Watermark Issue 30.13: Queen of Arts

local orgs detail new anti-LGBTQ+ laws

The Pride Chamber names new CEO, president SPECIAL INSIDE!

TAMPA BAY LIVING WITH PRIDE GUIDE

Idina Menzel on her iconic roles, new music and LGBTQ+ fans

– IDINA MENZEL, ON PERFORMING HER NEW MUSIC FOR HER LGBTQ+ FANS DURING PRIDE

DRAWN TO LOVE:

The Pride Chamber names Daniel Sohn as new

Jean Hotel opens in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.

Cirque du Soleil performers Saulo Sarmiento Godoy and David Rimmer navigate relationships and acrobatics.

I really am excited about the opportunity to express my gratitude to my friends in the LGBTQ+ community. They have inspired me and taught me through their courage how to aspire to live my life authentically.

F

I’m not trying to minimize the hurt inflicted on our community during the last Florida legislative session. It is devastating when elected officials target you and your community to criminalize your life with seemingly zero understanding of what it means for you to exist as you are. This is what drives every part of my political self. Until we can stop legislating the lives of queer people simply because they are queer, I will be a one issue voter. My life is my vote.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that we have the overwhelming support of the larger community. Allies are out in full force to show their active support more now than I have ever seen.

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June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month and it has been an extremely busy one. As I write this column we are barely half way through the month with many more events to go. June kicked off with Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom and the events that surround it. For me this was a litmus test for how Florida’s new laws would affect overall support for LGBTQ+ events and how those outside of our community would react to these events.

There were some setbacks. As a history enthusiast I often get nostalgic about the good ole days, so to see some of the changes in the traditions of Gay Day at Magic Kingdom brings out the Eeyore in me. For example, gathering in front of the castle at 3 p.m.

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is no longer a focal point of the day. I understand though, it’s hot in that sun so people disperse along the shady side of Frontier Land. The three o’clock parade is also not as much a focus as it has been in the past, which is a Disney decision.

I did run into a lesbian couple from Ohio that seemed petrified to venture outside of Disney property. I assured them that despite the national portrayal of Florida as a whole, there were very welcoming pockets in our cities that were safe to visit.

LORIDA DOESN’T SUCK. AT LEAST not as much as some would have you believe. Its laws suck, no doubt. You can add its governor and a large part of the state legislature to that list.As the day progressed I got to meet many people from out of state that were at the park specifically to show their support for Florida’s LGBTQ+ community. There was also a noticeable increase in ally families all wearing red shirts of support: parents, kids and grandparents. As someone who has been going to Gay Day since the beginning, it was uplifting to see such visible support in the face of diminishing legal rights. Ally support was not so visible in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The following weekend was a new event for me, although this was its fourth year in operation, Sebring Pride. These are the kind of Prides I love to see. A small community celebrating their authenticity in an otherwise conservative surrounding. I overheard a story where a trans youth was able to meet another trans person for the first time. Someone who had felt alone their whole life now had a sense of community and pride. Kudos to the pioneers who organize that event and change lives.

The next weekend was a Pride that remains in my top five Pride events every year, Polk Pride. It always rains, but the energy of

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the crowd and appreciation of the attendees is right up there with the massive Pride events. It’s always nice to go there and meet with people who are eager for LGBTQ+ news.

There are plenty of Pride events still to come, culminating in the massive St Pete Pride celebration. I have deemed this Pride as the hottest day of the year in Florida, but it is matched with full city support and so much pride that it spills onto the streets. I’m looking forward to enjoying this weekend of fun.

It’s hard to imagine that

It’s hard to imagine that one can find so much love and understanding in a place that legislates hate.

one can find so much love and understanding in a place that legislates hate and the erasure of entire communities, but it exists all around us. Twenty years ago it was not so easy to find. So, Florida doesn’t suck.

In this issue of Watermark we will talk about what does suck, the latest Florida laws and how they affect our community. Our arts and entertainment section touches base with Idina Menzel who will be performing at St Pete Pride.

We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

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PULSE: LOCAL, NATIONAL LEADERS REMEMBER

Emily Paul and Luis Xavier De Peña

ORLANDO | Words of support poured in from elected officials and organizations, locally and nationally, on June 12 remembering the tragedy at Pulse in 2016 and honoring the 49 lives lost that night.

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings released a statement acknowledging the support from the community during the tragedy’s seven-year mark.

“It is comforting to know that our community has not forgotten the pain and suffering of the families and survivors, for it is the only way that love will prevail over hate,” Demings wrote.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer took to Twitter to honor the “49 angels [who] were taken too soon,” writing “Today, we send our love to the survivors, the families of the victims, and our first responders. And we recommit to honoring the victims with action by working to build a more inclusive Orlando.”

Former state lawmaker Carlos Guillermo Smith shared a short thread on Twitter, writing in part “The fight for equality, dignity, + freedom from gun violence has never been more important. LGBTQ Floridians have overcome dark times before, + with far fewer allies than we have today.”

Florida House of Rep. Anna V. Eskamani took to social media to remember the victims.

“The majority of those directly impacted identified as LGBTQ+ and young people of color,” she stated. “Fathers. Mothers. Brothers. Sisters. Daughters. Sons. Taken forever as they sought the joy, love and acceptance of Pulse nightclub. We continue to honor their lives through action as we fight back against all forms of bigotry and work to prevent gun violence.”

Eskamani also addressed the legislative attacks on Florida’s LGBTQ+ community this year.

“Not only have we seen a rise of homophobia and transphobia, but Governor DeSantis has signed five different anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law. Now is more important than ever for us to stand up for equality and lead with love above all else,” she wrote.

Congressman Maxwell Frost took this time to remember the victims and call on an end to gun violence.

“49 angels were murdered at Pulse Nightclub by senseless gun violence,” Frost wrote. “Armed bigotry, hate, & homophobia completely devastated our community. Today, we remember their stories & recommit ourselves to honoring their lives with action. I love you, Orlando.”

President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden sent prayers to the families of the victims and the survivors in a Twitter post, stating “It’s time for Congress to make commonsense reforms to keep our communities safe. Americans deserve nothing less.”

Leading the Chamber

The Pride Chamber names Daniel Sohn as new president/CEO Jeremy Williams

ORLANDO | The Pride Chamber, Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ business association, has named Daniel Sohn as its new president and chief executive officer. Sohn replaces Kellie Parkin, who stepped down from the position last year, and comes to The Pride Chamber with an extensive resume of executive leadership roles including several in the chamber world.

“I love the chamber world. It’s been good to me and I’ve worked hard to be good to it,” Sohn says.

“I’ve always been a small business advocate and an economic development advocate.”

Along with serving the business community, Sohn has also worked in the political field, serving as a Haverhill, Florida city councilmember where he made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected in the city’s history

and the first out bisexual person elected to public office in the state of Florida.

Sohn is taking the reins of The Pride Chamber at a critical time in Florida, both economically and politically. Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the largest slate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in a single legislative session in the state’s history, prompting several civil rights organizations to issue travel advisories to Florida, with the Human Rights Campaign taking it a step further declaring a state of emergency.

“We all certainly understand those that feel it is unsafe to remain in Florida but those of us that are here should stand and fight, should encourage our community businesses to stay open, to welcome all, to feel free to — especially in Orlando — fly your Pride flag outside of your stores, businesses and homes. You are safe here,” he says.

The Pride Chamber is currently Florida’s largest LGBTQ+ business association, something the doesn’t happen by chance or overnight, Sohn states.

“It takes a lot of hardworking people to build that foundation and build that community that comes together to say, we want to support LGBT business owners,” he says.

But it isn’t just the LGBTQ+ business owners that are going to sustain the community. Sohn says that being mindful about recognizing allies in the chamber is significant.

“I subscribe to the belief that what we do together is what makes us the whole that we are,” he says.

Sohn adds that The Pride Chamber will soon be launching a corporate equality council made up of corporate entities with 500 or more employees who are committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community with “significant dollars.”

“That means committing to hiring LGBT employees from this area, from this region, and/ or implementing DEI from top to bottom, bottom to top, within their organization and in their missions,” Sohn says. “If there is going to be a safe place for you to visit, move, spend your money, live, work, play and own a business, it’s going to be Orange County. It’s going to be Central Florida. But we aren’t going to be able to do it alone.”

TALKING BUSINESS: Daniel Sohn at the Orange County Convention Center.

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POLK PRIDE RETURNS AS COUNTY REJECTS PRIDE PROCLAMATION

Ryan Williams-Jent

LAKELAND, FLA. | Polk Pride’s Pride in the Park returned June 17, celebrating the region’s LGBTQ+ community just days after Polk County commissioners rejected a Pride month proclamation.

Organized by the Lakeland Youth Alliance and PFLAG of Polk County, Polk Pride is “dedicated to the awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community” in Polk County. This year’s festivities began June 10.

“We are so excited for the return of Polk Pride for our 2023 series of events,” Polk Pride President Scott Guira announced. “Our largest event, Polk Pride in the Park promises to be larger than ever … Events are planned for the entire community, inclusive of all backgrounds and is sure to be a great time for all.”

It offered exactly that, a promise event organizers have fulfilled since 2015. It’s also been backed by elected officials in recent years.

“Every year, ahead of Pride month, we reach out to every Polk government body — asking them to issue a proclamation declaring June as Pride Month,” Polk Pride shared May 12. “We believe doing so displays acceptance and solidarity with our community. We’re grateful for the those who have agreed this year, and we look forward to further progress and participation in the future.”

Those bodies include cities throughout the region like Lakeland and the Polk County Commission. The group shared an update on the latter June 10.

