationwide candidates in the 2021 election cycle Jan. 27. Rice, who would become St. Petersburg’s first openly LGBTQ mayor if elected, was among only three spotlight endorsements. “There is no such thing as an off-election year and 2021 presents opportunities to elect groundbreaking LGBTQ candidates that can impact policy for millions of Americans,” LGBTQ Victory Fund President Mayor Annise Parker said in a statement. “We must increase LGBTQ representation not because we desire power for its own sake, but because it leads to pro-equality policies that improve the lives of LGBTQ people.” Rice announced her historic bid for St. Petersburg mayor Jan. 12, officially launching her campaign to succeed the term-limited, longtime LGBTQ ally Mayor Rick Kriseman in 2022. She currently serves as a member of the St. Petersburg City Council and represents the city’s District 4. “LGBTQ Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Councilmember Darden Rice for St. Petersburg mayor,” Parker explained. “Darden’s commitment to smart public policy that will address the needs of St. Pete’s residents makes her the best choice in this race.” “I am so honored to have the support of LGBTQ Victory Fund in this historic campaign,” Rice shared in a press release. “We are so fortunate to live in a city like St. Petersburg that is so open and welcoming to the LGBTQ community. “But we still live in a state where it’s legal to fire LGBTQ people or deny them access to public services because of who they are,” she continued. “That must change. When I’m elected mayor, I will stand against any attacks on civil rights and fight with our partners at the state level to make Florida a safer and more welcoming state for everyone.” Rice also addressed the news via social media. “This is especially meaningful because the Victory Fund only endorses candidates who will be strong voices for equality and are building strong campaigns with a clear path to victory,” she wrote. “I am honored to have Victory Fund’s support.” Former State Rep. Wengay Newton, former Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and others have also filed to run for St. Petersburg mayor, with a primary election scheduled for Aug. 24. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to the general election on Nov. 2.

For more information about Rice’s campaign, visit DardenRice.com. For more information about the LGBTQ Victory Fund, visit VictoryFund.org.

Watch video of the Super Bowl LV coin toss and more at WatermarkOnline.com.

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Important Facts About DOVATO

This is only a brief summary of important information about DOVATO and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and treatment. What is the most important information I should know about DOVATO? If you have both human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, DOVATO can cause serious side effects, including: • Resistant HBV infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV infection before you start treatment with DOVATO. If you have HIV-1 and hepatitis B, the hepatitis B virus can change (mutate) during your treatment with DOVATO and become harder to treat (resistant). It is not known if DOVATO is safe and effective in people who have HIV-1 and HBV infection. • Worsening of HBV infection. If you have HIV-1 and HBV infection, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking DOVATO. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. Worsening liver disease can be serious and may lead to death. ° Do not run out of DOVATO. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your DOVATO is all gone. ° Do not stop DOVATO without first talking to your healthcare provider. If you stop taking DOVATO, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your liver. What is DOVATO? DOVATO is a prescription medicine that is used without other HIV-1 medicines to treat human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in adults: who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past, or to replace their current HIV-1 medicines when their healthcare provider determines that they meet certain requirements. HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is not known if DOVATO is safe and effective in children. Who should not take DOVATO? Do not take DOVATO if you: • have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine that contains dolutegravir or lamivudine. • take dofetilide. What should I tell my healthcare provider before using DOVATO? Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: • have or have had liver problems, including hepatitis B or C infection. • have kidney problems. • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. One of the medicines in DOVATO (dolutegravir) may harm your unborn baby. ° Your healthcare provider may prescribe a different medicine than DOVATO if you are planning to become pregnant or if pregnancy is confirmed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. ° If you can become pregnant, your healthcare provider will perform a pregnancy test before you start treatment with DOVATO. ° If you can become pregnant, you should consistently use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with DOVATO. ° Tell your healthcare provider right away if you are planning to become pregnant, you become pregnant, or think you may be pregnant during treatment with DOVATO. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take DOVATO. ° You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. ° One of the medicines in DOVATO (lamivudine) passes into your breastmilk. ° Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines interact with DOVATO. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. • You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with DOVATO. • Do not start taking a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take DOVATO with other medicines. What are possible side effects of DOVATO? DOVATO can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “What is the most important information I should know about DOVATO?” section. • Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop a rash with DOVATO. Stop taking DOVATO and get medical help right away if you develop a rash with any of the following signs or symptoms: fever; generally ill feeling; tiredness; muscle or joint aches; blisters or sores in mouth; blisters or peeling of the skin; redness or swelling of the eyes; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; problems breathing. • Liver problems. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening changes in certain liver tests during treatment with DOVATO. Liver problems, including liver failure, have also happened in people without a history of liver disease or other risk factors. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your liver. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark or “tea-colored” urine; light-colored stools (bowel movements); nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area. • Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms that could be signs of lactic acidosis: feel very weak or tired; unusual (not normal) muscle pain; trouble breathing; stomach pain with nausea and vomiting; feel cold, especially in your arms and legs; feel dizzy or lightheaded; and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Lactic acidosis can also lead to severe liver problems, which can lead to death. Your liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and you may develop fat in your liver (steatosis). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the signs or symptoms of liver problems which are listed above under “Liver problems.” You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female or very overweight (obese). • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after you start taking DOVATO.

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SO MUCH GOES INTO WHO I AM HIV MEDICINE IS ONE PART OF IT. Why could DOVATO be right for you? DOVATO is proven to help control HIV with just 2 medicines in 1 pill. That means fewer medicines* in your body while taking DOVATO. It’s proven as effective as an HIV treatment with 3 or 4 medicines. Learn more about fewer medicines at DOVATO.com DOVATO is a complete prescription regimen to treat HIV-1 in adults who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past or to replace their current HIV-1 medicines when their doctor determines they meet certain requirements. Results may vary. *As compared with 3- or 4-drug regimens.

What are possible side effects of DOVATO? (cont’d) • The most common side effects of DOVATO include: headache; nausea; diarrhea; trouble sleeping; tiredness; and anxiety. These are not all the possible side effects of DOVATO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Where can I find more information? • Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist. • Go to DOVATO.com or call 1-877-844-8872, where you can also get FDA-approved labeling. August 2020 DVT:4PIL Trademark is owned by or licensed to the ViiV Healthcare group of companies.

New to treatment? Considering a switch?

Ask your doctor about DOVATO.

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state news

Palm Beach County to require genderneutral grad wear Jeremy Williams

he Palm Beach County school district updated its policy on high school graduation attire Feb. 3 removing the requirement some schools had that students must wear the cap and gown in a school color that coordinates with their gender. Palm Beach County’s graduating seniors will now wear a single color cap and gown designated by each school in lieu of the two separate colors. The issue was first raised in 2015 by seniors in Palm Beach County who objected to the attire rules. While the policy changed in some schools, five high schools refused, prompting action from the school district. Keith Oswald, the deputy superintendent of Palm Beach County schools, has emailed all school principals advising them to stop the use of gender-specific graduation caps and gowns.

