Watermark Issue 30.06: Nevertheless, Pride Persisted

While I do love performing for children, with it being 18 and up we’ll get to express ourselves freely in our art form. We’ll get to do the songs that we want to do, and the type of acts we want to do. We want to show our true selves in this environment, especially considering it’s Pride.

– TAMPA BAY DRAG PERFORMER ANGELIQUE YOUNG, SPEAKING ABOUT TAMPA PRIDE’S 18+ RESTRICTION ON ITS DRAG SHOWS

Orlando City Hall exhibit celebrates Black artists.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor secures a second term.

Tampa Bay Trans Film Fest returns with in-person events.

Corey Bryant and Justin Higley share the story of their special day.

BEING JULIE: The historical story of Julie D’Aubigny comes to the Orlando stage.

MY MOTHER RECENTLY FLEW

down from Ohio for a long weekend, the perfect reminder that we live where so many people come to play. She’s a beach bum at heart, so it was a lovely and long overdue visit.

The trip marked her first since my husband and I were married in 2016, though we’ve both gone north in recent years. We took her on a sunset cruise where we saw dolphins and other wildlife, introduced her to the St. Pete Pier and dined on every waterfront we could.

We even braved Red Tide for a bit to secure a few photo ops, albeit with a few tissues. The weekend was spent in full tourist mode. Thankfully, we did manage to spend some time at home, another big reason for her trip. My husband and I bought our first house almost two years ago now, so she’d never seen it in person. Getting to introduce it to her was a real treat.

WATERMARK STAFF

Owner & Publisher: Rick Todd • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

Managing Editor: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

I thought dolphins would be my favorite part of her trip — even after 15 years in Florida, a sighting still makes me squeal — but it ended up being an evening there instead. Since buying our house we’ve regularly hosted parties for loved ones, which has gone a long way into making it a home, and we held an impromptu gathering for her to experience that firsthand.

I’m so glad we did. Over the years my mom has gotten to know most of our Florida friends, in no small part thanks to social media, but having chosen and actual family under our own roof was something I’ll never forget. It reinforced my love for everyone involved.

My husband and I are regularly reminded that we have a lot of

Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com

Creative Designer: Kyler Mills • Ext. 104 Kyler@WatermarkOnline.com

close friends and how uncommon that can be for folks. We know we’ve been very fortunate over the years to find and cultivate a tightknit group, mostly Florida transplants like me, and we try not to take that for granted.

Our house parties remind me of that, and of just how important finding community can be. Since most of our friends are also LGBTQ, they also remind me of everyone working to take that community away.

It’s impossible not to think about. This year alone, a record number of bills attacking LGBTQ Americans have been filed in state legislatures across the country to strip us of our basic rights. The American Civil Liberties Union is currently tracking more than 400 of them right now.

Each are led and supported by the “Grand Old Party” at large. Republicans are targeting us just for existing, attacking our access to health care, to education, to free speech and expression, to marry the person we love and so much more, even in 2023. It’s maddening.

I cannot see how someone can vote Republican and call themselves an LGBTQ ally, especially now. Especially in Florida.

Our state’s largest LGBTQ-focused civil rights organization calls Florida’s legislative session the most dangerous 60 days here. They’re right, and we need only look at 2022 as an example — and this year’s began with more than 20 anti-LGBTQ bills, all of which would certainly share the support of Governor Ron DeSantis. When he isn’t campaigning for president.

“DeSantis and his backers in Florida’s legislature are ratcheting up their culture wars,” Equality Florida said March 7. “This is all part of DeSantis’ presidential ambitions, and the discrimination and hate he wants to take

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

Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com Tampa Bay Account Manager: Sylvie Trevena • Ext. 105 Sylvie@WatermarkOnline.com

nationwide. This isn’t freedom — it’s exactly the opposite, and we need to organize, be ready and fight back!”

I couldn’t agree more. LGBTQ rights are human rights, so please make sure everyone you know is registered to vote and remains vocal. They can’t silence us all if we come together to show them that this is our Florida, too.

One way we do that is through events like Tampa Pride, which we focus on in this issue. The ninth annual celebration returns to Ybor March 25 and we highlight some of the local activists who are making that happen as our community

TATIANA QUIROGA is the executive director for Come Out With Pride. She is a proud mother, wife and LGBTQ advocate in Central Florida. Page 15

REV. JAKOB

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

LORA KORPAR was a journalism student who graduated from the University of Central Florida and is a former Watermark

faces widespread opposition, in both Tallahassee and Tampa.

LGBTQ activism is also featured in our news coverage. In Tampa Bay, local drag performers visit the Capitol to protest legislation targeting their craft. In Central Florida, Admiral Rachel L. Levine visits Orlando from the Department of Health and Human Services. State News details some of Florida’s anti-LGBTQ attacks.

In arts and entertainment, the Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival prepares for its return to support Transgender Day of Visibility, with films streaming statewide. “Queen of Swords,” an original rock musical, debuts in Orlando.

Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.

ORLANDO

Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer

HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, SABRINA AMBRA, ABBY BAKER, STEVE BLANCHARD, DEBORAH BOSTOCK-KELLEY, JOHNNY BOYKINS, NATHAN BRUEMMER, BIANCA GOOLSBY, JAKOB HERO-SHAW, LORA KORPAR, JASON LECLERC, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, MELODY MAIA MONET, TIFFANY RAZZANO, GREG STEMM, SYLVIE TREVENA, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI, ANGELIQUE YOUNG, MICHAEL WANZIE

PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, J.D. CASTO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARQUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

DISTRIBUTION AFFILIATIONS

LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, RAYLENE HUNT, ZACHARY WELCH

publication.

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

intern. Page 35

I cannot see how someone can vote Republican and call themselves an LGBTQ ally, especially now.

HOLLYWOOD’S 2022 AWARD

season has officially come to a close with the 95th Academy Awards taking place March 12.

I still remember my first Oscars in 1990. It was the first year Billy Crystal hosted and “Driving Miss Daisy” won Best Picture. None of that mattered to a then 11-year-old kid. I initially watched because the weekend prior I caught a commercial for the upcoming Oscars and among the film clips it showed was one of the Batmobile from Tim Burton’s “Batman.” At that time I didn’t care what the show was, I just wanted to see Batman.

I came to find out that Batman had very little to actually do with the Oscars (it did win one Oscar for Production Design) but I did walk away with a love for the show and a new found idolization of how talented Billy Crystal is.

This year’s Oscars saw late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel host

WATERMARK STAFF

Owner & Publisher: Rick Todd • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

Managing Editor: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

for the third time. Kimmel hosted the infamous 2017 Oscars where “Moonlight” won Best Picture but due to an envelope mix up, “La La Land” was initially read as the winner. Coupled with last year’s even more infamous slap, I was interested to see how “safe” Kimmel would play it. After seeing the show I have to say that this was the best of Kimmel’s three hosting gigs.

His jokes were, for the most part, funny but not mean spirited and he kept the show moving. What more can you ask of a host?

As for the awards themselves, I think the Academy got it right in most of the categories. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” cleaned up with seven Oscars, the first film to do that in a decade — “Gravity” won seven in 2013 — and the

Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com

Creative Designer: Kyler Mills • Ext. 104 Kyler@WatermarkOnline.com

first to do it while taking Best Picture since 2008 when “Slumdog Millionaire” won eight. Oscar voters have adopted a “spread the wealth” mentality over the last several years not wanting to leave films with multiple nominations out. That was not the case this year with three films getting multiple nods and going home empty handed: “The Banshees of Inisherin” with nine, “Elvis” with eight and “The Fablemans” with seven. I can’t says that I was disappointed as I found all three of those films — especially “Elvis” — to be overrated.

On the flip side of that coin, I can’t tell you the joy I felt when Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for “The Whale.” That film and his performance were some of the most inspiring I saw on screen in 2022. The film itself caught a lot of flack by some but as an overweight gay man with a best friend who is a nurse, I felt seen.

I also can’t tell you how happy I was to see one of the Goonies win an Oscar. Ke Huy Quan, who played Data in one of the ‘80s greatest films — “The Goonies,” won Best Supporting Actor for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” In an interview after he won, Ke Huy Quan said that all of his “Goonies” co-stars called him throughout the award season and to learn that the Goonies all still check in with each other to this day renewed my faith in humanity.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Whale” were not only two of my favorite films in 2022 but they were history making for A24. The independent film studio released both films and became the first studio in history to win all the top Oscar prizes: Best Picture, Best Director and all four acting categories.

This year’s Oscars were also history making for women of color. Michelle Yeoh became only the second woman of color to win

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

Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com Tampa Bay Account Manager: Sylvie Trevena • Ext. 105 Sylvie@WatermarkOnline.com

Best Actress. Making it even more special, she was given her award by Halle Berry, who was the first woman of color to win that award in 2002 for “Monster’s Ball.”

Ruth Carter won her second Oscar for Best Costume Design for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Her first Oscar came in 2018 for the first “Black Panther” film. This year’s win made her the first Black woman in any category to win two Oscars. That is one of those stats that seemed unbelievable when I heard it. In 95 years, the Academy has never given a Black woman more than one Oscar until now.

In another historic win for women of color, Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga became only

TATIANA QUIROGA is the executive director for Come Out With Pride. She is a proud mother, wife and LGBTQ advocate in Central Florida. Page 15

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

LORA KORPAR was a journalism student who graduated from the University of Central Florida and is a former Watermark intern. Page 35

the second Indian women to win Oscars for their documentary short film “The Elephant Whisperers.” The first was Bhanu Athaiya, who won Best Costume Design in 1983 for the film “Gandhi.”

All-in-all this year’s Oscars were a return to “normalcy.” The socially distanced seating from the last couple of years was gone, I only noticed actress Jessica Chastain wearing a mask and the event as a whole was pretty uncontroversial. While I’m sure those at ABC who are concerned with the show’s ratings were disappointed, an Oscars with no violence and where every name was read correctly was an A+ in my book.

Now to start looking ahead to Oscars 2024. Is it too early to call Best Picture for “Cocaine Bear”?

ORLANDO

Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer

HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, SABRINA AMBRA, ABBY BAKER, STEVE BLANCHARD, DEBORAH BOSTOCK-KELLEY, JOHNNY BOYKINS, NATHAN BRUEMMER, BIANCA GOOLSBY, JAKOB HERO-SHAW, LORA KORPAR, JASON LECLERC, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, MELODY MAIA MONET, TIFFANY RAZZANO, GREG STEMM, SYLVIE TREVENA, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI, ANGELIQUE YOUNG, MICHAEL WANZIE

PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, J.D. CASTO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARQUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

DISTRIBUTION AFFILIATIONS

LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, RAYLENE HUNT, ZACHARY WELCH

publication.

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

I also can’t tell you how happy I was to see one of the Goonies win an Oscar.

LEVINE VISITS THE CENTER ORLANDO

Jeremy Williams

ORLANDO | Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health for the Department of Health and Human Services, met with local LGBTQ rights activists at the LGBT+ Center Orlando March 9.

Levine sat down for a closed-door roundtable discussion with members of Equality Florida, Metro Inclusive Health, Zebra Coalition and The Center Orlando to talk about several topics impacting the LGBTQ community including access to gender-affirming care in state and across the country.

“We heard about the challenges many different actions and laws that have either been in the past or are being considered that target the LGBTQAI+ community, particularly vulnerable transgender youth and gender nonbinary youth, but actually the community at large,” Levine said in an interview with Watermark after the roundtable.