“Unfortunately, for the first time since they began issuing Pride Month proclamations in 2018, the Polk County Commission has decided not to recognize June as Pride Month this year,” the board shared. “While this saddens us, we remain committed to helping cultivate a Polk County where all are welcome.”

During the commission’s June 6 meeting, Commissioner Neil Combee moved to have the proclamation removed from a consent agenda to a regular agenda, allowing commissioners to debate it.

“I believe we shouldn’t be adopting proclamations regarding lifestyle choices from this point forward,” he said. Joining his objections were Commissioners Bill Braswell and Rick Wilson, who later expressed transphobic views to News Channel 8 as a part of their reasoning, while Commissioners Martha Santiago and George Lindsey did not object.

Guira, who submitted the proclamation, says their decision won’t stop Polk Pride from working to create a more inclusive Polk County. “Gathering together in numbers shows that the we will continue to stand up against those who try to push us down or minimize our voice,” he shares.

Thousands of participants attended Pride in the Park for that reason, enjoying entertainment, hundreds of vendors and more. Guira calls them “the voice for equality in Florida.”

View a photo gallery of Polk Pride 2023 at WatermarkOnline.com. For more information about Polk Pride, visit PolkPrideFL.org.

Now Booking

Mari Jean Hotel opens in St. Pete Ryan Williams-Jent

ST. PETERSBURG | The Mari Jean Hotel officially opened June 20, welcoming guests to what’s billed as St. Petersburg’s premier, adults-only hotel catering to the gay community.

The space is the latest concept from entrepreneur David Fischer, owner of The Saint speakeasy and LGBTQ+ staples Cocktail and The Wet Spot Pool Bar & Day Club. Each business calls the hotel’s building home, as does a smaller, site-specific version of his design firm and retail shop ZaZoo’d.

The hotel was built in 1926 and purchased in 2018 by Fischer’s frequent collaborator Michael Andoniades. After Fischer opened his other businesses in the space, he saw revamping the Mari Jean Hotel as a logical next step.

Each of the renovated hotel’s 54 rooms offers a sole bed, primarily a King, with a private restroom and shower. A total of 25 rooms opened June 20 on the building’s second floor, with the remaining rooms on the third floor expected to follow within two months.

The air-conditioned rooms also come with a ceiling fan, hair dryer,

HD TV, iron and ironing board, bath products and beach/pool towels. In addition to on-site access to Fischer’s other businesses, other amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, a continental breakfast and a wine and cheese happy hour. A restaurant is coming soon.

“We’re getting a great response,” Fischer says. “We have reservations coming in every day — clearly people needed something in St. Pete that was upscale or felt upper scale than what we had to offer, and felt like this was a safe space.”

The hotel’s décor leans into sexual innuendo, an intentional decision that’s worked well for Fischer’s other brands.

“I think it’s the sexual energy mixed with an upscale environment that makes people feel safe and comfortable,” he says. “The appeal is toward the gay male audience, similar to the rest of the brand.

“You can go down a path that is a more straight-friendly approach, where you’re trying to attract a middle crowd, but we decided early on that’s not what we’re trying to do,” he continues. “We want people to know it’s a gay men’s hotel; we took the twist up

a bit with the snarkiness and the sexual innuendo so that it wasn’t a gray area as to what kind of property you’re coming to.”

Fischer opted to give the hotel’s history an LGBTQ+ makeover as well. A backstory was crafted around owner Harry Jean who dabbled in drag as its namesake, someone who “could often be seen around the halls and at the front desk in her late mother’s lime green ball gown and best jewels.”

It’s why lime green accents are utilized throughout the space, which also displays erotic male artwork from local artist Brad Welch. His work examines homoerotic stereotypes “in various stages of undress, revealing a vulnerability beneath the hypermasculine facade.”

While the hotel caters to gay males, Fischer stresses that the concept isn’t designed to exclude anyone. All are welcome at each of his businesses.

“I want the community to be proud of what we offer the LGBTQ population,” he says. “I wanted a place that we could be proud of and say that St. Pete has what other cities don’t. This is my form of giving back; I want people to have a space where they can feel safe and celebrate who they are.”

The Mari Jean Hotel is 25+ and located at 2349 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. Rooms begin at $169 with a daily fee of $25 for parking. For more information, visit MariJeanHotel.com.

GAY STAY: The Mari Jean Hotel in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District. PHOTO COURTESY DAVID FISCHER

US JUDGE NARROWLY BLOCKS FLORIDA BAN ON GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR MINORS Wire

Report

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. | A federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a new Florida law championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers, saying in a June 6 ruling that gender identity is real and the state has no rational basis for denying patients treatment.

Judge Robert Hinkle issued a preliminary injunction, saying three transgender children can continue receiving treatment. The lawsuit challenges the law DeSantis signed shortly before he announced a run for president.

“Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear,” Hinkle said, adding that even a witness for the state agreed.

Transgender medical care for minors is increasingly under attack — Florida is among 19 states that have enacted laws restricting or

banning treatment. But it has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations.

Hinkle’s ruling was narrowly focused on the three children whose parents brought the suit. Simone Chriss, a lawyer for Southern Legal Counsel representing the parents, said she hopes health care providers and prosecutors see the ruling as applying statewide, like when Hinkle issued an injunction in 2014 declaring the state’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional as it applied to a single couple.

“The state no longer has any valid interest in enforcing something that’s unconstitutional,” Chriss said.

As she spoke, DeSantis’ office issued a statement saying the opposite, and the law will be enforced for all except the three children.

“We will continue fighting against the rogue elements in the medical establishment that push

ideology over evidence,” press secretary Jeremy Redfern said.

Chriss said her hope is that regardless of DeSantis’ position, state attorneys won’t prosecute doctors for providing care “that is aligned with every major medical organization — not a rogue few, but all of them.”

Attention on the new law has focused on language involving minors, and Hinkle’s ruling focuses on the use of puberty blockers and hormones. The ruling doesn’t address other language that makes it difficult to near impossible for adults to receive or continue gender-affirming care.

Hinkle, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, said people who mistakenly believe gender identity is a choice also “tend to disapprove all things transgender and so oppose medical care that supports a person’s transgender existence.”

CLUB Q SHOOTING SUSPECT EXPECTED TO TAKE PLEA DEAL

Wire Report

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.

| The suspect in the mass shooting at Club Q is expected to strike a plea deal that would ensure at least a life sentence for the attack that killed five people and wounded 17, several survivors told the Associated Press.

Word of a possible legal resolution of last year’s massacre follows a series of jailhouse phone calls from the suspect to the AP expressing remorse and the intention to face the consequences at the next scheduled court hearing.

Federal and state authorities and defense attorneys declined to comment on a possible plea deal. But Colorado law requires victims to be notified of such deals, and several people who lost loved ones or were wounded in the attack told the AP that state prosecutors have given them advance word that Aldrich will plead guilty to charges that would ensure the maximum state sentence of life behind bars.

Prosecutors also recently asked survivors to prepare for the June 26 hearing by writing victim-impact statements and steeling themselves emotionally for the possible release of the Club Q surveillance video of the attack.

Aldrich faces more than 300 state counts, including murder and hate crimes. And the U.S. Justice Department is considering filing federal hate crime charges, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the matter who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing case.

Some survivors who listened to the suspect’s recorded comments to the AP lambasted them as a calculated attempt to avoid the federal death penalty, noting they stopped short of discussing a motive, put much of the blame on drugs and characterized the crime in passive, generalities such as “I just can’t believe what happened” and “I wish I could turn back time.” Such language, they said, belied by the maps, diagrams,

online rants and other evidence that showed months of plotting and premeditation.

The killing only stopped after a Navy petty officer grabbed the barrel of the suspect’s rifle. An Army veteran joined in to help subdue and beat Aldrich until police arrived, finding they had emptied one high-capacity magazine and had several more.

Aldrich, who since their arrest has identified as nonbinary, allegedly visited Club Q at least six times in the years before the attack. District Attorney Michael Allen has said the suspect administered a website that posted a “neo-Nazi white supremacist” shooting training video. Online gaming friends said Aldrich expressed hatred for the police, LGBTQ+ people and minorities and used anti-Black and anti-gay slurs.

Defense attorneys in previous hearings have not disputed Aldrich’s role in the shooting but have pushed back against allegations it was motivated by hate.

WHITE HOUSE DETAILS PRO-LGBTQ+ ACTIONS

White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden announced a slate of new actions the Biden-Harris administration will undertake to better protect the LGBTQ+ community on June 7. They will focus on three major areas: safety and security, issues for LGBTQ+ youth like mental health and housing insecurity and combatting book bans. The news preceded the largest Pride celebration ever hosted at the White House on June 10, which welcomed more than 1,000 guests and was led by President Joe Biden. “Happy Pride Month,” he said from a stage on the South Lawn. “Happy Pride year,” he added, “happy Pride life.”

STARBUCKS DENIES BANNING PRIDE DISPLAYS

Starbucks has denied union organizers’ claims that it is banning Pride displays in its U.S. stores in the wake of Target and other brands experiencing a backlash. But Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing U.S. Starbucks stores, says store managers around the country have been curtailing or removing displays during a month long celebration of LGBTQ+ people. “There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities, including for U. S. Pride month in June,” the Seattle coffee giant said in a statement June 13.