Florida to protect LGBTQ civil rights Ryan Williams-Jent

he Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR) announced Feb. 3 it will protect LGBTQ Floridians in a major win for equality across the state. The FCHR has enforced the Florida Civil Rights Act since 1969, administering civil rights laws statewide and serving as a resource for businesses, individuals and groups. The agency will now implement last year’s landmark Supreme Court ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, affirming that LGBTQ Americans are protected under civil rights law. “[The] FCHR, as a Fair Employment Practice Agency ... investigates employment discrimination under the Florida Civil Rights Act and Title VII, based on race, color, religion, sex,

disability, national origin, age, and marital status,” the commission announced Feb. 3. “Therefore, the FCHR accepts claims of sex discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation for investigation in employment and public accommodations complaints. “Furthermore,” they added, “the FCHR investigates housing discrimination under the Florida Fair Housing Act and Title VIII, based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. The FCHR is committed to investigating housing violations based upon sex discrimination due to non-conformity with gender stereotypes.” Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, called the decision a victory for every LGBTQ Floridian. “This is a huge win and cause for celebration statewide. Any LGBTQ person anywhere

in Florida who experiences discrimination now has a path to pursue justice,” Executive Director Nadine Smith said. More than 800,000 LGBTQ Floridians will now have an official state channel to file a claim to protect their civil rights laws, the organization detailed further. The announcement follows President Joe Biden’s executive order, signed on his first day in office Jan. 20, which affirmed the SCOTUS ruling. He directed federal agencies across the nation to implement it. State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith also addressed the victory. “When I was elected to the legislature I set the goal of securing protections for LGBTQ people across our state,” he said. “Today that goal has been achieved. This is a moment to celebrate and continue the work of making our state a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone to live, work and visit.”

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nation+world news

US to ‘reengage’ with Human Rights Council Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

ecretary of State Antony Blinken announced Feb. 8 the U.S. will “reengage” with the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.S. in 2018 withdrew from the council, which in recent years has emerged as a vocal champion of LGBTQ rights around the world. Then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley during a press conference that announced the withdrawal noted countries “with unambiguous and abhorrent human rights records” are members of the council. Haley also accused it having a “chronic bias against” Israel. Russia, Cuba and Venezuela are among the 47 countries that are currently members of the council. “The Biden administration has recommitted the United States to a foreign policy centered on democracy, human rights and equality,” said Blinken in a

statement the State Department released. “Effective use of multilateral tools is an important element of that vision, and in that regard the president has instructed the Department of State to reengage immediately and robustly with the U.N. Human Rights Council.” “We recognize that the Human Rights Council is a flawed body, in need of reform to its agenda, membership, and focus, including its disproportionate focus on Israel,” he added. “However, our withdrawal in June 2018 did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but instead created a vacuum of U.S. leadership, which countries with authoritarian agendas have used to their advantage.” The decision to “reengage” with the council comes days after President Joe Biden issued a memorandum that commits the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ rights abroad. Blinken in his statement notes the council’s efforts to expand LGBTQ rights around the world. “When it works well, the Human Rights Council shines a spotlight on countries with the worst human

rights records and can serve as an important forum for those fighting injustice and tyranny,” said Blinken. “The council can help to promote fundamental freedoms around the globe, including freedoms of expression, association and assembly, and religion or belief as well as the fundamental rights of women, girls, LGBTQI+ persons, and other marginalized communities. To address the council’s deficiencies and ensure it lives up to its mandate, the United States must be at the table using the full weight of our diplomatic leadership.” “In the immediate term, the United States will engage with the council as an observer, and in that capacity will have the opportunity to speak in the council, participate in negotiations, and partner with others to introduce resolutions,” he added. “It is our view that the best way to improve the council is to engage with it and its members in a principled fashion. We strongly believe that when the United States engages constructively with the council, in concert with our allies and friends, positive change is within reach.”

law, and it demands urgent enforcement action.” The memorandum is the result of Biden’s executive order directing all federal agencies to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which determined anti-LGBTQ discrimination is illegal in the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling has broad implications for all laws that bar sex discrimination, including the Fair Housing Act. The memorandum would allow HUD to begin accepting cases of anti-LGBTQ discrimination and retroactively review allegations that were submitted after Jan. 20. Unfiled claims that are still timely (based on alleged anti-LGBTQ discrimination within the past year) can be filed or added to

a current complaint, the HUD official said. Further, HUD will instruct Fair Housing Assistance Program and Fair Housing Initiative Program partners to conduct a review of all allegations filed on or after Jan. 20 based on anti-LGBTQ discrimination. These partners in federally subsidized housing must also accept new or amended complaints based on alleged anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the past year, the HUD official said. “The Biden administration is committed to ensuring that LGBTQ+ individuals receive full protection under our nation’s civil rights laws, and this is an important step in fulfilling that promise,” a HUD official said. HUD is the first U.S. agency to announce such a plan.

Biden administration to accept cases of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in housing Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

he Biden administration announced Feb. 11 that it will adjudicate cases of housing discrimination against LGBTQ people to comply orders against anti-LGBTQ discrimination from the Supreme Court. “Housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity happens throughout the United States,” a HUD official said during a background conference call with reporters. “Housing providers need to know it violates the

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in other news Buttigieg historically sworn in Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg was sworn into office Feb. 3, making history as the first openly gay person to be confirmed to a Cabinet-level position. Buttigieg’s Oath of Office was administered by Vice President Kamala Harris. Secretary Buttigieg is a true problem-solver," the vice president shared. "He will bring people together to strengthen our nation’s infrastructure. And he will keep breaking boundaries while he’s at it.” The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana was joined by his husband Chasten for the brief ceremony. “I’m humbled to join an administration full of remarkable leaders who have broken barriers on the road to public service,” he said.

Chechen refugees arrested The State Dept. expressed concern Feb. 9 over the fate of two brothers from Chechnya who were arrested in Russia and returned to their homeland from which they fled. “We are troubled by reports of two Chechen siblings in the LGBTQI+ community who were detained in Russia and returned to Chechnya on dubious ‘terrorism’ charges,” tweeted spokesperson Ned Price, who is openly gay. “They reported torture during a previous detention, and we worry they may face additional abuse.” The documentary “Welcome to Chechnya” featured the brothers’ case.

Biden stands by LGBTQ pledge White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki said Feb. 4 that President Biden “stands by” his campaign pledge to sign the Equality Act to expand the ban on anti-LGBTQ discrimination under the law within 100 days, although she indicated Congress has to take initial steps with the legislation. With Biden making four crises of the economy, coronavirus, climate and racial inequity his top priorities, fears had persisted in the LGBTQ community Biden wouldn’t be able to fulfill his campaign pledge on the Equality Act. “I think the President has been out speaking out about a range of issues he’s committed to, including many on LGBTQ rights, over the course of the last two weeks of his presidency, and he will continue to be,” Psaki added.

pr declaration lgbtq-inclusive Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Clarified Feb. 5 that his state of emergency declaration over gender violence on the island includes LGBTQ people. “It’s been too long, this pattern of male chauvenism-related violence, femicides, homophobic and transphobic violence,” he said during an interview with ABC News. “We want to promote diversity, respect each other.” Seven trans people Puerto Rico have been reported murdered over the last year. Violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains commonplace in the U.S. commonwealth, even though its hate crimes and nondiscrimination laws are LGBTQ-inclusive.

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viewpoint

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

QUEERLY BELOVED Owning Our Scars

he first sign that

something bad was about to happen was the change in my husband’s body language. We were on a walk in our favorite conservation park. Suddenly he bristled and said a few words that Watermark probably wouldn’t want me to repeat here.