LGBTQ activists have been concerned with how many bills are coming out of state legislatures that are focused on stripping away rights for the LGBTQ community. More than 400 bills have been introduced in 40 states with roughly three out of every four specifically attacking transgender youth in the areas of health care and education.

“I think it sends a terrible message,” Levine says. “There are significant health disparities for our community, particularly for [trans and nonbinary] youth and their families, and we are working to close those health disparities. Youth who are marginalized, who are not accepted by their family, their community or their school and don’t have access to evidence-based care have significant mental health issues — anxiety, depression, risk of suicide. And the evidence has shown over and over again that trans youth that are accepted by their family, that are accepted by their community and school, do have access to evidence-based care actually have excellent mental health outcomes. So these laws and actions have the potential to significantly harm them and harm their mental health.”

Levine, who is one of the few openly transgender government officials in the U.S. and the first trans person to hold an office that required Senate confirmation, adds while the states are introducing and passing these anti-LGBTQ laws, the Biden administration stands firmly on the side of the queer community.

“The President, the Vice President, [HHS] Secretary [Xavier] Becerra, myself and others, strongly support the broader LGBTQAI+ community, and particularly these vulnerable youth, their families and their providers,” she says.

Levine’s visit to Orlando is among dozens the assistant secretary has been to and continues to attend, speaking with LGBTQ rights activists since she assumed her position in March 2021.

Fashion History

Orlando City Hall exhibit celebrates Black artists

Shayne Watson

ORLANDO | While Black History Month may be over, the celebration continues in Orlando City Hall’s Terrace Gallery with an art exhibit celebrating the creativity, inspiration and cultural heritage of Black artists.

One of the 13 artists highlighted is J. Radcliff, an arts educator, fashion illustrator, entrepreneur and author. Radcliff says his piece “Black Influence in Fashion History” depicts historical Black figures who have made huge contributions to the fashion industry but have gone unnoticed. Some of the icons include Garret Morgan, Tyson Bedford, Dapper Dan and many more.

“I lead with education first,” Radcliff says. “My advocacy is always about fashion being accepted as a true art form. And what better way to do it than by highlighting various figures in fashion through fashion illustration.”

Radcliff says he realized there was a huge disconnect and lack of

visibility for Black people, so he and his partner started working on this project through their education program. He says their goal was to highlight and “unearth” as many figures as they could.

“Black Influence in Fashion History” shows each historical figure intertwined with the next, representing how the icons and their contributions are woven into the fabric of the fashion industry as a whole.

Radcliff says it is important to highlight Black artists because of the current “culture war” in Florida. He says it’s important to make sure organizations are creating a space for people of marginalized groups to tell their own story.

“I think as an educator, it’s my job to push and forge forward. I have to be the example that I seek,” Radcliff says.

Radcliff says his five pieces that are on display took about a year to create and he wanted to make sure all areas of fashion were covered, including design, journalism, styling, photography, models and more.

CELEBRATING BLACK

The biggest thing he wants guests to take away from his piece is discovery, to see these fashion icons and then do their own research and figure out why they are important and how they connect to each other.

The individuals featured in the “Black Influence in Fashion History” illustrations are part of a larger collection of fashion professionals featured in Radcliff’s book “Black Influence: Rising Stars, History Makers, Risk Takers & Influential Icons in Fashion.”

“There’s so many hidden figures in those six panels that we also highlight in that book, so it was really great to kind of shed light on those names during Black History Month, but also bring attention and interest to the art form of fashion through art,” Radcliff says.

Radcliff and his partner, Andrew Browne, offer programs throughout the country to help students get involved with fashion through their company, Form2Fashion.

“It is our mission to really cultivate and generate the next generation of fashion designers, fashion journalists, fashion entrepreneurs and art enthusiasts,” Radcliff says. “So, really, my goal is to continue to inspire the world.”

“Black Influence in Fashion History” can be seen as a part of Orlando’s larger Black History Month Art Exhibit on display in City Hall’s Terrence Gallery through April 30.

ARTISTS: J. Radcliff speaks about his exhibit pieces during an interview at City Hall.

PHOTO BY SHAYNE WATSON

Love Yourself. Get Tested.

Commit to Sexual Health in 2023

FUNDRAISER SENDS DRAG PERFORMERS TO

TALLAHASSEE

Ryan Williams-Jent

TAMPA | A fundraiser for local drag entertainers was held March 9 at City Side Lounge, raising $6,401 to assist in their costs to visit Tallahassee in protest of anti-LGBTQ legislation targeting their craft.

Republican state Rep. Randy Fine introduced House Bill 1423 March 3, filed as “Protection of Children.” Equality Florida deemed it “The Anti-Drag Bill” along with its companion Senate Bill 1438, advising lawmakers are targeting live performance art “to attack our drag community.”

Drag entertainers including Tampa Bay’s Brianna Summers helped organize a “Heel No! We Won’t Go!” gathering in response. They gathered March 6 in Kissimmee and Riverview “to come together and educate ourselves on what is to come and be prepared to start the movement.”

The measure also prompted Aaron Perry Cruz a.k.a. performer Ericka PC to organize a fundraiser to send entertainers from Tampa to Tallahassee in protest.

“I am organizing the event with the help of Brianna Summers, Angelique Young and the owners of City Side Lounge De & Michael,” Cruz told Watermark. “They immediately offered their space for the event in open arms. I started this fundraiser due to the current political climate we find ourselves in today.

“After what happened in Tennessee and now they are trying to pass similar bills here in Florida, it was important to me and all involved to stand up and take action to advocate for the queer/drag community in Tampa Bay,” they added.

A total of 13 performers were featured March 9. Young and PC were joined by Mariah Taylor, Lilith Black, Jay Miah, Cleo Patra, Indya Snatch, Taniyah Iman, Sharon Cox, Russell X Mania, Matthew Riegel, Kc Starrz and Sade Erotica. Cruz says with the community’s support, their efforts sent nine performers to the Capitol March 13. The entertainer was joined by Young, Summers, Black and Freya Rose, among others, with the funds allowing them to rent three hotel rooms and cover travel costs to carpool.

“It felt really good and we were very emotional and so proud of ourselves,” Cruz told Watermark from the Capitol.

Local entertainers plan to return to Tallahassee April 25 to stand in solidarity against anti-LGBTQ legislation. They are hoping to collectively raise $25,000 to assist with costs.

A St. Petersburg fundraiser for that purpose is currently among those planned, scheduled for April 9 at Mixers at Old Key West. The initiative is being led by Summers and Lady Liemont.

“These fundraisers are being done all over the state,” Cruz says. “So we have Tampa, St. Pete, Orlando, and other counties doing these fundraisers to get drag queens to Tallahassee.”

Four More Years

Mayor Castor secures second term Ryan Williams-Jent

TAMPA | Tampa Mayor

Jane Castor won a second term March 7 in the city’s 2023 municipal election, granting the city’s leader four more years in office.

Castor made history with her 2019 election, becoming Tampa’s 59th and first openly LGBTQ mayor. She launched her re-election campaign last November and faced only Belinda Noah, who qualified as a write-in candidate.

According to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, 32,839 ballots were counted in the election for an overall voter turnout of 13.65%. A total of 28,686 were cast in the nonpartisan race for mayor; Castor received 22,988 or 80.14% to best Noah’s 5,698 or 19.86%.

The mayor’s second-term priorities include increasing access to affordable housing, enhancing workforce development and improving infrastructure and mobility.

Continuing her “aggressive agenda to lift up local neighborhoods and improve the

quality of life for everyone” in the city, her campaign said, she will seek to “make government more accessible and ensure a more resilient and sustainable Tampa.”

“Other than raising my two boys, serving as your Mayor has been the greatest honor of my life,” Castor shared after the results. “Thank you, Tampa. For four more years of Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow.

“Together, we’ll continue lifting up every neighborhood and improving the quality of life for every resident,” she added.

Castor’s re-election was endorsed by leading LGBTQ organizations around the nation. Supporters included the LGBTQ Victory Fund, LPAC and Equality Florida Action PAC, the political arm of the state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization.

“These organizations were among the first to endorse Mayor Castor’s election in 2019, and their continued support is a testament to the progress and inclusivity achieved under her leadership,” the campaign shared last month.

“As the first LGBTQ person to be elected Mayor of Tampa, Mayor Castor has been a trailblazer in the

fight for equality and justice for all city residents.”

Equality Florida Action PAC celebrated the victory March 7.

“Four years ago we made history together when we came together as a community and elected Jane to be the first openly LGBTQ Mayor Tampa has ever had,” they said in a statement. “We are just as proud tonight as we re-elect Jane Castor and keep her at Tampa’s helm to continue fighting for our families and LGBTQ equality.”

In addition to Castor’s race, two candidates for Tampa City Council won their races. Bill Carlson retained his District 4 seat while challenger Gwen Henderson narrowly beat Orlando Gudes in District 5.

As no City Council candidates reached the 50%+ vote threshold in Districts 1-3 or 6, the top two candidates from each race will advance to Tampa’s runoff election April 25. Sonja Brookins will face Alan Clendenin in District 1, Guido Maniscalco and Robin Locket will face off in District 2, Lynn Hurtak and Janet Cruz in District 3 and Charlie Miranda will face Hoyt Prindle in District 6.

The City of Tampa’s 2023 Municipal Runoff Election is scheduled for April 25, with early voting April 17-23. For those who are not registered, the last day to register to vote in the runoff is March 27. Learn more at VoteHillsborough.gov.

TAMPA PROUD: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor walks in the 2021 Tampa Pride parade.

PHOTO VIA CASTOR’S FACEBOOK

www.tampabaylgbtchamber.org

EPIC Sexual Health Center Provides Total Sexual Healthcare

EPIC’s Sexual Health Center offers essential sexual health and disease prevention services through education, support and resources, empowering all people to achieve better sexual health and well-being.

Services include STI diagnostic and treatment services, pregnancy testing and referrals, PrEP and PEP education and medication as well as sexual health education services and workshops with an onsite sexpert.

EPIC’s Sexual Health Center serves Tampa Bay at the following locations:

300 49th St. S. St. Petersburg, 33707 (727) 328-6420

4703 N. Florida Ave. Tampa, 33603 (813) 237-3066

IfYouSex.org

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS FILE ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS AS LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGINS

Jeremy Williams and Ryan Williams-Jent

Several bills were filed just ahead of the start of Florida’s 2023 legislative session March 7 meant to negatively impact the LGBTQ community including expanding the state’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law, placing restrictions on drag performances and removing gender-affirming care for transgender Floridians.

Republican State Rep. Adam Anderson filed House Bill 1223 Feb. 28, legislation LGBTQ advocates warn would expand the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law.

According to Equality Florida, the bill “doubles down on a vague and discriminatory law whose negative consequences have already been felt in schools across Florida.” It would further limit discussions of LGBTQ identity in

classrooms through 8th grade and impact pronoun usage in as far as 12th grade.

“Don’t Say LGBTQ policies have already resulted in sweeping censorship, book banning, rainbow Safe Space stickers being peeled from classroom windows, districts refusing to recognize LGBTQ History Month and LGBTQ families preparing to leave the state altogether,” Equality Florida Public Policy Director Jon Harris Maurer said in a statement.

“This legislation is about a fake moral panic, cooked up by Governor DeSantis to demonize LGBTQ people for his own political career,” he continued.