ICELAND TO BAN CONVERSION THERAPY

Lawmakers in Iceland approved a bill June 9 that will ban so-called conversion therapy in the country. 53 members of the Icelandic Parliament voted for the measure, while three lawmakers abstained. Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, an MP who is a member of the Liberal Reform Party, introduced the bill. “This is a really important issue for all gay people and a step worth celebrating,” said Samtökin ’78, an Icelandic LGBTQ+ and intersex rights group, after the vote. “There is no cure for being gay and any attempt to do so is violence. It’s so good that the government recognizes it with legislation.”

RUSSIA POISED TO BAN GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE

A bill that would outlaw gender-affirming care in Russia passed its first legislative procedure June 14 with 400 lawmakers in the lower house of Parliament voting in favor and zero voting against. State Duma Deputy Speaker Pytor Tolstoy, a co-sponsor of the legislation, echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s transphobic sentiments during political rallies last fall to bolster public support for his war in Ukraine. The legislation will need to have three more readings along with accompanying public debates before it is sent to the upper house and on to Putin for his signature to become law.

DEMOCRATICALLY YOURS

Let Freedom Ring

FREEDOM FOR THE LGBTQ+ community is under attack in Florida. As a result, I have been encouraging my LGBTQ+ friends and allies to head into this Pride Month with less “Love is Love” and more stand-up and fight back posturing.

I am encouraging all of us to channel the origin story of LGBTQ+ Pride and protest the assault on freedom and liberty in our state and around the country.

Gov. Ron DeSantis claims that Florida is the freest state in the union, but given our current circumstances and the horrors that came out of this past legislative session, I do not feel all that free. We are less free today than we were just one month ago.

The fight for LGBTQ+ freedom, equality, liberty and equity has been tumultuous, marked by bravery, resiliency, determination and collective action— we have come too far as a community to turn back now. We must protect the progress we have achieved and the rights we have secured.

I am also calling on all of us to honor sacrifice of all the LGBTQ+ pioneers who have come before us, fighting for legal recognition in the courts and social recognition in the streets. Most importantly, we must reclaim our freedom in dignity for all people and continue our journey of radical authenticity and self-acceptance.

I wrote about the war on our culture in my last column earlier this year, encouraging all of us to start paying attention to what our political leaders are doing in the daylight. I shared that “DeSantis has launched a culture war to stage a run for president to distinguish himself as an alternative to former President Donald Trump, and Floridians are taking the brunt of his draconian actions.”

After these awful legislative sessions and the chorus of laws that were passed and are now being implemented, we need to shine huge spotlights on the harm occurring in our community. The slate of anti-LGBTQ+ laws that are on the books in Florida are causing direct and immediate harm to LGBTQ+ people with detrimental effect.

Access to gender-affirming care for transgender people has been grossly curtailed. Educational instruction for sexual orientation and gender identity has been stripped from schools. Transgender people cannot, by law use the restrooms in public accommodations without fear of persecution. Healthcare providers can legally discriminate or deny healthcare services and care based on religious, moral or ethical beliefs.

Protections such as non-discrimination ordinances are under threat of legal challenge by the DeSantis Administration. I do not feel all that free in Florida.

I have been reading and thinking about some of the great LGBTQ+ pioneers like James Baldwin, Harvey Milk, Audre Lorde and Marsha P. Johnson in recent weeks and I believe that they can offer us some guiding principles as navigate our quest to regain freedom and liberty. Harvey Milk reminds us that “It takes no compromise to give people their rights... it takes no money to respect

the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.”

The overreach of Gov. DeSantis and the Republican legislature will have repercussions. The LGBTQ+ community needs to mobilize and organize

quest for culture war are using the tactic of divide and conquer, but we should recall the words of Audre Lorde, because “In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.” We have seen this playbook before. LGBTQ+ history is American history

freedom is something people take and people are as free as they want to be.”

in the next election. During this Pride month we must channel the words of Marsha P. Johnson, in that there is “no Pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” Transgender people around the country are under assault. We all need to show up for them now.

The extremists in the Republican Party in the

and we have a lot of valuable lessons to pull from in our storied history.

LGBTQ+ people in Florida are not free. We do not experience liberty as prescribed in our state constitution or the U.S. Constitution. But James Baldwin reminds me that “freedom is not something that anybody can be given;

The GOP does not have a monopoly on freedom. I am calling upon the LGBTQ+ community to stand together and take the freedom and liberty we all deserve, because we are as free as we want to be.

Johnny Boykins is a Democratic strategist and organizer in Pinellas County, a husband, bow tie aficionado, amateur chef, and U.S. Coast Guard veteran. He also serves as a board member of the Pinellas Democratic Party. Learn more at PinellasDemocrats.org.

The fight for LGBTQ+ freedom, equality, liberty and equity has been tumultuous, marked by bravery, resiliency, determination and collective action — we have come too far as a community to turn back now.

Johnny V. Boykins

I would even dare to say the circle of directly impacted people grew to include health care workers and educators. We were targets of a war waged on our right to exist, love, learn and dream.

But why? Did Gov. Ron DeSantis one day decide to attack us based on his personal convictions? Well, his recent announcement to run for president tells us otherwise.

I grew up hearing stories of a dark time in Brazilian history, my country of birth. My mother often tells me about the horrors of dictators who would disappear neighbors, imprison their political enemies and more. They attacked ethnic and racial minorities while taunting LGBTQ+ communities to mobilize their base. They outlawed abortion. They enacted policies that forced millions to leave their ancestral land to fuel an economic development strategy focused on making the richest families in the country richer and the poor easier targets for exploitation. Books were burned and outlawed.

Will Florida — or potentially the entire country — go in the same direction? The answer lies with each one of us. Are we willing to fight back, give our all and defend our core democratic values as a nation?

Let me be clear: we are fighting for the soul of our country and the frontlines are in every neighborhood in Florida.

More than five decades after the Stonewall Riots, we are back fighting for our right to host public Pride events. Transgender adults and youth are losing lifesaving access to gender-affirming health care. Immigrants are forced deeper into hiding because of unjust laws aimed at making their lives so hard that it will become nearly impossible to survive in

Florida without risking racial profiling and family separation. People who can get pregnant lost their right to self-determination and bodily autonomy. Educators can’t talk about LGBTQ+ people as if we don’t exist and they can’t teach our country’s history of racial injustice. Countless books have been banned. Health care workers are now required to ask their patients about their immigration status and Registered Nurses can’t prescribe Hormone Replacement Treatment to transgender patients. The list goes on and on and on. I won’t sugarcoat it — these are genocidal attacks. But there is hope! Our hope lies in everyday people taking collective action. It lies in our mighty Campaign for our Dreams and Freedom, made of more than 20 organizations, that brought more than 1,000 people together for a truly intersectional rally at Lake Eola May 1, and it is now planning an action outside state Rep. Susan Plasencia July 1. It lies in the more than 500 immigrant workers who closed Conway with their bodies and trucks June 1 and the more than 50 small businesses who closed in solidarity with immigrants. It is on the buses leaving the Orlando area down to Ft Lauderdale for the We The People March July 2. It lies in Addisyn, a young transgender girl, who is planning an action outside the Orange County Courthouse on July 4. Hope lives in every time a person makes the conscious decision to vote and to bring at least 10 people with them to the polls. We are leading a summer and fall of resistance! We can’t stop and we won’t stop! Our lives depend on it.

Let’s not forget, we come from greatness. Our modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights began with Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera, two transgender women of color, throwing the first

brick during the Stonewall Riots. I often think about Cleve Jones running down the Castro in San Francisco chanting “out of the bars into the streets.” The countless LGBTQ+ leaders in Act Up who singlehandedly forced the federal government to change their

1986 — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. We are possible because of them, and it is our duty to keep hope alive.

A few days after our May 1 action at Lake Eola, I joined a group of freedom fighters in an occupation of DeSantis’ office. I and 13

history. Later that day, we were arrested and thrown into jail.

This movement is made of everyday people like you and me. People who made the conscious choice to fight back. One thing I know to be true, change only happens when we rise as one. Let

policies towards AIDS and bring lifesaving medication to thousands. I hold in my heart thoughts of Bayard Rustin organizing the March on Washington. I carry with me the countless queer and trans undocumented youth who I organized alongside. We risked our lives to deliver the most significant victory in the immigrant rights movement since

other leaders locked arms, sang freedom songs, chanted and demanded answers. At one point, I led a chant “We’re here! We’re queer! We will not disappear!” Soon after, the entire group joined. Most of the group didn’t identify as queer or trans but they joined in solidarity. At that moment, I knew I wasn’t alone and our resistance WILL change

this Pride Month, summer of resistance and fall of resilience be remembered as a wave that will carry us into a better tomorrow. We are the David that will defeat this Goliath.

!Si Se Puede!

LET’S BE HONEST, 2023 was brutal and our very existence as LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people of color, youth and those in need of access to reproductive health is on the line.

Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet is the executive director of the Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka and the board chair of the One Orlando Alliance.

mighty movement is brewing up

Visibili-T

accepting and supportive. Since coming out, I’m happier than ever before. I’m more eager to make friends and put myself out there, and I’m closer with my family. My transness was almost a complete non-factor in my home, in my friendships and in my state — until Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Board of Medicine and Florida’s Legislature made it one.

SAMIRA BURNSIDE

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 present an opinion piece written by Samira Burnside, a 16-year-old high school sophomore, an activist for LGBTQ+ rights and a student journalist for the Queer Notion. Burnside is also a volunteer for the Human Rights Campaign in Florida.

Youth activists are leading powerful movements across the nation. From climate change to gun violence, young people who are sickened by injustice and our elected leaders’ inaction are marching, speaking out and — in many cases — fighting for their lives.

