Watermark Issue 28.05: Celebratory WAVE

Your LGBTQ Life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 Issue 28.05

Celebratory WAVE Central Florida, Tampa Bay name their favorites in the Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence

Rep. Charlie Crist reflects on ‘joyful’ Equality Act vote

‘The Ribbon Maker’ brings Orlando Ribbon Project to an end

D A Y T O N A B E A C H • O R L A N D O • T A M P A • S T . P E T E R S B U R G • clear w ater • S A R A S O T A

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

departments 7 // Publisher’s Desk

page

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8 // Central Florida News 13// Tampa Bay News 18// State News

I remain committed to working each day to ensure Orlando is a city where the voices of LGBTQ+ residents and all people in our city are heard and every person feels equally valued and protected.

—Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer on being named Central Florida’s Favorite Local Politician and Favorite Local Ally for Equality in the 2021 WAVES

20// Nation & World News 27// Talking Points 51// Tampa Bay Out + About 53// Central Fl Out + About 55// Wedding Bells 56// Tampa Bay Marketplace 58// Central Fl Marketplace 62// The Last Page On the cover

page Swing Along: Kid Congo

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page Celebratory

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WAVE: Central Florida,

Tampa Bay name their favorites in the Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence.

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WatermarkOnline.com

Powers discusses his latest EP and reflects on 40 years as a queer rocker.

Watermark Issue 28.05 // March 4 - 17, 2021

Passion Project

Community Champion

Unsolved Murder

Intersectional Advocate

page Ben Johansen brings his Orlando Ribbon Project to an end.

page Equality Florida endorses Councilmember Gina Driscoll for re-election.

page

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

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Miami-Dade Police ask for help in solving murder of Black trans woman.

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Grace Korley’s inaugural Viewpoint looks at privilege in a time of crisis.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WatermarkOnline and Like us on Facebook. watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

Publisher’s

Rick Claggett PUblisher

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

W

Desk

hen I graduated high

school, my parents put together a huge 3-ring binder scrapbook of my life and gifted it to me. It was quite impressive on their part. The memoir started with a beautiful letter about how proud they were of me, followed by every school picture of me in grade order. They included every award and certificate I received and every playbill for every show I was in. It concluded with my acceptance letter to college and scholarship notification.

My favorite part of this book was the cover. They had taken random photos of my childhood and captioned some of them.

There was the photo of the time at the beach I caught a fish with my bare hands. The obligatory Disney photo where I seem to strike a fierce Fosse pose in Adventureland like I was screaming to come out of the closet. The best photo, though, was me in my suit, presumably dressed up for my sister’s high

school graduation, with both hands on my jacket lapel and my mouth wide open as if I were screaming “Sit down, you’re rockin’ the boat,” from “Guys and Dolls.” The photo caption read, “Which reminds me of a story.”

That pretty much sums me up.

I was always telling stories. Still do. In fact, I talk so much that the Watermark staff enjoys the days when I work in the other office so they can get some work done. It’s

just who I have always been and probably why I wanted to be an actor most of my life.

When I was alone, or when others were tired of listening to me talk, I’d daydream about the people I would see in passing.

There would be a woman in her 70s in the backseat of the car and I would imagine her entire life: where she grew up, what kind of work she did, what strife she suffered, where she found joy and who she surrounded herself with.

I found it profound that there were so many people in the world whose entire lives existed outside of my own, and that my entire life existed in such a small fragment of a city, a state, a country and a world. Although our paths crossed we were completely unconnected.

I promise I didn’t smoke a joint before endeavoring to write this column.

My point is that we all exist in our own world. We have our own set of experiences that guide us and help form our belief systems that hold true for us. The same is true for the person next to you. The story I invented for the woman in her 70s is likely not her real story, but she definitely has one. She’s had parents, friends who care about her. Something in her life has caused her pain and something has brought a smile to her face. At the end of the day, through all of her experiences, she is connected in a world outside of my existence. As my high school English teachers drilled in my head, “No man is an island.”

I find that remembering this about people helps me get through the tough times. It reminds me to be good to others. Soon we will start to return to pre-COVID activities. Vaccines will make it safer to be in public. Stores will be crowded and the streets will be overrun with cars. Let’s do our best to be good to each other as we learn to co-exist again. Let’s

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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remember that each of us has our own story and let’s work to make this human experience a better place for all of us. Let’s celebrate each other.

In this issue of Watermark, we do just that: we celebrate your favorites. This year’s WAVE winners hold a special place in Watermark’s history. 2020 was an incredibly tough year for nonprofits, small businesses and entertainers. Those listed in these pages deserve recognition for their hard work to keep our community running. I am in

Let’s remember that each of us has our own story and let’s work to make this human experience a better place for all of us.

awe of your ingenuity and ability to adapt and survive under the extreme circumstances of last year.

Congratulations to all of the top three winners, you’ve earned it!

In local news, Central Florida’s Ribbon Maker, Ben Johansen retires the Orlando Ribbon Project, Tampa Bay’s U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist reflects on the historic Equality Act vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and St Pete Pride gives us a look at this year’s Taste of Pride. Our Arts and Entertainment section takes a look at Congo Kid Powers’ 40-year career as a queer rocker.

We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you 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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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

contributors Grace Korley

is an activist and volunteer with Sarasota’s Harvey Milk Festival, where she is collaborating to bring greater visibility to LGBTQ+ people of color. Page 23

divine Grace

is an Orlandobased trouble maker with a forked tongue and all the charm you can imagine. Page 25

Lora Korpar was

a journalism student at the University of Central Florida and a former Watermark intern. She graduated in Spring 2020. Page 55

Sabrina Ambra, Nathan Bruemmer, Scottie Campbell, Miguel Fuller, Divine Grace, Holly Kapherr Alejos, Jason Leclerc, Melody Maia Monet, Jerick Mediavilla, Greg Stemm, Dr. Steve yacovelli, Michael wanzie

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

distribution LVNLIF2 Distributing, Ken Carraway, Vanessa Maresca-Cruz

CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher.

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central florida news

History Center chief curator named new executive director Jeremy Williams

O

RLANDO | Pamela Schwartz, the Orange County Regional History Center’s chief curator who was the architect behind the One Orlando Collection Initiative, has been named the center’s new executive director.

According to a press release Feb. 23, Schwartz has been serving as the history center’s interim executive director since former director Michael Perkins retired in January.

In the wake of the 2016 Pulse tragedy, Schwartz helped develop the One Orlando Collection Initiative, which set out to collect, conserve and catalog artifacts to honor the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. More than 10,000 items were collected from a variety of memorial sites including Pulse nightclub, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Lake Eola and the Orlando Regional Medical Center.

“The Stories They Could Tell,” the history center’s fourth-year Pulse remembrance exhibition, is available to view virtually due to the ongoing pandemic until May 30. The online exhibit, which is available in both English and Spanish, shares stories of the items and artifacts collected.

For more information on Schwartz and the Orange County Regional History Center, and to visit the virtual Pulse exhibition, go to TheHistoryCenter.org.

entertainment group owner called out for transphobic posts Jeremy Williams

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ANFORD, Fla. | The owner of an entertainment group based out of Sanford, Florida has come under fire by LGBTQ+ activists and performers for controversial posts on social media seen as being transphobic and racist.

Stan Allen, president and CEO of Allengang Entertainment, was called out by several Central Florida entertainers Feb. 17 on a Facebook post in which Allen shared a meme stating there are only two genders.

The meme, which Allen shared Feb. 3 to Facebook, shows a picture of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with the words “Climate change is proven by science.

Why can’t you accept that?” Underneath is a picture of

Continued on pg. 10 | uu |

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Ribbon Maker: Ben Johansen’s Orlando Ribbon Project resulted in 1.3 million rainbow ribbons during its run. Photo courtesy

Passion Project ‘The Ribbon Maker’ Ben Johansen brings his Orlando Ribbon Project to an end Isaiah Peters

O

RLANDO | Ben Johansen announced on social media Feb. 16, after nearly five years, he is retiring the Orlando Ribbon Project, an initiative to hand out rainbow ribbons around the world in order to spread a message of love and hope and as a way to honor the memory of the 49 lives lost at the 2016 Pulse tragedy.

Johansen began making those now familiar rainbow ribbons with a black bar across them as a way to cope with the news of what happened at Pulse and to “do something that brings awareness to everything that was going on.”

His project, which turned into a movement, earned him the nickname “The Ribbon Maker.”

“It actually happened the second day I was making ribbons,” Johansen said in a 2016 interview with then Watermark editor Billy Manes. “I had a reporter following me around, and I was telling him about Orlando, and he was interested. So, he’s actually the one

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

who coined me the ‘Ribbon Maker’ and wrote the story.”

Since those first days, the Orlando Ribbon Project has created 1.3 million ribbons which have made their way to all 50 states, 67 countries and every continent, Antarctica included.

“Antarctica was the last of the continents that I needed to get them to,” Johansen says.

After a year and a half of trying, he finally was able to find and speak with a researcher working in Antarctica. It took another nine months following their conversation to finally be able to see his ribbons being worn there.

“All the scientists there were very excited to put on the ribbons,” Johansen says, “They went outside and took pictures of themselves in the snow with the ribbons on. It was very cool.”

Those little ribbons have also been worn by dozens of politicians and celebrities including Vice President Kamala Harris, former presidential candidates Julian Castro and Pete Buttigieg, entertainers Jamie Lee Curtis, Alan

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

Ben Johansen

Cumming, Patti LaPone, George Takei, Ricky Lake, Ernie Hudson, Ricky Martin and more.

Initially Johansen planned to just make ribbons for friends and staff members at The Center Orlando but that turned into a project with a goal of making at least one million ribbons.

“Somebody had jokingly said, ‘How many of these are you going to make?’ and I said ‘How about a million,’ and they helped me to it,” he says. “I was able to get to the millionth mark by the 2019 Pride celebration and made the 1,000,001 on stage.”

Johansen is also spreading his ribbon awareness to Congress with a push to get lawmakers wearing the rainbow ribbon at Pulse’s five-year mark.

“The more people wear them, more people will see them and more people might start to take action,” Johansen says. “Maybe we will see change shortly. Just recently, I did a letter-writing campaign to all the Democrat members of Congress. I sent out over 200 letters with ribbons for them to hopefully wear on June 12.”

Johansen says while he has retired from making ribbons, he still has plenty in stock to hand out and is looking to navigate what he’s calling “the final frontiers”: personally handing the millionth ribbon to former First Lady Continued on pg. 10 | uu |

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| uu | Passion Project from pg.8

| uu | Transphobic Posts from pg.8

actor Will Smith from “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” with the words “Science proves there are two genders why can’t you accept that?”

Attention was also drawn to a meme Allen shared Feb. 14 which depicts President Joe Biden on the phone in a mock conversation with former President Donald Trump in which Biden is saying “…I’ve nearly slipped and broken my neck 4 times today because Kamala keeps dropping banana peels on the floor.”

Allen’s page had several posts which had been flagged by the independent fact-checking website PolitiFact as containing false information including posts related to the Capitol insurrection, the Keystone Pipeline, photoshopped images of political figures and more.

Allen has since deleted his Facebook page.

According to its website, Allengang has worked with and promotes several entertainers including The Queens of Broadway; however, since having attention drawn to Allen’s racist and transphobic posts, The Queens of Broadway have been removed from the Allengang website appearing to have cut ties with the entertainment promoter.

Watermark made multiple attempts to reach out to Allen for comment but he has yet to respond.

Michelle Obama and getting a ribbon in space.

“Michelle and Barack’s team have me on their list of people to talk to, but they are busy with everything going on in the world that it’ll take some more time, but I’m very optimistic, and I think it’ll happen.”

Johansen was supposed to meet Michelle Obama at a fundraiser in May 2020, when he planned to present her with her ribbon, but it was canceled due to the pandemic.

“I still have the millionth one under glass dedicated to Michelle Obama,” he says.

As for getting a ribbon into space, Johansen says he currently has people trying to contact Elon Musk, founder and CEO of the space transportation services company SpaceX, and Richard Branson, founder of the spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. Johansen is hopeful he’ll achieve getting a ribbon into space by June 12, the five-year mark of the Pulse tragedy,

One Million: Ben Johansen makes the one millionth ribbon on stage at COme Out With Pride in 2019. Photo Couretsy Ben Johansen

but he is also being realistic in his plans.

“I won’t be disappointed if they don’t get there by June,” he says.

“I know it’s going to take some time, but I have a really good feeling that it’ll happen no matter how long it takes. I’ve got a lot of perseverance and I want this to happen, so I know it will.”

Johansen says he’s mostly received positive feedback to his ribbon project with many thanking him for honoring the 49 with a positive message and

helping spread a symbol for gun law reform.

“Whenever I see one I get this huge, virtual warm hug like I did something good. A lot of people say it’s just a ribbon but it’s more than just a ribbon,” he says.

“I want people to remember what happened here. The message with the rainbow ribbon is to remember the 49 murdered and to spread a bit of love, hope and kindness.”

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

tampa bay news

Taste of Pride returns to Grand Central District Ryan Williams-Jent

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T. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride will hold its annual Taste of Pride March 12-14 from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. in the Grand Central District, returning to its birthplace for the nonprofit’s first event of the year.

The outing will mark a departure from its traditional format, reimagined for participant safety and to serve an industry still recovering from COVID-19 closures.

Nearly 20 restaurants, breweries and bars will compete to win Best Bite, Best Brew and Best Cocktail.

“The pandemic has impacted the community in different ways,” St Pete Pride President Nathan Bruemmer says. “Some of us have lost family members or have had our own health challenged – and our local business owners have also struggled, particularly in the hospitality industry. Bringing Taste of Pride back to Grand Central seemed like the right thing to do.”

Participating locations include Avid Brew, Old Key West, Lolita’s, Sophia’s, The Saint, Casita Taqueria, If I Brewed The World, Punky’s, Pinellas Ale Works, Craftsman House, Grand Central Brewhouse, Dog Bar, Pom Pom’s and Black Crow Coffee, with other locales expected to join. Each contestant will vie to win votes with a $5 sampling of their best offerings.

“We’re going to have the competition that we typically would have but are opening it up to multiple categories,” Bruemmer explains. Patrons will vote via QR code using their cell phones.

