Watermark Issue 30.22: More Work To Do

Your LGBTQ+ News Source.

Oct. 26 - Nov. 8, 2023 • Issue 30.22

Orlando to purchase Pulse property William Shatner talks LGBTQ+ fans and tour

Orlando’s longest serving commissioner Patty Sheehan running for re-election

SPECIAL

!

E D I S IN ’S MARK WATER DDING E 2023 W DE GUI

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • CLEARWATER • SARASOTA

Your LGBTQ+ News Source.

Oct. 26 - Nov. 8, 2023 • Issue 30.22

William Shatner talks LGBTQ+ fans and tour Orlando to purchase Pulse property

Shelling OUT Florida Kava bars brew up LGBTQ+ safe spaces

SPECIAL

!

E D I S N I ’S MARK WATER DDING E 2023 W DE GUI

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A senior and respected member of the Orlando City Council, who is dedicated to the residents of the City of Orlando. Her goal is to do the best job possible for the tax paying citizens of this community.

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watermark Your LGBTQ+ News Source. OCTOBER 26 - NOV EMB ER 8 , 202 3 // ISSUE 3 0. 2 2 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

DEPARTMENTS 7 // EDITOR’S DESK

PAGE

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8 // CENTRAL FL NEWS 10 // TAMPA BAY NEWS

As a bisexual man, when I was younger the only place to meet other gay men was liquor bars and then I quit drinking … I always wanted to show people there was an alternative.

–DHARMA KAVA LOUNGE OWNER DREW APTED

12 // STATE NEWS 15 // NATION & WORLD NEWS 21 // VISIBILI-T 23 // TALKING POINTS 39 // TAMPA BAY OUT + ABOUT 41 // CENTRAL FL OUT + ABOUT 42 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 43 // CENTRAL FL MARKETPLACE 46 // EVENT PLANNER ON THE COVER

PAGES

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PAGE COOKING WITH SASS:

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MORE WORK TO DO: Orlando’s

longest serving commissioner running for re-election.

Ginger Minj dives into memories and recipes in new book.

WATERMARK ISSUE 30.22 // OCT. 26 - NOV. 8, 2023

PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

SHELLING OUT: Florida kava bars brew up LGBTQ+ safe spaces. PHOTO

CITY OWNED

ST. PETE SPOOKTACULAR THE FLORIDA FRONTIER QUEENDOM COME

PAGE City of Orlando buys the Pulse property for $2 million.

PAGE LGBTQ+-inclusive Halloween on Central returns to St. Pete.

BY DYLAN TODD

SCAN QR CODE FOR

WATERMARKONLINE.COM

Read It Online!

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

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William Shatner on his live tour, LGBTQ+ fans and more.

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Eureka O’Hara says “We’re Here” at Halloween on Central.

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EDITOR’S

Jeremy Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

I

DESK

T IS A SCARY TIME IN THE WORLD right now, and not just because it is Halloween.

At the time of writing this, we do not have a Speaker of the House, and I doubt at the time of publication that we'll have one either, there are two major wars going on in the world and it feels like there is nothing but hate around every corner, both physical and digital.

But instead of using my space here to vent my feelings, thoughts and opinions on everything happening — because frankly when it comes to most of the terrible things happening in the world, many have already made their minds up and picked their sides regardless of facts, so there is no reason for me to add on to that — I thought I would use my desk this time to talk about some things that are bringing joy to my life and some amazing things I have seen others doing recently

that make me feel good about the world, and more speci�ically, our Central Florida community.

First thing that I am loving right now is my new Lego room.

I recently moved into a new house — recently as in �ive months ago but I hate unpacking boxes so that took some time — and have our spare room all set up and �illed with my little brick obsession.

The room is technically the home of�ice but there is more Lego building happening in the room than of�ice stuff, but I’m �ine with that. Now that it is set up I can start buying more sets to �ill in what empty space I have.

And I’m glad I got everything organized by this past weekend because it left me extra time to play the new “Spider-Man 2” game, released Oct. 20 on the PS5. It’s the third game in the

series, after “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” and while I have not completed the game as of yet, what I have played so far has left me as elated as I was playing the other two.

I didn’t get as much game play in as I wanted to last weekend but it was for a very good reason, as this past weekend was Come Out With Pride in downtown Orlando.