“Governor DeSantis and the lawmakers following him are hellbent on policing language, curriculum and culture. Free states don’t ban books or people.”

Florida Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican from Brevard County, introduced March 3 House Bill 1421, “Gender Clinical

Interventions,” which would prohibit all gender-affirming care for minors, prevent a person from changing the sex marker on their birth certificate and allow health care providers to deny gender-affirming care to adults if refusal of care is based on “clinical, moral or religious grounds” without “any disciplinary or other recriminatory action.”

The bill also prohibits health insurance companies from providing coverage for “gender clinical interventions” for minors and requires doctors “obtain informed written consent from the patient each time the physician provides gender clinical interventions for an adult, sign the consent, and maintain the consent in the medical record” when it comes to adults. The bill will also allow patients 30 years after a procedure to sue their doctor.

Fine celebrated his bill’s introduction with a post to Facebook saying it “bans the mutilation of children in the name of radical ‘transgender’ theory, bans Florida citizens from having to pay for these procedures for other non-minors, and gives those tricked into this fraud thirty years to sue those who did it to them.”

That same day, Fine also filed House Bill 1423, “Protection of Children,” which is a companion bill to Senate Bill 1438 that would authorize the Department of Business and Professional Regulation “to fine, suspend or revoke the license of any public lodging establishment or public food service establishment that admits child to adult live performance.”

“Adult live performance” is defined in the bill as “any show, exhibition, or other presentation in front of a live audience which, in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct,

sexual excitement, specific sexual activities … lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.”

While the term “drag” does not appear in the bill’s text, Fine made it clear in his Facebook post who he was targeting with this legislation.

“HB 1423 which will protect our children by ending the gateway propaganda to this evil – ‘Drag Queen Story Time,’” he wrote.

The session began March 7 and ends May 5 with a Republican supermajority of 28-12 in the state Senate and 85-35 majority in the state House.

Equality Florida is keeping an eye on more than two dozen bills that could both negatively and positively impact the state’s LGBTQ population. Learn more at EQFL. org/2023-legislative-slate.

NONBINARY OKLAHOMA LAWMAKER CENSURED AFTER PROTEST ARREST

Wire Report

OKLAHOMA CITY | Oklahoma

Republicans formally censured their nonbinary Democratic colleague March 7 after state troopers said the lawmaker blocked them from questioning a transgender rights activist accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest over anti-trans legislation.

The party-line vote means Rep. Mauree Turner, who uses they/ them pronouns, will be removed from all committee assignments unless the second-term lawmaker issues a formal apology, including to the Highway Patrol, which provides security at the Capitol complex.

Turner, the first openly nonbinary and Muslim person elected to the Legislature in Oklahoma, said March 7 that won’t happen, as Republicans continue to work to strip away the rights of trans people.

“I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do,” said Turner, D-Oklahoma City, flanked by several Democratic colleagues.

“It’s something that I actively refuse to do.”

Turner’s denouncement comes as Republicans throughout the U.S. push proposals that advocates for LGBTQ rights say are trying to erase the legal existence of people who are trans and to restrict the expression of people nonbinary, gender-fluid or who perform in drag.

In Oklahoma, recent efforts by the GOP-controlled Legislature to prohibit gender-affirming medical care for trans children and pass other anti-trans legislation, including a prohibition on insurance coverage for gender-affirming care for people of all ages, have led to demonstrations at the Capitol. One protest last week became heated when a protester was accused of pouring water on a state representative and scuffling with a trooper before being arrested.

Officers wanted to question the activist, who was inside Turner’s legislative office.

“When we go up to the representative’s office, we were not allowed in, even from opening the door,” said Trooper Eric Foster, with the Highway Patrol.

Officers ultimately were able to speak to the person in Turner’s office, who was later arrested on a complaint of assault and battery on a police officer, Foster said.

Speaker of the House Charles McCall said in a statement that the House stands by law enforcement.

“I will not allow members of the House of Representatives to use their assigned offices and official positions to impede law enforcement from carrying out investigations or making arrests in the state Capitol,” said McCall, R-Atoka.

But Turner, who is Black and represents a diverse constituency that includes Oklahoma City’s Asian business district, said one of their goals is making sure all people are welcome at the Capitol.

“I just provide my office as a space of grace and love for all the folks in all communities that seek refuge from the hate in this building,” Turner said. “Trans people don’t feel safe here.”

House Democratic Leader Rep. Cyndi Munson said the House’s censure vote was “absolutely embarrassing.”

SERBIA’S LGBTQ GROUPS RALLY AFTER SPATE OF ATTACKS ON GAYS

Wire Report

BELGRADE, Serbia | Serbia’s beleaguered LGBTQ activists

March 3 rallied to demand state action following a spate of violence against gays, including a stabbing that injured a young man.

The gathering dubbed “Hate kills!” was held in the park in central Belgrade that was the site of the attack, in connection with which police have arrested two suspects.

Three more gay men were attacked in late February, activists said, including one hit with a bottle.

“We will no longer tolerate such attacks that have become frequent,” said activist Aleksandar Savic.

Participants held flags and rainbow banners as they urged authorities to act decisively to curb violence against LGBTQ people.

Serbia is a staunchly conservative nation where right-wing extremists have gained strength in recent years under a populist government.

Authorities have pledged to boost LGBTQ rights as Serbia seeks European Union membership, but harassment and violence against LGBTQ people remain widespread.

Friday’s gathering was held under heavy protection from riot police. No incidents were reported.

Activist Ana Petrovic hailed police arrests of suspected attackers but said they should be followed by an efficient legal procedure.

“We are calling on the institutions to start doing their job,” Petrovic said. “Arrests should be just a beginning.”

Rights groups have reported a total of 68 attacks on gays since August.

Last year, authorities banned a pan-European pride march over threats from extremists. The march was later held following international criticism, but along a limited route and amid clashes between police and soccer hooligans.

W. VIRGINIA GOP GOV SIGNS ‘RELIGIOUS FREEDOM’ BILL

Gov. Jim Justice signed the “Equal Protection for Religion Act” into law March 9. The religious freedom bill signed by Justice stipulates the government would not be able to “substantially burden” someone’s constitutional right to freedom of religion unless doing so “is essential to further a compelling governmental interest.” Supporters have asserted the bill is meant to protect all people against religious discrimination and is not aimed at any particular group.

MINNESOTA GOV PROTECTS RIGHTS TO GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE

Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order March 8 protecting the rights of LGBTQ people from Minnesota and other states to receive gender-affirming health care, as he slammed the tide of other states rolling back transgender rights. Walz’s executive order parallels legislation awaiting a floor vote in the state House to make Minnesota a “trans refuge state” by protecting trans people, families and care providers from a range of legal repercussions for traveling to Minnesota for gender-affirming care. While sponsors said they’re optimistic about the bill’s passage, the governor said trends against trans rights in other states made it urgent for him to impose protections immediately.

KANSAS NEARS BAN ON TRANS ATHLETES

The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature gave final approval March 9 to a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports, and they appear for now to have the votes to override the Democratic governor’s expected veto. The state Senate voted 28-11 to approve the bill, which would impose the ban for K-12, college and club sports, starting July 1. It next goes to Gov. Laura Kelly, as the state House approved it two weeks earlier on an 82-40 vote. Kelly vetoed two previous versions of the ban.

ALASKA RIGHTS COMMISSION LIMITS LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION CASES

Alaska’s human rights commission is now only investigating LGBTQ discrimination complaints related to workplace discrimination and not for other categories. The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights deleted language from its website promising equal protections for transgender and gay Alaskans against most categories of discrimination. It also began refusing to investigate complaints. The commission is only accepting employment-related complaints and investigators dropped non-employment LGBTQ civil rights cases they had been working on. The body made the move one year after it published new guidelines saying Alaska’s LGBTQ protections extended beyond the workplace to housing, government practices, finance and “public accommodation.”

struggle of drinking

water, getting enough sleep and doing enough exercise is hard. Making ends meet at the end of the month is hard. Finding a realistic work and family life balance is hard. Marriage, relationships, interacting with others is hard. Parenting little humans is very hard. Trying to be happy, staying positive, making it to the top of every hour is hard, is hard and is hard.

Lately, living in Florida as an LGBTQIA+ person, as an immigrant, a person of color, a woman and/or as a marginalized person of any kind is getting really, really hard and terrifying. Our trans siblings are having their human rights vaporized, limiting access to basic and life-saving healthcare. They are facing genocide. Drag, a beloved art form and at the core of LGBTQIA+ culture, is suddenly being criminalized, flashing back to the early 1900s. Our collective and eclectic history is being further whitewashed. People of color are too offensive and the criminal acts committed against us are too uncomfortable to talk about, therefore, we are being erased. Our children and families are being silenced in our schools. We are being wiped from the bookshelves as if we never existed. What post-pandemic, apocalyptic world have we woken up to? We are the same people we have always been since the beginning of time. The LGBTQIA+ community didn’t suddenly turn into fungus-filled zombies, as seen in “The Last of Us” — spoiler alert. Then, why are we treated as the “infected”?

Please remember, we are and have always been your teachers, your business owners, your doctors, your neighbors and most importantly your friends, your children, your parents, your siblings and your family. With more questions than answers, how has our world so drastically changed? BUT… what if we

aren’t the “infected” but they are? They being all the politicians, elected officials, decision makers and their mindless fungus-filled followers who have been infected with hate, blinded by rage and fueled by misdirected and senseless anger with an ultimate goal to bite and contaminate as many people as possible to believe their absurdities and dangerous delusions. What if “The Last of Us” is a social commentary, art imitating our real life? What if this is a sobering metaphor, foreshadowing our impending danger and our call to action?

As in the classic hero’s allegory, the fictional storyline from “The Last of Us” has the hero experiencing tremendous loss, heartbreak and extreme mental and physical pain as he heroically powers through the life-threatening struggles, never accepting his defeat. Similarly, when armed with the bravery and courage to come out as our authentic selves, so many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community have experienced deep grief over the disintegration and estrangement of significant relationships. We’ve tasted the pain of rejection, discrimination, bigotry, racism, homophobia and transphobia. They cut deep and leave emotional scars. So many of us have experienced trauma in the name of religion, ancestral culture and the hypocrisy of “family values.’’ YET… here we stand.

If you haven’t been inconvenienced or felt uncomfortable by the past and proposed legislation in the state of Florida, then your privilege is showing. I’m calling YOU to put down your phone, get off your recliner and wake up. This is not a drill.

Allies! Where are you? Allyship is NOT just jumping on a float in October during Pride or inviting us to your bachelorette party. We are more than your

entertainment. We are humans, who are currently under savage attack and about to be eliminated. During these critical times, we need you to arm yourself with knowledge, gear up and become our co-conspirators. Speak for us in places where we do not have access.

My friends and chosen family, we are a resilient community that has always marched on, never accepting the injustices placed upon us. In reality, we’ve been too comfortable and complacent for too long. Our history reminds us that our revolution was birthed

the communities of color and any other marginalized and disenfranchised group who are under fire — are an intricate part of the fiber and fabric of American culture, adding color, flavor and flare. We will not be silenced or erased. We will resist. Florida is our home.