During the pandemic, long walks in the wilderness have been my refuge. This particular park has become my safe space, my sanctuary in a time when the sanctuary of the church I serve has been heartbreakingly empty for almost a year. Providing for the needs of a faith community remotely has been harder than I could have anticipated. In a year of uncertainty, struggle, and loss, my hiking boots have kept me grounded. During my many escapes into the Florida wilderness, this was the first time I felt unsafe. A man came charging toward us and yelled, “Do you know for certain that you are going to heaven?” His maskless face was filled with aggression. His mouth sprayed visible droplets of saliva as he shouted at us. He was carrying a comically large Bible. He demanded that we stop and let him pray for us. We declined. He continued shouting as we walked on. On the one hand, because I am a pastor, folks like this make me just shake my head and lament that they are why Jesus needs better PR. On the other hand, I was surprisingly rattled by this encounter. This person was literally spewing saliva at us during a pandemic, but let’s also consider what else he was spewing and why this behavior is so harmful.

Recently, the voices of shame, harm and aggression have been emboldened. This man felt he had an inalienable right to aggressively force his dogma and theology on us. I know the danger of bad theology. While his attack was random and not necessarily homophobic, his ideology and methodology were of the same toxicity as that which is used to harm our community. Most of us who are part of the LGBTQ+ community have battle scars that people outside of our community cannot comprehend. These scars shape us in ways even we might not realize. On one level, it’s true that this was simply a man shouting at two random hikers. But remembering that everyone carries histories and experiences that shape who they are, I have to cut myself some slack and accept that in the moment I was relieved that this man probably didn’t realize that he was shouting at a gay couple. It felt safer to step a tiny bit farther from my husband, making us appear less of who we are and less of a target. We LGBTQ+ folks live in a paradox in which it is often dangerous to love the person who makes us feel the safest. While taking a step away from our beloved makes us safer in the moment, a lifetime of tiny steps away can harm us greatly. It’s not enough to look at people who behave as that this man did and simply dismiss the behavior. Even if we laugh it off in the moment, it can wear on us. We can’t change them, but we can change how the behavior of others impacts us. This was one aggressive person, but he was also all of the bullies I have faced in a lifetime of being different than my peers. He was one person with his own skewed and bad theology, but he also represented every protester who has harassed

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my congregation, he represented the pastor whose bad theology drove my friend to death by suicide, more than 20 years ago. Toxic people are endemic to our culture, and we must remain diligent in protecting each other. In becoming a pastor,

The church where I am now the pastor was founded 50 years ago, as the first LGBTQ-affirming faith community in the Tampa Bay Area. As you can imagine, I have faced down more than my share of attacks by people who call themselves Christians. Even

I know the danger of bad theology. I spent a ridiculous amount of my life collecting degrees, including a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in ethics and social theory. I completed multiple years of internships in my training. I have been in full-time ministry for nearly 10 years, the latter five of which have been as the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa.

with all of this education and experience, I am not immune to the harm that people inflict on our community and on me personally. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the beginning of pandemic life, we can see that we have all learned new things about our own coping mechanisms. This past year has given us fresh wounds and reopened old ones.

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We have witnessed the best and the worst behavior in our neighbors and nation. People like the man we met in the woods are aggressively coming after people at a time when most of us do not have access to our usual communities of support. We LGBTQ+ folks need to support each other now more than ever. Rantings and ramblings of hate can’t dampen our enjoyment of each other. The safe spaces of sanctuary that we create for ourselves cannot be stolen away from us. We must remember that our scars are the roadmap that shows the courageous places we have traveled to become exactly who we are meant to be. Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, MCCTampa.com. He and his husband are the proud fathers of two wonderful children.

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talking points I’m honored to serve as Secretary of Transportation and help build the kind of infrastructure that creates jobs, empowers all, and keeps travelers & workers safe. It’s time to get to work. —Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s first tweet from his official Secretary of Transportation Twitter account Feb. 3

Country singer T.J. Osborne comes out

.J. Osborne, lead singer of the country duo Brothers Osborne, came out as gay in an exclusive interview with Time Magazine Feb. 3. While other country artists are openly LGBTQ, Osborne’s revelation makes him the first – and so far, only – openly gay artist currently signed to a major country label. Osborne said he had been aware of his sexuality from an early age and has long been out to his family and friends. “I’m very comfortable being gay,” he said. “I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange.” In response to the oft-parroted notion that being gay shouldn’t be an issue anymore, he told the magazine, “People will ask, ‘Why does this even need to be talked about?’ and personally, I agree with that … But for me to show up at an awards show with a man would be jaw-dropping to people. It wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, cool!” Osborne said he doesn’t anticipate too much blowback. “I don’t think I’m going to get run off the stage in Chicago,” he mused. “But in a rural town playing a county fair? I’m curious how this will go.”

32.1% of LGBT people of color and

30.9% of non-LGBT people of color reported personally

knowing someone who died of

COVID-19 Netflix leads GLAAD Media Awards

etflix is the top contender at the GLAAD Media Awards with 26 nominations, snapping up film nods for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The Prom,” comedy TV nods for “Dead to Me” and “Big Mouth” and drama TV nods for “The Umbrella Academy” and “Ratched.” HBO Max followed this year with nine nominations, and Amazon, Hulu and HBO each received four. The Hallmark Channel received its first nomination for “The Christmas House,” the network’s first holiday movie featuring a gay lead character. GLAAD also noted that transgender characters were prominently featured in “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Big Mouth” and “Supergirl.” Award recipients will be announced during a virtual ceremony scheduled for April.

Halsey is pregnant with 1st child

alsey has something new to sing about: motherhood. The openly bisexual pop star announced on Instagram Jan. 27 that she is expecting her first child. The 26-year-old, who is having her first baby with boyfriend Alev Aydin, posted photos of her baby bump with the caption: “surprise!” Aydin posted in the comments, writing “Heart so full, I love you, sweetness.” Halsey replied, “I love you!!!!! And I love this mini human already!” Halsey has been very public about her pregnancy struggles. In a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, she revealed that she was pregnant in 2015 but suffered a miscarriage. Halsey has released three platinum albums and is known for hits like “Without Me,” “Bad at Love” and “Closer.”

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compared

Writer explores gay bars in new book

art memoir/part anthropological exploration, Jeremy Atherton Lin’s “Gay Bar: Why We Went Out” takes readers on a grand, cross-continental adventure through the gay bars that have shaped his life. As these institutions continue to close at alarming rates, Atherton Lin vividly reflects on his own experiences visiting gay bars from the early 1990s up to today. At the same time, he examines the vast influence they have had on broader queer life and culture, as well as their storied histories as places of refuge for so many. His examination of these spaces from all sides makes you think about them in brand new ways. “Gay Bar: Why We Went Out” is available now wherever books are sold.

21.3% of White LGBT and 19.8% of White non-LGBT respondents. —A report from The Williams Institute

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

Work Doing the

Trans business, nonprofit leaders seek equity and equality

Ryan Williams-Jent

hen the Supreme Court ruled

last June that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is a form of sex discrimination, they affirmed that LGBTQ workers are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Their majority vote determined that any employer who fires a worker for their sexual orientation or gender identity does so in violation of federal law.

Advocates declared the ruling as a clear victory for workplace equality, the effects of which are still being felt. President Joe Biden affirmed the decision via executive order on his first day in office Jan. 20, something his predecessor declined to do, directing federal agencies across the nation to implement it. “It is the policy of my administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation,” Biden’s order reads, “and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. It is also the policy of my administration to address overlapping forms of discrimination.”