I wasn’t always an activist. Despite coming from a lineage

of activists, being an activist myself was not how I expected to spend my teenage years. The political issues adults faced felt impossibly large, I didn’t know how I could even begin to tackle them. But the wave of anti-trans legislation across the U.S., and specifically Florida, has become an unignorable call. It was never a choice for me to begin fighting, it’d be like choosing to remain in a burning house instead of picking up a bucket and trying to put out the fire.

About two years ago, I came out to my father, and the rest of my family shortly after, as transgender. I’m lucky. Everyone around me is

I first felt the real impact of their discrimination in November 2022 when my health care provider called to tell me that “Ron DeSantis” had “passed a law” that would prohibit them from providing me care. “We are so sorry to be doing this to you,” they said. This was, of course, a lie. The Board of Medicine was still crafting their policy to ban trans youth from receiving gender-affirming care. Trans youth already in care would still be able to continue their care. And, it was a policy, not a law.

But health care providers began halting care nonetheless because DeSantis and extremist legislators made them fear that they could lose their medical licenses if they continued providing care to patients like me.

I had a similar experience earlier this year. The evening before the Board of Medicine’s ban on gender-affirming care policy went into effect, the doctor I saw for hormone therapy canceled my appointment without any warning. We had to scramble to find another provider that

evening because I feared that if I wasn’t already under a doctor’s care, then I wouldn’t be eligible to continue hormone therapy under the new rule. Thankfully, I was able to get an appointment with a provider

DeSantis and extremist legislators claim that they are protecting “parental rights” but they are doing the exact opposite.

that evening, just hours before the rule took effect at midnight.

I am forever grateful to the LGBTQ+ legal experts, medical professionals and activists who testified for hours against the policy. I never met them, but each testimony was like a little brick that allowed me to secure and continue my care.

What’s happening in Florida right now is scapegoating. DeSantis and extremist legislators think the trans community in Florida is small enough that we won’t defend ourselves, so they use us as political capital to appease their base. The unfortunate reality is that we live in a state with an anti-LGBTQ+ super-majority in the statehouse, under a governor who has chosen to make attacking our community the cornerstone issue in the runup to his presidential campaign.

DeSantis touts his “Freedom Florida” campaign, and yet he legislates the rights of all people away under the guise of a moral panic over transgender people. With these discriminatory attacks,

The extreme gender-affirming care ban DeSantis signed into law contradicts guidelines recommended by every major medical association including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and more because gender-affirming care saves lives. Trans and nonbinary young people in Florida deserve quality health care, just like all kids and teenagers.

Together with our loved ones, trans and nonbinary youth in Florida will continue to turn our fear into action and speak out. We’ve had to become activists but we need people of all political denominations and backgrounds to join us. History has taught us that one people’s eroded rights will tomorrow be everyone’s. We need everyone to rise up against extreme government overreach and fight for the human rights of all people — particularly the rights of parents in regards to care for their children.

We cannot back down. Together, we will fight for our lives and our right to exist freely and authentically — and we will win.

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.

DeSantis touts his ‘Freedom Florida’ campaign, and yet he legislates the rights of all people away under the guise of a moral panic over transgender people..

talking points

THERE WERE

WITH THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

BROADWAY’S TONY AWARDS MADE HISTORY JUNE 11 WHEN J. HARRISON GHEE AND ALEX NEWELL BECAME THE FIRST NONBINARY PEOPLE TO WIN TONYS FOR ACTING. Last year, composer and writer Toby Marlow of “Six” became the first nonbinary Tony winner. Ghee, who stars in the musical adaptation of the classic cross-dressing comedy film “Some Like It Hot,” won leading actor in a musical. The soulful Ghee stunned audiences with their voice and dance skills, playing a musician — on the run from gangsters — who tries on a dress and is transformed. Newell, who plays Lulu — an independent, don’t-need-no-man whiskey distiller in “Shucked” — has been blowing audiences away with their signature number, “Independently Owned.” They won for best featured actor in a musical.

QUEER EYE HOST WELCOMES SECOND CHILD

GARTH BROOKS STANDS BY DECISION TO SERVE BUD LIGHT

BIG FREEDIA SET TO RELEASE DOCUSERIES, NEW MUSIC

QUEER

EYE FASHION EXPERT TAN FRANCE AND HUSBAND ROB FRANCE HAVE BECOME A FAMILY OF FOUR AFTER WELCOMING THEIR SECOND BABY BOY INTO THE FAMILY LAST MONTH. The couple announced the big news on Instagram, stating that newborn Isaac “completes our little family perfectly. And a huge thank you to our incredible warrior of a surrogate, for giving us the greatest gift one could ever give.” The Frances welcomed their first child, Ismail, to the family in July 2021. As for the names, Tan France tells PEOPLE that he has had the names picked out for some time, saying “I always knew these two names that I loved the most.”

COUNTRY MUSIC STAR

GARTH BROOKS SAID IN AN INTERVIEW TO BILLBOARD COUNTRY LIVE THAT HIS BAR WILL SERVE EVERY BRAND OF BEER, despite recent boycotts from conservative groups against Bud Light for their endorsement of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. “Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another,” Brooks said in the interview. “If you’re an a--hole, there are plenty of other places on Lower Broadway to go.” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. took to Twitter to acknowledge Brooks’ decision, attacking the singer’s personal life as a response. Brooks’ bar & honky-tonk “Friends in Low Places” is coming soon to lower Nashville.

HIP-HOP AND GAY ICON BIG FREEDIA ANNOUNCED THE RELEASE OF HER UPCOMING ALBUM AND NOW-STREAMING DOCUSERIES AS SHE CONTINUES TO CELEBRATE PRIDE MONTH. Freedia, who does not identify as transgender, but embraces her feminine side and typically goes by female pronouns, is giving fans insight into her life through her docuseries “Big Freedia Means Business” now streaming on Fuse. The artist will also be releasing her latest album, “Central City,” which will be available to stream and purchase on June 23, according to an Instagram post from the performer. This is Freedia’s first album in nine years.

1,269 CHALLENGES TO MORE THAN 2,500 BOOKS IN THE U.S. IN 2022, UP 75% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. OF THE 13 “MOST CHALLENGED BOOKS,” SEVEN TITLES — INCLUDING THREE OF THE TOP FOUR — WERE CHALLENGED FOR HAVING LGBTQ+ CONTENT.

As a gay man who’s been with the same person for 25 years, imagine watching this episode and just feeling completely emotionally devastated. I thought it was one of the most moving things I’d seen in my entire life.

—EMMY AWARD-WINNING TELEVISION DIRECTOR PARIS BARCLAY, SPEAKING ABOUT THE GAY-FOCUSED EPISODE “LONG, LONG TIME” FROM THE HBO SERIES “THE LAST OF US” DURING A DIRECTOR’S ROUNDTABLE

TONY AWARDS TELECAST MAKES LGBTQ+ HISTORY HONORING TWO NONBINARY ACTORS

‘Slate of Hate’

Understanding Florida’s new anti-LGBTQ+ laws

Ryan Williams-Jent

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WELCOMED

over 1,000 LGBTQ+ advocates and allies to the White House June 10, the largest Pride celebration ever hosted on its grounds. Dr. Jill Biden addressed attendees first, acknowledging that “this year’s Pride is caught between the push and pull of progress.”

“Outside the gates of this house are those who want to drag our country backwards,” the First Lady noted. She was referencing more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills which were introduced across the nation this year, 78 of which became law.

That includes a record amount in Florida, where four bills were signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis May 17. They included House Bill 1069, the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” expansion; Senate Bill 254, the gender-affirming care ban; House Bill 1521, prohibiting trans Floridians from using

certain bathrooms that align with their gender identity and House Bill 1423, restricting youth participation at certain “adult live performances.”

Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, deemed the laws the governor’s “slate of hate.” The president himself echoed that sentiment from the White House lawn, citing “hateful” legislation in Florida while calling on every American to stand up against anti-LGBTQ+ measures like it.

“When families across the country face excruciating decisions to relocate to a different state to protect their child from dangerous anti-LGBTQ laws, we have to act,” the president said. “We have to act as a nation.”

Equality Florida agrees. Press Secretary Brandon Wolf says that in addition to Florida’s “slate of hate,” new laws targeting Black and Brown Floridians, gun safety regulations, immigrants, inclusive education, reproductive rights and more have made it “clear that freedom is under siege in our state.”

That’s why Watermark spoke with Wolf and local health care providers to help readers better understand the impacts of Florida’s new anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Learn more about them and how organizations in Central Florida and Tampa Bay are responding here.

Fax: (941) 417-2328

eFax: (866) 622-3009

WALK-INS WELCOME AT ALL LOCATIONS

* services vary by location

HOUSE BILL 1069

INTRODUCED AS: “Education”

ALSO KNOWN AS: “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” Expansion

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: “Defines ‘sex’ for Florida Early Learning-20 Education Code; provides requirements relating to titles & pronouns; revises provisions relating to instruction & materials for specified instruction relating to reproductive health; provides additional requirements for instruction regarding human sexuality; provides district school boards are responsible for materials used in classroom libraries; revises provisions relating to objections of certain materials & process related to such objections; revises school principal, school district & district school board duties & responsibilities relating to certain materials & processes.”

WHAT IT DOES: This law expands 2022’s “Parental Rights in Education,” which limited the classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity through 3rd grade, to the 8th grade. Wolf says it “has already caused sweeping damage across our state,” resulting in book bans, LGBTQ+ censorship and more. HB 1069 “also strips parents of the right to ensure their child’s pronouns are respected in the classroom,” Wolf adds. Its passage followed the Florida Board of Education’s expansion of “Parental Rights in Education” to 12th grade; he notes both “will do incredible damage to classrooms and students, but the BOE’s policy threatens hardworking educators themselves.”