“We’re also spreading it out over multiple days,” he adds. “It will be a good time in Grand Central.”

While donations for the nonprofit will still be accepted, no purchase from St Pete Pride will be required to attend this year’s Taste of Pride.

Instead, funds received will directly benefit the participating locations.

“This is really for those restaurants, bars and breweries that are in the district to bring people in and showcase what they do best,” Bruemmer says. “It’s a time to support the folks that support us.”

Newly-elected St Pete Pride Vice President Tiffany Freisberg agrees. “St Pete Pride is about so much more than a party – it’s an essential cultural force that helps make St. Pete the open-minded, open-hearted city we all love,” she says. “Our city’s culture hasn’t happened by accident: it’s the result of people stepping up, aspiring to a vision of what’s possible and working hard to make it a reality.”

When it comes to making St Pete Pride 2021 a reality, Bruemmer says an announcement is coming soon. In the interim, he’s focused on Taste of Pride.

“This is a way to promote equity, visibility and community while showing the LGBTQ community some love,” he says. “Taste of Pride is a small way for us to give back and accomplish our mission.”

Taste of Pride will be held March 12-14 in the Grand Central District and participants must adhere to all COVID-19 safety precautions. Read more at StPetePride.com.

ST. PETE PROUD:

St. Petersburg City Council Vice Chair Gina Driscoll during St Pete Pride 2019. PHOTO

Community Champion Equality Florida endorses Driscoll Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | Florida’s largest organization dedicated to electing pro-equality candidates has endorsed St. Petersburg City Councilmember Gina Driscoll’s re-election efforts in District 6.

Driscoll was first elected in 2017 and is currently serving a second year as the city council’s vice chair. Her campaign announced Equality Florida Action PAC had endorsed her Feb. 23, just over a month after announcing her bid for a second term.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done over the past three years,” Driscoll shared Jan. 11. “I believe we should continue our progress and that’s why I’m running for re-election.

“As we navigate the impacts of COVID-19, St. Petersburg has been a beacon of responsible, responsive government,” she continued. “We’ve worked neighborhood-by-neighborhood and block-by-block to support our local small businesses,

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

increase affordable housing and provide critical resources to our residents in need.”

Those efforts have extended to LGBTQ residents, something that led Equality Florida Action PAC to endorse her. The organization cited Driscoll’s longtime commitment to equality in announcing their support.

“St. Petersburg has long been a leading Southern city on LGBTQ rights, thanks to leaders like Councilwoman Gina Driscoll,” Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders said. “We’re putting a marker down for our members and supporters early and clearly.

“Councilmember Gina Driscoll has a long history of fighting for marginalized people, especially LGBTQ communities,” he continued. “We need Gina’s leadership in one of Florida’s most important cities.”

Among her first-term achievements, Driscoll successfully led the effort to include LGBTQ-owned businesses in St. Petersburg’s Small Business Enterprise program. It certifies

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

COURTESY GINA DRISCOLL

businesses for contracting and procurement opportunities in construction, professional services, goods, supplies and more.

Driscoll also championed the city’s high-profile reduction of single-use plastics like drinking straws. She advises “it started a larger conversation about what we can do to choose better, more environmentally responsible alternatives,” and notes these signature achievements stemmed directly from St. Petersburg constituents.

“They were important to me because in listening to residents in our city, these are the topics that are important to them,” Driscoll explains. “We have a very environmentally minded community here and a city that is very open and welcoming to everyone. We’re always looking for ways that we can further that through our policies.”

Driscoll says she’s honored to have received Equality Florida Action PAC’s endorsement.

“Equality Florida has been on the frontlines of civil rights for so long,” she explains. “To be recognized by an organization that is this strong and is committed to the same goals that I am, it means the world to me. It’s humbling to be recognized for the work that I’ve done.”

Driscoll will first appear on the Aug. 24 primary ballot. For more information about her campaign or the Equality Florida Action PAC, visit GinaDriscoll.com and EQFLPAC.org.

13

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.  Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. 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.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you:  Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.  Have any other health problems.  Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.  Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at

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BVYC0218_BIKTARVY_B_9-25X10-1_Watermark_Dimitri_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

14

(bik-TAR-vee)

GET MORE INFORMATION  This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.  Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP ASPIRING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2020 © 2020 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0218 04/20

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

DIMITRI LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2018 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

es

h r

ut t

m

D,

KEEP ASPIRING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

See Dimitri’s story at BIKTARVY.com.

Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

4/6/20 3:26 PM

15

tampa bay news

us rep. Crist reflects on ‘joyful’ Equality Act vote, congressional lgbtq+ Equality Caucus role Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist voted in favor of the Equality Act Feb. 25, reaffirming his support for LGBTQ Floridians just one day after being named a vice chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.

Crist represents Florida’s 13th congressional district, which covers Pinellas County from Clearwater through his native St. Petersburg. He joined the majority of his colleagues in the U.S. House in passing the landmark legislation 224-206, doing so as a co-sponsor.

The measure now moves to the U.S. Senate. Should it pass in the chamber and be signed into law, it would ban discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation – or as Crist explains, “enshrine into law what a vast majority of Americans

already know and feel in their hearts – that no one should be discriminated against for who they are and whom they love.”

He calls his vote “joyful,” adding that “any chance to be on the right side of history with civil rights is an incredible privilege and honor.”

“Our nation has not always gotten it right, we have not always treated others the way we would want to be treated,” Crist explains.

“But it’s our willingness to listen, learn and right the things we know are wrong that undergirds our true greatness as Americans,” he continues. “The freedom to be who you truly are is a bedrock of our values. That’s what we voted for.”

The congressman also proudly supported the bill in 2019, when the legislation passed in the House but stalled under then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

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The Trump administration also publicly opposed the measure, a stark difference from President Joe Biden’s longtime support for it.

“The difference [now] is we have a president who wants to sign it into law,” Crist reflects.

“I know President Biden. He is a good man, a decent man. He has compassion for all Americans and has already pledged to make the Equality Act a priority within his first 100 days in office.”

The Senate will need to pass the legislation for that to happen, with at least 10 Republicans voting with every Democrat to advance it past the legislative filibuster, a key obstacle. A number of Republicans have already announced their opposition to it, citing concerns over religious liberty.

“That concern has been raised in opposition to women’s rights, civil rights and now LGBTQ rights,” Crist stresses. “We are

all children of God and we are called to treat all with respect and dignity. I try to follow the Golden Rule every day, which teaches do onto others as I would have done onto me – it’s just that simple, love one another. It’s because of my faith and my deep-rooted beliefs in justice and fairness that I am proud to support the Equality Act.” “More than anything, I hope that my colleagues in the Senate find it in their hearts to do the right thing and pass the Equality Act,” Crist says. “The Senate has an opportunity to be on the right side of history … look inside your hearts and do the right thing.”

It’s that mentality that Crist carries into his new role on the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. The 150-person body is chaired by the nine openly LGBTQ members of the U.S. House.

It serves as a resource for members of Congress, their staff and the public on LGBTQ issues

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

while advocating for LGBTQ equality. Crist initially joined their efforts in 2017 during his first term in Congress and calls his expanded role as a vice chair an honor.

“For my neighbors and loved ones across Pinellas and Florida who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, I’m proud to continue to be an ally in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and for bringing an end to the discrimination too many face in their daily lives,” Crist says.

“I hope I can be megaphone for their voices in Congress and continue to lend my support to legislation that lifts up and protects my LGBTQ+ neighbors.”

For more information about the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and Crist’s commitment to LGBTQ Floridians, visit LGBTQ.House.gov and Crist.House.gov.

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

17

state news

Miami-Dade Police seek help in case Christiana Lilly via South Florida Gay News

M

iami-Dade Police have put out a plea for the public’s help in identifying the murderer of Alexus “Kimmy” Braxton, a Black trans woman who was found dead Feb. 4.

In a video shared through social media, Miami-Dade Police Det. Juan Segovia said that Braxton, 45, was found dead in her apartment at Carmel at the California Club condominiums. He described the scene as a “violent and vicious attack.”

“The family has been left with no closure,” he said.

“They’re suffering tremendously because of the death and the manner in which our victim passed away, was murdered.”

Police shared surveillance footage of a person of interest, wearing a black zip-up track sweater over a white shirt and black pants. They believe this person may have been involved or has information about the murder.

Segovia also announced an award of up to $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest. “We always believe that somebody may know something that they may not even realize will help us with this case,” he said. “We’re hoping that somebody out in the community may be able to identify this individual.”

In the video and captions released by Miami-Dade Police, Braxton is referred to with she/her pronouns.

However, she is called by her deadname and a flier released by police labels her as a Black male.

Neki, Braxton’s sister, told NBC6, “Whoever did this, you need to come forward. You hurting our family. You hurting everyone around us, and we want to know, why, why, why would you do it? What would the reason be for you to do such a crime and do such an act on a beautiful person?”

Braxton is believed to be the sixth transgender person killed in the United States this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign. This followed the deadliest year on record for trans people — in 2020, at least 44 trans people were killed, a huge increase from the 25 killed in 2019.

In Florida, Tony McDade, a Black trans man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Tallahassee in May 2020. Bree Black, a Black trans woman, was shot and killed near her Pompano Beach home over the Fourth of July weekend. And Yunieski Carey Herrera, a Hispanic trans beauty queen in Miami, was stabbed to death by her husband in November in the middle of Transgender Awareness Week.

The public can share any information anonymously with Miami-Dade Police Det. Juan Segovia at 305-471-2400 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).

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case of accused Miami gay bashers advances Jason Parsley via South Florida Gay News

T

he case of four men accused of attacking a gay couple in 2018 on Miami Beach is inching towards a resolution.

A status hearing was held in early February on Zoom where the prosecution said all of the depositions of the law enforcement officers had been taken. Now they’re ready to move on to the civilians, with a hearing at the end of March.

In June Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle apologized to the LGBTQ community for the continued delays, blaming much of it on COVID-19.

“Honestly, this is such a priority for us. I know it’s very frustrating because it has taken a long time,” she said during a state attorney candidate virtual town hall hosted by SAVE. Rundle noted that originally the four defendants were represented by the same lawyer.

Each defendant then sought their own legal counsel which drew out the case and further complicated it with more moving parts.

The four defendants – Adonis Diaz, Juan Carlos Lopez, Luis Alonso-Piovet, and Romo-Figueroa – all in their early 20s, have pleaded not guilty.

The attack took place when Rene Chalarca and Dmitry Logunov were leaving a public bathroom in

Lummus Park in Miami Beach on April 8, 2018.

“We were walking and holding hands and needed to use the bathroom,” Logunov told SFGN in 2018. As he walked out of the restroom he was allegedly called a “faggot” in Spanish, punched and then beaten unconscious. His boyfriend at the time, Chalarca, quickly intervened, but three more men jumped in and began to attack them both.

The attack was caught on camera and the four defendants have been charged with three counts of aggravated battery and a hate crime enhancement was added to the charges.

Criminal jury trials are still on pause in Florida because of the pandemic.

Florida orgs, officials turn focus to US Senate after Equality Act passage Ryan Williams-Jent

L

GBTQ organizations and advocates throughout Florida applauded the passage of the Equality Act in the U.S. House Feb. 25, subsequently turning their focus to the U.S. Senate.

The legislation passed with a bipartisan vote of 224-206. If passed in the Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden, it will add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“The Equality Act ensures the LGBTQ+ community enjoys basic civil rights protections throughout the U.S.,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill said in a statement. “These protections are long past overdue.”

The caucus represents the interests of LGBTQ Floridians to the state’s Democratic Party, with 21 chapters from Pensacola to Miami.

“The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus thanks those in the Florida congressional delegation who voted in support of our community and for their recognition that civil rights should

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

not be up for debate,” Gaskill noted. “We hope that when the U.S. Senate takes up the bill that Marco Rubio and Rick Scott will recognize the large number of LGBTQ+ Floridians who are watching. They may have a vote on our rights, but we have a vote on their jobs.”

The state’s largest LGBTQ-focused civil rights group echoed the caucus. “All eyes are on Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio as the Equality Act heads to the U.S. Senate,” Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith said.

“The time has come for a modernized and updated federal Civil Rights Act that recognizes where discrimination still occurs today,” she continued. “Floridians clearly support equal rights regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity and we call on our Senators to join the overwhelming public support that led to passage in the House.”

Equality Florida subsequently called for the U.S. Senate to “stand on the side of the American people,” citing a poll conducted by the Human Rights Campaign. It asserted that 70% of the country supports the Equality Act, with more than 200

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

major businesses and 700 faith organizations agreeing.

Elected officials throughout the state do as well. Equality Florida cited the support of State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the state’s first openly LGBTQ Latinx lawmaker; State Rep. Michele Rayner, the first Black, openly LGBTQ woman elected to the Florida Legislature and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the city’s first openly LGBTQ mayor.

“I have proudly championed civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community in the state legislature and now call on my colleagues in Washington to stand with us,” Guillermo Smith said.

“I see the opportunity before Congress right now,” Rayner added.

“We are at a critical moment in history.”

“Passage of the Equality Act will be a historic step forward in the effort to build a more perfect union,” Castor concluded.

You can share your support for the Equality Act with Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio at EQFL.org/ActOnEquality. For more information about Equality Florida or the LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, visit EQFL.org and LGBTQDems.org.

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

19

nation+world news

in other news Pa. state rep running to become 1st out US Black senator Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyetta announced Feb. 16 his candidacy to run for U.S. Senate, setting himself out on a path that, if elected, would make him the first openly gay Black senator. Kenyetta announced his candidacy on MSNBC with host Joy Reid, which was followed immediately by an email blast from the LGBTQ Victory Fund. Kenyetta was an early backer of President Joe Biden in the crowded field of candidates during the Democratic primary. Also in the mix for the Democratic nominations is Lt. Gov. David Fetterman, who’d be Kenyetta’s top candidate to beat in the primary.