The order quickly impacted Florida. In response, the Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR) –which has enforced the Florida Civil Rights Act since 1969 – announced this month that it would now protect LGBTQ Floridians from discrimination. For the first time, it gave more than 800,000 LGBTQ Floridians an official state channel to file a claim to protect their civil rights in the workplace and beyond. The state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization called the decision a historic cause for celebration statewide. “Any LGBTQ person anywhere in Florida who experiences discrimination now has a path to pursue justice,” Equality Florida

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Executive Director Nadine Smith shared Feb. 3. “The U.S. Supreme Court declared that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal and the agency that enforces civil rights protections for all Floridians has made it clear they will follow the law of the land.” Equality Florida and other LGBTQ-focused organizations still assert there is more work to do, particularly for the transgender community. The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), the nation’s leading transgender-focused advocacy group, says that one in four transgender workers have lost their jobs due to bias, with more than three-fourths experiencing workplace discrimination. The NCTE thoroughly examined these statistics in its latest U.S. Transgender Survey, the largest study ever devoted to the experiences of transgender Americans. Its 2016 effort drew nearly 28,000 respondents nationwide, tackling workplace equality and other significant concerns. It found that the unemployment rate for transgender respondents was three times higher than that of the U.S. population at the time. The NCTE and Equality Florida also

partnered to release state-specific data, which found that nearly a quarter of transgender Floridian respondents were unemployed. Over the course of their lifetimes, 14% noted that they had lost a job due to their gender identity or expression. More than doubling that, 30% had been fired, denied a promotion or initially hired at all for the same reason within the previous year. “It remains painfully clear that transgender Floridians continue to experience overt discrimination in all aspects of their lives for simply living their true gender identity,” Equality Florida Director of Transgender Equality Gina Duncan said at the time. “While slight progress has been made in some areas of society, transgender Floridians remain a marginalized and stigmatized community.” Watermark spoke with four business and nonprofit leaders in Central Florida and Tampa Bay looking to change that. These transgender women of color, a demographic facing even greater disparities in life, are working to empower themselves and others.

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JIYAH BOLDEN AGE 28, LAKELAND

iyah Bolden was ready for a change

after graduating from the Artistic Nails & Beauty Academy in 2014. She ventured out of cosmetology and into healthcare recruitment, a decision she ultimately regretted.

“Being a trans woman, when you’re comfortable in a position it’s very difficult to transition into something different, not knowing how people will respect you,” she says. “I should have stayed in recruiting; the respect factor wasn’t present.” Bolden faced multiple forms of harassment, discrimination a background in Human Relations gave her the confidence to address. “I dealt with several embarrassing moments,” she recalls, which forced her “to quit my job with no money, no back-up plan and no idea what was to come.” She decided to draw upon her cosmetology experience, offering full-time salon services from home. The stylist leaned heavily on social media to garner support, forming the Hearts Hair Company to sell extensions, wigs and more in what she now calls “the best decision of my life.” Her first brick and mortar followed, a medically themed storefront in which she serves as a self-described hair doctor. She opened The Hair Clinic in Dec. 2020, becoming the first openly transgender person in Lakeland to open a salon. “It was very hard,” she says. “I did hair out of my home for two years and I can’t lie, one of the biggest reasons why I was so scared to jump into this is because I am a trans woman.” Her concerns stem from her view of transgender acceptance at large. She believes the level of discrimination transgender individuals face in the workplace is often influenced by how traditionally feminine or masculine they may look. “I have a cisgender appearance,” she explains, “and there have been instances where people have found out that I was trans and stopped coming to me to get their hair done. Just because they didn’t know in the beginning. They thought I wasn’t being my true self with them. “A lot of people don’t know I’m trans, but some people do,” Bolden continues. “I didn’t want people to come and destroy my salon – transgender people get killed for no reason and I wasn’t sure I wanted that attention. It can be scary.” Bolden’s love for her craft and community led her to move forward. She plans to hold an official grand opening this month, welcoming one and all. “I want everyone to feel included,” she says. “I want everyone to feel special.” That mentality led Bolden to create the Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit she’s developing for LGBTQ youth. “My salon is pretty big,” she explains, “so in another room I’m making a resource center. We were just awarded a grant and we’re working on getting a room built out for it.” She hopes that it will grow into transitional housing and more. “I want to help people get the proper resources they need,” Bolden says. “I want to help people get jobs; I want to help them build resumes. If people want to start a business, I want to help them do that.” It marks Bolden’s second venture into nonprofit work. After cosmetology school, she created Hair4TheCure, in which she provided realistic wigs for women dealing with hair loss. She hopes to reestablish it once she’s financially able to do so, offering the philanthropic service through Hearts Hair Company. “It all goes back to love for me,” she says. “That’s why I chose ‘Heart.’ Everyone loves the feeling of being loved and I want to give back to my community. I want to advocate for them.”

The Hair Clinic is located at 6700 S. Florida Ave., Ste. 14 in Lakeland. To book an appointment and learn more, visit Instagram.com/TheHairClinic_Lakeland.

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SHEA CUTLIFF AGE 36, ORLANDO

hea Cutliff started her first

business at eight years old, selling what she describes as frivolities from door to door. “I didn’t make a lot,” she says, “but $20-$100 a month was a lot of profit for a kid.”

It was still rewarding, and as an adult she’s helping others find that same fulfillment. Cutliff now serves on the governance and admission committees as a board member of the One Orlando Alliance, the Central Florida support network for LGBTQ organizations of which Watermark is a part. The nonprofit’s collective voice works to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive community for all. It does so in a number of ways, including by serving as the fiscal sponsor for The R.I.S.E. Initiative. Cutliff co-founded it after the inaugural National Trans Visibility March in 2019, the landmark rally for transgender rights held in D.C. Her co-founder attended the march in person, Cutliff vicariously in tow, and the two saw a need for economic rescue for transgender and gendernonconforming locals. R.I.S.E. was formed to seek employment and sustainable income for transgender and gender nonconforming Central Floridians. “Many women came back and felt called to action to better our lives and the lives of our communities,” Cutliff explains. “I learned people were hurting and that beyond statistics, there are some of us who beat those numbers. “There is a segment of our community who is in need of stewardship and allyship,” she continues. “Why do we feel as though sex work is one of the first options we have? Why can’t we be like everyone else in the world and feel as though we can go forward with our minds to contribute to society? We want to change how people think about the employment they’re seeking.” R.I.S.E. does so by stressing the accessibility and importance of entry level work as well as living within one’s means. They help workers create and update their resumes while encouraging beneficiaries of the program to know their worth. Cutliff draws upon her own experiences to help others do that, from her various stages of homelessness to dabbling in sex work and serving time in prison. “I was a three-time loser,” she says. “I was in the Department of Corrections. I am Black. I should have been discounted from doing a lot of the work that I’ve been able to do,” she explains. “I let women know not to discount themselves and to always see their potential.” "You can always move up that ladder and get to the sustainable place you want to be in your life," she continues. "You just have to know that you’re worth it. You have to know that.” Cutliff says that too often, transgender women of color are stigmatized, sexualized or glamorized. It can lead members of the community to dehumanize themselves and neglect their safety. “When it comes to our cisgender counterparts, they are very much empowered to defend themselves,” she says. “I think a lot of times when it comes to transgender women, the default is that we can defend ourselves and that’s not always the case. Sometimes we need others to defend us, or to be given the skills to defend ourselves.” Cutliff says that one goal of R.I.S.E. is to become its own nonprofit, something its leadership is actively working toward. In the interim, the organization will continue helping everyone they can. ”We’re a fledgling initiative,” she says. “We want to see where this is going to naturally grow.” To learn more about the One Orlando Alliance and The R.I.S.E. Initiative, visit OneOrlandoAlliance.org.