Working in the community as the editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ+ newspaper can leave you tunnel focused on the current two-week cycle you’re working in, but Pride lets me step out from behind my computer and be among some of the most open, accepting and loving people Central Florida has to offer. I got the chance to catch up with people who I haven’t seen in a while but also to hear from so many people in the community who thanked Watermark for the work they do, work that is done by a small but mighty group of people that I am extremely proud of every day.

While attending the Pride festival, I had several folks stop by who I recently met through the University of Central Florida’s Journalism Internship Pursuit, and that’s a great way to transition into one of my favorite things now and always, UCF journalism interns. Twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, UCF’s journalism department holds an internship fair where myself and our publisher, Rick Todd, get to meet aspiring — and inspiring — journalism students ready to hit the streets in pursuit of the truth.

With every semester it feels like UCF’s journalism students just get better and better. I met some of the brightest and most passionate kids this past week who are looking to make a difference in this world, and even knowing what the environment can be like these days for journalists, they see the power that media has in

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

helping people and exposing the wrongs in society. I can’t wait to start working with the new batch of interns this spring and for our readers to see how amazing they really are.

Speaking of those who help people in our community and who have been doing amazing work, Orlando has elections coming up Nov. 7. This is a non-presidential election year which always means low voter turnout, so that is why it’s even more important to pay attention to who is on the ballot and what is at stake.

Everyone in Florida has seen the attacks our GOP-led state legislature and our Republican governor have lobbed at

I can’t wait to start working with this new batch of interns.

marginalized groups in this state, especially the LGBTQ+ community. While these attacks have been atrocious, they could have been much worse if not for local leaders like Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Commissioner of District 4, and the current cover of this issue, Patty Sheehan, who stand up for what is right and who have protected all people in Orlando for many years, regardless of how they identify. We are living in a dangerous time in Florida right now and losing two of Orlando’s best �ighters for equality in Central Florida would be an unwise and misguided move. So make sure to get out and vote on Nov. 7, and vote for those leaders who you know have your best interests in mind and heart.

ORLANDO OFFICE Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Caitlin Sause • Ext. 104 Caitlin@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com Central FL Account Manager: Daisy Chamberlin • Ext. 101 Daisy@WatermarkOnline.com

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

1300 N. Semoran Blvd.

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

TAMPA BAY OFFICE 401 33rd Street N. St. Petersburg, FL 33713 TEL: 813-655-9890

watermark Your LGBTQ+ News Source. OCTOBER 26 - NOV EMB ER 8 , 202 3 // ISSUE 3 0. 2 2 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

CONTRIBUTORS MOMMA ASHLEY ROSE has

performed family friendly drag for over 20 years. She is a philanthropist, public speaker, activist and mentor who founded Rose Dynasty Foundation to help provide a safe space for all. Page 17

MARTIN “LEIGH SHANNON” FUGATE is

a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer best known for hosting the No. 1-rated female impersonation show in Florida. He has run for political office and has a wide, diverse fan base. Page 19 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 LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, RAYLENE HUNT, ZACHARY WELCH

AFFILIATIONS

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

Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation or gender identity of such persons or members of such organizations.

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

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

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

Watermark Publishing Group Inc.

7

EDITOR’S

Ryan Williams-Jent MANAGING EDITOR Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

I

DESK

STARTED WORKING AT AROUND 17,

not long after I got my driver’s license. My first job was as an activities assistant for a nursing home, making a whopping $6.25 an hour.

It’s an absurd amount now, but as a teenager in the early 2000s it felt amazing. I was just happy I could afford my own comic books, along with the gas money it took to drive myself to buy them. My parents were equally ecstatic.

What the job lacked in pay it made up for in other things.

The Activities Department felt like another family and we loved connecting with the folks we were there to help, another extension of that. Until joining the staff at Watermark about two decades later, it was the only rewarding job I’d ever had.

The 100-bed facility included long- and short-term residents, some of whom were there for physical rehab and others who called it home. I worked there

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

through the beginning of college, eventually cracking $8.50.

The money didn’t matter.

During those years I learned important life skills like how to give a decent manicure and perfect the art of calling Bingo; residents took nothing more seriously than that game, playing at least three times a week.