Biden admin withdraws from trans athlete case The Biden administration has withdrawn government support for a federal lawsuit in Connecticut that seeks to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ high school sports. Connecticut allows high school athletes to compete in sports according to their gender identity. The lawsuit was filed a year ago by several cisgender runners who argue they have been deprived of wins, state titles and athletic opportunities by being forced to compete against two transgender sprinters. The Justice Department and the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights withdrew their support for the case ahead of a hearing Feb. 26 on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Virginia Senate passes bill to ban LGBTQ panic defense The Virginia Senate approved a bill Feb. 25 that would ban the so-called LGBTQ panic defense in the state.

The bill, sponsored by state Del. Danica Roem, was approved by the Senate by a 23-15 vote margin. The Senate version of the bill now heads back to the House of Delegates for consideration. According to the LGBT Bar Association, the LGBTQ panic defense has been banned in 11 states and D.C.

UK’s MI6 apologizes for past treatment of LGBTQ spies The head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service apologized Feb. 19 to gay spies and aspiring agents who were fired or denied jobs because of their sexuality. Richard Moore said in a video statement on Twitter that a ban on LGBTQ spies that lasted until 1991 was “wrong, unjust and discriminatory.” Moore was appointed last year as C, the code name given to the director of Britain’s overseas intelligence agency – the real-life equivalent of James Bond’s boss, M. Although same-sex relationships were decriminalized in England in 1967, gay people continued to be barred from working in Britain’s intelligence services on security grounds, because of the view that they were more susceptible to blackmail than straight people.

20

House votes to expand legal safeguards for LGBTQ people Wire Report

W

ASHINGTON | The Democratic-led House passed a bill Feb. 25 that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

The bill passed by a vote of 224-206 with three Republicans joining Democrats in voting yes.

The Equality Act amends existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identification as protected characteristics. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas. Supporters say the law before the House is long overdue and would ensure that every person is treated equally under the law.

“The LGBT community has waited long enough,” said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., who is gay and the bill’s lead sponsor. “The

time has come to extend the blessings of liberty and equality to all of Americans regardless of who they are and who they love.”

Republicans broadly opposed the legislation. They echoed concerns from religious groups and social conservatives who worry the bill would force people to take actions that contradict their religious beliefs. They warned that faith-based adoption agencies seeking to place children with a married mother and father could be forced to close, or that private schools would have to hire staff whose conduct violates tenets of the school’s faith.

“This is unprecedented. It’s dangerous. It’s an attack on our first freedom, the first freedom listed in the Bill of Rights, religious liberty,” said Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. The House passed the Equality Act in the last Congress with unanimous Democratic support and the backing of eight Republicans, but Donald Trump’s White House opposed the measure and it was not considered in the Senate, where 60 votes will be needed

to overcome procedural hurdles.

Democrats are trying to revive it now that they have control of Congress and the White House, but passage still appears unlikely in the evenly divided Senate.

This time, Republican Reps.

Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and John Katko and Tom Reed of New York sided with Democrats in voting for the bill.

The Supreme Court provided the LGBTQ community with a resounding victory last year in a 6-3 ruling that said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applied to LGBTQ workers when it comes to barring discrimination on the basis of sex.

Civil rights groups have encouraged Congress to follow up that decision and ensure that anti-bias protections addressing such areas as housing, public accommodations and public services are applied in all 50 states.

Biden made clear his support for the Equality Act in the lead-up to last year’s election, saying it would be one of his first priorities.

said the SBC’s president, J.D. Greear, in his opening speech.

The two churches expelled for LGBTQ inclusion were St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and Towne View Baptist Church, in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Towne View’s pastor, the Rev. Jim Conrad, told The Associated Press prior to the convention that he would not appeal the ouster and plans to affiliate his church, at least temporarily, with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which lets churches set their own LGBTQ policies.

Towne View began admitting LGBTQ worshippers as members in October 2019 after a same-sex couple with three adopted children asked Conrad if they could attend, a decision he defends as the right thing to do.

“The alternative would have been to say, ‘We’re probably not ready for this,’ but I couldn’t do that,” said Conrad, pastor there since 1994.

St. Matthews Baptist was among more than 12 churches that lost their affiliation with the Kentucky Baptist Convention in 2018 because they made financial contributions to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which had recently lifted a ban on hiring LGBTQ employees.

SBC officials said Westside Baptist Church in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, was ousted because it “knowingly employs as pastor a registered sex offender,” while Antioch Baptist Church in Sevierville, Tennessee, has a pastor who was convicted of statutory rape.

Southern Baptists oust churches over LGBTQ inclusion Wire Report

T

he Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee voted Feb. 23 to oust four of its churches, two over policies deemed to be too inclusive of LGBTQ people and two more for employing pastors convicted of sex offenses.

The actions were announced at a meeting marked by warnings from two top leaders that the SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, was damaging itself with divisions over several critical issues including race.

“We should mourn when closet racists and neo-Confederates feel more at home in our churches than do many of our people of color,”

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

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Saturday, April 17, 5:30pm - 8:00pm Spring Food & Wine Classic An all-inclusive outdoor dining event featuring: • Outdoor event* with ample space for social distancing • 12 food stations featuring mouth-watering tastings • Over 50 beverage options from around the world • Themed stations like The Beer Garden, Chinatown & The Pig & The Poke • Experience Frida’s Kitchen • A signature dish from our upcoming expansion The Swan Reserve • Live musical entertainment • Physically distanced safety protocols & Our Commitment to Clean

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*Event will be held outdoors, weather permitting. Event is limited to those 21 and older. Tickets to the event are limited.

Packages include access for two adults to food & beverage experience. Rates are based on availability at time of booking.

Face coverings are required for all guests, including those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, and must be worn at all times, except when dining. Guests may remove face coverings while actively eating or drinking, but must be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing. Among the protocols that will be implemented for each event are: Temperature check at entrance for all attendees, plexiglass walls for all food service, all cast members wearing PPE, touchless menus and clearly marked physical distancing signage.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

viewpoint

Grace Korley

Intersectional

Advocate Privilege in a Time of Crisis

P

rivilege, within the

context of social power, is unearned access to resources only readily available to some because of the place they occupy in society. It can exist within the context of areas such as race, class, gender, sexuality, age and ability.

Those who occupy non-dominant identities within these categories are statistically more likely to experience inequality such as poverty, violence and social isolation. Privilege is largely unnoticed unless attention is drawn to it.

For example, have you ever considered why we one can take African American or Latin American studies courses, yet American History stands on its own?

Black and brown cultures are not represented as part of American history except in their association with American whiteness. While we are not responsible for the extent to which we are privileged, we are responsible for the extent to which we bring it to our awareness.

This being said, we cannot truly begin to address inequality within our communities without acknowledging that identity and experience are inextricably tied. We must consider the fact that our most vulnerable populations are also those who already occupy places of socioeconomic disadvantage.

These include people of color, single-parent households, children, the elderly, LGBTQ+ folx, the homeless, the chronically ill and those who occupy multiple marginalized identities within these categories.

I realize that I occupy a greater place of privilege than some others who look like me in the United States. I have a college education, I have healthcare, and I have a supportive partner and family. As a Black

LGBTQ+ woman, I also experience chronic illness.

Chronic illness does not discriminate based upon age, race or demographic.

Many chronic illnesses are, in fact, invisible and most afflicted with chronic illnesses must constantly combat the assumption that they are healthy because they often “look” healthy.

When you have a life-long illness that has no cure, you tend to need some form of costly, long-term care. It takes a mental and emotional toll to do everyday things like going to the grocery store.

Navigating a pandemic as a chronically ill person has been challenging. I haven’t had COVID-19 and I intend to continue implementing safety measures for as long as is needed for the sake of my long-term health, and that of my loved ones with chronic conditions. Through this, I’ve become more familiar with sacrificing what I want now for what I want for myself in the future.

As we continue to learn the long-term effects of contracting COVID-19, including potential damage to the lungs, heart, or brain, we must come to terms with the fact that our healthcare system is not equipped to manage care for growing numbers of chronically ill individuals. For many, it has taken a large-scale crisis to arrive at the conclusion that our systems are not functioning as they should.

Our essential workers – healthcare professionals, teachers, law enforcement officers, hospitality and service providers – are undercompensated and overworked. Essential healthcare services are overpriced and inaccessible to a rare few. Many are still struggling to put food on the table. While these things could be said before the pandemic, they are even more evident now.

As growing numbers of individuals face unemployment, food

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insecurity and lack of access to adequate healthcare, many are learning for the first time that it is virtually impossible to overcome these challenges without support from our government and communities. Although we have a new administration in

– if our basic needs are not being met.

It is clear that the scale of the COVID-19 crisis has been underestimated. Many of us lived in isolation from one another for the greater part of last year and continue to live at a distance from loved ones in 2021. Our nation is

fearful. I, for one, have felt helpless to help those who are suffering.

While these responses are valid, we must move toward acceptance of a new reality. We choose how we respond to our environment and continue to show up for our friends, neighbors

place that appears ready to provide relief, will relief be timely – and will it enough?

If we fail to call attention to inequity within systems that are intended to serve us, we accept responsibility for a broken infrastructure.

We are privileged to live in a country that is a democracy.

We have the power to elect our officials, and we the right to protest – loudly

in a state of collective grief and each of us carries that weight differently. We are grieving the lives of millions lost worldwide to COVID-19.

We are also grieving a sense of reality that we know and trust.

The world has changed, and many things will be different now. Some are in denial, some are angry, others are anxious or

and ourselves. In accepting the things we cannot change, we restore power to those we can.

If we fail to call attention to inequity within systems that are intended to serve us, we accept responsibility for a broken infrastructure.

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

#1 - Favorite Local Geek Spot!

Pinball, Arcade, and an Incredible Selection of Craft Beer

2329 28th St. N. St. Pete , FL 33713 // 727.592.2658 // www.TheVortexBar.com

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

23

LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND.

First Place Winner

FAVORITE ADULT NOVELTY STORE

24

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

viewpoint bring down Yeezy’s political managed to accumulate three a campaign under the new Sarah Huckleberry Sanders empire, maybe she could just “Birthday Party.” (Seriously. more children with names and Kayliegh McEnema, take a check for four years The “Birthday” party. I guess equally as unconventional. it’s a nice change of tune and refuse to hold his hand.

“Tupperware” was already (There are a lot of Wests in to currently be unable to Precedent has been set. trademarked and “Donner” that house for there to be so remember the name of the Such bizarre and felt too dark.) What could little direction.) soft spoken redhead who polarizing times. Can we all possibly go wrong?

I don’t understand how currently stands behind just agree that it’s wonderful Well, it’s impossible to this could happen. I mean, that podium. It’s truly a this year — as wonky as get elected to the Oval Office here you have Republican brand new day. (NOW WITH it may be — that we are without a wife. I mean, Caitlyn Jenner’s step LESS ANGER!) Divine Grace Rush Limbaugh has gone on to join the “Choir Invisible” and will be shaking a tail feather at Zsa Zsa Gabor’s house party in the sky. After his exit, many people spoke ill of the dead whilst another percentage of well-meaning folks starting off with the ability I know Kim Kardashian is daughter — a woman made argued that it was “too soon” to “worry” about the vapid a very busy girl. I can only famous over an amateur sex and “in poor taste,” per rather than biting our nails imagine how difficult it tape — living out her third usual. As I don’t generally in a corner? With vaccines must be to learn how to marriage in 20 years, paired tend to ask permission to on the way and a slow but read between all of those with a rapper who clearly relinquish my scruples, I’ll steady return to normalcy, dress fittings and developing ingested lead paint chips as just ask if anyone happens we might be able to look a fragrance that has the a child. As a result of said to know where he was forward to a springtime “effervescence of grapefruit stashing 20,000 Oxycontins ... paint, or perhaps a sharp Good Morning Dylan, of the soul! and pink peppercorn” and blow to the head, he decided for a friend.

I signed a new advertiser, and he'll be running an 1/8 page ad for 26 issues, and will need his ad to be created. We initially agreed to a horizontal orientation, but he seems very open to whatever options we recommend. Based on our conversation earlier, let's start with the horizontal orientation per the insertion order, and go from there.

Amen, subtle notes of limousine he wanted to play president There’s been a lot of Artwork elements have been moved and organized into: C:\Data\Editorial\Master Ad Folder\Customer Files\R\Romeo's Sensation\Artwork Elements The Divine Grace upholstery and poodle vomit. for a while. So, in the important events since my the libertyme of organizing the text-blurbs he sent over as best I could. You have full creative-license on this to help his business shine, and you're free to pick and choose from the information and images provided. Thanks Dylan!

When last youI tooksaw within If this is what’s going to eleventh hour, he launches last article dated Nov. 5, Company Name: 2020: Presidential elections, Romeo's Sensation LLC the pages of this illustrious subsequent claims of Owner Information/Title: Romel Santiago, LCSW publication, I was giving you advice election fraud and then — Specializing in trauma, identity, and sex, Our tag line is: Romeo’s Sensation, LLC just as things had become Sensation LLC- Explore life's new possibilities. on how to remain saneRomeo's during this aims to provide culturally competent, diverse, too much to bear, Melania We specialize in: and affirming services to all.

Sex Therapy, Trauma Therapy, Identity and Addictions. quarantine. I waxed poetic about Trump suggested that we Contact info: We focus on addressing the entire you – fornicate the Christmas. (As O: 813-461-3098 staying hydrated and reading.

I Fax: 813-475-4431 physical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual. if she would even hold the We have offices in: mentioned the importance ofandstaying Christmas’ hand!)

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Proving that everything We take insurance and in touch with friends, reconnecting STE 106 Clearwater, FL. 33761 is, in fact, bigger in Texas, sliding scales for folks who are unable to pay Explore life’s new possibilities offer full cost out of pocket. We work with individuals, 1210 many Millennium Parkway with family and a great other massive snows and record STE 1030 couples and consensually non-monogamous folks of all Brandon , FL 33511 cold temperatures were still genders, races and backgrounds. things that sounded great on paper.

531 Versailles Dr somehow eclipsed by Ted STE 100 Maitland , FL 33685 Cruz’s ability to not only That was November.

Sex Therapy | Trauma Therapy | Identity | Addictions Additional descriptions the owner: Romel Santiago, LCSW throw his children under the As of the publication of this article, I willfrom have been Specializing in trauma, identity, and sex, Romeo’s Sensation LLC aims to provide culturally competent, diverse, and affirming services to all. We focus on addressing the entire you – physical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual.