Educate on our behalf. Donate and contribute to organizations to financially support the work on the ground. Challenge those with fungus-filled minds who are blindly repeating this hateful rhetoric. Use your power and privilege as a tool to create positive change to make a true effort to save our lives.

by Black and Brown trans women who were fearlessly armed with only bricks. I’ll say it loudly for those in the back — This. Is. Our. Time! This is our time to stand up. Our time to organize. Our time to unite and to FIGHT the infected! Like it or not, we — the trans and LGBTQIA+ community, the immigrants, the women,

We will blaze on, paying tribute to our past, fighting for our lives in the present and holding hope for our future generations. We are Orlando Strong and we will #KeepDancingOrlando!

Tatiana Quiroga is the executive director for Come Out With Pride. She is a proud mother, wife and LGBTQ advocate in Central Florida.

LIFE IS HARD! THE REAL daily

enough

lives in the present and holding hope for our future generations.

QUEERLY

BELOVED Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

Young trans people are being used as political pawns by lawmakers. Who is fueling the fire behind these bills? It’s largely people who call themselves Christians, particularly those who put the title “Rev.” in front of their names.

Trans Kids are Under Attack

THERE ARE HUNDREDS of anti-trans bills working their way through the legislative process throughout the U.S.

Many involve bans on trans-affirming healthcare for youth and some even seek to ban affirming care up to the age of 26. These attacks on bodily autonomy do not only harm trans youth, they attack our whole community. We need a sweeping call to solidarity, to inspire everyone to defend the right of trans youth.

Let’s educate ourselves and dispel the misinformation about trans-affirming, age-appropriate healthcare. If you think this topic is about genital surgery on children, it’s time to reevaluate where you get your news and information.

Trans young people need access to competent care providers who can treat them with dignity and compassion. Denying them access to this not only strips them of their basic human rights, but it tells them that they do not deserve adequate care. It is dehumanizing.

I want us all to care about this because these young people need our support. But if folks need a reason beyond that, let me be clear: these acts of legislative violence are only the beginning. Bullies may start off with an easy target, and right now that target is trans young people, but it always escalates.

If you think your rights are safe — because you are an adult, or you aren’t a trans person — please know that your basic civil rights are also on the line. The fervor stirred up in Tallahassee, and throughout this nation, will not stop with trans youth.

When trans kids tell us that they need care, we should listen to them. We should advocate for them. Doctors should be commended, not threatened, when they provide the support they need to live in their bodies. Because without that care, these young people may well choose to stop living altogether.

speaking to affirming and well-trained mental health professionals. It requires enough safety for them to be honest with medical care providers about how they feel in their bodies and identities.

When Jesus healed people, he gave them what they need to feel whole in their bodies. He made them feel complete and provided them with the tools they needed to survive. Why, then, are so many Christians determined to do the opposite? Why do the people who claim to follow Jesus want to prevent people from experiencing wholeness in their bodies? I will never understand how people who call themselves followers of Christ actively work to prevent anyone access to lifesaving and lifegiving healthcare.

As a pastor myself, I am ashamed of clergypersons who use their faith to do harm. I try to love them like Jesus would love them — because Jesus did have a soft spot for the misguided — but it is difficult, and I am not Jesus. As a person of faith, I do hope they can someday repent for the harm they cause. I say this as a pastor and as a transgender person.

I have survived to become a middle-aged man because of the care I received as a young trans person. I share this part of my story because visibility matters. Maybe some kid will see this and feel a little bit more supported, reading the words of someone who has been through similar challenges to what they are facing. As a teen and young adult, I was simply reaching for survival, but with support and care I somehow managed to do more than just survive. I want that for today’s youth. We all need to understand this fight and speak out against the lies being told in pulpits and in capitol buildings. Trans-affirming healthcare refers to providing necessary, and often lifesaving, psychological and medical support. For trans youth, this generally means

In some cases, a medical professional might determine that it is appropriate for a young person to take medication to delay the onset of the secondary sex characteristics that develop in puberty. This medication, known as puberty blockers, allows young people time to emotionally grow and mature, while delaying the effects of puberty. It provides time to experiment socially, and even gives them the chance to change their minds.

Puberty blockers have been in use for non-trans

autonomy

youth for decades to stop the effects of puberty when it develops too early in life. Lawmakers are trying to ban access to this medication for trans kids, but not for their non-trans counterparts. While I am glad that some kids will still have access to their medication, I despair for those who are denied. For older teens, when deemed medically appropriate, some might be prescribed additional hormone treatment. In some cases, chest reconstruction surgeries are possible as they approach or enter adulthood. It is important to note that the bills that aim to prevent trans youth from having reconstructive chest surgeries do not restrict access to similar cosmetic surgery

for minors who are not transgender, which is legal in many states.

Transgender kids make up very small percentage of the population of U.S. youth. However, their lives are being debated by lawmakers, faith leaders and society at large. The time is now to show them that their lives have value and are worth protecting. We have the ability right now to fight for them, so that they know that they can survive this difficult time in their lives and this difficult time in our nation. Don’t let political games steal the lives of the children of our community.

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw is the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, MCCTampa.com.

Visibili-T

Ryan Williams-Jent

VISIBILI-T

IS DEDICATED TO

transgender members of our community in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, some you know and many you don’t. It is designed to amplify their voices and detail their experiences in life.

This issue, we check in with Noelle Soncrant, a proud parent who relocated from Michigan to Tampa in 2002. That’s where she spends her time working to help others.

Professionally, Soncrant is a licensed financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual. The organization provides a wide range of financial services to more than 4.9 million Americans with a longtime commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Soncrant has been a Retirement Income Certified Professional for three years, she explains. “I work with individuals, families and business owners on

creating a holistic financial plan that takes into account short- and long-term financial goals and risk management.”

She joined the organization after more than 25 years of fundraising for higher education.

“I was very used to having discussions about money with people,” Soncrant says. “But as my career furthered, and we started hearing more and more about the student debt crisis, I really questioned if I was serving the people that I thought I was serving. When I was raising millions of dollars, was I benefiting the students?

I started to question if it was what I wanted to do.”

It wasn’t. Soncrant says that after about a decade of deliberation, she decided to make a professional change.

“What I love about it is that my whole goal is to help relieve some stress and anxiety for clients,” she says. “To show them that they have a clear path to achieving at least some of their financial goals if they do certain things. That they’re going to be okay.”

Many of those clients have become a part of her own support network, relationships that were strengthened after Soncrant began living authentically last May.

“I’m a financial planner, so I needed to have kind of a plan,” she notes. “I started working on coming out about a year before I actually did, because I needed to know what the progression was going to be for me.

“I worked really closely with Northwestern about how to communicate this to my clients, how to communicate this to our firm — and I’m ecstatic to say that when I did communicate this to my clients, I didn’t lose a single one,” she continues. “It was absolutely one of the best feelings in the world that my clients stuck with me through that. Some

have become great friends and supporters.”

Soncrant also loves helping others outside of work. She regularly volunteers with organizations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, Northwestern Mutual’s national philanthropy, and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

“I got involved with them because someone who has been instrumental in my transition — honestly, my rock — she and her oldest daughter suffer from Crohn’s,” Soncrant says. “It was just a way to show her my gratitude for everything she’s done to be there for me during, without a doubt, the most challenging time of my life. I wouldn’t be here without her support.”

Soncrant is also involved with PFLAG Riverview, where she’s been helping plan their next inclusive prom, as well as Ronald McDonald House Tampa Bay. The organization works to provide “a home away from home that provides comfort, support and resources to families who travel far from home for the medical care their child needs.”

As someone who loves to cook, Soncrant regularly prepares meals for its beneficiaries.

“I just fell in love with it,” she says. “I think cooking food for people is just a great way to make them happy and I love doing that. I just decided I was going to do that on a monthly basis.

“I think it has a lot to do with my background of fundraising for so many years,” she continues. “The difference is that now I get to fundraise for the things that I care about and want to support.”

As someone who is newly out, Soncrant says she’s received a warm welcome from the community. It’s one she wouldn’t have minded joining sooner.

“Learn to love yourself earlier,” she’d tell her younger self. “My favorite book is ‘Untamed’ by Glennon Doyle and it references that at age 10, we start to give up on what our imagination tells us we can be to conform to what society tell us we should be. I completely did that for 50 years of my life.

“Learn to accept yourself and love yourself early,” she adds. “You’re enough. You don’t need acceptance from other people. You are enough as you are and others will love you for that.”

Interested in being featured in Visibili-T? Email Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Williams in Central Florida or Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent in Tampa Bay.

52, She/Her/Hers

talking points

—LGBTQ AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST DAN SAVAGE, IN A TWEET MARCH 8 LINKED WITH A STORY OF A YOUTH PASTOR BEING INDICTED ON CHILD SEX CRIMES

BRENDAN FRASER, ‘EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE’ WIN BIG AT OSCARS

took home the Best Actor

for his performance as Charlie, a gay obese man trying to reconcile with his teenage daughter in the film “The Whale.” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a film about the relationship between a mother and her lesbian daughter throughout the multiverse, was the big winner of the night with seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and the other three acting awards. The wins make A24, the company behind the release of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Whale,” the first film studio to clean sweep the Oscar’s top categories.

COOLIDGE CLIP USED IN GAY ADULT FILM

OUT WWE STAR GETS ENGAGED

KATHRYN HARLAN’S SOMETIMES FANTASTICAL STORIES OF MOSTLY QUEER WOMEN IN A WORLD IMPERILED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, “Fruiting Bodies,” is among the finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction. The other nominees announced March 7 by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation are Yiyun Li’s novel about the friendship of two girls in post-World War II France, “The Book of Goose”; Dionne Irving’s “The Islands,” a story collection set everywhere from London to New Jersey; Laura Warrell’s polyphonic novel “Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm”; and Jonathan Escoffery’s stories of a Jamaican immigrant family, “If I Survive You.” The winner of the $15,000 prize will be announced in early April.

THANKS TO “THE WHITE LOTUS,” JENNIFER

COOLIDGE HAS BEEN CLEANING UP THIS AWARD SEASON but it’s a scene from her 2021 gay-themed holiday film “Single All the Way” that has her appearing in the opening of a gay adult film from Corbin Fisher Studios. In the scene, a couple watches a clip in which Coolidge says “It’s because the gays just know how to do stuff, you know? They’re survivors and, for some reason, they are always obsessed with me. I don’t know why, I like it.” In response, one of the models replies “She’s right, gays do know how to do stuff.”

The clip was shared with Coolidge by podcaster Evan Ross Katz who shared her response on Twitter. She responded, “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time that is so fucking funny.”

WRESTLING STAR SONYA DEVILLE is celebrating a double engagement with her partner, fitness model Toni Cassano. The pair got engaged in a wine cellar cave in northwestern New Jersey the day after Valentine’s Day. Deville, 29, popped the question on Feb. 15 in front of family and friends, including Cassano’s two daughters, ages 7 and 11. The out WWE star gave her fiancée a custom-designed ring, and was shocked when Cassano, 31, surprised her with an engagement ring of her own. “I could go on for days about the way I feel about this woman, I never knew love could feel so happy and safe all at the same time. I found my best friend, my soul mate and my life partner all in one incredible human,” Deville told PEOPLE magazine.

40 STATE LEGISLATURES HAVE INTRODUCED A TOTAL OF 409 ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS SO FAR THIS YEAR. 75% OF THEM INVOLVE THE ISSUE OF HEALTH CARE OR EDUCATION.

Not a drag queen, not a trans woman, not a librarian, not a non-binary elementary school teacher. A youth pastor. Another youth pastor.