The job was also great because we were the “fun ones.” Residents took into account that we didn’t wake them up in the middle of the night to give them medicine or insist they walk down a long corridor while they were in pain.

We just played games and chatted.

That was probably what I loved the most, connecting with them individually. My job included one-on-one visits with a specified portion of residents for

designated periods of time, which sometimes meant talking about their lives or others just sitting together in silence watching TV. It was all done to document and monitor their cognitive state, but for me it was like visiting dozens of grandparents who assured you that you were their favorite. Who wouldn’t love that?

Explaining my job as a high schooler wasn’t always easy, though. A lot of my peers thought it was weird that I loved working at a nursing home, and I still field questions when I talk about how impactful the experience was.

Usually it’s whether or not it was sad, and it was at times, but I rarely lost sight of the fact that I was helping make someone’s life better, which was especially important at its end. That far outweighed whatever else I might be feeling.

Those residents helped shape my outlook on life in my most formative years, something I’m still grateful for. They instilled a very important lesson in me that I hold onto today: to respect my elders.

Listening to their stories taught me not just about their lives, but my own. It showed me that the kind of patience, resolve and wisdom that can only come with the passage of time is an asset, not a liability.

Cultures around the world consistently honor their aging populations, both for what they’ve done and what they can still do, but not ours. By and large it seems like the country’s default is to cast the elderly as incompetent or a burden.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot when it comes to President Joe Biden, who at age 80 is the nation’s oldest sitting president. Political pundits of all sorts remind Americans of that constantly, questioning every gaffe and

dismissing years of successful service because of a number.

I get it. Biden isn’t a young man, but I was proud to support him in 2020 because he’s a good one. I don’t think he’s been a perfect president, but I’ve never questioned he was serving this country with integrity. That’s why I plan to support him again in 2024.

I’d hoped a changing of the guard would happen for both major parties next year, because I don’t think anyone wants to relive 2020, and I think that would’ve been Biden’s preference as well. But

They instilled a very important lesson in me … to respect my elders.

if Republicans are intent on nominating a twice-impeached, four-times-indicted insurrectionist for their choice, mine couldn’t be clearer.

In this issue we examine something a little lighter than ageism or presidential politics, the local kava scene. We highlight LGBTQ+-owned and inclusive establishments in Tampa Bay and Central Florida, detailing how they’re cultivating community.

In Tampa Bay news, we look at Halloween on Central 3 and Come OUT St. Pete’s postponement.

In Central Florida, the City of Orlando announces it will buy the Pulse property. We also chat with "Drag Race" royalty Ginger Minj and Eureka O’Hara, along with "Star Trek" legend William Shatner.

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

ORLANDO OFFICE Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Caitlin Sause • Ext. 104 Caitlin@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com Central FL Account Manager: Daisy Chamberlin • Ext. 101 Daisy@WatermarkOnline.com

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

1300 N. Semoran Blvd.

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

TAMPA BAY OFFICE 401 33rd Street N. St. Petersburg, FL 33713 TEL: 813-655-9890

watermark Your LGBTQ+ News Source. OCTOBER 26 - NOV EMB ER 8 , 202 3 // ISSUE 3 0. 2 2 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

CONTRIBUTORS MOMMA ASHLEY ROSE has

performed family friendly drag for over 20 years. She is a philanthropist, public speaker, activist and mentor who founded Rose Dynasty Foundation to help provide a safe space for all. Page 17

MARTIN “LEIGH SHANNON” FUGATE is

a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer best known for hosting the No. 1-rated female impersonation show in Florida. He has run for political office and has a wide, diverse fan base. Page 19 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 LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, RAYLENE HUNT, ZACHARY WELCH

AFFILIATIONS

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

Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation or gender identity of such persons or members of such organizations.

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

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

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

Watermark Publishing Group Inc.

7

central florida news

CITY OF ORLANDO TO PURCHASE PULSE PROPERTY Jeremy Williams

O

RLANDO | City commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 23 to approve the purchase of the Pulse nightclub property for $2 million making way for a permanent memorial to be built at that location by the City of Orlando.

The council voted after hearing from several members of the community and from the city councilmembers themselves. Many of the speakers were emotional as they had their say, particularly Commissioner Patty Sheehan who spoke through tears about being with the grieving families in the moments after the 2016 Pulse tragedy.