We offer English and Spanish services. We take insurance and offer sliding scales for folks who are unable to pay full cost out of pocket.

We work with individuals, couples and consensually non-monogamous folks of all genders, races and backgrounds. bus, but to also climb into it, all but isolated aside from one show and two dental 2430 Estancia Blvd., STE 106 1210 Millennium Parkway, STE 1030 531 Versailles Dr., STE 100 take the wheel and make a appointments since the Ides of March, 2020. With all of Clearwater, FL. 33761 Brandon , FL 33511 Maitland , FL 33685 run for the border. my Gwyneth Paltrow goopy bullshit, I look back on the Britney Spears is now holidays and what has transpired since, and I am a little attempting to regain control teensy bit overwhelmed. of her wealth from her father I don’t assume that anybody who has ever really before menopause kicks in gotten to know me would describe me with words such and I say good for HER! Until as ... well, I dunno, like “together,” or “solid,” or even, pop starts shaking his bare “safe around the elderly or infirm.” And the only person ass with a python around who has ever used my name and the word “stable” his neck to make them coins, in the same sentence owned a ranch and suggested leave Britney alone.

I purchase my shoes from a blacksmith. But, such as But the most devastating it is, I have done my best to keep my chin UP! (It’s occurrence since we last saw damned-near impossible to eat Ben & Jerry’s from a one another has truly been horizontal position. Thankfully the news has kept me the demise of the Kardashian sitting up with the same frequency as one of those / West family. I guess she’s animated fish tank skeletons.) packing up North West and Elections and insurrections kept the already weary taking Southwestern to the media on their toes. Still, it has been refreshing to East coast for a while. The receive press briefings from a significantly less hostile couple has somehow also White House deputy press secretary. After Sean Spicer,

Sweet

Divinity

Can we all just agree that it’s wonderful this year — as wonky as it may be — that we are starting off with the ability to “worry” about the vapid rather than biting our nails in a corner?

Go West

H

ello, Dolls!

813-461-3098

Read It Online!

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

25

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

talking points

48%

My goal is to be a human being and honor all of who I am! Sometimes I’m more feminine than masculine.

Sometimes I’m more masculine than feminine and I love all of those parts of myself. That’s the conversation!

— Billy Porter, speaking to E! after being inducted into the cable channel’s Fashion Hall of Fame during New York Fashion Week

of

Grindr users

Lee Daniels take on Billie Holiday’s legacy

say they’ve

O

scar-nominated director Lee Daniels’ latest film, “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday” — written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and starring Grammy-nominated Andra Day — debuted on Hulu Feb. 26, but Daniels almost make the film. “Lady Sings the Blues,” the 1972 film about Holiday starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams, showed Daniels Black romance and a Harlem like he’d never seen on screen before. It was the film that made him want to be a director. But Daniels realized it wasn’t her full story. Holiday, he’d come to realize, was an unsung civil rights hero who was targeted by the U.S. government for her drug use and her protest song, “Strange Fruit.” It’s this story that Daniels tells in his film. “I was like, where have I been for all these 59 years? How come I don’t know this story when I sort of know everybody’s story, or I thought I did, when it comes to Black history,” Daniels said. “It made me think about the many stories that aren’t told that we don’t know about. And so I had to tell the story.”

hooked up

viduringrtually the pandemic,

31% say they wore a mask

while they’ve Mike Nichols’ extraordinary life told in new book

“M

ike Nichols: A Life,” film historian Mark Harris’ biography of the film and theater icon was released Feb. 2. The legendary filmmaker, whose iconic works include “The Graduate,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and “Silkwood,” is best known in the LGBTQ community for directing the hit film “The Birdcage” and his Emmy Award-winning version of “Angels in America” on HBO. “Mike Nichols: A Life” not only tells the stories of how Nichols created these films, but also of his extraordinary life of fleeing Nazi-occupied Germany and growing up a Jewish immigrant in New York City. “Mike Nichols: A Life” is currently available wherever books are sold.

Star-studded livestream to celebrate Liza’s 75th

“L

ove Letter to Liza: A 75th Birthday Tribute Celebration” streams on Stellar Video on Demand March 12, celebrating the life and legacy of show biz legend Liza Minnelli. The event will feature appearances by Joel Grey, Lily Tomlin, Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen, Nathan Lane and more. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to The Actors Fund, the nationwide group providing social services, emergency financial assistance, health care counseling, training services and more to people in the entertainment industry.

The livestream event is being produced by Daniel Nordicio, and co-produced by Minnelli’s longtime production manager and designer Matt Berman.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

physically

Music icon Ari Gold dies from cancer at 47

A

ri Gold, the groundbreaking gay singer, songwriter and DJ who became a fixture of the New York dance scene in the 2000s, died Feb. 14 after a long battle with cancer. He was 47. News of his death broke publicly when RuPaul, a longtime friend who Gold described as “the closest thing I’ve known to a mentor,” posted a tribute to the music artist on Twitter. Gold was described by many online as an LGBTQ trailblazer. He became popular performing his original music in New York clubs like Joe’s Pub, Barracuda, Avalon, CBGB’s and many others. Throughout his career, Gold released seven albums of original compositions and remixes, and sung backup vocals for Diana Ross and Cyndi Lauper.

hooked up

during the pandemic and

63% plan to

make up

for lost time byhooking up more than usual after the pandemic.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

—Grindr user poll

27

28

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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Celebratory WAVE Central Florida, Tampa Bay name their favorites in the Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence

I

Jeremy Williams

t cannot be said enough, this last year

was a hard one. A pandemic, racial injustice, lockdowns, attacks on the country’s election process, toilet paper shortages, “Tiger King!” But the past 12 months also brought with it inspiring and motivating stories of heroes who showed us that even during trying times, wonderful things can happen.

At the start of 2021, as we have done for many years, we asked our loyal readers to tell us who your local favorites over the last year have been. These included traditional categories such as your favorite local activists, clubs and performers, but it also included categories that were very 2020 such as favorite virtual events and your favorite COVID-19 testing site. You nominated the best of the best in a variety

of categories, then we calculated your Top 3 and asked you to pick one more time to name your favorite.

This annual list recognizing the best in Central Florida and Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community in the areas of activism, service, entertainment and more is known as The Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence, or simply the WAVEs.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

In the following pages, we have crunched the numbers and present to you your WAVE winners. Along with the Top 3 from each category, we also asked a few open-ended questions about 2020. We wanted you to describe the year in one word, which losses you will miss the most and the defining stories and moments that made 2020 so unforgettable. You can read those responses in our WAVEs coverage as well.

Another thing different this year, we won’t be gathering to celebrate the WAVE winners with a party as we have done every year before. It still isn’t safe enough to do so. So while we are not gathered with you, know that we congratulate you all and we are virtually celebrating your wins.

Until next year, when hopefully we can do the WAVE again in person, we present to you your winners.

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29

Thank you, Orlando, for voting

Orlando Gay Chorus Favorite Local Performer - Musician Did you love the sound of funky Disco songs of the 70s? If you did, you’ll love this fabulous song list featuring such artists and hit songs including: ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Donna Summer’s I Will Survive, Sylvester’s Can’t Stop Dancing, and many, many more. Performed by the award-winning Orlando Gay Chorus, this show will have you smiling and in a happy place.

0 2

Join us for our next concert,

The 70s One Funky Decade

THANK YOU WATERMARK READERS FOR VOTING Y

EA

BEST PLACE TO

RS

RANGER’S

PET OUTPOST

AND

T

RETREA

®

PAMPER YOUR PET

2001 - 2021 RANGERSPETOUTPOST.COM

RI DING WATERMARK’S 30

WAVE

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

AWARD

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

| uu | WAVE Awards 2021 from pg. 29

Central FL’s

Winners FAVORITE LOCAL POLITICIAN

First: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Second: Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan Third: State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani

FAVORITE LOCAL ACTIVIST First: Dr. George Wallace, LGBT+ Center Orlando Second: State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani Third: Dr. Irene Pons, attorney and UCF associate lecturer

FAVORITE LOCAL ALLY FOR EQUALITY First: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Second: State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani Third: Dr. Irene Pons, attorney and UCF associate lecturer

MOST EFFECTIVE LOCAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION First: LGBT+ Center Orlando Second: Zebra Coalition Third: Harmony Healthcare Orlando

FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS LEAGUE/ ORGANIZATION First: Orlando Pride Second: Orlando City SC Third: Central Florida Softball League

FAVORITE LOCAL WRITER/JOURNALIST First: Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel Second: Jeremy Williams, Watermark Third: Matt Palm, Orlando Sentinel

FAVORITE LOCAL WEBSITE First: WatermarkOnline.com Second: Bungalower.com Third: BounceBackOrlando.com

FAVORITE VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING EVENT First: Come Out With Pride’s Pride in the House Second: Zebra Coalition’s 5K Drag Race Virtual Run Third: Equality Florida Virtual Orlando Gala

MOST PRIDEFUL LOCAL EVENT (IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL) First: Come Out With Pride Second: April Fresh Comedy Brunch Third: Drag Queen Story Hour at LGBT+ Center Orlando

FAVORITE LOCAL BUSINESS NOT A BAR/CLUB (OVER ONE YEAR OLD) First: Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria Second: MojoMan Swimwear & Clothing Third: Rock Hard Fitness

FAVORITE NEW LOCAL BUSINESS (LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD) First: HÄOS on Church Second: Harmony Healthcare Orlando Third: Estefan Kitchen Orlando

FAVORITE LOCAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY First: Orlando Health Second: Harmony Healthcare Orlando Third: Bliss Healthcare Services

FAVORITE LOCAL HAIR SALON First: Floyd’s 99 Barbershop in Mills50 Second: Steven Dorsagno’s Bella Capelli Studio Third: Copperhead Salon

FAVORITE LOCAL FITNESS CENTER First: LA Fitness in Colonial Marketplace Second: Rock Hard Fitness Third: Crunch Fitness in Belle Isle

Continued on pg. 33 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Local

Legend

Photo by hazel Jandic

Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria Central Florida’s 1st place in Favorite Local Business; Favorite Late Night Dining; Favorite Local Caterer Central Florida’s 2nd place in Favorite Local Restaurant

R

unning a business is tough. Running a business in the middle of a pandemic requires ingenuity and being able to think outside of the box, qualities that seem to come naturally to Pom Moongauklang, founder and owner of the WAVE-winning Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria.

Pom Pom’s, which is located in Orlando’s Milk District, came in with four WAVEs this year; three first place finishes for Favorite Local Business, Favorite Late Night Dining and Favorite Local Caterer, and a second place finish for Favorite Local Restaurant.

“I’m elated, I can’t believe it,” Moongauklang says. “Every year I am surprised. To even be nominated but then to win. I am so grateful to those who took the time to think of us, to vote for us.”

This isn’t Moongauklang’s first time to the WAVE dance. Pom Pom’s, which celebrated its 15th year as an Orlando eatery in January, has racked up many awards in the past decade and a half, most notably dominating the late night dining category.

“We started late night about 14 years ago,” Moongauklang recalls. “It started with all the bartenders around town. I was like The Pied Piper to the food.”

Pom Pom’s coming in first for Favorite Local Business is no surprise to us either, especially after this past year.

During her “15 Days of Pom Pom’s” anniversary celebration, Moongauklang helped to promote other businesses and artists as well as donated lunchtime proceeds from select days to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the onePULSE Foundation.

Throughout it all, Moongauklang has remained successful by holding true to two ideas: Pom Pom’s is always a safe space for the LGBTQ community and keep it local.

“Keep supporting local, we all need it,” she says. “We all love you and to those who voted for me, thank you. I am nothing without you.”

–Jeremy Williams

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31

32

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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| uu | WAVE Awards 2021 from pg. 31

FAVORITE LOCAL VETERINARIAN CLINIC First: Animal Hospital at Baldwin Park Second: Loch Haven Veterinary Hospital

FAVORITE LOCAL SHOPPING/ ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT First: Disney Springs Second: Mills50 District Third: Ivanhoe Village

Third: Animal Medical Clinic in Hourglass District

FAVORITE LOCAL GEEK SPOT

FAVORITE PLACE TO PAMPER YOUR PET

Second: The Geek Easy

First: Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat Second: All 4 Pets Winter Park Third: Best Friends Pet Hotel, Walt Disney World Resort

FAVORITE LOCAL REALTOR First: Scott Benson, Green House Realty

First: Player One Third: Gods & Monsters

FAVORITE LOCAL WEDDING VENUE First: Leu Gardens Second: Paradise Cove Third: Celebration Gardens

Second: David Dorman, CENTURY 21

FAVORTE LOCAL FAITHBASED ESTABLISHMENT

Third: Eddie Cooper, Mainframe Real Estate

Community Church (MCC)

FAVORITE LOCAL ATTORNEY First: Dr. Irene Pons Second: Dyer & Blaisdell

First: Joy Metropolitan Second: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Third: First Unitarian Church of Orlando

Third: LeRoy Costner, The Umansky Law Firm

FAVORITE LOCAL FLORIST

FAVORITE LOCAL CPA/ ACCOUNTANT

Second: Lee Forrest Design LLC

First: Rose Marie Gamba, CPA Second: Gecko CPA Firm Third: Dreamline Accounting

FAVORITE PLACE TO BUY A CAR First: Carmax

Second: Fields BMW

First: Lee James Floral Designs Third: Flower No. 5

FAVORITE LOCAL MUSEUM/GALLERY First: Orlando Science Center Second: Orlando Museum of Art Third: CityArts

Third: Holler Honda

FAVORITE LOCAL HOTEL/B&B First: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando Downtown Second: The Alfond Inn Third: EO Inn

FAVORITE LOCAL FRAMING SHOP First: Colonial Photo & Hobby Second: Sam Flax Third: Michaels Winter Park

FAVORITE LOCAL ARTIST First: Chad Booth

Gidget

Photo by Dylan Todd

Second: Nick Smith Third: JEFRË

FAVORITE LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER First: Loc Robertson Second: Erika Wagner Third: Dylan Todd

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT First: Hamburger Mary’s Orlando Second: Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria Third: The Hammered Lamb

FAVORITE LOCAL BRUNCH First: April Fresh Comedy Brunch Second: The Hammered Lamb Third: Diva’s Dining at Estefan Kitchen Orlando

FAVORITE LOCAL LATE NIGHT DINING First: Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria Second: Gringos Locos Third: Tako Cheena Continued on pg. 35 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Galorious Gidget Galore

Central Florida’s 1st place in Favorite Local Performer: Drag; Favorite Local Theatrical Show (“The Golden Gals: A Christmas Musical”) Central Florida’s 3rd place in Favorite Local Theatrical Show (“Rozanne”); Most Prideful Local Event (Drag

W

Queen Story Hour)

hile Gidget Galore has placed in the WAVE’s Top 3 Favorite Local Drag Performer many times over the years, this is the first time she has topped the list.