HOLLYWOOD CELEBRATED 2022’S BEST IN FILM AT THE 95TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS MARCH 12. Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hosted the star-studded event for the third time and his first since 2018. Brendan Fraser

trophy

‘FRUITING BODIES’ AMONG PEN/ FAULKNER FINALISTS

NEVERTHELESS, PRIDE PERSISTED

TAMPA PRIDE VOWS TO ‘CELEBRATE YOU’ IN 9TH YEAR

Ryan Williams-Jent

WHEN AROUND 100,000 PEOPLE

filled the streets of Ybor for Tampa Pride 2022, it set a regional record. It also showed organizers that after years of pandemic-related shutdowns and uncertainty, the community was ready for a return to form.

The gathering cultivated celebration staples like Tampa Pride’s Diversity Parade and Street Festival while raising the bar for newer initiatives like Pride at Night. The organization subsequently built on that

momentum with the second annual Pride on the River at the Tampa Riverwalk last September, successfully launching their 2023 season.

That culminates with the ninth annual Tampa Pride March 25, set

for an Ybor return to “Celebrate You” with a full day of activities and entertainment. The theme was chosen because that’s what organizers have promised to do, despite the anti-LGBTQ attacks mounting state and nationwide.

“‘Celebrating You’ is not always an easy ride in the world that we live in, not even in our supposedly free country,” Tampa Pride President Carrie West explains. “There are battles within the LGBTQ community and outside of it: just think about those who are against us, who want to spray gasoline on the fire to weaken our civil rights.”

Florida’s 2023 legislative session officially began with a Republican supermajority March 7, kicking off what the state’s largest LGBTQ-focused civil rights organization calls “the 60 most dangerous days in Florida.” Equality Florida warned supporters that multiple bills directly attacking LGBTQ Floridians had already been filed that day.

Among them are efforts to expand the state’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law, which limits the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools,

| uu | Tampa Pride

and legislation targeting the parents and health care providers of transgender youth. If passed, it would empower Florida to remove children from their biological parents for affirming their gender identities and more.

The legislative slate also includes what Equality Florida deemed an anti-drag bill, introduced this month to target live performance. Similar measures have been considered and passed across the nation to prohibit drag entertainment in public spaces, asserting the artform is unsuitable for minors in all instances.

Equality Florida says that if the bill were passed, it would expand state law — which already protects minors from explicit or harmful shows — “to include vague language that can be used to attack our drag community.” It “threatens venues that host drag performances with steep fines and injects the government into a parent’s right to determine what art and entertainment content is appropriate for their own children.”

The proposed legislation follows heightened scrutiny from Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding drag entertainment, which critics call a precursor to his long-rumored presidential bid in 2024. In February, his administration moved to revoke the liquor license of Central Florida venue The Plaza Live

for hosting “A Drag Queen Christmas,” a family-friendly tour that’s visited several cities in Florida every holiday season for nearly a decade.

It’s something Tampa Pride has monitored closely for months, maintaining communication with fellow LGBTQ organizations like St Pete Pride and Come Out with Pride in Orlando. As Tampa Pride 2023 grew closer, organizers made the decision to limit mainstage entertainment featuring drag to those 18 and up.

“Traditionally, Tampa Pride has

he says he was proud to do as an LGBTQ person of color. He hopes his appointment is just the beginning of increased BIPOC representation on the governing body.

“I’ve seen a lot of discrimination on different fronts — on the LGBTQ front, on being Hispanic; immigration is near and dear to my heart, because I myself didn’t become a citizen until 2016,” Barbosa says.

“I know the struggles that people face just by virtue of who they are, where they were

The meeting drew unprecedented attendance in response to the resignation of former Secretary Mark Bias, a co-founder of Tampa Pride’s current iteration and West’s husband. He resigned Dec. 5 after sharing a derogatory social media post likening female entertainers who perform in drag to “fake drag,” for which he later apologized.

It was one of the reasons entertainer Angelique Young attended the meeting. She told Watermark at the time that while

and other initiatives. She says it’s given her a new admiration for Tampa Pride.

“My involvement came at a time where there were a lot of shifts and movements within the organization,” Young says. “Getting to see how much work is put into the event has given me more of an appreciation for the organization and for what they manage to accomplish.

“I look forward to being a part of that in the future,” she adds. “I want to help it expand and grow to make it an even more enjoyable experience that gives back to the community.”

While Young has previously attended and performed during Tampa Pride, this year will mark her first as a co-host on Tampa Pride’s main stage. Coinciding with the 2023 street festival, she’ll lead entertainment outside of the Cuban Club from noon-4 p.m. with Cortez Blue and Hazel E. Genevieve, Miss Tampa Pride 2023.

been family friendly all around — the parade, the stage area, the festival,” Tampa Pride Executive Board Member Alex Barbosa explains. “We unfortunately had to make the tough decision to make the Cuban Club stage area 18 and up because of the political climate. Everything else is family friendly to the degree that we can control.”

Barbosa joined Tampa Pride pre-pandemic and has served in various capacities ever since. He was asked to join the board earlier this year, which

born, how they were born,” he continues. “Having representation from a person of color, it goes a long way in unifying all these different battles that we face as a community.”

It’s something critics of Tampa Pride have long advocated for, efforts which reached a boiling point late last year. Organizers welcomed more than 50 people to their December 2022 planning meeting at Hampton Inn Hotel & Suites in Ybor for “the sole purpose of listening and sharing opinions and ideas.”

Tampa Pride had accomplished amazing things over the years, “I noticed that the board didn’t have much diversity, even though they have a Diversity Parade.”

“I walked into the room being one of just a few people of color, and out of those, three of us were Black, trans women,” she explained. “The change has to start with us … anyone who wants to see things become better, they have to start to show up.”

The entertainer has done that in the months since, working directly with organizers on events

Genevieve says she’s proud to represent Tampa Pride. “I’ve lived in Tampa for about three years and it’s where I’ve learned to express myself as a transgender person and entertainer,” the performer explains.

“Tampa has a special place in my heart. I’m happy that we’re still having Tampa Pride this year because it shows we’re not backing down and we’re sticking together, no matter what bills are being passed,” she continues. “Come out and support us to show us that you care.”

Outdoor entertainers will also be joined by an impressive

FROM PG.23

TAMPA PROUD: Tampa Pride 2023 board members Alex Barbosa (L), Treasurer Howard Grater (Far R) and President Carrie West (3rd from R) with volunteers at the Grand Marshal Gala March 2. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

COMMUNITY STAPLE: Esme Russell is honored as Tampa Pride’s 2023 trailblazer during the Grand Marshal Gala March 2. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

We’re still doing everything that we can to have the essential parts of a Pride celebration without having a full-on target on us. We just want to be able to move forward and have Tampa Pride for years to come.

— PRIDE AT NIGHT HOST BRIANNA SUMMERS

cast indoors at the Cuban Club, led by host Te Monet. She was approached last year to help guide Tampa Pride’s scholarship fund — which is accepting applications to help LGBTQ students through April 30 — and this year’s festival.

“I’m excited about the way this board is growing and evolving, because Pride belongs to all of us,” she told Watermark last December. The sentiment is a key tenet of Tampa Pride’s 9th annual Diversity Parade.

The processional kicks off at 4 p.m. and once again winds down Ybor’s 7th Ave. The sold-out parade will be led by this year’s grand marshals.

Tampa Pride’s 2023 honorees include five individuals and one organization, all of whom were celebrated during the organization’s Grand Marshal Gala March 2. Each received a plaque and medal for their contributions to the local LGBTQ community in Downtown Tampa.

“We’re so happy to get together for our grand marshals this year,” West told attendees. “Before you know it it’s going to be March 25 and they will be parading through Ybor City!”

The organization’s president subsequently introduced the grand marshals, who were nominated by the community and chosen by the board in January. They are Grand Marshal Chuck Henson, former Spectrum News 9 traffic expert and anchor; Grand Couple Michael Wilson and Chou Chou Guilder, managers of Southern Nights Tampa and celebrated entertainer Esme Russell, who will serve as Tampa Pride’s trailblazer this year.

“I was born in 1961,” she told those gathered, “so I’ve been around for a minute and I’ve seen a lot of things.” She noted she had performed in drag within the city for nearly 50 years.

“The word ‘trailblazer’ is kind of scary for me, because in my mind I thought that all the things that my generation had fought for were a done deal,” she shared. “I mistakenly told myself that we were good. But it’s not all good and we have to keep fighting. We have to keep voting, because voting makes a really big difference.

“Being a trans person right now is like walking around with a bullseye on your forehead every day,” she continued. “It’s very, very scary and it’s not a game. I didn’t choose to be transgender,

I was born transgender and wanted to find my happiness. Whoever you are, live your truth because I’ve always lived mine. The job is not over.”

Additional honorees include CAN Community Health CEO and President Dr. Rishi Patel, this year’s recognized community leader, and Southern Nights Tampa. The Ybor staple is this year’s recognized community business.

International Dance Diva Pepper MaShay — a five-time, Top 10 Billboard-charting recording artist known for hits like “Dive In The Pool” — also serves as this year’s celebrity grand marshal. The LGBTQ ally has entertained audiences in Tampa for numerous Prides now, most recently during Pride on the River 2022. She’ll mark her 70th birthday at this year’s celebration.

“The community is built on individuals who make a difference and we are proud to celebrate this group,” West said. The grand marshals will be followed by hundreds of individuals and floats.

Absent from this year’s festival and parade, however, will be the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa. The organization is a longtime supporter of

Tampa Pride and has served the region for more than 50 years, but announced it would not participate March 9. Its board of directors cited West as their reason, noting that he “once again used his public platform to misgender a member of the trans community.” It’s a decision they made March 7 during an emergency meeting that followed Tampa Pride’s final public planning session the night prior.

West repeatedly misgendered Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw during the gathering, the church’s senior pastor who is a trans man. The reverend, who is also a Watermark contributor and served as a Tampa Pride grand marshal in 2018, says it wasn’t the first time.

“Let me be clear. This problem is not about me. This is about a pattern of harmful behavior. It impacts our whole community,” he said in a statement March 9.

“For the first several years that I knew Carrie West, he treated me with respect,” he explained. “This changed when he learned that I am a transgender person … his attitude toward me changed drastically, including a recurring problem of misgendering me in public.”

The board requested that Tampa Pride remove all references to MCC Tampa from their website and social media feeds, prompting the organization to delete a public apology. It was initially shared March 7 and noted that “everyone deserves to be recognized for who they are, and we are extremely grateful to the Pastor for taking the time to correct and teach us, allowing for a meaningful and necessary dialog across the room.”

The statement was signed by West, Barbosa and Cassandra Hair, another executive board member. It noted that “our trans community is under constant threat of bans and bodily harm — we must be better, and we will be better.”

Watermark spoke with West March 8, who confirmed he made “a pronoun mistake” multiple times in misgendering Hero-Shaw. He added that “I have supported him in everything that he has done with MCC Tampa.”

West also denied that he is racist or harbors any ill will toward people of color, those who are transgender or those who perform in drag, additional concerns from the church.

Instances include Tampa Pride’s 2018 Grand Marshal Gala and during a previous Interfaith Service, a Tampa Pride event held at MCC Tampa in recent years. It was scheduled to return in that capacity March 20 but will now be held without their involvement.