WHAT IT DOESN’T DO: Wolf notes the bill “does not mandate that schools misgender children — it simply allows schools to rely on sex assigned at birth to determine how a child will be addressed.” Students may also continue to form LGBTQ+ clubs like Gender-Sexuality Alliances and converse with LGBTQ+-affirming staff. “Schools must continue to provide safe, supportive environments for all students,” he says.

SENATE BILL 254

INTRODUCED AS: “Treatments for Sex Reassignment”

ALSO KNOWN AS: “Gender-Affirming Care Ban”

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 17

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: “Granting courts of this state temporary emergency jurisdiction over a child present in this state if the child has been subjected to or is threatened with being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures; providing that, for purposes of warrants to take physical custody of a child in certain child custody enforcement proceedings, serious physical harm to the child includes, but is not limited to, being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures; prohibiting certain public entities from expending state funds for the provision of sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures; prohibiting sex-reassignment prescriptions

and procedures for patients younger than 18 years of age; requiring the department to immediately suspend the license of a health care practitioner who is arrested for committing or attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit specified violations related to sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures for a patient younger than 18 years of age, etc.”

WHAT IT DOES: SB 254 bans government entities from offering gender-affirming health care insurance, restricts a patient’s ability to access TeleHealth for care and denies their ability to receive it from nurse practitioners. It also allows courts to exercise jurisdiction in some situations to modify existing custody agreements when a parent may seek access to care for their minor in another state.

Wolf says it “is an insidious violation of the medical freedom of transgender Floridians” that has impacted transgender adults in addition to children. It is estimated that over 80% of trans adults in Florida have utilized nurse practitioners for their care, resulting in “a catastrophic disruption to care that should be raising national alarms.”

WHAT IT DOESN’T DO: The law does not allow Florida to remove trans youth from affirming homes to place them in care of the state. It specifically deals with child custody disputes related to the dissolution of a marriage and “does not give the DeSantis administration unilateral power to come and take people’s transgender children,” Wolf says.

HOUSE BILL 1521

INTRODUCED AS: “Facility Requirements Based on Sex” ALSO KNOWN AS: “Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill”

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: “Provides requirements for exclusive use of restrooms & changing facilities by gender; prohibits willfully entering restroom or changing facility designated for opposite sex & refusing to depart when asked to do so; provides requirements for exclusive use of domestic violence centers by gender; provides requirements for correctional institutions; requires entities that receive state licenses to submit compliance documentation; authorizes AG to bring enforcement actions provides exception for individuals born with certain genetically or biochemically verifiable disorder of sex development.”

WHAT IT DOES: The law bans trans Floridians from using shared restrooms that align with their gender identity in publicly owned or leased buildings like airports, convention centers, government facilities, some stadiums, schools and universities. “It also empowers extremists to harass others in bathrooms, giving them license to demand that someone be removed from a bathroom if they suspect they don’t belong,” Wolf says. “Already, we’ve seen viral videos of women — both cisgender and transgender — being confronted in restrooms or asked to leave. This law will escalate those instances of harassment and criminalize people who are simply using the restroom.”

WHAT IT DOESN’T DO: HB 1521 does not apply to restrooms in private businesses like bars, gyms or restaurants.

HOUSE BILL 1423

INTRODUCED AS: “Protection of Children”

ALSO KNOWN AS: “Anti-Drag Bill”

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 17

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: “Prohibits governmental entity from issuing permit or otherwise authorizing person to conduct performance in violation of certain provisions; authorizes Division of Hotels & Restaurants of DBPR to fine, suspend, or revoke license of any public lodging establishment or public food service establishment if establishment admits child to adult live performance; provides violation constitutes immediate serious danger to public health, safety, or welfare; authorizes division to impose specified fines for violations; specifies division may revoke or suspend license of person found to be maintaining licensed premises that admits child to adult live performance; prohibits person from knowingly admitting child to adult live performance.”

WHAT IT DOES: HB 1423 threatens fines and license revocation against LGBTQ+-friendly businesses, as well as possible jail time for individuals who admit minors into certain “adult live performances.” DeSantis has confirmed it is intended to target performances like drag shows. “Already, we’ve seen local governments in Florida pulling Pride festival permits and businesses canceling drag performances as a result of the law and the DeSantis regime’s authoritarian investigations of small businesses,” Wolf notes.

WHAT IT DOESN’T DO: Ban drag or Pride celebrations. “The governor’s goal is for our community to censor our expression in accordance with the most extreme reading of the law,” Wolf says. “We cannot give him that pleasure. We must stand in support of drag performers and the small businesses that host them. The show must go on. Pride must continue. We must raise our flags higher than ever. That is what it looks like to resist the right-wing agenda.”

OTHER ANTI-LGBTQ+ LAWS

Equality Florida is continuing to monitor Florida’s “slate of hate” as well as other laws impacting LGBTQ+ Floridians. Wolf points toward the state’s six-week abortion ban and other laws targeting health care and education.

“This legislative session was the most anti-LGBTQ in Florida’s history, with a stunning raft of anti-freedom policies racing over the finish line,” he says. “The ‘License to Discriminate in Healthcare’ law gives medical providers and insurers broad license to refuse services that they have a ‘moral’ or ‘conscience-based’ objection to while the ‘MAGA Higher Education Takeover’ law defunds diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at Florida’s colleges and universities and bans certain majors.” The organization invites LGBTQ+ and ally Floridians to join them on the frontlines to fight back against these and other measures.

“Be relentless and tireless in speaking out,” Wolf says. “And be more visible than ever.”

For more information about Equality Florida and its fight for LGBTQ+ Floridians, visit EQFL.org. Read more about how Senate Bill 254 is impacting Central Florida and Tampa Bay on p. 29.

The impact of Florida’s anti-trans health care laws on Central Florida and Tampa Bay

Emily Paul, Luis Xavier De Peña and Vanessa Whittle

WHEN GOV. RON DESANTIS SIGNED SENATE

Bill 254 into law May 17, many members of the transgender community were left unsure about where or how they would be able to access care.

LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations and activists throughout the state are working to change that, including Equality Florida.

“We want you to know that we have your back,” says Press Secretary Brandon Wolf. “We’re partnering with the Campaign For Southern Equality to provide grant funding for those who need to leave the state to access healthcare. We have legal partners we can connect you to if you experience discrimination in our state.”

Contigo Fund also jumped into action, establishing the Central Florida Emergency Trans Care Fund. This fund is set up to assist transgender individuals and their families seeking gender-affirming care outside of the state.

Watermark reached out to some of the local health care providers who have been offering gender-affirming care to ask what they will continue to provide and what the new law prevents them from doing. Visit each organization’s website for more information and the latest details.

26Health

801 N. Magnolia #402, Orlando 321-800-2922 | 26Health.org

26Health is no longer offering hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, services to patients under the new law. They also have suspended writing letters of recommendation for changing a person’s gender markers on legal documents and surgical clearance letters. They will continue to provide mental health services and primary care options.

“For those particular services, those other services will not change. We follow the American and Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Medical Associations practices when it comes to specialty services, primary care/mental health, so those services don’t change. Specific services that we have unfortunately had to sunset, were again hormone replacement, gender marker letters and things of that nature. Our other primary care, mental health services, depression — those services have not changed,” 26Health President and CEO Syvonne Carter says.

Bliss Health

2901 Curry Ford Rd Suite 106, Orlando 407-203-5984 | BlissHealth.com

Bliss Health has also suspended offering HRT care to patients. The clinic noted in its official statement on its website that patients may experience delays in follow-up appointments as they must be rescheduled with a medical doctor, not a mid-level health care provider like a nurse practitioner. They will also be unable to accept state funds to cover prescription drugs or procedures relating to gender-affirming care, including the 340B program at Bliss Cares.

Crew Health

8601 Commodity Cir, Orlando 407-605-2252 | CrewHealth.org

Crew Health is still able to provide HRT as they were able to hire a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

“The second we heard that this was going to happen, or was a possibility, we got a DO that is in the office as often as possible to make sure this can happen,” says Brittani Acuff, COO of Crew Health.

They also continue to provide services such as PrEP, primary care and HIV care; however, they are unable to provide mental health services at this time. They are also still accepting new patients.

Hope & Help

4122 Metric Drive Suite 800, Winter Park 407-645-2577 | HopeAndHelp.org

Hope & Help is continuing to offer HRT care to their patients. They also provide mental health counseling and support groups. Hope and Help did not responded to Watermark’s requests for comment as of press time.

Pineapple Healthcare

1724 33rd St Suite 100, Orlando 407-553-6336 | PineappleHealthcare.com

Pineapple Healthcare is also suspending all HRT services and is not accepting any new HRT patients. They will continue to provide mental health services and letters needed to change legal documents.

“We specialize in primary care, prep and HIV care. We say, ‘We’ll still take care of all that for you,’” Ethan Suarez, president of Pineapple Healthcare, says. “We unfortunately, because of the law, can’t do your hormone therapy, your gender affirming hormones.”

Spektrum Health

5205 S Orange Ave Suite #110, Orlando 1920 S. Babcock St., Melbourne 407-454-1363 | Spektrum.health

SPEKTRUM Health is no longer offering HRT care in their office but is continuing to provide mental health counseling and letters needed for legal document changes.

“We’re not able to do hormones right now just because our providers are nurse practitioners. They’re not physicians or doctors, MD, DOs specifically,” says Lana Dunn, Chief Operating Officer for Spektrum. “So we aren’t able to do that at the moment, however we did make sure that none of our patients will go without medicine while we await the next step.”