“My heart burst,” she says. “I’ve been second place many years before behind Ginger Minj and Darcel Stevens, I’ve been up there but this is the first win so I feel fabulous and very grateful.”

The past year has been a challenging one for Galore. Just like it did for every other entertainer, the pandemic shutdown all of the venues Galore used to perform in.

“During the pandemic, if an entertainer wanted to continue to work, you had to adapt and adapt quickly,” Galore says. And adapt she did.

Galore and Minj started creating virtual shows out of Galore’s home, converting her two-car garage into a makeshift television studio.

“We basically just locked ourselves in here and it was so much fun. I don’t think there’s one inch of my home, yard, the neighbor’s pool that we have not photographed or been videoed in,” Galore says.

Galore took her virtual talents to her Drag Queen Story Hour gig at the LGBT+ Center, placing third for Most Prideful Event and placing first and third for Favorite Theatrical Show with her and Minj’s TV Land Live series. Third place for their pre-pandemic take on “Rosanne” and first place for their socially distanced holiday return of “The Golden Gals: A Christmas Musical.”

“We love doing the TV Land Live series so much and can’t wait to bring all the shows to a live audience this year. We aren’t cutting any show,” Galore says.

–Jeremy Williams

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33

Now serving food!

I am thinking of your health and well-being by offering:

- Catering now available -

- TOUCH FREE VIEWING - MOUTH AND NOSE COVERINGS - 6-FEET DISTANCING

THANK YOU

LET ME HELP YOU

FOR YOUR VOTES!

SAFELY FIND YOU A HOME YOU’LL LOVE!

FAVORITE LOCAL HAPPY HOUR: 1st - Savoy Orlando

Whether you’re buying, selling, or renting, I’M HAPPY TO HELP!

FAVORITE LOCAL BARTENDER: 2nd - Travis Whitt, Savoy Orlando

1ST PLACE WAVE AWARD WINNER - LOCAL REALTOR

FAVORITE LGBTQ CLUB/BAR: 3rd - Savoy Orlando

1 9 1 3 N O r a n g e Ave w w w. S avoyO r l a n d o . c o m

Scott Benson,Realtor ® Green House Realty, Inc. 625 Virginia Drive Orlando, FL 32803 Phone: 407-474-0724 www.scottytherealtor.com

1 9 1 5 N O r a n g e Ave w w w. I va n h o e 1 9 1 5 . c o m

Find Us at the End

of the Rainbow WAVE AWARD WINNER! MOST EFFECTIVE LOCAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

3rd - Harmony Health Orlando

FAVORITE NEW LOCAL BUSINESS (LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD) 2nd - Harmony Health Orlando

1400 S. Orlando Ave Suite 205, Winter Park, FL 32789

34

☑ HIV Treatment and Care ☑ PrEP / PEP

FAVORITE LOCAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY

☑ STI Testing ☑ Condoms

2nd - Harmony Health Orlando

Ph: (407) 777-2022

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

☑ Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C testing

Text: (618) 228-3133

harmonyhealthcareorlando.org

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| uu | WAVE Awards 2021 from pg. 33

FAVORITE LOCAL CATERER First: Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria Second: John Michael Exquisite Weddings & Catering Third: Little Lamb Catering

FAVORITE LGBTQ BAR/CLUB First: Southern Nights Orlando Second: Stonewall Bar Third: Savoy Orlando

FAVORITE ALLIED BAR/CLUB First: The Hammered Lamb Second: Ember Third: St. Matthew’s Tavern at the Orlando Beer Garden

FAVORITE LOCAL HAPPY HOUR First: Savoy Orlando Second: District Dive Third: Stonewall Bar

FAVORITE LOCAL KARAOKE, TRIVIA OR BINGO NIGHT (IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL) First: RuPaul Viewing Party, Lacie Browning, Stonewall Bar Second: Taffy’s Virtual Bingo Bonanza, Doug Ba’aser Third: Horror Movie BINGO, Tora Himan, Cocktails & Screams

FAVORITE LOCAL BARTENDER/ SERVER First: Jeff Munzing, Stonewall Bar/ District Dive Second: Travis Whitt, Savoy Orlando

Third: Joel Gran, District Dive

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: DRAG First: Gidget Galore Second: Tora Himan Third: Lacie Browning

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: STAGE (NON-DRAG) First: Blue Star Second: Doug Ba’aser Third: Bobby Iman

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: MUSICIAN First: Orlando Gay Chorus

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMING ARTS VENUE YOU CAN’T WAIT TO OPEN BACK UP First: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Second: Orlando Shakespeare Theater

FAVORITE LOCAL THEATRICAL SHOW (IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL) First: TV Land Live’s “The Golden Gals: A Christmas Musical” Second: Wanzie presents “Ladies of Eola Heights, Episode 6 – Zoom Reunion” Third: TV Land Live’s “Rozanne”

Third: The Store @ Barcodes

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: DJ

FAVORITE LOCAL COVID-19 TESTING SITE

FAVORITE LOCAL RADIO SHOW

First: Johnny’s House, XL106.7

Central Florida’s 1st place in Favorite Local Ally for Equality

O

rlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who has led his city since 2003, has made LGBTQ equality a priority in The City Beautiful. That’s why it came as no surprise that our readers voted him Favorite Local Politician and Favorite Local Ally for Equality, categories Dyer has won many times in the past.

“I am honored to receive this recognition, which I really think belongs to every person who calls

First: Fairvilla

Third: Central Florida Sounds of Freedom

Second: DJ Joanie

Central Florida’s 1st place in Favorite Local Politician

FAVORITE LOCAL ADULT NOVELTY STORE

Second: Kelly Richards

Third: DJ Cap’t Kirk

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer

Third: Amway Center

Second: MojoMan Swimwear & Clothing

First: DJ Scott Robert

Everyone’s Buddy

First: Curative Inc. at Southern Nights Orlando Second: Orange County Convention Center Third: Bliss Healthcare

Second: Chad & Leslye In The Morning, Magic 107.7 Third: The News Junkies, Real Radio 104.1 Continued on pg. 37 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Shoulder to Shoulder Dr. Irene Pons Central Florida’s 1st place in Favorite Local Attorney Central Florida’s 3rd place in Favorite Local Activist; Favorite Local Ally for Equality

W

hile Dr. Irene Pons has been inspiring students at UCF for years, many of our readers were introduced to her when she and her class assisted Juleigh Mayfield, an intersex activist, in getting her name and gender marker updated on her ID. The name change was just the beginning of a process that led to Pons and her students creating legal petitions from scratch.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

the City of Orlando home,” Dyer says. “Collectively, we are working to make Orlando a more inclusive, welcoming and equitable community.

I am proud that when our city has faced challenges, we’ve responded with love and compassion. This is what we did following the Pulse tragedy and what we are doing during this pandemic.”

Dyer has shown his dedication to the LGBTQ community in many ways including helping establish the Safe Space Initiative, creating gender neutral bathrooms at City Hall and more.

“I remain committed to working each day to ensure Orlando is a city where the voices of LGBTQ+ residents and all people in our city are heard and every person feels equally valued and protected,” Dyer says. “We want our community to be a place where every resident is not only able to get by, but also has equal access to opportunities to help them thrive.”

–Jeremy Williams “We created the template, filed it with the court and unfortunately the judge rejected it,” Pons says.

Pons helped connect Mayfield with other advocates and, thanks to a judge in Miami, was able to get the first-ever ruling in the state covering an intersex individual.

Pons got her start in activism and being an LGBTQ ally thanks to her older brother.

“My brother is gay and HIV-positive, and I gained my activism by watching him,” she says. “He basically showed me the ropes of how you can have a voice and a platform, I was inspired by him.”

That knowledge is what she now shares with her students, and thanks to her work with Mayfield, the number of students Pons is inspiring has increased.

“My students love that I’m out here doing things that are helping make a difference,” she says. “My classes have a wait list now. It’s really inspired them.”

–Jeremy Williams

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Central Florida names the defining moments of 2020

2

Jeremy Williams

020 was a monumental year

with no shortage of history-making headlines. That’s why, along with asking for your favorites among a variety of categories, we also wanted to know what was the defining story or moment for you in 2020?

Most of your responses focused on three headline-making stories from last year: the pandemic, the election and racial injustice. Any one of these stories could have dominated news coverage on their own, but all three occurring in the same year led many people to call 2020 the worst year in recent memory.

Not far into 2020, cases of COVID-19 were reported in the U.S. with many people sharing stories of loved ones being hospitalized and placed on ventilators due to this new, mysterious virus. As infections and deaths climbed, the country, and the world, started to shut down. By the end of the year, we

would be approaching 500,000 deaths as millions deal with the affects of the virus and millions more deal with a collapsing economy losing jobs, homes and family members.

At the end of May, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the world with more than 450 marches occurring in every state in the U.S. and in dozens of other countries.

In November, with all of 2020 weighing on their minds, voters went to the polls and elected a new president of the United States. More than 81 million people said no to four more

years of a Trump presidency and not only elected Joe Biden as the 46th president, but elected Kamala Harris as the first female vice president.

While there is no denying that most of the 2020 headlines were taken up by those three stories, many of you saw local and personal stories as your defining moments.

Central Florida remembers what we lost in 2020

W

Jeremy Williams

e lost a lot in 2020. We said

goodbye to far too many people who we love and admire. We lost places — some temporarily and some permanently — those safe spaces that helped us find our tribes and kept us socially engaged. And due to the pandemic, we lost the ability to travel, see friends, hug loved ones and create memories.

While asking for your local favorites this WAVE award cycle, we also asked what 2020 loss you will miss the most. Many of you highlighted beloved national leaders, activists and celebrities who we lost this past year.

Talented and inspiring individuals such as Alex Trebek, Chadwick Boseman, John Lewis, Kobe Bryant and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Many of you named close friends and family members who you lost this year, many of them to COVID-19, bringing to light that far too many of

us come into 2021 without mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, grandparents, aunts, uncles, the list went on and on.

Three names that appeared on the list multiple times, individuals whose impact on Central Florida’s LGBTQ community will continue to be felt decades into the future, were Sam Singhaus, Marcy Singhaus and Terry DeCarlo.

Sam Singhaus, also known as the iconic drag performer Miss Sammy, was a staple at many LGBTQ hot

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Local stories including state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani and her staff personally helping Central Floridians navigate a broken unemployment system to obtain benefits after losing their jobs due to the pandemic, watching community members help support local small businesses and the closing of the iconic Parliament House.

spots in Orlando over the years including Parliament House, Savoy and Hamburger Mary’s. He was the community’s go-to emcee. No matter the event, if you wanted to take it to another level you got Miss Sammy.

Sam passed away from complications due to brain cancer on Oct. 12, 2020.

He was 62.

Less than three months prior, Orlando had said goodbye to another Singhaus. Marcy Singhaus was Sam’s sister-in-law and a beloved costume designer in Central Florida.

Marcy, who worked with Orlando Repertory Theatre, Garden Theatre, Wanzie Presents, Theatre Downtown and the Mark Two Dinner Theater, got her start in the ‘90s designing costumes for Miss Sammy. Marcy died from ALS on July 22, 2020. She was 70.

At the beginning of the year, we said goodbye to Terry DeCarlo, the former executive director of the LGBT+ Center in Orlando who headed The Center in the aftermath of the Pulse tragedy.

Terry was one of Central Florida’s LGBTQ leaders thrust into the national spotlight after the Pulse tragedy in June 2016. He passed away after

Others had more personal milestones that defined 2020 for them. Someone welcomed their fifth grandchild into the world, another person beat Stage 3 lung cancer and someone wrote in that coming off of a ventilator and surviving COVID defined their 2020.

Many more defined 2020 with births, weddings, divorces, weight losses and learning a new skill.

battling Stage 4 neck and face cancer.

He was 56 years old.

Many of you said you missed human contact, hugs and kisses. Others said they missed the ability to go out to restaurants, theaters, theme parks, clubs and bars. Overwhelmingly, more than anything else on the list, you said you will miss the Parliament House.

After 45 years, the world famous Parliament House resort officially closing its doors in 2020.

Parliament House carried with it a large part of Central Florida’s LGBTQ history and hosted hundreds of national headlining performers. The iconic club was also home to some of Orlando’s most iconic drag queens including Miss P, Miss Sammy, Carmella Marcella Garcia, Darcel Stevens, Gidget Galore, MrMs Adrien and more, as well as hosted many of the queens who has appeared on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Parliament House hosted its Last Dance Nov. 1, 2020.