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NAOMI WRIGHT AGE 33, TAMPA

aomi Wright grew up with a

fascination of the entertainment industry. From an early age, she was drawn to film, theater and the costumes, fashion and makeup found in each.

It led her to idolize Walt Disney. “I always wanted to be like him,” Wright says. “To have a business inhabiting my multitude of interests. I knew as I grew older that I wanted to do something to make my stamp on the world.” That led her to Orlando, where she auditioned to become an entertainer at her idol’s namesake, Walt Disney World. She also toured in a number of stage productions, where she discovered her love for drag as the entertainer Viktoria Sommers. Through any obstacles she faced in the workforce, Wright never lost sight of her dream. “I wanted to become a mogul,” she explains. “To be the face of my own company.” That hasn’t been an easy goal as a transgender woman in Florida, she says, particularly as someone of color. “In the last couple of years, we’re being murdered at a rapid rate,” she says. “With no justice. “There’s been a narrative that it’s happening because trans women aren’t being truthful about who we are, but we’re being murdered because of being truthful,” she stresses. “It’s been an issue for years that’s been ignored, but finally we’re getting more representation.” Wright says that representation for the transgender community matters in every facet of life, including the workforce. As she continued to work toward owning her own business, she became a fan favorite entertainer throughout Tampa Bay and Central Florida, teaching herself to sew in the process. “I was trying to better my drag and that turned into honing my abilities,” she explains. “It was a long road because I taught myself basically everything. There was a lot of trial and error.” Wright knew her efforts were worth it once other entertainers began commissioning her work. The interest led her to create Haute Coudoor LLC in 2018, where she makes “quality costumes and clothing that can be sent to your door.” Her venture has been a success, producing work for male, female and nonbinary entertainers, students attending formal proms and others. “My business expanded by offering services and promoting it online,” she says. “I’ve mailed to Canada and I have clients all over the U.S.” Next month, Wright will expand her offerings to include a makeup line. Haute Coudoor Cosmetics will release with “a 25-set eyeshadow palette, large blending sponges and gorgeous lashes,” she says. “All with the grand flare and luxury quality the company strives for.” “I want to become a global brand,” Wright says, one step closer to her empire. “I want representation in my line for everyone, whether they’re transgender, cisgender or nonbinary.” At its core, that’s what Wright’s business is all about: energizing others. “I want to empower others as much as it empowers me,” she says. “I want to help create that positive feeling, because when we look nicer, when we look sharper, we know how it makes us feel inside. We all deserve to feel that.” Wright also wants other members of the transgender community to know they can chase their own dreams. “If there’s something that you truly love and feel like you can do, don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t,” she stresses. “If it’s something that you truly want in your heart, you can go for it. That’s exactly what I did. “Life is too short, especially for a trans person,” she adds. “You’ve come so far to live your truth of who you are – don’t stop just because the world puts limitations on where you can go.” For more information about Haute Coudoor and Haute Coudoor Cosmetics, visit Instagram.com/ Haute.Coudoor.

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MULAN WILLIAMS

AGE 41, ORLANDO

ivas in Dialogue is a nonprofit that

works to empower transgender women of color, but Mulan Williams notes it’s also “my baby.” She founded it to create a sisterhood that ensures people like her have a seat at every table.

The organization is fiscally sponsored by Miracle of Love, the oldest community-based, minority HIV/AIDS organization in Central Florida. Williams serves as its outreach coordinator, working to provide inclusive services while cultivating a safe space at the Stafford House, its drop-in center. The first Divas in Dialogue meeting was hosted there in 2019 after the National Trans Visibility March. “There was nothing here for us, especially for the Black transgender women,” she explains. “I started it as a simple support group." Participants initially discussed current events and met monthly. The organization evolved after Williams was given the opportunity to attend a class on leadership and received a sizable grant, allowing her to create a Divas in Dialogue learning cohort. “We gave courses on life skills,” Williams explains. “Classes on resume building, body positivity, on just learning how to love yourself – accepting yourself for who you are, no matter what society says. It was a safe space to be yourself and we had a graduation; it was so amazing.” She’s also been able to partner with the Gender Advancement Project, of which she also serves as a board member. The trans-led, grassroots movement is dedicated to the progression and inclusion of gender nonbinary individuals in all facets of life. The partnership allows them to assist individuals with name changes and more, and beneficiaries have personally reached out to Divas in Dialogue to share their success stories. “Things like that let us know that it’s working,” she explains. “It also lets us know that it didn’t work for everyone, so we know we still have more work to do.” That mirrors her views on transgender equality statewide. “We’re getting better than we were in the past,” Williams explains. “We’re not quite there yet but we’re getting better. We’re on the right path. “We need more trans leadership,” she stresses. “We need more trans women to step up and take on roles to help guide things because no one knows what we need more than we do.” That’s something she understands well. Williams draws on her personal experiences to help guide anyone seeking empowerment from Divas in Dialogue. “I was in sex work for over 20 years,” she explains. “I started there because society had brainwashed me to feel that’s all I was worth doing and that’s all I could do,” a direct result of social stigma and workplace discrimination. Her role at Miracle of Love changed that. Years ago, the nonprofit’s executive director personally offered her a role with the organization. “I couldn’t believe it because I really was brainwashed,” she explains. “My dream of having a regular job was long gone.” Through Divas in Dialogue, she’s able to offer that feeling to others. “Our mission is to uplift and bring women to the table and that’s what we’re doing,” Williams says. “We received a grant from the health department and I was just able to hire my first trans employee. “I cried,” she explains. “Being able to do that was an amazing feeling for me because we’re always at the bottom of the totem pole.” Williams says she’ll be able to hire three more transgender workers soon. “Being trans, I know how hard it is to find a job, even with the world accepting us more,” she says. “Hopefully that puts a spark into them to let them know that the world is changing.” Above all, Williams stresses one thing to every member of the transgender community: “Never let your past dictate your future.” To learn more about Divas in Dialogue and Miracle of Love, visit Facebook.com/DivasInDialogue and MiracleOfLoveInc.org.

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

April 1 & 3, 2021 Walt Disney Theater

www.operaorlando.org

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

arts and Entertainment

Robert Jones Jr. cultivates community with ‘Son of Baldwin,’ ‘The Prophets’

Ryan Williams-Jent

t took Robert Jones Jr. 14 years to

write “The Prophets,” but almost no time at all to become an instant New York Times-bestselling author once it was published. His debut novel was released Jan. 5 and has been described as a new American standard, a love letter to both history and the Black, LGBTQ love it has so often ignored.