“And we have a plan A ,B, C, D, E to ensure that our patients stay in care and engaged with their health care, of course,” Dunn continues. “But all the care we provide here is affirming on just about every level that it can be outside hormone treatment specifically.”

CAN Community Health

Multiple locations, Tampa Bay 941-300-4440 | CANCommunityHealth.org

CAN Community Health’s Tampa location previously offered HRT to patients but has confirmed the organization does not have a medical provider that is certified to provide the service at this time.

Diversity Health Center

4302 N Habana Ave # 200, Tampa 813-518-0881 | DiversityHealthCenter.com

Diversity Health Center of Tampa Bay lists trans services on its website stating it offers HRT services, consultations on medications and implications prior to starting HRT, preoperative care needed for conformational surgery and letters needed for making changes on legal documents.

“We are currently accepting new patients but, given the inundation of new patients calling, it may take a while before they can be seen,” Dr. David W. Lyter says.

He adds that patients will be required to have an informed consent form signed and his office may be suspending telehealth appointments. They also cannot accept Medicaid insurance as it is state-funded.

Metro Inclusive Health

Multiple locations, Tampa Bay 813-232-3808 | MetroTampaBay.org

Metro Inclusive Health provides many gender-affirming services, including HRT, trans care navigation and consultations, letters of recommendation, counseling services and support groups. Due to the new law, Metro is unable to accept new HRT patients at this time.

Brian Bailey, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Metro, tells Watermark that there will be “no changes for current patients pending clarification and guidance from the boards.”

Ryan Williams-Jent

IDINA MENZEL IS A FORCE, an entertainer to be reckoned with on stage, in the studio and on screen. She made her Broadway debut in 1996 as Maureen Johnson in “RENT,” later reprising the LGBTQ+ role on film, and hasn’t slowed down since.

The performer has originated some of pop culture’s most iconic roles throughout her career. They include Elphaba in “Wicked,” for which she won the Tony for Best Actress, and Elsa in Disney’s “Frozen” franchise. For her contributions to the Walt Disney Company, which include singing the Oscar-winning phenomenon “Let It Go,” she was named a Disney Legend in 2022.

That same year she starred in “Disenchanted” on Disney+, revisiting her role from 2007’s “Enchanted,” all while continuing to work on her own music.

Menzel is an accomplished recording artist in her own right, having released six studio albums. Her next is a dance project called “Drama Queen,” scheduled for release in August. The first two singles were intentionally released by early June.

“I’m so thrilled that the first single, ‘Move’ is coming in time for Pride Month,” Menzel announced in May. “It’s a celebration of love in all its forms. The LGBTQIA+ community has always been so inspiring to me — watching friends and fans live so courageously, so authentically.”

That’s been particularly evident during Menzel’s Pride tour this year, which included a headlining performance at California’s WeHo Pride June 2 and extends overseas to Pride in London July 1. Before then she performs at St Pete Pride for the celebration’s Friday Night Concert on June 23 at Jannus Live, where she’ll be joined by local drag entertainers.

Watermark spoke to Menzel ahead of the show, discussing her iconic career, commitment to equality and more.

CONTINUED ON PG.

PHOTO BY METTIE OSTROWSKI

Idina Menzel on her iconic roles, new music and LGBTQ+ fans

WATERMARK: WHAT COMES MORE NATURALLY FOR YOU, PERFORMING ON STAGE OR SCREEN?

Idina Menzel: Performing on stage is probably more natural for me. I’m not sure why, but it just is.

DO YOU THINK IT’S HAVING A LIVE ELEMENT?

Yes, it’s the live element. I’ve thought about this a lot but it’s hard to put it into words, because there is a live element to being on a set as well, since there are a lot of people around who are waiting for you to get it right; the time and money is running, so there is a sense of pressure in that. I just think that anytime you have to make yourself vulnerable as an artist, it’s scary and exhilarating. It’s also what endears you or humanizes you to your audience.

TOUCHING ON [LATE “RENT” CREATOR] JONATHAN LARSON’S LEGACY, WHY DO YOU THINK HIS WORK CONTINUES TO RESONATE WITH AUDIENCES?

I think he wrote from his heart; he wrote from his own experience. I think that the things he wrote about are still important today. They’re about community and loving who you want to love; they’re about artistic integrity and embracing the moment, living for the day. All of that — along with the loss of Jonathan Larson, which was sort of life imitating art — is so profound that it has had exponential effects through the years.

YOU’VE REVISITED SOME OF YOUR ROLES IN RECENT YEARS, LIKE IN “DISENCHANTED” AND “FROZEN

2.” WHAT’S IT LIKE RETURNING TO A FAMILIAR CHARACTER WITH NEW CONTENT?

It’s really fun as a performer. Actually, particularly with “RENT” and getting to do the movie version 10 years later, that juxtaposition was pretty exciting for me because “RENT” was my first big job on stage and I was so young. So with that I brought this exuberance and freedom to everything that I was doing.

Then, 10 years later I was able to bring more life experience, more process and understanding of how I like to get inside of my characters and develop them. You also don’t want to change what was inherently special about what you already did — trying

to repeat something always takes something away from that, I think — so that was an important exercise for me as a performer in how to balance both of those things.

“FROZEN 3” WAS ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS YEAR. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT THE NEXT INSTALLMENT?

I don’t know much at all, I just know that they want to do it. (Laughs.) I haven’t seen any script, so actually it’s hard for me to speak to.

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN RETURNING TO PLAY ANY OF YOUR STAGE ROLES?

I don’t think so. I think what’s really wonderful, and what’s been so rewarding about the roles I’ve played, is that they played an important role in my life at that time. They maybe taught me a lesson or something I needed to learn, experience or go through at that time in my life.

Revisiting that isn’t necessarily something I feel the need to do.

Do I love all those characters so much, and do I miss them sometimes, and more importantly the cast and the group that I created them with? Of course. That’s often more of what I miss, the developmental process with my friends and the creative team and the magic of putting on a new show. That’s the part that I like to keep coming back to.

OF YOUR FAMOUS CHARACTERS, WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST DRAMA QUEEN?

Probably Maureen! Or for those that really know my resume, probably Kate from “The Wild Party.”

WHY IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME FOR YOU TO RELEASE “DRAMA QUEEN?”

I want people to feel like they can move, dance and get out of their seats when they hear my music. I wanted to make sure that I still was able to use my voice — sing big melodies, not have to dial it down — and I feel like Dance/Disco music is a really

WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE CONNECTING WITH FANS AT PRIDE EVENTS?

I really am excited about the opportunity to express my gratitude to my friends in the LGBTQ+ community. They have inspired me and taught me through their courage how to aspire to live my life authentically. I want to be an ally and if they will have me, I want to perhaps alleviate some of the responsibility that’s put on the community — especially the youth — of having to fight every day to be seen for who they are. I feel like there’s plenty of fight, so we as allies can get out there on the front lines and try to use our voices to confront all of the cruelty, hypocrisy and ignorance that we are all experiencing today. This is my opportunity to express that gratitude — but to also celebrate, because what I love so much and what moves me the most is the community’s ability to remain optimistic and joyful through all of this strife. I want to share that and revel in that with everyone.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR LGBTQ+ FANS, ESPECIALLY IN FLORIDA?

great bed for that kind of singing. I was inspired by some of my favorites like Donna Summer or even Barbara Streisand, who had a Disco phase, and Gloria Gaynor. These huge voices. Cher even came back to Dance music.

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE THE ALBUM?

It’s fun, it’s exciting, it goes through great chord progressions, the music has modulations and big string arrangements with great grooves. They still tell a big story and even though it might seem unexpected, I feel like it’s a natural transition for me.

And the fact that it’s coming out coinciding with Pride feels really serendipitous for me, because I feel like a lot of the themes in “Drama Queen” are things I needed and wanted to write about; having to embrace my own power and not sort of diminish my self worth to make other people feel better about themselves. I think that a lot of that perhaps resonates with my friends in the queer community.

My message is to know that they’re not alone. To know that we are all furious with the legislation being passed, with the attacks on our friends in drag, our trans youth, about the ignorance surrounding education and representation in schools and teachers and storytelling. That no matter what, even if they feel like they don’t have a home, that they do have a home with all of us. We are here for them and we’ll keep fighting.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO SHARE ABOUT COMING TO ST PETE PRIDE?

I’m just really excited to get there, share my music and have a great time connecting with the audience and seeing my friends. I feel that this community has always supported me and embraced my creativity and my choices as a performer and as an artist — I don’t feel like I would be the same person or have the same career without them.

Idina Menzel headlines St Pete Pride’s Friday Night Concert June 23 from 7-10 p.m. at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg. Read about this year’s month-long celebration at WatermarkOnline.com. “Drama Queen” releases Aug. 18 and is available for pre-order at IdinaMenzel.com.

DISCO DIVA: Idina Menzel’s “Drama Queen” will release this August. PHOTO COURTESY SUNSHINE SACHS MORGAN & LYLIS

Drawn Together

Cirque du Soleil performers David Rimmer and Saulo Sarmiento Godoy navigate relationships and acrobatics

working together and maintaining a relationship.

As a couple having to balance their work life with their romantic life, Sarmiento and Rimmer are big believers of “leaving work at work.” The men say that they make a point to not discuss work at home — they debrief on the way home if necessary, then move on to focus on their lives outside of the production.

Sarmiento’s act in “Drawn to Life” features a flying aerial pole created to look like a pencil, which, through Sarmiento’s seemingly effortless movements, brings animations to life.