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Continued on pg. 39 | uu |

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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

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| uu | WAVE Awards 2021 from pg. 37

Tampa Bay’s

Winners FAVORITE LOCAL POLITICIAN

First: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor

FAVORITE LOCAL WRITER/JOURNALIST First: Ryan Williams-Jent, Watermark Second: Rachel Covello, OutCoast Third: David Borman, Tampa Bay Gay

FAVORITE LOCAL WEBSITE

FAVORITE LOCAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY First: Metro Inclusive Health Second: Love the Golden Rule Third: Diversity Health Center of Tampa Bay

First: WatermarkOnline.com

Third: St. Petersburg City Councilmember Darden Rice

Second: GayStPete.com Third: TampaBayGay.com

Third: Bambu the Eco Salon

FAVORITE LOCAL ACTIVIST

FAVORITE VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING EVENT

FAVORITE LOCAL FITNESS CENTER

Second: Todd Richardson, Equality Florida Third: Jim Nixon, City of St. Petersburg

GREATEST ALLY TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY First: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman Second: Nancy Desmond, PFLAG Tampa Third: Katie McCurry, Project Pride SRQ

MOST EFFECTIVE LOCAL ORGANIZATION First: Metro Inclusive Health Second: Equality Florida Third: Balance Tampa Bay

FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS LEAGUE/ ORGANIZATION First: Tampa Bay Rays Second: Tampa Bay Lightning

First: Equality Florida’s Equality LIVE! Second: Daphne and Friends, A Socially Distant Drag Show Third: DaVinci’s Digital Days

MOST PRIDEFUL EVENT (IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL) First: St Pete Pride Second: Tampa Pride Third: Come OUT St Pete

FAVORITE LOCAL BUSINESS NOT A BAR/CLUB (OVER ONE YEAR OLD) First: Tyler’z Barbershop Second: Out of the Closet Third: The Blind Tiger Café

FAVORITE NEW LOCAL BUSINESS (LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD) First: The Saint Second: The MAR St. Pete

First: Tyler’z Barbershop Second: VanHalst Salon

First: Planet Fitness Second: LA Fitness Third: Crunch Fitness

FAVORITE LOCAL VETERINARIAN CLINIC First: SPCA Tampa Bay Second: Pet Pal Veterinary Clinic Third: VIP Petcare

FAVORITE PLACE TO PAMPER YOUR PET First: Dog Bar St. Pete Second: Bow Wow Barber Third: A Very Important Pet

FAVORITE LOCAL REALTOR First: Eric Wilson, The Wilson Group, Keller Williams Realty Second: Ryan Thompson, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Florida Properties Group Third: Caitlin Jones, RE/MAX Realty Unlimited

Third: Jeffy Tees

Third: Pride Bowling, Dunedin Lanes Continued on pg. 41 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Central

FAVORITE LOCAL HAIR SALON

Second: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman

First: Nadine Smith, Equality Florida

Community

Photo by Dylan Todd

The Grand Central District Tampa Bay’s 1st Place Favorite Local Shopping/Entertainment District

T

he Grand Central District (GCD) is more than the birthplace St Pete Pride, though cultivating Florida’s largest LGBTQ Pride celebration is an honor that most business owners and residents hold dear. It’s also where the locals go, and for good reason.

The district – which includes St. Petersburg’s 31st St. S. to 16th St. S. and the thriving Central Ave., 1st Ave. N. and 1st Ave. S. – is home to more than 475 bars, merchants and restaurants, many of which are 2021 WAVE winners. The eclectic array of goods and services are offered to all who live, work and play in the LGBTQ-inclusive city.

Working to ensure the area flourishes is the Grand Central District Association (GCDA), a nonprofit now entering its 21st year.

It focuses on the GCD’s vitality to make it a vibrant community for every patron, business and property owner alike.

“We’re like a mini Chamber of Commerce,” GCDA Executive Director David Foote explains. “We represent and work with everyone that inhabits our borders, which are huge. We’re a membership organization; a support system for those who join.”

Membership is available for $50-500 per year, Foote notes. In addition to promoting those it serves, it allows the association to maintain the area, which due to its location doesn’t qualify for tax revenue funding for improvements.

“Our banners, our planters, our lights, our landscaping, it’s all made possible because of donations and memberships,” he says.

“I think that’s something people don’t realize. If we didn’t exist, there would be no love from the city for the most part … everybody would be on their own.”

Among the district’s ongoing improvements are 120 banners hanging from the light poles on Central Ave., also home of the city’s Progressive Pride street mural. Designed by Foote, they feature the district’s logo and alternate in the traditional colors of the Pride flag.

“The banners were a no-brainer for me,” Foote says. “St Pete Pride puts their banners up every year, but I said ‘we can do this year round.’ We’re gay 365 – every day, it’s normal here. We’re not limited to a month.”

Foote calls receiving favorite local shopping/entertainment district two years in a row a validating experience. “We really appreciate everyone’s support,” he stresses. “We will continue to do our best to welcome one and all.”

–Ryan Williams-Jent

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FAVORITE LOCAL ATTORNEY First: Liz Moneymaker, Ferrari, Butler Moneymaker, PLLC Second: Lindsey Sheppy, GBY Law Associates Third: Tim Martin, Martin Law Office, P.A.

FAVORITE LOCAL CPA/ACCOUNTANT First: Joel Schmitz, CPA Second: Frederick C. Thacher, CPA, Thacher, PA Third: Kathy K. Cregan, CPA, Cregan & Co.

FAVORITE PLACE TO BUY A CAR First: Tyrone Square Mazda Second: CarMax Third: Crown Hyundai

FAVORITE LOCAL SHOPPING/ ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

FAVORITE LOCAL WEDDING VENUE First: Sunken Gardens

First: Dylan Todd

Second: Sunset Beach

Second: Morgan Le Shade

Third: Armature Works

Third: Jamarcus Mosley

FAVORTE FAITH-BASED ESTABLISHMENT

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT

First: MCC Tampa Second: King of Peace MCC Third: Allendale UMC

FAVORITE LOCAL FLORIST First: The Potting Shed Second: Absolutely Beautiful Flowers Third: Beneva Flowers & Plantscapes

FAVORITE AREA MUSEUM OR GALLERY

FAVORITE LOCAL HOTEL/B&B Third: Gay St. Pete House

Second: Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery Third: Emerald City Comics

Second: The Vinoy

FAVORITE LOCAL FRAMING SHOP First: Tyrone Frames & Mirrors Second: Michaels Third: Gallery Barbas

FAVORITE LOCAL ARTIST First: Chad Mize

Sin-Sation

Photo by Lightheart Photography

The Saint

FAVORITE LOCAL BRUNCH First: Old Key West Bar & Grill Second: Showbar Ybor Third: Bonefish Grill

FAVORITE LOCAL LATE NIGHT DINING First: Three Coins Diner Third: Old Key West Bar & Grill

Second: Ybor

First: The Vortex Bar and Game Room

Third: Social Roost Kitchen and Bar

Second: Museum of Fine Arts St. Pete

First: The Hollander

FAVORITE LOCAL GEEK SPOT

Second: Old Key West Bar & Grill

Second: Punky’s Bar and Grill

Third: Imagine Museum

St. Pete

First: Punky’s Bar and Grill

First: The Dali Museum

First: The Grand Central District Third: Downtown Dunedin

FAVORITE LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER

FAVORITE LOCAL CATERER First: Sonny’s BBQ Second: The Stuffed Mushroom Third: Darlene’s Cocina

FAVORITE LGBTQ CLUB/BAR First: Quench Lounge Second: Enigma Bar & Lounge Third: Bradley’s on 7th

FAVORITE ALLIED BAR/CLUB First: Old Key West Bar & Grill Second: Showbar Ybor Third: White Lie Ybor

Second: John Gascot Third: Cole Foust

T

Tampa Bay’s 1st Place Favorite New Local Business (Less Than One Year Old)

he Saint opened its confessional in early 2020, promising St. Petersburg its “first true speakeasy” and taking Tampa Bay by storm. Patrons have supported the hotspot in controlled droves ever since, proving that sin is in.

The locale seats a maximum of 68 patrons and requires an entry process to enter, detailed on their website, favoring intimate conversation to intense crowds. Owner David Fischer says that made navigating COVID-19 easier than it may have been for some other bars.

“You enter through a confessional and have to know the ‘Sin of the Week’ to get in, so we can regulate how many people are inside very easily,” he explains. “It’s not a massive bar where you stand around and drink and it never will be, even post-COVID.” The speakeasy takes no reservations and is divided into intimate seating areas, the largest of which accommodates only seven people. It is designed to maximize time spent with friends, family and loved ones.

Fischer created the space himself, drawing upon his longtime desire to design a red bar and his Catholic upbringing. He also leaned on two “naughty angel” statues as inspiration, focal points within the space that promises “an unrivaled cocktail experience” as it turns sinners into saints one drink at a time.

Patrons are invited “to confess life’s darkest sins” over one of The Saint’s 7 Deadly Sins specialty drinks – Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Pride or Wrath. Martinis, draft beers, wines, non-alcoholic beverages and more round out the drink menu, which is complemented by light bites.

Each evening strives to cultivate an inclusive, memorable experience, which is what Fischer does best. He also owns ZaZoo’d, which has offered an eclectic variety of retail goods, event planning and interior design services in St. Petersburg for seven years, designing Equality Florida galas and more.

Later this year he’ll also open Cocktail, an LGBTQ-focused bar sure to place in next year’s WAVE Awards. “It will be focused around the community,” Fischer says. “We call it more of a ‘straight-friendly’ bar and we’ll fully embrace that. All of my businesses are inclusive to everyone.”

Fischer adds that The Saint’s first-place finish in this year’s WAVE Awards is vindicating, extending his gratitude for a year of support. “It’s nice to get recognition for working hard, trying to make people happy and bringing a place to St. Pete that is welcoming to everyone,” he says.

–Ryan Williams-Jent

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Winner Caitlin Jones, REALTOR 813-530-5687 www.TheJonesHomeTeam.com

OUT WITH THE OLD

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FAVORITE HAPPY HOUR First: Quench Lounge Second: Enigma Bar & Lounge

FAVORITE LOCAL FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: THEATRICAL STAGE (NONSHOW (IN DRAG) PERSON OR First: Matthew VIRTUAL) McGee

Third: Bradley’s on 7th

Second: Mavin MissBehavin

FAVORITE KARAOKE, TRIVIA OR BINGO NIGHT (INCLUDE HOST(S), EVENT AND LOCATION)

Third: Robert Rigsby

First: Theresa McGivern, Karaoke at Quench Lounge Second: Georgia Moore, Drag Queen Bingo at Punky’s Bar and Grill Third: Duane Cook, Karaoke at Blur Nightclub

FAVORITE LOCAL BARTENDER/ SERVER First: Chris Hannay, Enigma Bar & Lounge Second: Alex Honda, Bradley’s on 7th Third: Jon Jusino, The Garage on Central Avenue

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: DRAG

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: MUSICIAN First: That Steel Drum Girl Second: Alyssa Third: Boys’ Entrance

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMER: DJ First: TC Czaritsa Second: Mike Sklarz Third: Jayson Chancey

FAVORITE LOCAL RADIO SHOW First: The Miguel & Holly Show, Hot 101.5

Second: POPera: Holiday Sparkle, St. Petersburg Opera Co. Third: War of the Worlds, freeFall Theatre

FAVORITE ADULT NOVELTY STORE First: XTC Adult Supercenter Second: Todd Couples Superstore Third: Fantasyland Adult Supercenter

FAVORITE COVID-19 TESTING SITE

Eric Wilson, The Wilson Group, Keller Williams Realty Tampa Bay’s 1st Place

I

Favorite Local Realtor

t’s never just about closing a deal or receiving a check for Keller Williams Realty’s The Wilson Group, Lead Listing Agent Eric Wilson says. It’s about the customer.

“We’re helping our clients make one of the most important decisions that they’re ever going to make,” he explains. “If we’re going to do that, we’re going to do it right.”

He and his team of five – Lead Buyer Specialist Donna Knight, Buyer Specialists Aaron Hoffman and Kelly Crum, Director of Operations Leah Hodgen and Transaction Coordinator Drew Latimer, are of one mind on that. They’ve helped more than 225 clients buy and sell their homes throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee

First: Tropicana Field Second: CVS Pharmacy Third: MedExpress

Second: Drew Garabo Live, 102.5 The Bone Third: Big Rig, 98Rock

Crazy, Sexy, Cool

FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMING ARTS VENUE WE CAN’T WAIT TO open back up

Second: Alexis De La Mer

First: Straz Center for the Performing Arts

Third: Rockell Blu

Second: Ruth Eckerd Hall

First: Veronica Vixen

First: A Socially Distant Drag Show, Daphne and Friends

Team Player

Veronica Vixen Tampa Bay’s 1st Place Favorite Local Performer: Drag

V

Third: freeFall Theatre

Continued on pg. 45 | uu |

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incent Bailey-Santamarina has been entertaining audiences for nearly 20 years, but it’s within the last five that his Veronica Vixen has taken center stage. “She’s sexy and funny,” he explains, “and loves doing pageants.”

Vixen has won a number of them. The performer’s titles include Miss Central Florida Showgirl, Miss Broken Slut and Miss Gay Polk Pride Newcomer. “Pageants are a huge stepping stone into learning your craft,” Vixen says.

“They’re a tool that help you excel and get feedback. They’re also a sisterhood – you meet new people, new mentors and make new friends.”

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counties in the last five years, with more than $40 million in sales.

“The most successful teams in the business are the people that have the best processes in place,” Wilson says. “It’s all about giving the absolute best customer service that we can.”

That’s something he learned early in his career, which began solo in 2016.

Wilson made a name for himself by offering free pizza with the purchase of a home.

“I like to not take myself too seriously,” he explains.

“It went viral very quickly.”

It drew attention not only to his efforts, Wilson notes, but to the homes of his clients.

If sellers approve, he still offers the service along with a myriad of others.

“It takes a village to build a business,” Wilson says. “We have an incredible external team as well – a photographer, a stager, preferred vendors, lenders and inspectors. It takes a team to make sure that the client has an incredible experience.”

–Ryan Williams-Jent When Vixen isn’t entering herself, Bailey-Santamarina is promoting them for that reason. Along with his husband Aaron, he’s worked for the last decade to host preliminary competitions for pageants like All American Goddess and Miss Comedy Queen.

“It’s a really fun thing to do,” the entertainer explains.

“We started promoting to help queens get a ticket to compete nationally. We put our time and money behind queens that can win.”

Vixen has taken the spotlight regularly for two years at Quench Lounge, Tampa Bay’s 1st Place Favorite LGBTQ Bar/Club and Favorite Happy Hour. She hosts Saturday shows as one of its Divas.

“Quench is my home bar and I love performing there,” she explains. “We have all different walks of life. All of the love and support I get from them, my husband and my best friend Monica Moore means the world to me.”

–Ryan Williams-Jent

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Tampa Bay names the defining moments of 2020

I

Ryan Williams-Jent

f one thing didn’t slow down

last year, it was the news cycle. That’s why Watermark asked readers to name the defining moments and stories of 2020.