Photo by Alberto Vargas RainRiver Images

“The Prophets” introduces readers to Isaiah and Samuel, two enslaved men on a Deep South plantation who find sanctuary in one another’s arms. A historical fiction detailed through a contemporary lens, it addresses issues of race, religion, sexuality and more in ways that only Jones could. The author founded “Son of Baldwin” in 2008, a thriving social justice community that pays tribute to James Baldwin, the Black, LGBTQ voice of a generation. Jones saw everything he wanted to become in the celebrated novelist and created it to fight for marginalized voices everywhere. “A quote widely attributed to James Baldwin, but was, in fact, coined by Robert Jones Jr. … succinctly states the intention of Son of Baldwin,” the blog explains. “‘We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.’”

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The community gives space to diverse voices from across the globe, among them continental Africans who would inspire Jones to continue his work on “The Prophets.” The blog exposed him “to people whose ideas about gender, sexuality and gender identity are wholly different from how I was raised in a Western culture to interpret them,” he says, directly influencing its narrative. “Isaiah was Samuel’s and Samuel was Isaiah’s,” the novel is officially described. “That was the way it was since the beginning, and the way it was to be until the end. In the barn they tended to the animals, but also to each other, transforming the hollowed-out shed into a place of human refuge, a source of intimacy and hope in a world ruled by vicious masters. “But when an older man—a fellow slave—seeks to gain favor by preaching

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| uu | Rising Son from pg.29

the master’s gospel on the plantation, the enslaved begin to turn on their own,” the synopsis continues. “Isaiah and Samuel’s love, which was once so simple, is seen as sinful and a clear danger to the plantation’s harmony.” Watermark interviewed Jones after the release of “The Prophets,” becoming the first LGBTQ publication to do so and receiving an exclusive in the process. Jones says he is now in talks to adapt the novel into a film or limited series – and discussed his career with us at length as his profile continues to rise.

WATERMARK: Why are dedicated spaces for Black, LGBTQ voices like “Son of Baldwin” still so important?

ROBERT JONES JR.: At that intersection of being Black and also being LGBTQ, you experience this weird dichotomy in terms of where you find community. You go into some Black communities and you’re unwelcome because of the LGBTQ+ part of yourself – then you go into some LGBTQ+ communities, and you’re unaccepted because of the Black part of yourself. So there needs to be a space where people who inhabit all of these identities combine. And at that intersection, have a place to talk, to learn, to grow, to laugh, to sing, to dance, where we don’t feel sort of left out or judged, or in danger from the people who for some reason can’t see the humanity in us.

or even what we call transgender. There’s no need to give that separate categories; they were all considered part of the landscape. That was such an eye-opening moment for me because I thought that everybody in the world thought like Americans about these things – and no, they do not. There are other ways to approach these things and I would have never known that, if not for “Son of Baldwin” and encountering the people who participate in that space. What influenced you to write “The Prophets?”

Well, in undergrad, my minor was Africana Studies – and it was the first time that I had encountered that many Black

What did you find?

I could only find references to Black, queer people in the context of sexual assault or rape. I said, “These are heterosexual people writing about queerness as something despicable, disgusting and depraved. Where are the stories about Black, queer people in loving situations or even lustful but consensual situations?” So I said, “Let me start reading and writing” and I could not find it anywhere, so something told me I was going to have to write this. The late, great Toni Morrison said, “If you cannot find the book you wish to read, then you must write it,” and I was terrified to do so. There was no template, there was no infrastructure for me to imagine what it must have

what would eventually become “The Prophets” 14 years later. How did you begin shaping the novel’s characters?

I began with Samuel after I found those shackles. I started to sit down to sort of sketch him out: who he was, what he looked like, what he loved to eat, those sorts of little human details. Initially, “The Prophets” was going to be told from a singular point of view, the character who eventually became Isaiah. Then I thought, “No, maybe I think I should tell it from Samuel’s point of view since he’s the first character that I imagined,” so I tried that and it didn’t work. Samuel did not have the scope or the perspective to talk about all

For so very long, Black, LGBTQ people have been subject to untold horrors that results in not just violence and death, but in a profound self-hatred ... I'm hoping that 'The Prophets' helps Black, LGBTQ people – and Black people in general – realize that those things are lies, so that Black, LGBTQ people can reclaim their glory. — Robert Jones Jr.

What have you learned from the community?

What’s so wonderful about “Son of Baldwin” is that it’s global. The people who participate in it are from all over the world … for example, Esther Armah, who is a brilliant artist and activist, she’s from Ghana. She’s said, “If you asked my great grandparents, ‘what is the homosexual?’ They would have said, ‘I don’t know, we don’t have that here.’” People have interpreted that as to say that there are no homosexuals in her culture, in her tribe, and they would have been wrong. If they had explained to her great grandparents, “this is what I mean by homosexuals,” they would have said, “Oh, I get it. Love. We have that, yes,” because for them, there was no reason to distinguish love between two men or love between two women,

writers. In my education prior to that, I don’t think I was ever assigned a single book by a Black writer. But as an undergrad, I was reading all of these fantastic people … I was devouring everything that I was reading and found something to be curious. I realized that the Black, queer figure, whether male or female, does not show up in Black history until about the Harlem Renaissance, when Wallace Thurman is writing in 1929, “The Blacker the Berry.” I said, “Okay, so we begin at 1929. Where were we before that? What were we called? What did we do? Where were we, how did we love?” I started scouring the canon to look for that information.

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been like to be Black and what we now call queer, in the conditions of something like antebellum slavery, which is the period in which I wanted to discuss it. How did you begin the process?

When I went to grad school, one of my instructors gave me an assignment to find objects that a character we’re thinking about might possess – and I found a pair of shackles in the garbage on the streets of Brooklyn. I immediately took that as a sign that this is that enslaved character that I was afraid to write about, telling me to please tell his story. That character turned out to be Samuel, and that semester, October 2006, I began writing the first sentences and sketches of

of the things I wanted to discuss in this novel. So I thought that the heart of the story is the love between Samuel and Isaiah, and that love needed witnesses. The first thing I had to do is really establish the passion, the love and the intimacy between Samuel and Isaiah – and then I had to imagine characters who would be inspired by that, who would be terrified by that, who would be disgusted by that and who would want to either protect it or smash it. That is how the community came about around them, each of them having perspectives about Samuel and Isaiah’s love. Who are The Prophets?

As I was writing and rewriting “The Prophets” I kept coming back to the break – not just in

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the book, but in the research I did – the point at which Black people suddenly saw queerness as something disgusting. And that point was with Christian indoctrination. So I went back to pre-colonial African societies to look at how they looked at gender. What we now call queer and trans were normal parts in many of the societies of Africa and it did not change until European colonization and Christian missionaries came into their territories and essentially brainwashed them into believing that these behaviors, these states of being, these identities, were sinful.

How did you approach that?

I needed to represent how that break occurs in a literary fashion, and one of the ways was with names. Often, enslaved Africans were stripped of their real names and given biblical names by the white people who owned them, and so I thought, “that’s another way that this break occurs: you’re robbed of your culture and given another one.” The propaganda is so strong that you begin to believe these beliefs as your own – and so, the reason why I entitled the book “The Prophets” is because one, these characters are renamed as biblical characters, and are also giving testimony in the same way that biblical prophets do. And two, because the ancestral voice that comes in to talk to the reader … is serving as a kind of prophecy in which they’re trying to tell these enslaved people and the readers, “This is not how we should be with one another. There was another way before you were indoctrinated, let us tell you.” Did you have concerns about sharing that?