This aerial technique, featuring a diagonal and flying pole, was created by Sarmiento and built upon by “Drawn to Life” to create an immersive experience that audiences would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

Rimmer can also be found flying through the air in his teeterboard act — a seesaw-resembling apparatus that allows performers to soar off of a board, executing grand tricks and flips as they do so.

Vanessa Whittle

(ABOVE)

WORKING COUPLE:

David Rimmer (L) and Saulo Sarmiento Godoy reconnected when they began working on “Drawn to Life.”

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AND DISNEY

animation, two beloved art forms, began working on a new show in 2017 to bring an emotional and powerful story celebrating Disney’s history in animation to Orlando audiences with “Drawn to Life.”

“Drawn to Life,” which replaced Cirque’s long-running “La Nouba” show at Disney Springs, first premiered in November 2021 after several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The production tells the story of Julie, a 12-year-old girl who is forced to navigate life after losing her father, a Disney animator, with whom she shared an intense love for all things animation.

The show features gravity-defying acrobatics, captivating choreography, new musical arrangements, whimsical characters, unique set

design and playful costuming. It also features cast members Saulo Sarmiento Godoy, an aerial artist, and David Rimmer, a teeterboard artist, who not only have “Drawn to Life” to thank for giving them a stage to perform on but also for bringing them together. The two have been in a relationship since starting the show three years ago.

The two performers met briefly back in 2014 in Argentina during another show but reunited during the creation of “Drawn to Life” and have since been navigating

popular Disney movies woven into original music, filling audience members with a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, and allowing them to come in a just escape the real world for a bit.

Giving audiences a chance to escape their current world and slip into a new one is exactly what fuels Rimmer to perform, he adds. Especially amidst a time during which many Floridians are welcoming an escape from reality.

“I want people to come into the show and forget everything that’s happening outside and be transported into a completely surreal world,” Rimmer says. “Just for 90 minutes. For your body to destress and take you somewhere fresh, new, exciting.”

Sarmiento hopes to inspire and motivate people to find their way and to find strength through his performances.

“I see people’s faces, kid’s faces, the way they look at me when I do what I do,” Sarmiento says. “And when they leave, they leave with another type of energy.”

With June being LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the men also spoke on what Pride means to them.

“For me, Pride means standing up for equality, education and rights. Especially kids who are LGBTQ+ need education and support for their mental well-being,” Sarmiento says. “Avoiding or ignoring the topic won’t make them stop being LGBTQ+. You can’t stop being yourself.”

One aspect of this production that makes it so special, Rimmer explained, is that every cirque act is not just a cirque act — each has a tie to an aspect of animation.

Rimmer explains that when animators set out to draw faces and expressions, they sit in front of a mirror and stretch their face in different expressions to look for details and gain inspiration.

“So our main goal is to give the illusion that we’re stretching our face,” Rimmer says.

Sarmiento goes on to say that the detail-oriented nature of this show is its strongest attribute.

“They did a very good job of mixing the world of animation with the acrobatics and you can tell that every act has a thought and a relationship with this,” he says. “It is not random. Every act is connected to the storyline of the show.”

Even the music used for the show ties into what is happening on stage, Rimmer notes.

He explains that the show features a band that plays the show’s music live, which features melodies from

“To me Pride commemorates the vibrant tapestry of the LGBTQ+ community,” Rimmer says.

“I see it as a radiant celebration of love, resilience and equality. It represents a time of reflection and remembrance, honoring the pioneers who fought tirelessly for the rights and freedoms we cherish today.”

Catch Rimmer and Sarmiento’s awe-inspiring performances, among many others, in “Drawn to Life” at Disney Springs for a memorable experience for people of any age.

Reconnect with your inner child as Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering take you on a journey through the world of animation you know and love, delivered by talented acrobats and performers.

Performances are scheduled for Wednesdays through Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Tickets start at $85 and are available at CirqueDuSoleil. com/Drawn-To-Life.

PHOTO COURTESY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

announcements TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

Daniel and Dustin Johnson were invited to Washington, D.C. to celebrate Pride this year after the adoption of their six children in May. The Johnsons met with U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, toured the White House, Congress and more. Read all about their forever family at WatermarkOnline.com.

The Tampa Bay Rays held their 17th annual Pride Night June 10, hosting 18,932 Pride and sports enthusiasts at Tropicana Field. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by retired Major League Baseball umpire Dale Scott, who made history when he came out in 2014, and St Pete Pride was awarded a $10,000 grant. Read more and view a full photo gallery at WatermarkOnline.com.

GBYS Law announced June 12 that Lindsey Sheppy is now a partner at the law firm.

PFLAG Safety Harbor held their inaugural Celebrate Pride Resource Fair June 17, a first in the area. Learn more at PFLAG.org/Chapter/Safety-Harbor.

Southern Nights Tampa celebrated eight years in Ybor June 17.

CONDOLENCES

Tampa philanthropist Mel Lesperance died June 17 at 72. He will be missed.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Former Polk County School Board member Sarah Fortney, ‘Coolest Realtor in Tampa Bay’ Tabi Deas (June 22); Tampa Bay performer Ashlee T. Bankx, Tampa Keller Realty star Bill Knecht, Derby diva Mark O’Hara, Tampa Bay entertainer Russell Mania, The Mertailor Eric Ducharme (June 23); Health care professional Adam Silbert, Tampa U.b.U. Salon artist Jeremy Beauchamp, Proud parent Suzanne Cohen, Tampa Bay mainstay Jeremy Fetters, St. Petersburg realtor Todd Fixler, Diamond in the rough Lindsey Burkholder (June 24); St. Pete twirler Dan Radwanski, Tampa outdoor enthusiast Scott Buttelwerth, Nielsen manager Will Edwards, LionMaus Media co-founder Megan Hickey (June 25); Metro Inclusive Health Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Brian Bailey, Tampa Stageworks Theatre Artistic Director Anna Brennan, Hudson’s Furniture manager Aaron Horcha, Helping hand Amy Dalzell, Project Pride Vice President Jordan Letschert (June 27); Family woman Arleen Batronie (June 28); Tampa Bay photographer Morgan Le Shade, Musician Todd Wathen (June 29); Tampa Bay realtor Steve Blinder, sports fan Steve Forchielli (June 30); Mellow Mushroom Sarasota owner Karen Atwood, St Petersburg leather man Matt

Wolf, Mad Theatre of Tampa’s DJ Holt, St. Petersburg artist

Julia Wingle, Shy guy Ian Henderson (July 1); Tampa philanthropist Matt Bachman, Metro Inclusive Health CEO Lorraine Langlois, Sawmill performer Sofonda Cox, St. Pete graphic guru Michael O’Connell, PFLAG Tampa President Trevor James, Balance Tampa Bay advocate Alvin Providence (July 2); St Pete Pride Vice President Byron Anthony Green-Calisch, Tampa Pro Massage owner Cory Jeffries, Tampa Bay realtor Michael Noeltner (July 3); Career coach Tim Durling (July 4); Tampa Bay performer Kori Stevens, St. Petersburg entertainer Kristina White, a.k.a. Lady Fatalya (July 5).

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SARASOTA STAPLES: Neil McCurry (L) and Ken Shelin enjoy Project Pride’s inaugural Silver Pride June 10 at the Senior Friendship Centers. PHOTO FROM PROJECT PRIDE’S FACEBOOK

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LARGO LOVE: Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith (L) accepts the City of Largo’s Pride proclamation from Mayor Woody Brown June 6. PHOTO FROM THE CITY OF LARGO’S FACEBOOK

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FOREVER FAMILY: (L-R) Dustin and Daniel Johnson and their children meeting U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (far R) in her D.C. office June 8. PHOTO COURTESY DANIEL JOHNSON

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DREAM TEAM: (L-R) PFLAG Safety Harbor Board Members Michael Smith, Wendy Vernon, Lindsey Spero, Vyn Suazion and Mindy Cain welcome supporters to the organization’s Celebrate Pride Resource Fair June 17. PHOTO COURTESY WENDY VERNON

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JAZZY JUBILEE: (L-R) Johnny Boykins, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Brian Rothey attend the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum’s annual Jazzy Juneteenth Jubilee at The Coliseum June 18. PHOTO FROM MAYOR WELCH’S FACEBOOK

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RAYS UP: St Pete Pride board members receive a $10,000 grant from the Tampa Bay Rays during Pride Night at Tropicana Field June 10.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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MAMA BEAR: Sylvie Trevena (R) poses with son AND art show subject Jake at Chad Mize’s HOT BOX exhibit June 11.

PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

MOMMA & FRIENDS: Momma Ashley Rose (C) and Team Rose Dynasty strike a pose at Polk Pride June 17.

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PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

CONGRATULATIONS

Andrea Montanez was honored by Spektrum Health with the 2023 Community Impact Award during the health care organization’s inaugural Pride Ball June 3. Tim Collins celebrated five years as the LGBT+ Center Orlando’s OWL coordinator June 7. OWL, or the Older Wiser Learners, program is aimed at people 55 years of age or older who belong to the LGBT+ community in Central Florida. “Tim is a sweetheart, loved by his seniors and the rest of the staff. His dedication to the community is admirable and one brightest qualities,” wrote The Center Orlando on its Facebook page.

Central Florida’s Veteran’s Affairs Health Care Services celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride Month with its 13th annual cerebration at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona June 16. The event is headed by Keri K. Griffin, the Orlando VA’s LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Program Coordinator and LGBTQ+ Special Emphasis Program Manager, to honor and recognize LGBTQ+ veterans each year.