Three in particular resonated above the others, the first of which was COVID-19. The coronavirus impacted every facet of our lives in Tampa Bay and beyond last year.

More than 20,000 positive cases were reported statewide on Dec. 31, 2020, a record at the time. The news received heightened scrutiny as New Year’s Eve celebrations were held throughout Tampa Bay. That’s because more than 875 of them came from Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg – and more than 1,500 came from Hillsborough County, which Tampa calls home. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, each 2021 WAVE Award winners, were quick

to respond and urge caution from constituents.

“As we enter 2021 with COVID remaining a serious threat, we must recommit ourselves to doing right, for ourselves and for each other,” Kriseman shared.

“I know we can do it.”

“We can all agree that 2020 has been a bit of a dumpster fire,” Castor added, “but the end is in sight and we need you to be the fire extinguisher.”

Racial injustice and police brutality also captivated readers following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Activists asserted that Black Lives Matter in worldwide demonstrations, including in Tampa Bay. Equality-focused organizations quickly joined their efforts to assert that All Black Lives Matter,

including those who are LGBTQ. The WAVE Award-winning Equality Florida joined with hundreds of other organizations to call for reforms, while the WAVE Award-winning Come OUT St Pete partnered with the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum to virtually present “Together We Rise,” a vigil designed to unite the LGBTQ

Tampa Bay remembers what we lost in 2020

T

Ryan Williams-Jent

ampa Bay’s LGBTQ community came

together in unprecedented ways throughout 2020, staying connected in a year unlike any the modern world has ever faced. That’s reflected in the record response we received for the WAVEs, or Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence.

Despite the victories our community managed to hold onto, however, there were still losses that we’ve had no choice but to carry with us into 2021. That’s why Watermark asked readers to reflect on which 2020 losses they’ll miss the most as we move forward.

The majority of answers were made in response to COVID-19, which kept us socially distanced for our own safety throughout most of the year.

Readers reflected on the loss of community gatherings – like what would have been the sixth annual

Tampa Pride in March 2020 or the 18th annual St Pete Pride in June – to the loss of live concerts and theater at venues like the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Thankfully these events and venues – all WAVE winners this year – promise to return bigger and better than ever before.

Tampa Pride is currently scheduled for a return to Ybor City in May 22.

Ahead of that, St Pete Pride will hold it first event of the year March 12-14, returning to its birthplace in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg for

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

and Black communities. This work continues.

Finally, the 2020 presidential election gripped readers through the end of the year. Readers cited not just the defeat of Donald Trump and Mike Pence, who each advocated against LGBTQ equality while serving as president and vice president and before, but for the promise of a better tomorrow.

Taste of Pride. Details about the outing are available on p. 13 ahead of the organization’s plans for June.

Despite these bright spots, not everything will be back this year. That includes Tequila’s Taqueria & Tequila Bar in Ybor and the long-running Parliament House in Orlando. After 45 years, the beloved desination closed its doors.

Readers noted that LGBTQ-inclusive and focused spaces like these will be dearly missed, as will other businesses that permanently closed due to economic strain. That included a number of jobs that readers lost as a result.

More heartbreakingly, the loss of life weighed heavily on members of our community.

Respondents generally cited the loss of friends, family members and other loved ones who died from COVID-19 en masse, as well as those who died from other causes.

That included Terra Winthrop, a lifetime advocate for Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community who died Nov. 27, 2020 and Paul Kinchen, a community light who died Dec. 10, 2020.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 83% of LGBTQ voters supported the Biden-Harris presidential ticket. In the victories of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, readers noted, LGBTQ allies had returned to the White House.

After 2020, the LGBTQ community was ready to Build Back Better.

National figures who died last year also made the list. Readers specifically named Basketball star Kobe Bryant, who died Jan. 26, 2020; civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died July 17, 2020; “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who died Aug. 28, 2020; Supreme Court Justice and LGBTQ champion Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18, 2020 and “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who died Nov. 8, 2020.

Dancing at venues like The Honey Pot in Ybor, hugging our loved ones and even casual acquaintances while socializing in LGBTQ safe spaces throughout Tampa Bay – as well as safely traveling outside of it without COVID-19 concerns – factored in heavily.

WAVE voters also summarized how they felt about their lack of connection in 2020 using only one word, displayed above in a Word Cloud. They made it very clear.

With vaccines becoming more readily available, however, they remain hopeful for a brighter 2021 – or as one respondent noted, “at least to have more human interaction.”

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arts and Entertainment

Swing Along Kid Congo Powers on his latest EP and 40 years as a queer rocker

T

Gregg Shapiro

he word legend is often

tossed around without anything to back it up. But when it comes to Kid Congo Powers, it is more than fitting.

Powers’ musical resume reads like a who’s who of cool bands including The Cramps, The Gun Club and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. As a bandleader himself, Powers can count Congo Norvell, Knoxville Girls and The Pink Monkey Birds among his significant credits. Keeping in mind he did this all as an out gay man at a time when out gay men were something of a rarity in certain segments of rock.

Still going strong in a career that has lasted more than four decades, Watermark had the pleasure of speaking with Powers about his new EP, “Swing from the Sean DeLear,” which he has released with his current band, The Pink Monkey Birds.

Watermark: For those not in the know, I’d like to begin by talking about nomenclature. Beginning with how you arrived at your name Kid Congo Powers.

Kid Congo Powers: Well [laughs], I was born with it.

I had very esoteric parents [laughs]. When I joined The Cramps in 1980 or so, I was just going by my name Brian Tristan. They were like, “Oh no, you need a Cramps name.”

Continued on pg. 49 | uu |

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March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

well with the artwork which was done by my husband Ryan Hill.

| uu | Swing Along

As someone who began his music career in the days when vinyl was still the predominant listening format, what do you think about the vinyl resurrection?

from pg.47

I was all for it, of course. There was [already band members named] Poison Ivy and Lux Interior. Even Bryan Gregory, [who was] my predecessor, was a fake name [laughs]. We were coming up with these lists of names. The Thing was one of them! Another one was Brian Gris-gris, but they didn’t like that because it was too close to Bryan, and they were mad at him. We were brainstorming and Lux and Ivy had this Santeria style candle.

“The Congo Candle,” and it said something like “When you light this candle, Congo powers are revealed to you.” They said, “Congo Powers, there’s your name right there.”

I added Kid, like boxer or a pirate.

Now please say something about the moniker of The Pink Monkey Birds.

I was doing a solo act and then we had been starting to become a band. The band [members] said, “We want a name,” because I was just calling it Kid Congo Powers.

I said, “That’s fine. Just choose a name and I’ll say yes.” They all said, “The Pink Monkey Birds,” thinking I’d say no [laughs]. I said, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll have.” Obviously, it’s from the David Bowie song “Moonage Daydream” — “Squawking like a pink monkey bird.”

Speaking of names, the new Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds EP “Swing from the Sean DeLear” not only bears the name of the late nonbinary L.A. music scene legend Sean DeLear in its title, but it also opens with the tribute song to Sean. What role did Sean DeLear played in your life?

Sean was a friend. Of course, that’s the biggest one. But also quite a ubiquitous person on the L.A. scene, in the gay and queer scenes; bars and parties. Also in the rock and roll scene. He was a singer in a band called Glue. He was very much a culture vulture, into all the arts.

Anytime you were anywhere, Sean DeLear was there; every backstage, every private party. You’d be like, “How did Sean DeLear get here?” The same way anyone did!

I always say, “Sometimes the stalker becomes the fixture.”

Sean was also a world traveler.

He would show up at our shows in London or Paris. He was living in Vienna for a while. Sean was just a really bright light and a queer rock and roller, which to me is family.

Making Music: King Congo Powers’ released his new EP, “Swing from the Sean DeLear,” with his current band, The Pink Monkey Birds. Photo Courtesy King COngo Powers’ team Although it’s quite common now, in earlier days it was not quite as common to have out, queer people in rock and roll. Of course, there’s always been. In tumultuous times, it was always a touchstone where a person’s queerness made no difference at all to people. No one looked at Sean as a weird person.

Not looked down upon and a bright light. When Sean passed away in 2018, I was like “Oh my God, I can’t believe someone with this much bright energy is gone.” I started to write down the lyrics really quick, such as “swing from the Sean DeLear,” because I thought if he’s anywhere, heaven or another plane, it’s something like swinging from a chandelier at a party. I just wanted to capture the essence of Sean somehow. a favorite song on the EP is the funky “(I Can’t Afford) Your Shitty Dreamhouse” which is the best kind of dance tune — one that moves your brain while you move your feet. What was the inspiration for that song?

The lyrics were something I wrote on the spot. We made that song and recorded it just right before the pandemic. It was right before George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter scene came on.

We were already fed up with the visions, the shitty dream house of I don’t dare say its name and its administration and policies.

Yes, we know who you’re talking about.

[Laughs] To them it was some kind of weird dream house, but it was a nightmare to us, to any

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

decent person. There’s a line in it that goes, “I can fight like I did all along/years before you were in my song.” That was a reference to ACT UP and every political uprising before that. We have been doing this for years. As a queer person you have to fight for just standing anywhere on earth. I’ve always had to deal with these people.

I was not shocked by how racist or bigoted it could get. Although it is shocking, it’s something we’ve seen all along, and it’s reached some public pinnacle of ridiculousness.

It even got worse after I wrote that song [laughs]. But the song is celebratory. It’s a song of punk, of empowerment. We can do this.

We’ve done it before and we can keep doing it.

The B-side of the EP contains the instrumental number “He Walked In,” with a spoken-word section. David Fenster’s video for “He Walked In,” features you walking along a road through a stunning Arizona desert landscape. Am I on the right track when I say it’s as much a tribute to where you live as it is to Jeffrey Lee Pierce (of The Gun Club)?

Yeah! You don’t need much more when you have anything that gorgeous to walk in. It speaks to the tribute to the dream I had [about Pierce]. We wanted it to have a dreamy quality. Since we’re in quarantine we couldn’t do a lot.

We had to come think of something like that. Also, the dream was about a visitation. Being Chicano, but also living in Arizona for a few years, you become very aware of

the indigenous people here and the land you’re on. It is a very magical land. We were hoping that would come through in the film. I picked David Fenster to work together with on this because he does a lot of great short films. He’s an arts filmmaker and documentarian.

A lot of his films deal with the past and nature and spirits in nature and living among nature and the bridge between life and the beyond and memory. There were a lot of elements at work. We decided on this same simple way to do it and rely on the elements to create the magic.

We can’t talk about the EP without mentioning that not only is it available on vinyl, but the vinyl itself is pink with black splatters. How do you feel about such a visual presentation of your music?

I think it’s all very important. To me, the whole concept of being a musician is all the senses, including the visual. If I learned one thing from The Cramps or even The Gun Club and Nick Cave and the Bad Seed, it’s that creating your own world is the important thing.

That’s what I always loved about the music I grew up with and artists I like. It’s a very full world of someone like Patti Smith and the Ramones or Devo or anyone. They create an entire existence and it’s something you want to latch onto and learn and follow. That’s what I’m hoping we’re doing. Things that are important are packaging.

Also, Larry Hardy at In The Red [Records], is actually the one who suggested the pink and black because it went really amazingly

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

The thing is I’ve been making records with In The Red since the ‘90s. Larry Hardy has always been a vinyl label, first and foremost. That was their trip. That’s what attracted me to him in the days of CDs in the ‘90s when people weren’t doing vinyl. Vinyl comes first for him.

I didn’t really pay attention to it not being around when it was out of favor because I’m not one of the people who replaced all their records with CDs. I just wanted records. When modern stuff wasn’t on them I got CDs, of course. I think it can only be good that people are listening to records, again. I’m happy with it.

With the future of live performance still somewhat curtailed, how are you planning to reach your fans with the new music?

I’ll keep putting out and recording music, of course. A site like Bandcamp has become a really amazing place to reach people. It has the infrastructure. Of course, there’s all the social media platforms, but it’s one where you deal directly with people. They have an infrastructure for mailing lists and everything. You can talk to people who are on your list whenever you want. That keeps people informed. We’re also making more videos for this record. We’re making one for “Sean DeLear” and an animated one for the “Shitty Dreamhouse” song. Just keeping stuff coming.

It’s difficult for us to play live because we all live in different states far from each other. We’re going to have to wait until the post-vaccine pandemic society rises again. We are mainly a live band. We tour a lot everywhere in the world.

That’s how we make our livelihood.

Also, that’s the best way to connect with people and meet people. My favorite medium in music is the live show experience. ... Trying to keep in touch with people through the medium of the internet and to keep creating. I get depressed when I’m not making things.

Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds’ “Swing from the Sean DeLear” EP is available on vinyl wherever music is sold.

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announcements

tampa bay out+about

CONGRATULATIONS St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman awarded Tampa Bay arts staple Bob Devin Jones the Key to the City Feb. 18.

6S Boutique celebrated 10 years of serving Tampa Bay and beyond on Feb. 20.

Bradley’s on 7th celebrates 10 years in Ybor March 4-6 with a series of contests and shows led by Amy DeMilo.

The venue announced the fan favorite performer would serve as its new show director Feb. 17. “I hope you all come celebrate with me,” owner Bradley Nelson shared ahead of his bar’s milestone.

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REOPENINGS The Tampa Theatre will reopen March 11 with screenings of Anthony Hopkins’ new film “The Father.”

CLOSURES

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LOCAL LOVE: St. Pete City Council Vice Chair Gina Driscoll takes a lap through Localtopia Feb. 20.