I was terrified to write the book because I was so afraid that people would see it as a sacrilege. Here I am saying that Black, queer people have always existed, which is something very contrary to what many people believe. Many people in Black communities believe that queerness is a result of trauma, that Europeans defiled us and made us queer, not that you could possibly be born queer or that you become queer as a natural part of nature. So I feared a lot of backlash from Christians, from homophobes and anti-LGBTQ people and thought that people would find it farfetched, because we don’t really talk about this

at all. Wonderfully though, since writing and during the process of writing this book, other Black authors have broached this topic … I no longer feel alone, I feel like I have community. So that gave me courage to go ahead and continue writing and getting this book out into the world.

white readers but all readers get from “The Prophets.” On that note, what do you hope Black, LGBTQ readers might take from it?

Their glory. For so very long, Black, LGBTQ people have been subject to untold horrors that results in not just violence and death, but in a profound self-hatred. We do things to harm ourselves and to harm others in our community because we’re perpetuating what we’ve been taught about ourselves and lies. I’m hoping that “The Prophets” helps Black, LGBTQ people – and Black people in general – realize that those things are lies, so that Black, LGBTQ people can reclaim their glory. And therefore, open a path for other people to reclaim their glory too, by recognizing Black, LGBTQ people as fully human. As a part of the community worthy of dignity and respect.

It’s out there in a big way. How did you find out it was an instant New York Times Best Seller?

Oh my goodness. My husband and I were sitting on the sofa, watching “Vikings.” (Laughs.) It was maybe five or six o’clock and my phone kept buzzing. I looked and I see all of these messages from my agent, PJ Mark, my editor, Sally Kim and my publicist, Katie McKee. I called them back and they put themselves on three way and we’re all talking and they’re like, “Robert, Robert, you won’t believe this.” How did it feel?

What’s next in your career?

I did not expect it. I wrote this literary novel that’s about this really specific population of people, and I thought, “who’s going to want to read this in the mainstream?” I was not expecting to chart at all – so when they said it, I could not absorb it. I couldn’t absorb it. The entire Putnam team and I got on Zoom, everyone was applauding and then at some point, it hit me: “This book is on the New York Times Best Seller list.” I just broke down into tears … Any success that this book experiences is because of two groups of people, the Putnam publicity and marketing team and independent booksellers that went to bat for it. I am eternally grateful for that.

The moment I can sort of put “The Prophets” to bed, at least in my creative mind, my intention is to write as many more novels as I possibly can … I have an idea for another novel, which I was 40 pages into before I had to turn in my “Prophets” manuscript. It takes place in the 1980s, here in New York City, and I am anxious to get back to those characters to see what they have to say, what they have to tell me. I have ideas for at least two more beyond that, but we shall see. What else should readers know about your work?

Why do you feel “The Prophets” is important for white readers, particularly those who are LGBTQ?

instant hit: Jones' debut immedlately landed on the New York Times Best Seller list. Photo courtesy G. P. Putnam’s Sons

I think it’s a good book for white people, and specifically white LGBTQ people to read, because just like in the rest of society, there is a kind of persistent anti-Blackness in white LGBTQ spaces. White, LGBTQ people often don’t think they can be racist because they are also marginalized as LGBTQ, and so they do not recognize it or self-reflect about it. It shows up in myriad ways, including in some sexual ways. Not just with the profiles that say “No Blacks” but also in the fetishization of Blackness … dehumanizing terms

coming from white LGBTQ people who think that they’re paying us compliments … that are actually anti-Black/racist. So if they read “The Prophets,” they can see for example, the ways in which Timothy, one of [the white] characters also fetishizes the two main characters, and the problematics that causes. When you fetishize someone, you are stripping them of their full humanity and making them into an object of desire, “object” being the operative word. So

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maybe we can begin to have a confrontation.

Why is it important to have?

As Americans we always want to move on without reckoning with what is hurt. You can’t heal unless you heal the wound, and you have to expose the wound to clean it. You can’t just put a Band-Aid over it and let it get infected, and that’s what we do in the country. So hopefully, white readers get that sense out of the book, a renewed sense of humanity, not just for Black people, but

for themselves. When you are anti-Black, when you are a racist person, you are not demeaning Black people, you’re demeaning yourself. You might be harming Black people, but you’re diminishing your own humanity by doing that. I just want us all to look at each other as human beings, say, “I respect you because you exist, period, the end, whatever your identity is, and I have no rights to dominion over you, or control over you, or to do you any harm.” That’s what I’m hoping not just

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This is a difficult book in terms of its subject matter, in terms of structure and language. I ask that people take their time with it, because it is not something to be read like a mainstream book might be read. I also want to say to LGBTQ writers, please write, please tell your stories. You need to be out there. People need to be reading things that happened to us and to see the world from our perspective, which has been ignored for so very long. I know it’s difficult and you might have a lot of opposition but write anyway.

Robert Jones Jr.’s “The Prophets,” published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, is available wherever books are sold. To order your copy and to learn more about Jones and “Son of Baldwin,” visit SonOfBaldwin.com.

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

Theater

The Talk of the Town

Theater West End takes on Judy Garland’s last days in ‘End of the Rainbow’

(above)

near the end: The iconic Judy Garland readies for a performance in her dressing room in 1957. Photo in the public domain

Lora Korpar

udiences can experience the

last few months of iconic actress and musician Judy Garland’s life in “End of the Rainbow” at Sanford’s Theater West End.

The socially distanced performances of the Broadway play start Feb. 26. In the age of COVID-19, Derek Critzer, managing artistic director and co-owner of Theater West End, initially wasn’t sure what kind of show they could put on safely. But after watching the 2019 Academy Award-winning movie “Judy” and falling in love with it, he discovered that it was based on the play. “It’s three actors and full of Judy Garland music and I was like, ‘this is about as marketable as marketable gets,’” Critzer says. “And here we are.” “End of the Rainbow” is set in London, where Garland is with her fifth husband (then fiancé) Mickey

Deans and her accompanist Anthony, preparing for her series of concerts at The Talk of the Town nightclub. The show explores her struggles with drug addiction and her tense relationships with the two men. Though it is a play, the show also incorporates music taken directly from the setlist of Garland’s concert series at The Talk of the Town. “This play really does emphasize the last portion of her life where she had lived a hard life of a lot of years and had lots of husbands already,” says Melissa Minyard, the actress playing Garland in this production. “It’s not the feel-good Judy Garland in this play.”