GIVEAWAYS

The one-and-only Kesha is bringing The Gag Order Tour, with special guest Jake Wesley Rogers, to Orlando’s Hard Rock Live on Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. and, to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and Watermark wants to send you and a friend to the show for free. To enter, go to WatermarkOnline.com and fill out the ballot anytime during the month of June. We will draw a winner at noon on June 30.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Central Florida Training And Development Consultant

Mark Pierpont, Seminole County Public Schools theater

educator Ayò Jeriah Demps, UCF Musical Theatre

Specialist Jim Brown (June 23); Former Parliament House bar manager Dana Tetreault, Arkham Assailant Amanda Hippensteel (June 24); Orlando Fringe Patron winner

Nanci “Mama B” Boetto, The Ribbon Project founder and Embellish FX proprietor Ben Johansen (June 25); Mother to the publisher Ginger Bentz, “God is a Scottish Drag Queen” performer Mike Delamont, former Watermark intern Sophia Mackrides, roller derby team captain Amber Luu (June 26); Orlando realtor Chad Gibson, Central Florida artist John Jacopelle (June 27); O-Town

DJ and aspiring MD Chris “Cub” Mendez, Central Florida visual designer Adam McCabe (June 29); Photographer

Dixie Lee Todd, Central Florida performer Serenity Rosé (July 1); “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Coco Montrese, Tim Vargas of Embellish FX, Former Putnam County

Courier Journal editor B.J. Laurie, actor extraordinaire

Tommy Wooten, Central Florida drag entertainer

Lisa Lane, Assistant General Manager at JJ’s Fusion

Grille Sandra Nasrallah, Equality Florida’s Salvatore Vieira (July 2); Central Florida performer and entertainer

P. Sparkle Rob Ward (July 4); Orlando drag performer

Ed Dobski aka Trixie Deluxe, co-owner of Shelbie Press

Debbie Simmons, owner of Pom Pom’s Teahouse Pom Moongauklang (July 5).

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for the traditional photo under the flagpole during the town’s annual Pride event in downtown Sebring June 11.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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PROUD OF VETS: COWP executive director Tatiana Quiroga (L) and Orlando VA’s LGBTQ+ coordinator Keri Griffin are all rainbows and smiles during the Orlando VA’s Pride celebration at the Orlando VA Medical Center June 16.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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RINGING THE BELLS: Rev. Dr. Vance Rains, lead pastor at First United Methodist Church of Orlando, speaks with Watermark outside of the church following the 49 Bells remembrance June 12.

PHOTO BY LUIS XAVIER DE PEÑA

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PRAYERS FOR PULSE: City Commissioner Patty Sheehan speaks about the Pulse Pray Ribbons outside of Orlando City Hall June 9 as Mayor Buddy Dyer looks on.

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SOCCER PRIDE: Fans cheer on the Orlando City SC as they take on the Colorado Rapids at Exploria Stadium during the team’s Pride Match June 10.

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WONDERLAND COMEDY: (L-R) Lee Cohen, Sydnee Washington and Fay Albernas make us laugh at Girls in Wonderland’s Out For Laughs comedy show at the Wyndham Orlando Resort June 3. PHOTO FROM FAY ALBERNAS’ FACEBOOK

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PRIDE MIXER: (L-R) Sam Callahan, Brianna Rockmore and Diane Cox attend Watermark’s Third Thursday networking mixer at the LGBT+ Center Orlando June 15.

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MEETING POTUS: Hope CommUNITY Center’s Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet visits The White House in Washington, D.C. June 15 to meet with President Joe Biden. PHOTO FROM FELIPE SOUSA-LAZABALLET’S FACEBOOK

PHOTO AT THE FLAGPOLE: Attendees of Sebring Pride gather

PHOTO BY LUIS XAVIER DE PEÑA

PHOTO BY LUIS XAVIER DE PEÑA

PHOTO BY LUIS XAVIER DE PEÑA

community calendar

CENTRAL FLORIDA Pineapple Healthcare Luau Party

TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 7-10 P.M. 1010 WEST, ORLANDO

Celebrate International Pineapple Day with Pineapple Healthcare’s Luau Party at 101 West. This event is 18 and up and will feature complimentary hor d’ourves, a cash bar, giveaways, music by DJ Bear and live performances from some of Orlando’s best drag queens. Entry is free to this event and complementary valet will be available. For more information, visit PineappleHealthcare.com.

Drag Brunch: The ‘80s vs Today

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 11 A.M.-3 P.M. ISLAND TIME, ORLANDO

Head to Island Time every Sunday in July for its Decades vs. Today Drag Brunch. It kicks off July 2 with Darcel Stevens, April Fresh and Angelique Young-Cavalier as they take on music of the 1980s vs the music of today. Make reservations at IslandTimeOrlando.com/Drag-Brunch.

TAMPA BAY St Pete Pride 2023

THROUGH FRIDAY, JUNE 30

MULTIPLE VENUES, ST. PETERSBURG

St Pete Pride’s signature events continue through the end of June. The Friday Night concert with Idina Menzel will be June 23 at Jannus Live; the St Pete Pride Parade, TransMarch and Festival follows June 24 in Downtown St. Pete and the Pride in Grand Central Street Fair is June 25. Transtastic will then be held June 28 at the Museum of Fine Arts and QueerE-Oke with Carson Kressley closes out the month at The Palladium June 30.

Clearwater Celebrates Pride

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 8 A.M.-MIDNIGHT

COACHMAN PARK AND PRO SHOP PUB, CLEARWATER

Clearwater closes out its first official Pride month celebration June 29 during the grand opening of Coachman Park. “Clearwater Celebrates Diversity & Culture” will promote inclusivity and understanding between all communities and feature a multicultural market, music and more with events from 8 a.m.8:30 p.m. “Night Cap” follows at Pro Shop Pub from 10 p.m.-midnight with music, dancing and fun. Learn more at MyClearwater.com.

EVENT PLANNER

SUMMER HORNS

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Dogs! A Science Tail, Through July 15, Orlando Science Center, Orlando. 407-514-2000; OSC.org

“A Streetcar Named Desire,” June 22-25, Timucua Arts Foundation, Orlando. 321-234-3985; Timucua.com

Florida Festival of New Musicals, June 22-25, Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park. 407-645-0145; WinterParkPlayhouse.org

Orlando Brunchfest, June 24, Festival Park, Orlando. OrlandoBrunchFest.com

Orlando Oddities and Curiosities Market, June 24, Central Florida Fairgrounds, Orlando. 407-951-8883; PrometheusEsoterica.com

Mega Market in Mills50, June 24, Mills50 District, Orlando. 407-458-4323; HouseOnLang.com

4th Annual Camp Ivanhoe: Summer Camp for Adults, June 26-July 2, Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company, Orlando. 407-270-6749; IvanhoeParkBrewing.com

“Beetlejuice,” June 27July 2, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

VarieTEASE “On The Move,” June 30, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando. 407-896-7365; OrlandoRep.com

Naomi Smalls, June 30, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando

The Struts, July 2, The Beacham, Orlando. 407-246-1419; TheBeacham.com

Dave Koz and Friends, July 2, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

SIDEPIECE, July 2, The Vanguard, Orlando. TheVanguard.live

Pride 2023 Celebration, June 23-25, Enigma, St. Petersburg. 727-235-0867; EnigmaStPete.com

Dine ‘N Drag, June 23, 30; July 2, Zoie’s, St. Petersburg. 727-855-6990; ZoiesFL.com

Pride After Party, June 24, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com

Official St Pete Pride After Party, June 24, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailStPete.com

Come OUT St. Pete T-Dance Fundraiser, June 25, The Garage, St. Petersburg. 727-235-9086; Facebook.com/ OFCLGaragePage

Cock’d N Loaded, June 25, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailStPete.com

Fireworks at the Fountain, July 4, Lake Eola Park, Orlando. 407-246-2121; Orlando.gov

TAMPA BAY

“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World Tour,” June 23, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com

LGBTQ+ Coffee Connection, June 23, Gulfport Senior Center, Gulfport. 727-328-3260; MyEPIC.org

All Male Review, June 23, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailStPete.com

Liftoff to Pride, June 23, The Floridian Social, St. Petersburg. 727-322-4600; TheFloridianSocial.com

Cannonball Cabaret: Not Gonna Hide our Pride, June 23, Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg. 727-767-9666; Facebook.com/ CannonballCabaret

Brunch on Grand Central, June 25; July 2, Zoie’s, St. Petersburg. 727-855-6990; ZoiesFL.com

S.I.N. Pool Party, June 26-27, Casa del Merman, St. Petersburg. 727-310-4130; GayStPeteHouse.com

Virtual LGBTQ History Museum Tour, June 29, EPIC, St. Petersburg. 727-328-3260; MyEPIC.org

Dave Koz and Friends, July 1, The Sound at Coachman Park, Clearwater. 727-562-4800; RuthEckerdHall.com/The-Sound

The Breakdown: Pink Puss Kiki Ball, July 1, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsTampa

SARASOTA

“Shear Madness,” Through July 2, Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota. 941-366-9000; FloridaStudioTheatre.org

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

Dave Koz returns to Florida for the Summer Horns Tour with stops at at The Sound at Coachman Park in Clearwater July 1 and at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando July 2.

PHOTO BY IRVAN RISNANDAR

Men, June is your Month.

Men, it’s good to know more about your health. With June being Men’s Health Month, it’s the perfect time. We make it easy for you with convenient hours, virtual visits and same/next day appointments. Schedule that annual check-up with one of our physicians today and get some answers about your health. Learn more at OrlandoHealth.com/MensHealth