PHOTO COURTESY GINA DRISCOLL

Iberian Rooster permanently closed Feb. 27 following a final drag brunch. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Tampa Bay songstress Judy B. Goode, Sarasota activist Mark Kidd, Yankees Fan Martin Jeavons, Tampa mama Patty Cannon (Mar. 4); Carnival Cruise Line’s Seth Grunes, St. Pete socialite David Hines, The Pub/Lakeland and Southern Comfort Campground owner Vaughn Howell (March 5); Tampa colorist Chas Stickney, Sarasota Modern agent Hector Esteban (March 6); Tampa Bay fashionista Robert Chmura-Pappadeas, St. Pete muralist Dereck Donnelly, Habitat for Humanity’s Val Brinkley, Tampa Bay political expert Randy Smith, Tampa Bay bear David Sparks, Ponytail princess Cheryl Prestero (March 7); Old Key West owner Mitch Faber, St. Pete realtor Matt Lawrence, Jobsite Theater Producing Artistic Director David Jenkins (March 8); St. Pete mail carrier Derek Wilkins, Sarasota’s Misty Smeltzer (March 9); Tampa Bay mental health counselor Blake Williamson, Gulfport gal Caitlyn DeWitt, St. Pete City Council Vice Chair Gina Driscoll, St. Pete artist Tom Amidon, Punky’s bartender Aaron McBeth (March 10); Dunedin dentist Mike Hopkins, Tech Data’s Chrys Bundy, Foreign film aficionado Bob Austin (March 11); Burlesque performer Shena Lollar (March 12); Tampa muscle man Danny Watson, Tampa Bay leader Larry Biddle (March 13); Bartender Mitch Demmons, Tampa event planner Tim Thompson, Tampa Bay entertainer James Watson aka Josie Jay, Ember bartender Ramon Hernandez (March 14); Tampa nutritional biochemist Debra Roche, St. Pete realtor Bobby Poth, Sarasota realtor Rob Krasow, United Health’s Paul Bradford, Universal lover Bobby Dixon (March 15); Publix Headquarters PR man Chris McNally (March 16); Britneyloving bear Nabil Harb, former St. Pete City Councilman Steve Kornell, “Talkin’ Pets” co-host Jon Patrick, Enigma staple Indrek Karner (March 17).

2

NUN-SENSE: Sister Agatha Frisky plays a few rounds of Bingo at Cristoph’s Feb. 25. PHOTO

COURTESY TB SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE

3

FOND FAREWELL: Stephanie Morge (L) and Misty McDevitt enjoy the final Drag Brunch at Iberian Rooster Feb. 27. PHOTO

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COURTESY STEPHANIE MORGE

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CENTRAL FAVE: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman (L) and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin (R) flank Love Food Central owners Valerie Manzoros and Cindy Toda (C) while enjoying an outdoor meal at the restaurant.

PHOTO COURTESY RICK KRISEMAN

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HITTING THE STREETS: Project Pride SRQ volunteers participate in a Keep Sarasota Beautiful Clean-Up Day Feb. 20. PHOTO

COURTESY PROJECT PRIDE SRQ

6

BATTER UP: Pasco Pride’s The Gay Agenda plays its first softball game Feb. 18. PHOTO

COURTESY PASCO PRIDE

7

SUPER-SHERO: Bianca Del Rio (C) gets some help taking to the skies for Drive ‘N Drag in Tampa Feb. 23.

6

PHOTO BY RICKY CEYALA-RENAUD

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DOING THE WORK: (L-R): St. Pete City Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Carla Bristol and State Rep. Michele Rayner participate in the St. Pete Youth Farm’s Black History Month Workday Feb. 27. PHOTO

COURTESY MICHELE RAYNER

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overheard

central florida out+about

CONGRATULATIONS Peer Support Space co-founder and executive director Yasmin Flasterstein was named one of the University of Central Florida’s 30 under 30 Alumni Award winners for 2021. UCF’s annual 30 Under 30 Award winners are accomplished graduates chosen for their great professional success, commitment to helping others and track record of giving back to UCF and their local community. Flasterstein graduated from UCF in 2017 with a B.S. in psychology. The 2021 award recipients are scheduled to be honored in a celebratory event May 22.

2

CONDOLENCES Beloved costume designer AJ Garcia passed away Feb. 21 at the age of 47. Over the years, Garcia worked with many theaters throughout Central Florida including Theater at St. Luke’s, the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Garden Theatre and Winter Park Playhouse to name a few. Our sympathies go out to his fiancé, C.J. Sikorski, his family and friends. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you please consider making a donation to either A Better LifePet Rescue or Theater at St. Luke’s. 100% of the proceeds donated to St. Luke’s will create a scholarship fund in AJ’s name.

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GRAND OPENING Out of the Closet Thrift Store opened in Orlando’s Mills50 District Feb. 27. Out Of The Closet is unique among thrift stores as 96 cents of every dollar you spend in the store directly funds AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s HIV/ AIDS programs and services. Out Of The Closet’s Mills50 location also offers free Rapid HIV testing and have a pharmacy in house to fill HIV medications. For more information, visit OutOfTheCloset.org.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Senior Specialist for the City of Orlando Felipe SousaLazaballet, Club Orlando attendant Arthur Adams (Mar. 4); Orlando playwright, actor and Watermark contributor Michael Wanzie, Orlando realtor Rustin Davis, Rollins College theater director Thomas Ouellette, Tampa colorist Chas Stickney, Les Vixens dancer Allyna NiKohl (March 6); WAVE-winning Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, Orlando actor Erik Branch, Co-owner of E.M. & Voss Solutions Event and Wedding Services Eric Muenks (March 8); St. Matthews Tavern bartender Cathy Binkewicz (March 9); Founder and executive director of Gender Advancement Project Ashley Figueroa, Halcyon singer/songwriter Deb Hunseder, Biz Buzz Inc’s Bryant Dannic (March 10); O-Town actor Kevin Kelly, Orlando WAVE-winning activist Margo Dixon, Central Florida artist Terry Hummel, Former Doggie Door co-owner Jeff Brow (March 11); The Florida/Georgia Gay Rodeo Association’s Todd Garrett (March 12); Orlando Hamburger Mary’s coowner John Paonessa (March 13); Central Florida softball superstar Mary Johnson (March 14); Central Florida mental health professional Kristy Weick, Brevard-based activist Scott Wall-DeSousa (March 15); Skincare genius Tabor Winstead (March 17).

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Getting Protected: The Center’s Joel Morales receives his second COVID-19 vaccine shot from Advent Health in Orlando Feb. 26.

Photo courtesy Joel Morales

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Colorful Crosswalk: (L-R) Susan Buttery, Zac Alfson and City Commissioner Patty Sheehan check out the new crosswalks in Orlando’s Milk District Feb. 24.

Photo courtesy Patty Sheehan

Beach Work: Urban Quarters Team realtors Nick Smith (L) and Kate Maini hit the beach after a house showing in Palm Bay Feb. 23.

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3

courtesy Andres Acosta Ardilla

Photo courtesy Nick Smith

Day at the Park: Andres Acosta Ardilla with his puppers hangout at the Orlando Farmers Market in Lake Eola Park Feb. 28. Photo

On the Set: (L-R) Jazell Barbie Royale, Kam Brooks, Mulan Williams, Daniel Downer and Travoris Adams on the set of “Conversations with Black Americans” Feb. 25. Photo

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from Bros in Convos

Drink Up: Grace Peek-Harris shares a few drinks at a GOALcfl pop-up social at The Hammered Lamb in Orlando Feb. 26.

Photo from GOALcfl

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Open Closet: (L-R) Josh Gilbert, Tony Domenico, Dee Richter and Rob Domenico attend the opening of Out of the Closet in Orlando›s MIlls50 District Feb. 27. Photo by Danny Garcia

On the Trail: Gina Duncan takes a bike ride on the West Orange Trail on a beautiful Florida day Feb. 28.

Photo courtesy Gina Duncan

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wedding bells

Nick Nelson and Norm Ofstead, from Orlando, Florida

Engage Date:

Aug. 7, 2019

Wedding Date:

Feb. 5, 2021

Officiant:

Alex Ramon (one of Norm’s best friends)

Venue:

Dr. Phillips Center

Colors:

Navy and Grey

Florist:

We created our own centerpieces and ordered our boutonnières from Etsy

Caterer:

Dr. Phillips Center Catering

Cake Flavors:

Spiced Banana, Blueberry Lemonade and Peach Bellini

Bakery:

Sweet Miss V’s

Photographer/ Videographer:

Josie Brooks Photography (photographer) ByDesign Films (cinematographer)

Entertainment:

DJ Scott King (Event Concepts)

Photos by Josie Brooks Photography

“W

e knew fairly early that

we would be spending the rest of our lives together,” Norm Ofstead says of his husband Nick Nelson. “We just didn’t know who would be the one to propose first.”

Nick and Norm met through a dating app called Chappy. After talking on the app for a week, they got dinner at Earl’s, where they talked for hours about their lives and interests, realizing how much they had in common.

“It was pretty clear that there was instant chemistry,” Norm says. “After that first date we have not gone a single day without talking.”

It was Norm that first proposed to Nick in August 2019. In 2018, the couple had started the eight-month process of building their first home.

Norm knew that he wanted to propose to Nick in their new home on the day of closing.

The building manager hid the ring in one of the kitchen drawers on the couple’s final walkthrough of the home. A few hours later, when they had the keys to their home and were showing their friend Cavel around, Norm asked Nick to put something in that drawer. When Nick opened the drawer, he found the ring box sitting there.

“Nick gasped and said, ‘Oh babe!

Our builders left us a gif... wait...’ I’m pretty sure he understood at that point that it wasn’t a gift from our home builders,” Norm says. “I took the box from Nick’s hand, led him to the center of the living area, got down on one knee and asked Nick to spend

the rest of his life with me. Clearly, he said yes!”

The proposal made Nick feel so special that he decided he wanted to turn the surprise back on Norm and propose to him too.

Nick had planned to propose to Norm while on a trip to Paris for their second anniversary.

Unfortunately, their trip had to be cut short due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five months later, Nick decided he would propose at Disney’s Riviera Resort. After setting up a room at the resort, Nick suggested to Norm that they get something to eat at Disney Springs. On the way there, he suggested checking out the Riviera Resort to see what it looks like.

“So we went up to the seventh floor, walked down the hallway and opened up the door to our room with balloons, champagne and the ring inside,” Nick says. “He was so surprised he cried. We then went to Epcot and celebrated and drank around the world.”

The couple married on Feb. 5, 2021 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Both Nick and Norm’s favorite moment of the day

was when Norm’s mother surprised them by attending the wedding.

Ever since Norm proposed to Nick, Norm’s parents had said they would not support the wedding. But after the couple’s First Look in a private room at their venue, Norm’s mother walked in. Norm’s brother and sister had planned the surprise.

“Obviously, I was in tears throughout the entire mother/son dance,” Norm says. “On a side note, my dad called me after the ceremony and wished Nick and I all the best That really meant a lot to me.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been as emotional as I was witnessing those moments with Norm and his mom,” Nick said.

Fun moments like walking with their dogs down the aisle and choreographing their first dance made their wedding all the more special.

“I wanted to walk out first so that I could watch Norm ‘walk down the aisle’ – which was actually a set of stairs,” Nick said. “But I’ll never forget watching the man that was about to be my future husband walk down that staircase.”

—Lora Korpar

Do you have an interesting wedding or engagement story you’d like to share with Watermark readers? If so, email the details to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com for consideration as a future feature on this page.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

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the last page Hometown:

Lakeland, Florida. (I grew up elsewhere, but this is home.)

Identifies As:

Queer

Pronouns:

She/Her/Hers

Alison M. Foley-Rothrock, Esq. F oley I mmigration law

Out Year: 2009

Profession:

Attorney and owner at Foley Immigration Law and founder of Red Tent Initiative

Professional Role Model:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Autobiography Title:

“The Nine Lives of Alison Marie”

Hobbies:

Reading, Writing, Dance, Visual Art in a variety of forms.

T

he Last Page is dedicated to

individuals who are making a positive impact on the LGBTQ community in Tampa Bay and Central Florida. This issue, we check in with Alison M. Foley-Rothrock, Esq., of Foley Immigration Law. Keep an eye on this space to learn more about the movers and shakers of your community.

What do you do professionally?

I provide legal services to immigrants, their families and businesses.

I also manage a nonprofit organization of Survivors and Allies working to end abuse and exploitation in our communities.

How do you champion for the local LGBTQ community?

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

62

In my legal work, I help folx navigate the immigration laws so that they can live and work in the U.S. legally. I am most passionate about cases that involve political asylum (legal protection for individuals who are in fear of returning to their home countries due to persecution) and helping same-sex couples.

I also volunteer with several groups like Equality Florida and the ACLU where we push for policies that better protect our LGBTQ++ community.

A key part of Red Tent’s mission is that we are radically inclusive and intentionally reach out to marginalized communities that are too often left by the wayside in more traditional and especially faith-based social services organizations.

I have always felt that one of the most important ways that I champion the LGBTQ++ community is by living my life out and proud and showing up for my community, even though I’m in a profession where I’ve been counseled more than once to be careful not to be labeled “that gay lawyer.”

Obviously, I did not listen and have no such intentions.

What is your favorite thing to read in Watermark?

I love to read about current events, whether it’s changes in the legal and political landscape or upcoming festivals, shows, etc.

Watermark helps me stay current

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

on all of the various aspects of queer life in Florida.

What is your favorite local LGBTQ event?

I love the Equality Florida Tampa Gala. My husband and I have gone every year since we started dating in 2014.

I always tell people, “It’s like a big gay prom for grown-ups!” The food, drinks and entertainment are far better than any prom, though – and besides that, the art auction has kept my home full of beautiful pieces that help raise money to affect positive change in our communities. It doesn’t get much better than that.

What is your favorite thing about your local LGBTQ community?

We really are family. No matter where I go, there are people I can connect with and count on through thick and thin.

Sometimes there’s in-fighting, but no matter what there is always LOVE. What would you like to see improved in your local LGBTQ community?

There’s always room for improvement. The major area I see is inclusivity and intersectionality within our community. We are making progress in terms of supporting our trans and BIPOC brethren. We need to extend that and delve more into

March 4 - 17, 2021 // Issue 28 .05 wat e r m a r konline .com

mental health, disabilities and immigration status.

What would you like our readers to know about you?

Sarcasm is my love language.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Stand up for yourself as much as you would any other person.

How has Foley Immigration Law navigated the challenges of COVID-19?

We are making better and broader use of technologies like video conferencing and electronic filings to work around social distancing. We had to scale back when the shutdowns began, but we are growing again.

What else should readers know about Foley Immigration Law and the work you’re doing?

I take it very personally.

So many times I will have a discussion with someone about a topic that they view as “just politics,” but for me issues of gender, sexuality, race relations, immigrant rights … all of these things affect my life and my family every day, besides the fact that I have made human rights my life’s work.

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