“It is possible to move forward, it is possible to do good. I never, ever thought I would ever experience anything like that, and I will never get out my head the screams of those mothers as they found out their children died, when I was on the street with them.

So don’t tell me that I don’t care,” she said during the meeting.

The city will purchase the property from current owners Barbara and Rosario Poma, and their business partner Michael Panaggio, more than five months after talks between the Pomas and the onePULSE Foundation ceased and it was announced that the National Pulse Memorial would no longer be built at that site.

Mayor Buddy Dyer released a statement after news initially broke Oct. 18 that the city was looking to purchase Pulse.

“Since the City of Orlando has not been involved in the effort to build a memorial, our plan is to first acquire the land and then determine the next steps,” Dyer said. “We are committed to taking a thoughtful, collaborative approach to understand the history of the effort to create a memorial up to this point. The City of Orlando will then work with the victims’ families and survivors to ensure there is a memorial at the Pulse site that honors the lives of those taken and all of those impacted, and pays tribute to the resiliency of Orlando.”

In May, talks between the Pulse owners and the onePULSE Foundation broke down and the organization announced that plans to build a memorial at the nightclub location were no longer happening; however, at the time they announced they would still move forward with the museum portion of the plan.

“We are thankful to the City of Orlando for ensuring that the National Pulse Memorial will be located at the Pulse nightclub site, which was always the hope of families of the 49 victims and the Pulse-impacted community,” onePULSE Foundation’s executive director Deborah Bowie said in a statement after news broke on the city’s plan. “We look forward to being a part of the discussion with the City of Orlando as this moves forward.”

The sale of the property will be finalized Oct. 27.

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7TH HEAVEN: Patty Sheehan is running for her seventh term as District 4 City Commissioner.

PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

More Work To Do Orlando’s longest serving commissioner runs for re-election Jeremy Williams

O

RLANDO | Patty Sheehan has been the city commissioner for Orlando’s District 4 for more than two decades. The long-serving councilmember was the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the city and is now seeking re-election for her seventh term on Nov. 7.

“I’ve been hearing a little bit of ‘maybe we need a change,’” Sheehan says. “I have been representing this community and fighting for this community my whole life. Why in the world would you want to vote for someone that you don’t know what their track record is? We have to know someone’s background, their track record on issues and I don’t think either one of my opponents come even close to my advocacy for the community.”

Sheehan has two opponents in this election looking to unseat her — business owner Katie Koch and conservative activist Randy

Ross, the latter having challenged Sheehan for her seat in 2015.

Ross’ attention has been focused this election on criticizing the city for not doing more to procure the Pulse property so that a proper memorial could be built, something that's now in the works.

Koch, who is a first-time candidate, is an executive with IFCO Systems and says she is running to become city commissioner because there are “some real problems that are not being addressed.”

Speaking with Florida Politics, Koch says she believes in a “neighborhood-focused, citizen-run government” and plans to champion for term limits.

“There are term limits and they’re called elections,” Sheehan says. “I ask for people to rehire me every four years and they seem to be pretty happy with my track record."

Sheehan, who says she has knocked on thousands of doors in her district already this election cycle, isn’t hearing that voters are unhappy with her performance or longevity in her position.

“I feel strongly that if you do a good job, you deserve to keep your job. If you do a lousy job, you lose your job,” she says. “I've even had people say to me, I might not agree with your lifestyle but I think you do a heck of a job. Well, I don’t need for them to agree with my lifestyle, I just need for them to understand my point of view when it comes to protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination.”

One way Sheehan is protecting LGBTQ+ folks in her district is having the bathrooms at Lake Eola redesigned into single-stall restrooms.

“Because our governor is obsessed with being the potty police, we’re going to have single-stall bathrooms at Lake Eola Park,” Sheehan says.

“Because of that law we came up with a solution, and we did that because that’s what you do when you’re a smart, welcoming and decent community.”

Sheehan says her seventh term will also be focused on projects that will make the district happier and safer, including renovations to Lake Eola Park’s walkways and drainage, rebricking parts of Summerlin Ave. and continuing to improve safety around sections of Robinson St., to name a few.