MCC Tampa’s board said in their statement that the decision to withdraw from this year’s Tampa Pride was not one they made lightly.

“Staying true to MCC’s roots in social justice and activism we are compelled to stand in solidarity with our siblings who are trans, drag performers and people of color, and we demand better from our community leaders,” they explained. “Therefore, we have taken direct action to express a need for a leadership change at Tampa Pride that uses its platform to uplift and advance the dignity of all of Tampa Bay’s queer community.”

Tampa Pride was first notified of their intent to withdraw from this year’s event March 8. “Plainly put, Carrie West, and therefore Tampa Pride, are failing at their mission of ‘championing our shared experiences, honoring our differences and strengthening our community,’” they said in a letter.

“We’re sold out at Tampa Pride and we’ve put together a great community program,” he notes. “Ethnicity, gender, it doesn’t matter — this is a day of celebration to recognize what Tampa is for its LGBTQ members. We work hard at that and working together with other groups is very important.”

Hero-Shaw values that work, but also notes that “until we recognize that ethnicity and gender do matter, we can’t heal. Trans people and people of color are not ‘other groups’ outside of the LGBTQ community. We cannot celebrate the LGBTQ community and ignore the importance of diversity within it.”

MCC Tampa’s board agrees but stresses that they aren’t seeking a boycott of Tampa Pride. They encourage supporters to go should they wish and are also hosting an “Inclusion Fusion” event from noon-6 p.m. on March 25. It will serve as an “informal space to drop in, have some food and connect with the community.”

“The Board of Directors at MCC Tampa recognizes that there are wonderful people who are involved in Tampa Pride, we celebrate their efforts to increase diversity and to help Tampa Pride

MAKING IT REIGN: Tampa Bay entertainer Hazel E. Genevieve, Miss Tampa Pride 2023, performs at Pride on the River last September. She will return to the Tampa Pride stage during this month’s celebration. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

live into its mission,” they shared. “We celebrate everyone who is being honored in the Tampa Pride Festival and Parade.

“We in no way see the actions of the Pride president as a reflection on the amazing activists, performers, artists and others who are being honored,” they continued. “We hope that all those who have a platform will use this opportunity to advance trans rights, racial equality, and social justice in Tampa and beyond.”

“There are some truly wonderful people involved in creating Tampa Pride,” Hero-Shaw adds. “There are incredible folks being honored during the festivities. I’m grateful Tampa Pride exists and I’m hopeful for real change in the future.

“My heart hurts for the whole situation, including for Carrie West who did seem genuinely distraught when he saw how much his behavior hurt me, this time,” he continues. “I am still hopeful for the possibility of learning and real change.”

Love and inclusion are on the forefront for Brianna Summers, who will lead festivities after this year’s parade. The entertainer will host Pride at Night on the main stage from 6-11 p.m.

Summers has a long history with Tampa Pride and most

recently hosted Pride on the River 2022. She says she’s eager to perform amidst Florida’s political climate.

“It’s more crucial than ever before that we celebrate,” Summers explains. “If these anti-LGBTQ bills are passed and signed into law, we might not have a Pride to celebrate next year.”

The full-time entertainer says her fears aren’t unfounded. Just last month, a regularly scheduled

are in, for the safety of patrons, staff and entertainment, this was the only decision we could make.”

“It was going to be a really fun show, but the venue got emails and calls where people were threatening to bring in the liquor board to get them shut down,” Summers says. “They took it further than the venue felt comfortable with so they decided to cancel the show — but that doesn’t mean we’re done. They had never had threats like these

“While I do love performing for children, with it being 18 and up we’ll get to express ourselves freely in our art form,” Young explains. “We’ll get to do the songs that we want to do, and the type of acts we want to do. We want to show our true selves in this environment, especially considering it’s Pride.”

“I feel that we’re setting ourselves up to be able to continue our celebration,” Summers adds. “We’re still

CupcakKe, a rapper and songwriter known for hits like “LGBT.” The song was released “strictly for the gay community to know that they are loved and don’t need to feel judged,” the entertainer has said.

“We’ve seen a lot of very good reception to having CupcakKe and we’re excited,” Barbosa notes. “We’re hopeful that all of these pieces will come together to let the community know that Tampa Pride is moving forward and we’re excited to change.”

That takes support from the community, organizers note, especially with anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and actions growing in both Tallahassee and Tampa.

Drag Brunch she was set to host in Tampa Bay was canceled “due to hatred and threats.”

The event was organized by DJ Greg Anderson at Salty Shamrock, who shared Feb. 24 that “in my 30 years of DJing and putting on events, I have not had to cancel one of my events for this.”

“The threats were severe coming from a few local people stating that having a drag show that is 21+ will not be tolerated in their area,” Anderson explained. “The decision was not easy, but with the political climate that we

and so it was canceled for safety.”

The community showcased their support in a big way with Anderson creating a GoFundMe for lost wages. It raised $960 for Summers and three additional entertainers. Salty Shamrock also “made it clear that they are allies to us,” she says, and confirmed future events would take place.

Attacks like these are why Summers and Young aren’t troubled by Tampa Pride’s age requirement. The latter actually says it will enhance this year’s entertainment.

doing everything that we can to have the essential parts of a Pride celebration without having a full-on target on us. We just want to be able to move forward and have Tampa Pride for years to come.”

That’s the sentiment for all involved, something Pride at Night attendees can expect to see firsthand. The show will also feature Miss Tampa Pride 2023, Tampa Pride’s Trailblazer Esme Russell and other fan favorites.

Additional guests include Dougie Nelson and headliner

“As we look at the politics, the state of the state and the country overall, we are being attacked in not-so-subtle ways anymore,” Barbosa says. “We want everybody to come together. Not just for a celebration, but to show each other support.”

“We can’t let the actions of a few spoil Pride for the many,” Young adds. “Allow us time to reorganize and make Tampa Pride even better — you will not be disappointed. Come enjoy this now, live it up and that way we can have another one that’s even better next year.”

Tampa Pride is scheduled for March 25 in Ybor. For more information, visit TampaPride.org and read the official 2023 Tampa Pride Guide in Tampa Bay editions of Watermark and at WatermarkOnline.com.

We are being attacked in not-so-subtle ways anymore. We want everybody to come together. Not just for a celebration, but to show each other support.

— TAMPA PRIDE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER ALEX BARBOSA

MAKING HISTORY: Tampa Pride supporters line the streets of Ybor’s 7th Ave. for last year’s Diversity Parade. Tampa Pride 2022 made organizational and regional history by welcoming nearly 100,000 people. PHOTO BY TINA LUCIANA

TAKING A STAND: MCC Tampa’s Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw, who will not participate in Pride this year, serves as a grand marshal in 2018. PHOTO VIA MCC TAMPA

ON SCREEN: A

still from “You’re Loved” from local filmmaker Carys Mullins, opening the Tampa Bay Trans Film Fest this year. PHOTO COURTESY TIGLFF

Coming Together

Tampa Bay Trans Film Fest returns with in-person events

Already this year, state legislatures like Florida’s have advanced a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills, many of which specifically target the trans community.

Moving the festival “lets us center it around visibility, positive representation and positive community,” he continues. It also allows organizers to pair this year’s screenings — available statewide virtually and in a first, in-person at St. Petersburg’s Green Light Cinema — with other events like a community picnic.

The festival will begin March 31 with a reception at Thrive DTSP at 5:30 p.m. “You’re Loved,” the opening night film by Carys Mullins, follows at 7:30 p.m. Mullins is a local student and activist who also served on this year’s screening committee. Their documentary introduces three trans youth, their mental health professionals and their allies as they “tell their stories of resilience in an era of increasing injustice.”

Ryan Williams-Jent

THE TAMPA BAY INTERNATIONAL GAY

& Lesbian Film Festival launched its Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival in 2020 to elevate the transgender experience on screen. Organizers sought to “support those in film who support our community and to share these films with our allies.”

Virtual screenings surrounded Transgender Day of Remembrance, honoring the memory of lives lost in acts of anti-transgender violence each November. It returned in 2021 to do the same.

“TIGLFF is truly putting in the work to be an organization that is inclusive,” Tampa Bay Trans Film Fest Co-Founder Kayden Rodriguez told Watermark at the time. “That’s why this festival is happening, to show that we see the transgender community.”

Rodriguez now serves as TIGLFF’s vice president, a role in which he helps guide their mission to entertain and

empower audiences. The organization made the decision to postpone its third Trans Film Fest in 2022 to align it with Transgender Day of Visibility in 2023.

TDoV is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender people worldwide. It also raises awareness of the work needed to save their lives, a message the third Trans Film Festival will amplify March 31-April 2.

“Trans Day of Remembrance is very, very important and certainly needs to be highlighted, but with everything going on politically, I wanted to move the Trans Fest into a space of celebration,” Rodriguez explains.

and that interested parties should email TransFest@TIGLFF.com for a ticketing link.

This year’s short films program will also be held April 1 at 5 p.m., ranging in genre and length. The feature length documentary “The Empress of Vancouver” will follow at 7:30 p.m. It’s described as “a cinematic and intimate collision of drag, queer history and performance art.” The musical documentary “follows trans icon Oliv Howe as she prepares for the 40th anniversary of her coronation.”

More features follow April 2, beginning with “Who Owns the Sky” at 3 p.m. It “uses an intersectional approach, connecting the questions of the interrelationship between gender concepts and cis-hetero norms with colonialism, capitalism and racism.” The film features interviews with activists and more.

This year’s final film will follow at 5 p.m., “With Me They Can’t.” It “seeks to research the lives of LGBTQ characters who were active in Teresina between the 1980s and the 2000s,” addressing advances and setbacks in trans rights.

Each of the films supports the festival’s mission, Rodriguez says.

“This festival is a statement to everyone in our community that we will not allow trans+ voices to get silenced by hate, discrimination and oppression,” Mullins says. “Our state government is sending a clear message that they do not want the LGBTQ+ community to exist. This festival signifies to everyone that we are here to stay, our voices will get heard, and our community will continue to be vibrant and full of love, no matter what.”

The festival’s expansion is surreal, Rodriguez says. This year’s festival includes one shorts program and four full length features.

“I don’t think it hit me how historic and big this is until this year,” he reflects. “I think it feels more real and intense because of everything going on politically. It just feels really nice to know that people are excited about it.”

The TransFest Community Picnic will follow April 1 near Downtown St. Pete. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, chairs and food to enjoy music, art vendors, field games and community.

For safety purposes, the exact time and location are only shared with those who RSVP. Rodriguez says the response has been positive so far

“I believe very strongly that there are a lot of false narratives, misunderstandings or misconstructions of what it means to be trans, or just to exist and live as a trans person,” he says. “All of these films highlight both very humanistic parts of who we are in our transition, as well as how important community and safety is to us and how much we are willing to do this — not only for ourselves, but for other people.

“These films are documenting work that has happened historically, but the Film Fest is documenting what’s happening right now,” he adds.

This year’s screenings are $2 to view online or $5 in person. For those who aren’t able to afford the fees, they can contact TIGLFF for a scholarship. “We don’t want finances to be a barrier,” Rodriguez says.

Above all, organizers hope the community will support the festival however they see fit.

“Engaging with this a form of activism,” Rodriguez notes. “Activism is loving a trans person. It’s showing us that we should have these events by supporting these events. Please come celebrate with us, tell us that you love us and want us here, too.”