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This is not Minyard’s first time playing the iconic role. The former Broadway actress first took on the role three years ago in a St. Petersburg production of the play. Critzer, knowing that Minyard had played Garland before, then asked her to reprise that role for Theater West End. Minyard says that having played the role before and having already deeply studied Garland’s mannerisms helped her this time around. “I think I actually ran through a highlighter the first time I did it, making sure I caught all the lines I have, so it’s a bit of a bear of a project,” she says. “There’s a multitude of video from her, so I have opportunities to watch her and to pick up her iconic mannerisms. But as far as my approach, I’m not an impersonator. I love the notion of really throwing myself into as much as I can extrapolate from who she was, which was kind of a mess.” Garland lost her battle with addiction in June 1969 when she died of a barbiturate overdose. The last few months of Garland’s life were characterized by her deteriorating health, her substance abuse and her efforts to make it appear as if everything was fine, which the show does not shy away from. “[In the play], she has a breakdown moment where all of her tricks that she uses to try to make her feel like she’s living a fulfilled life kind of go away and you see her core fear of abandonment,” Minyard says. “She was very dependent on drugs to keep her going. It’s that whole cycle of life – she took pills to sleep, she took pills to stay awake, she drank too much. My responsibility, particularly in those darker, sad moments, is to be just as authentic and sincere and honest about them as possible.” Rob Ward, the show’s director, is best known as a comedic director. He says he loves how there are moments of dark comedy sprinkled in with the tragedy of the show. “I hope that [audiences] take away that people who are struggling with addiction and with mental health

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issues are still humans and are not just the concept of their struggles,” Ward says.“They’re human beings who have full lives and full worlds.” Ward, a former show director at Walt Disney World, has been directing for 20 years. As one of the many casualties of the most recent round of Disney layoffs, Ward says this show was “the right project at the right time.” However, putting on a show during a pandemic posed a unique problem in that most physicality and intimacy is not compliant with COVID-19 social distancing measures. “Just a quick kiss on the cheek or holding hands – those kinds of moments of intimacy really require us to rethink the concept of intimacy and what is intimacy between two people, because we can’t rely on the instant moment of a kiss on the lips,” Ward says. “Instead, we have to get that moment across with some different form of intimacy. Sometimes it’s in a longing look, sometimes it’s a quick touch on the shoulder. But it’s a very different way of displaying that.” The actors wear clear masks on stage and when Minyard is singing, she’s alone on the stage, distanced at least 15 feet away from the band and the audience. “The arts in general have been decimated by [the pandemic] because the nature of what we do involves people being in a room together,” Minyard says. “So there’s challenges in finding ways to connect with your fellow actors.[Wearing clear masks] is tremendous. Just being able to see someone’s face is huge.” Theater West End is committed to making their productions as safe as possible. The cast and crew are required to get COVID-19 tested weekly. Audiences will also be required to wear masks and get their temperatures checked before entering the theater. “Me and my partner, we opened the theater back in 2018,” Critzer says. “We’re barely two years old. So, trying to figure out how to navigate and survive in a pandemic has been a daily struggle. But we’re here and we are pivoting as much as possible and thinking outside the box to try to create a safe environment for our audiences to return to.” “End of the Rainbow” plays Feb. 26-March 14 at Theater West End in Sanford. Tickets start at $55 for a table of two and are available at TheaterWestEnd.com.

T h e c I R c U S A R TS co N Se RvATo RY p R e S e N TS

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

announcements

tampa bay out+about

CONGRATULATIONS The Honey Pot marks 14 years in Ybor in March. City Councilmember Darden Rice has received a spotlight endorsement from the LGBTQ Victory Fund in her race for St. Petersburg mayor. Read more on p. 11.

CONDOLENCES Stageworks Theatre founder and Tampa Bay theater community staple Anna Brennen died Feb. 12. In honor of her legacy, her family has asked those interested in doing so to consider a donation to Stageworks Theatre or the Actor’s Fund. She will be missed.

EVENTS “Scott and Patti: Get a Real Job!” has extended its run at freeFall Theatre through Feb. 21. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com. Empath Partners in Care (EPIC) is holding a virtual “I Run for Safe Sex” 5K/10K now through Feb. 28, the first Tampa Bay AIDS Walk event since 2017. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com. Voss Events’ “Drive ‘N Drag Saves 2021” will be held Feb. 23-24 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Westfield Brandon. Read our interview with headliner Bianca Del Rio and read more about the show at WatermarkOnline.com. The LGBTQ Resource Center at the Gulfport Public Library will virtually present ReadOut 2021 Feb. 26-28, its fourth annual festival of lesbian literature. Read all about this year’s event at WatermarkOnline.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Tampa’s Xtreme Total Health and Wellness consultant Ty Williams; Stonewall Pinellas Democrat Rick Boylan, St. Petersburg artist Jay Hoff (Feb. 19); Watermark husband Wade Williams-Jent, Tampa model and web site recruiter Michael Vought, Tampa Bay leather entrepreneur Billy Seablom, Lighthouse Credit Foundation founder David Crow, Tampa Bay actor Jay Goldberg, Sarasota realtor Michael Grady (Feb. 20); Tampa Bay entertainer Jade Embers Cohen, Tampa Bay entertainer LaDiamond Haze (Feb. 21); Tampa consultant Bart Nagy, TIGLFF superstar Renee Cossette, St Pete Pride Treasurer Stanley Solomons, Graphi-ko Gallery owner Wilmer E. Vergara Homez (Feb. 22); Sunrise Body Revival Chiropractic’s Dr. Travis France, Holiday Visions decorator Sean Reynolds-Steele (Feb. 23); Tampa hairstylist Christopher Nejman, Tampa Bay’s FabStayz Robert Geller, Tampa Bay transgender activist Janice Carney, Regions manager Bob Sanders, TIGLFF Programming Director Derek Horne (Feb. 25); Tampa softballer Carlos Lopez, Sarasota Ballet marketing manager Mike Marraccini, Tampa massage therapist Eduardo Campos, St. Pete socialite James Brink (Feb. 27); Polk Pride’s Scott Guira, Rome Venture founder Tomas Carlucci (Feb. 28); Tampa Bay bowler Carmen Aguilar (March 2); Tampa photographer Todd Montgomery, Tampa Bay Sister of Perpetual Indulgence DiDi Daytripper, Florida House Rep. and ally Fentrice Driskell, St. Petersburg realtor DJ Soucy (March 3).

PUPPY LOVE: St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Darden Rice introduces Ruthie Barker Ginsburg to the world Feb. 12. PHOTO COURTESY DARDEN RICE

TRUCKIN’ ALONG: Buckeye Pizza Truck’s Kevin Johnson (L) and Steve Stroufe celebrate National Pizza Day Feb. 9. PHOTO COURTESY BUCKEYE PIZZA TRUCK

KEEP IT MOVING: Miguel Fuller (L) and Scott Tavlin recreate Tom Brady’s walk of shame Feb. 12. PHOTO COURTESY THE MIGUEL & HOLLY SHOW

HOMETOWN HEROES: Tampa General Nurse Manager Suzie Dorner (R) and girlfriend Melanie head to Super Bowl LV Feb. 7.

PHOTO COURTESY ST PETE PRIDE

MAKING WAVES: Ana Cruz (L) and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor mark Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl victory at the Buccaneers’ boat parade Feb. 10. PHOTO

COURTESY JANE CASTOR

CHAMPA BAY: Team Southern Nights Tampa shows their Tampa Bay Buccaneers pride during Super Bowl LV Feb. 7. PHOTO COURTESY

SOUTHERN NIGHTS TAMPA

TAMPA PROUD: The Tampa Pride board and volunteers pack event sponsorship packets Feb. 11 ahead of this year’s big return. PHOTO COURTESY TAMPA PRIDE

SHARING THE LOVE: Diversity Arts and Northwestern Mutual’s Matthieu Chin partner to make Valentine’s Day cards for Empath Health and Suncoast Hospice clients Feb. 6. PHOTO

COURTESY DIVERSITY ARTS

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February 18 - M a rch 3, 2021 // Issue 28 .0 4 wat e r m a r konline .com

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Grow Financial FCU AMERICAN HEROES DAY Mar. 10 ALL Military & Veterans, Law Enforcement & First Responders admitted Free with valid ID

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Moonlight Magic Mar. 12 10pm - 2am $25

Farm Worker Appreciation Day Mar. 13