“This is just the nuts and bolts of the job,” she says. “I’ve represented you for 23 years but that is knowledge and knowledge is power, and I want to be here to continue serving you.”

watermark Your LGBTQ+ News Source. OCTOBER 26 - NOV EMB ER 8 , 202 3 // ISSUE 3 0. 2 2 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

VOTE NOV. 7

“TOGETHER,

WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD A BETTER ORLANDO.” The Fight for Equality: Buddy will continue to lead the

fight for equality, because he knows that in order to attract the bright entrepreneurs of tomorrow’s economy, Orlando needs to be an inclusive city where everyone feels welcome regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. He will continue to build a safer, stronger, more inclusive city we can all be proud to call home.

Anti-Discrimination: Orlando is a leader on anti-discrimination including adding gender identity as a protected class.

Municipal Quality Index: For nine consecutive years, under

Buddy’s leadership, Orlando has achieved a maximum score of 100 on the Municipality Equality Index that measures a city’s inclusiveness for the gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) community.

www.BuddyForOrlando.com

Buddy Dyer for Orlando

#BuddyforOrlando | #OrlandoProud | www.BuddyforOrlando.com | Political advertisement paid for and approved by Buddy Dyer for Orlando Mayor, Non-partisan.

watermark Your LGBTQ+ News Source. OCTOBER 26 - NOV EMB ER 8 , 202 3 // ISSUE 3 0. 2 2 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

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tampa bay news

COME OUT ST. PETE 2023 POSTPONED Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | Come OUT St. Pete announced the indefinite postponement of their Family Day Celebration and Chili Cook Off Oct. 13, one day before the signature event’s scheduled return.

COSP’s seventh annual celebration was set to take place Oct. 14 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Seminole Park. The return was set to include a Chili Cook-Off, a competition originally popularized in the Grand Central District.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the postponement of the Come OUT ST Pete Family Day/ Chili Cook-off originally scheduled for October 14, 202[3],” COSP shared via social media. “After careful consideration, we’ve made this difficult decision based on several factors that promise to impact the success and enjoyment of our event.”

COSP cited “lower than expected participation” in the cook-off, which tasked participants to provide at least four gallons of chili to be judged by event attendees and officials. The organization advised that “we wouldn’t be able to provide the vibrant competition and diverse tasting experience that we know our community loves and deserves” with its current response.

“Additionally, with potential uncooperative weather on the horizon and limited shelter available, we prioritize the comfort and safety of our attendees, vendors and participants,” the organization added.

“Holding an event under such conditions wouldn’t reflect the high standards we set for our community gatherings.”

As of Oct. 13, Weather.com forecasted “sunshine along with some cloudy intervals” on Oct. 14. The high was 82 degrees with an 11% chance of rain.

COSP Chair Pat Fearns tells Watermark that “this decision was made after careful consideration to the impact of ALL involved in our community, with an ultimate desire for the best possible community experience now and in the future.” That and more is addressed in the organizing committee’s statement.

“Most importantly, we are committed to ensuring that the Come OUT ST Pete Family Day/Chili Cook-off is the BEST event it can possibly be,” it reads. “This means providing an environment that is not only safe and comfortable but also fun, competitive, and representative of the wonderful community spirit we share.”

A new date for the celebration has not been set, though COSP says organizers are “working diligently to reschedule and will inform everyone of the new date as soon as it is confirmed.” Vendor registration will automatically be transferred to the new date and parties with questions or concerns can contact Info@ ComeOUTStete.org.

“Thank you for your understanding, support, and flexibility,” COSP concluded. “Our community is strong, vibrant, and resilient, and we know that with a little more time, we can host an event that truly reflects the spirit of Come OUT ST Pete.”

For more information, visit ComeOUTStPete.org.

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ST. PETE SISTER: “Sarah Sanderson”

performs during Halloween on Central 2. PHOTO BY

RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

St. Pete spooktacular Halloween on Central returns Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | Halloween on Central will return for its third iteration Oct. 29 from 12-5 p.m. with events by and for the LGBTQ+ community.

Halloween on Central welcomed more than 100,000 people in 2022. It will once again transform 22 blocks of Central Ave. into a car-free space from Dr. MLK Jr. St. to 31st St., a partnership between the Grand Central District, EDGE District, the City of St. Pete, LocalShops1 and St Pete Pride.