TIGLFF’s third Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival will be held March 31-April 2. All in-person screenings will be held at Green Light Cinema, located at 221 2nd Ave. in St. Petersburg. Films will also screen statewide via TIGLFF Online. For more information, visit TIGLFF.com.

Being Julie

The historical story of Julie D’Aubigny comes to the Orlando stage

think being LGBTQ is a new concept when in reality it has been around since the beginning of documented history. He adds that a lot of people who have negative feelings towards the LGBTQ community do so because, whether personally or historically, claim they’ve never known an LGBTQ person.

“It’s really easy to categorize people when you don’t know any of them, so my idea and my hope is to introduce people who may not be aware that this has been the way people are and always have been,” Mesrobian says. “If they’re not aware of that, [I want to] make them aware of that because, in my own life, awareness led to acceptance which leads to action.”

D’Aubigny isn’t the only character who is struggling. Séranne, who is D’Aubigny’s fencing master and lover — played by Matt Stevens, also struggles with his own demons. “People don’t always do the right thing, they don’t always draw the lines where they need to draw the lines, and he is so obsessed with [Julie],” Mesrobian says. “[He gives up] his own freedom, his own happiness, his own future; he gives everything for her. Which is not healthy.”

Stevens says when he first heard about the musical, he was shocked no one had done this story before. He says he was immediately on board and was willing to play anything as long as he was cast, even a tree if he had to.

When Mesrobian first heard Stevens singing “This Is What You Do,” he knew this musical was going to work.

The most important element of any musical is the music, and Mesrobian says when he first learned about D’Aubigny he knew her story needed to be a rock musical.

Shayne Watson

(ABOVE) QUEENS SONG: Rogue Stage sets Julie D’Aubigny’s life to music.

PHOTOS BY LES JINQUES PHOTOGRAPHY/ COURTESY ROGUE STAGE

“QUEEN OF SWORDS,”

AN

ORIGINAL rock musical six years in the making, will have its debut as a live, in-concert reading at the Timucua Arts Foundation in Orlando March 2425.

The musical tells the story of Julie D’Aubigny — played by actress Ema Pava — an openly bisexual opera singer and sword fighter who lived towards the end of the 17th century. Among her many adventures, she was known for being the Prima Dona of Opera Paris, successfully dueling three men at once and burning down a convent to rescue her girlfriend from nuns.

“Her life was a series of just fantastical exploits that have been copied down in history,” says Thom Mesrobian, “Queen of Swords” writer, lyricist and producer.

Most details of D’Aubigny’s life are unknown and many of the stories that are known during her life may or may not be completely accurate. What is known is she was born in 1673, the exact date and place of birth are a mystery, and she had several different names. Her stage name in the opera world was Mademoiselle Maupin — while her married name was Madame de Maupin, opera singers traditionally used the title Mademoiselle — or La Maupin.

Mesrobian wanted to pursue the story of D’Aubigny’s life as a musical because so many people seem to

Among D’Aubigny’s most fantastic tales, is the time she attracted the attention of a young woman in Marseille, France. The girl’s parents put her into a convent to keep D’Aubigny away from her; however, D’Aubigny conned her way into the convent, stole the body of a dead nun and placed it in her lover’s bed, setting the room on fire to mask their escape. The relationship lasted only three months before the girl returned to her parents and D’Aubigny returned to Paris.

D’Aubigny died in 1707 at the age of 33 but accomplished a great deal in the short amount of time she lived. Mesrobian says while “Queen of Swords” is telling D’Aubigny’s story, it also carries an underlying message about struggling with personal demons.

The musical is dedicated to Stacy Fulford, who was an actor at the Walt Disney Company. Mesrobian says Fulford struggled greatly with her own demons and is tragically no longer with us. He says the show is dedicated to her memory because the world loses too many people to depression.

“When I saw that in Julie, that gave me a key to give the show more than just a show about a badass woman, but about a badass woman who had problems and had struggles,” Mesrobian says.

Ben Shepler, composer for “Queen of Swords,” says he is no stranger to the rock scene as he was a member of a pop-punk band in high school. While Shepler and Mesrobian were working on another show — the “Hamilton” parody “Simpleton: The Legend of Donald Trump” — together in 2015, Shepler showed Mesrobian some of the songs he wrote. Mesrobian heard one of his pop-punk songs and immediately knew this was the tone for “Queen of Swords.”

“He sent me about four or five things, it was all good, but one of them really caught my ear,” Mesrobian says. “I was like, ‘this is the sound of the show. That’s the way I hear it.’”

The show is be presented as a live in-concert reading at the Timucua Arts Foundation. Along with Pava and Stevens, the cast features Juan Cantú, Cathy Colburn, McKenzie Jo Frazer, Mark Gray Miller, Jarrett Poore, Kari Ringer, Eduardo A. Rivera and Fredy Ruiz as the various characters in her life. Sarah Lockard serves as the narrator.

“Queen of Swords: A New Rock Musical” will debut at Timucua Arts Foundation, located at 2000 S. Summerlin Ave. in Orlando, March 24-25, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 with special 50% discounts for students, teachers, frontline workers, veterans and seniors. The show will also be available to live stream and through video on demand at a cost of $7.50. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit Timucua.com.

WEDDING BELLS Corey Bryant and Justin Higley from Orlando

ENGAGEMENT

DATE: May 4, 2022

WEDDING DATE: Feb. 12, 2023

VENUE: The Historic Winter Park Farmer’s Market

COLORS:

FLORIST: Themselves

CATERER: John Michael Events

BAKERY:

Lora Korpar

IN 2015, COREY BRYANT’S ROOMMATE dared him to create an online dating account. That dare impacted his life trajectory forever, as he met Justin Higley — the love of his life — online just two days later.

“I knew he was ‘the one’ within the first six months,” Justin says. “A lot happened between then and now, but fate always ended up pushing the two of us back together. As a result, it’s made us a stronger, more mature and more resilient couple.”

Corey and Justin got engaged while traveling, which is their favorite activity to do together. The two were on their first European cruise, sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar, and Corey was determined to surprise Justin with the proposal.

Though Corey’s plan was nearly foiled at the Reykjavik airport when security opened his bag with the ring in front of Justin, he managed to pull off the surprise.

“A few days later, we were getting dressed for formal night on the cruise and Justin, after a few final touches in the mirror, turned to me looking stunning in his sequined dinner

jacket,” Corey says. “He said, ‘How do I look’ and appeared slightly offended when I told him I thought it was missing something. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring box. I barely managed to get down on one knee and open the box before he said ‘Yes!’”

The couple married on Feb. 12, which happened to coincide with Super Bowl Sunday. Corey said once they realized, they “just leaned into it — because who else but a gay couple would book their wedding on Super Bowl Sunday?”

“Our friends even joked that it was a power-gay flex,” Corey added, noting that they got everyone home in time to catch the game if they wanted to.

It was important to the couple to celebrate blood-related and found family at the wedding. One of Corey’s highlights of the day

was how ring-bearer Matteo, his two-year-old nephew by way of found family, “absolutely stole the show” by showing off his Lebanese dance moves at the reception.

One of Justin’s close friends even officiated the ceremony.

“She was one of the first people I ever came out to, and she has been an anchor through some of the most difficult points in my life,” Justin says. “It was only fitting that she be the one to marry me to the love of my life.”

The two also spotlighted the LGBTQ community in their wedding, using LGBTQ- and ally-owned businesses for their vendors. They also included a reading from Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges during the ceremony.

“We felt that it was only fitting to include [the reading] ... acknowledging the work of other LGBTQ+ trailblazers who created a path forward for couples like Corey and I,” Justin says. “We also mailed an honorary invitation to Jim Obergefell, and to our surprise, he responded with a very lovely note.”

Justin and Corey brought their love of travel into the wedding as well. Their three-tier cake highlighted their previous travels and their

honeymoon destinations. Corey even used his graphic design skills to make their wedding invitations look like passports.

They also included a personalized crossword and wordsearch on the back of their wedding program.

“Guests really got into it and the competition got pretty heated,” Justin says. “At the reception, they kept asking what they won. We told them a free cocktail!”

The couple also had a bonus cake for guests.

“[As] a lifelong Dolly Parton fanatic, ‘Steel Magnolias’ has always been one of my favorite movies,” Corey says, “so I asked for a red velvet ‘Bleedin’ Armadilla Groom’s Cake,’ which she delivered with an over-the-top raspberry custard filling.”

Overall, it was a day to remember and cherish as they begin their lives as a married couple.

“I always like to say that it’s amazing to be loved, but it’s profound to be understood,” Corey says. “Justin understands me the way no one else ever has and continues to make me a better person through deep breaths, humble moments and an open heart. He’s my best friend.”

announcements TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

Juno Vibranz was crowned Miss Rose Dynasty 2023. The pageant raised over $28,000. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor secured a second term March 7. Read more on p. 10.

The Tampa Bay Lightning named Equality Florida Director of Development Mark Puskarich a Lightning Community Hero during this year’s Pride Night March 7. The recognition included a $50,000 contribution to continue the organization’s work. Learn more at EQFL.org.

ALSO Youth presented the 8th Manatee Pride March 11. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

PFLAG Riverview celebrated its third year March 10. Shuffle celebrates five years in Tampa March 19.

CLOSURES

Hamburger Mary’s Clearwater confirmed its permanent closure March 6 ahead of a finale weekend March 8-12. The restaurant was the last of the LGBTQ chain’s Tampa Bay locations, which was previously home to four. “It’s so hard to say goodbye so instead we will say see you later,” the venue shared on social media. “Let’s eat, drink and be Mary!!!” Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Publix HQ PR man Chris McNally (March 16); Tampa Bay entertainer Viktoria Sommers, Britney-loving bear Nabil Harb, former St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell, “Talkin’ Pets” co-host Jon Patrick, Enigma staple Indrek Karner (March 17); Associate director of admissions for Stetson Law School Darren Kettles (March 18); St. Petersburg massage therapist Terrell Ray, former Love the Golden Rule office manager Jojo Wallace, Breaking Rules Publishing President Christopher Clawson Rule (March 19); Sarasota County Health Department’s Sue Westcott, Tampa Bay entertainer Stephanie Shippae, Hyde Park Antiques owner Randy Strebing, (March 20); Worth Clark Realty’s Bill Munette (March 21); Metro Inclusive Health’s Christian Klimas (March 22); former T Network leader Jennifer Kurzawa (March 23); Former Florida House Rep. Adam Hattersley, LGBTQ advocate Anastasia Hiotis, Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps board member Eric Peak, Mad Hatters Kava Bar’s David Baptista (March 24); Strategic Property Partners’ Brian Gallaher (March 25); Tampa photographer John Kantor, former St Pete Pride board member Delores Ringgold, Former Gazette publisher Brian Feist, Lakewood Ranch Allstate owner Richard Plummer, St. Pete social media sensation Chris Gibson, Suncoast Softballer Ryan Menke (March 26); St. Petersburg chef Domenica Macchia, Tampa karaoke extraordinaire Normie Dunn, Sarasota retiree Donald Attanas, St. Pete realtor Aaron Hoffman (March 27); Tampa softballer Randal Spiller, Sarasota equality advocate Jen Drake, Tampa entrepreneur Art Smith, Nail tech extraordinaire Jaime Lucas Irizarry (March 28); Pinellas County Young Democrat Bobbi Lindaman, Watermark columnist Steve Blanchard, Lucky Star bartender Nate David (March 29).

1

THE VOICE: Jay Miah strikes a chord as Tampa Bay’s Favorite Local Musician at Metro Inclusive Health March 3 for Watermark’s Tampa Bay WAVE party.

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

2

TAMPA STRONG: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (L) accepts her WAVE Award for Favorite Local Politician from Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent at her office March 6. PHOTO COURTESY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

3

BREAKING NEWS: Trevor Pettiford points out his first-place win for favorite local TV/ web personality March 3.

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

4

ST PETE PROUD: St Pete Pride strikes a pose with the organization’s multiple WAVE Awards March

5

MULTIPLE MAN: John Gascot represents Diversity Arts, Studios @ 5663, Pinellas Arts Village and himself at the Tampa Bay WAVE Awards.

6

TEAM Z: (L-R) Alexis De La Mer, Zoie’s owner Jeff Baker, James Cass, Miranda Marie Sugarbaker and Kori Stevens show off the restaurant’s six awards, including a first-place finish.

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

7

BIG WINNERS: (L-R) Cocktail manager Alex Gomez, WAVE Award host and favorite local drag performer Adriana Sparkle, favorite local bartender Sebastian Hathcock and favorite breakout performer Aquariius strike a pose with wins for Cocktail, The Wet Spot, The Saint and ZaZoo’d.

8

GAL PALS: Rockell Blu aka Robert Rigsby (L) and Taniyah Iman share a moment with their awards March

3.

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

3. PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

CONGRATULATIONS

Enzian Theater celebrated its 38th anniversary as one of Central Florida’s most beloved independent cinemas Feb. 15.

PFLAG Greater Orlando raised $3,000 during a charity bingo event hosted by Hamburger Mary’s Orlando March 2.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate its 10th year of Broadway shows in its Walt Disney Theater this fall. The arts center announced earlier this month the nine shows that will make up its 2023/24 AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando season. The season will kick off with “Annie,” playing Oct. 24-29; followed by the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl,” with an updated book by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein, playing Dec. 5-10. Then we start 2024 with the hit Disney musical “Aladdin,” playing Jan. 3-7; and then dance the Can-Can with the 10-time Tony Award winner “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” playing Feb. 20-March 3. Follow that up with a musical based on one of the ‘90s biggest albums — “Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill The Musical,” playing March 19-24. The season continues with the comedy musical “Mrs. Doubtfire,” playing April 23-28; “Peter Pan,” playing May 14-19; and the whodunit comedy “Clue,” playing June 4-9. The season comes to a close with one of the biggest musicals of all time, “Les Misérables,” playing June 25-30. For more information and to see when you will be able to purchase tickets, go to DrPhillipsCenter.org.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Skincare genius Tabor Winstead (March 17); Orlando Gay Chorus board chair Sean Mundyschein; Central Florida recruiter Charles Elliott (March 18); Miga Made creator Evan Miga, ABM Orlando’s Sheila Block (March 19); Chair of the SemDems Lynn “Moira” Dictor, JM Best

Entertainment owner John Best, Central Florida performer William Bruce, BodyStreet Winter Park co-owner Reiner Wolf (March 20); Orange County Sheriff’s Office LGBTQ

Liaison Brandon Ragan, Orlando performer Chris E. Mistery (March 21); Orlando dancer Tia Kadena (March 22); Miss GayDayS 2019 Twila Holiday aka Joshua Michael Patrick Huntington Orsini-Collins, Channel 13 News IT Director Ian Michael (March 23); Southern Nights Orlando showgirl Chevelle Brooks, Orlando-based travel nurse Christopher Milliron (March 24); BizzyNate

Creative owner Nate West (March 25); VarieTEASE dancer Megan Boetto, Bowled Over Promotions’ Lisa Brown (March 26); Olde Town Brokers realtor Jay Wood, Orlando dancer Brittainy A. Derden, Orlando counselor Chad Brown, Naked Eye Studio’s John Caroll (March 27); New Church Family of Daytona Beach’s Jerry Corlis (March 28); LGBT+ Center Orlando board vice president Grace Peek-Harris; Orlando actor Jon Jiminez (March 29).

CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

1

COLORFUL ALLY: Orlando VA’s Keri Griffin, Central Florida’s third place Greatest Ally to the LGBTQ community in the WAVES, was full of color from head to toe at the WAVE celebration at Renaissance Theatre March

2

BREAKOUT HOST: Gregory Metts, Central Florida’s first place Breakout Performer, hosted Watermark’s Central Florida WAVE party. PHOTO

3

HOME TEAM: Renaissance Theatre owner Donald Rupe (L), with drag performer Darcel Stevens, opened the doors of his theatre to Watermark so that we could host our Central Florida WAVE party at his venue for the second year in a row. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

4

DRINKS ON ME: Southern Nights Orlando’s Tia Divine couldn’t believe that she was picked as Central Florida’s Favorite Bartender/ Server in this year’s WAVES.

5

DOUBLE TAKE: Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani took home two WAVES this year: Central Florida’s Favorite Politician and Greatest Ally to the LGBTQ community.

PHOTO BY DYLAN

PRIDEFUL TRIO: (L-R) Adam McCabe, Tatiana Quiroga and Maia Monet show off Come Out With Pride’s three first place awards: Central Florida’s Favorite Website, LGBTQ Youth Event and Annual LGBTQ Event. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

6

KING ME: Axel Andrews (L) and Eros Gemini celebrate their WAVE wins as Favorite Central Florida Drag Kings, Andrews in first place and Gemini in third, at the Central Florida WAVE party. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

7

ENTERTAINING DUO: While they don’t have awards in hand, Heather Abood (L) and Kirk DaVinci were both picked among Central Florida’s favorites: Abood placed third for Favorite Musical Performer and DaVinci placed third as Favorite Stage Performer. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

8

2. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

BY DYLAN TODD

PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

TODD

EVENT PLANNER

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Southern Charm: The Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party, March 17, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthrnNightsOrlando

64th Annual Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, March 17-19, Central Park, Winter Park. 407-644-7207; WPSAF.org

OUT Sports League Spring Picnic, March 18, Barber Park, Orlando. OUTSportsLeague.com

Glamorous Brunch, March 19, Island Time, Orlando. 407-930-2640; IslandTimeOrlando.com

Mr Glamorous 2023, March 19, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org

Miss Glamorous 2023, March 20, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” March 21-26, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org

17th Annual National Miss Comedy Queen Pageant, March 23, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Orlando Ballet’s Director’s Choice, March 23-26, Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, Orlando. 407-4769918; OrlandoBallet.org

onePULSE Foundation and TopGolf: Celebrating Common Ground, March 24, TopGolf, Lake Mary. 407-543-9138; onePULSEFoundation.org

Nate Bargatze, March 24, King Center, Melbourne. 321-242-2219; KingCenter.com

community calendar

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Orlando Magic Pride Night

TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 7 P.M. AMWAY CENTER, ORLANDO

ONE NIGHT ONLY

“Queen of Swords,” March 24-25, Timucua Arts Foundation, Orlando.

April Fresh’s Comedy Brunch, March 25, The 808, Orlando. 407-440-4079; The808Orlando.com

Make Them Hear You: Black, Gay and on Broadway, March 28, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-937-1800; CFCArts.com/StrangeLoop

ABBA Revisited, March 29, Athens Theatre, DeLand. 386-736-1500; AthensDeLand.com

MegaCon Orlando, March 30-April 2, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando. 407-685-9800; FanExpoHQ.com/ MegaConOrlando

TAMPA BAY

“Wicked,” Through March 26, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

“Misery,” Through April 9, Jobsite Theater, Tampa. 813-476-7378; JobsiteTheater.org

Dine ‘N Drag, March 17; 24; 31, Zoie’s, St. Petersburg. 727-855-6990; ZoiesFL.com

St. Patrick’s Day Party, March 17, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com

River O’Green Fest, March 18, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa. 813-274-8422; Tampa.gov

Come OUT St Pete T-Dance, March 19, Salty Nun, St. Petersburg. 727-329-9994; ComeOUTStPete.org

Brunch on Grand Central, March 19; 26, Zoie’s, St. Petersburg. 727-855-6990; ZoiesFL.com

Service Industry Pool Party, March 20; 27, Casa del Merman, St. Petersburg. 727-310-4130; GayStPeteHouse.com.

EPIC Generations Coffee Hour, March 20; 27, Multiple Locations, Tampa Bay. 727-328-3260; MyEPIC.org

Tuesday Trivia Night, March 21; 28, Zoie’s, St. Petersburg. 727-855-6990; ZoiesFL.com

HIDE Leather Night, March 24, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailStPete.com

Tampa Pride 2023, March 25, Ybor, Tampa. 813-777-4832; TampaPride.org

Drag Queen Brunch, March 26, Salty Shamrock, Apollo Beach. 410-262-2929; GregAndersonEvents.com

Steven Begert-Clark Piano Lounge, March 31, Cider Press Vegan Gastropub, St. Petersburg. 727-914-7222; CiderPressPub.com

Spring Break Beach Bash, March 31, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com

SARASOTA

“Dreamgirls,” Through April 9, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Sarasota. 941-366-1505; WestcoastBlackTheatre.org

Sarasota Film Festival, March 24-April2,Sarasota.941-364-9514; SarasotaFilmFestival.com

event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.

The Orlando Magic is hosting its Pride Night at the Amway Center March 21 when the team takes on the Washington Wizards. The event will feature a performance by the Orlando Gay Chorus, a $30,000 grant ceremony for Zebra Coalition, recognize Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet as a Diversity Game Changer and more. Use this link: http://ow.ly/2sjG50NbnNG and a portion of each ticket sold will go to an LGBTQ nonprofit of your choice.

Make Them Hear You

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 8 P.M. THE ABBEY, ORLANDO

Central Florida Community Arts will host “Make Them Hear You: Black, Gay & On Broadway,” a one-night only event featuring cast members of the Tony Award-winning musical “A Strange Loop” at The Abbey Orlando March 28. L Morgan Lee, JohnAndrew Morrison, James Jackson Jr. and Jason Veasey will join host Chevalier Lovett, musician and educator Dr. Terrance Lane and moderator Terrence Hunter. Seating is limited and tickets start at $75. You can purchase them at CFCArts.com/AStrangeLoop.

TAMPA BAY

7th Annual Masquerade Ball

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 7 P.M.-MIDNIGHT COASTAL CREATIVE, ST. PETERSBURG

Balance Tampa Bay and Empath Partners in Care present the 7th annual Masquerade Ball, a Tampa Bay staple and night of music, dancing, cocktails, bites, auction, friendship and philanthropy. The event benefits EPIC’s fight against HIV/AIDS throughout the region. Dress is upscale chic and tickets begin at $80 for general admission. For more information, visit MyEPICMasquerade.com.

“Fun Home”

FRIDAY, MARCH 17 – SUNDAY, APRIL 2, TIMES VARY CARROLLWOOD PLAYERS THEATRE, TAMPA

The Carrollwood Players present the LGBTQ musical “Fun Home” on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Based on the powerful memoir of Alison Bechdel, it explores themes of family, identity and more with mature content, language and themes. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit CarrollwoodPlayers.org.

L Morgan Lee is among the cast members from “A Strange Loop” that will a part of CFCArts’ Make Them Hear You: Black, Gay and on Broadway” event at The Abbey Orlando March 21.

PHOTO BY BLUEPHOTONYC