EDGE Business District Association Executive Director Roger Curlin says it “has gone from surprise to sensational in only two years.”

The district he represents includes LGBTQ+-owned shops and venues on Central like Atlas Body + Home, and Enigma. It will include costume contests, DJs, shopping, entertainment and other highlights.

“Halloween is definitely a celebration of community and creativity and has been embraced

in the LGBTQ+ world for decades,” he says. “We want every stripe and shade of the entire rainbow to come out and celebrate with us.”

New this year is the Voodoo Village, presented by LocalShops1.

The organization advocates for locally owned businesses throughout the region. “Halloween on Central will be extra special this year with the new Voodoo Vendor Village, featuring a diverse and inclusive lineup of more than 140 local makers and small businesses,” Founder Ester Venouziou promises. That includes Alexa Schneider and Lauren Sampson’s 5801 Print House.

The couple is eager to bring their vintage-inspired gift shop to the event. They say the outing “allows the community to ... really take in our beautiful downtown and the local businesses that make St. Pete such a great place.”

The Grand Central District will also feature St Pete Pride’s FrankenPride between the 2500 and 2800 blocks. The organization will lead a costume contest and showcase community partners

with entertainment on its main stage at 26th St. Their current-reigning Royal Court will host, performing with other fan favorites. ED Nicole Berman says that “we love being part of Halloween on Central and can’t wait to celebrate with the community!”

Grand Central District Association ED Chris Arnold says this year’s event will be the best yet. He notes that the SunRunner will be free and that the Tampa Bay Rays are providing free parking, adding that LGBTQ+ venues like Cocktail will once again “be pulling out all the stops.”

The venue’s Cock-o-Ween will feature free entertainment in and outside of Cocktail and The Wet Spot throughout the day. Orlando drag legend Darcel Stevens will host and VIP experiences are available to see Billboard Hot 100 recording artist Robin S., New York City drag sensation Alotta McGriddles and Eureka O’Hara from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” who discussed the event and more with Watermark on p. 37.

“The Grand Central District is where the celebration of local Pride began,” Curlin says.

“The EDGE District aligns very similarly … Halloween on Central 3 is shaping up to be our biggest and best ‘open-street costume stroll’ yet!”

Halloween on Central will be held Oct. 29 from 12-5 p.m. For more information, visit HalloweenOnCentral.com.

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state news

ANTI-DRAG LAW CAN’T BE ENFORCED FOR NOW Wire Report

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RLANDO, FLA. | A ruling prohibiting the enforcement of a new Florida law targeting drag shows will stay in place for the time being, according to a federal appeals court decision.

A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Oct. 12 upheld a lower court’s granting of a preliminary injunction stopping the law from being enforced until a trial is held to determine its constitutionality.

In their appeal, attorneys for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation had asked that the injunction only apply to the business that had challenged the law, saying that the judge’s injunction “sweeps beyond Plaintiff to nonparties who may wish to expose children to live obscene performances in violation of the statute.”

But a majority on the appeals court panel ruled against that request, saying the Florida agency hadn’t shown that the lower court had erred by prohibiting the law’s enforcement.

‘DON’T SAY GAY OR TRANS’ LAWMAKER SENTENCED TO PRISON Wire Report

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ALLAHASSEE, FLA. | The former Florida lawmaker who sponsored the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” was sentenced to six months in federal prison Oct. 19 for defrauding a federal coronavirus relief loan program for small businesses.

Former state Rep. Joe Harding, a 36-year-old Republican, resigned in December after being charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $150,000 from the Small Business Administration in pandemic aid loans. He pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements in connection with COVID-19 relief fraud.

According to court documents, Harding made false statements to the Small Business Administration while applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for one of his dormant business entities. After obtaining $150,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, prosecutors said Harding conducted three monetary transactions, each involving more than $10,000 in fraudulently obtained funds: a transfer to his joint bank account, a payment to his credit card and a transfer into a bank account of a third-party business entity.

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FLORIDA SETTLES LAWSUIT OVER COVID DATA Wire Report

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ALLAHASSEE, FLA. | Florida will have to provide COVID-19 data to the public again after a former Democratic state representative settled a lawsuit with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration over the decision two years ago to stop posting information on the virus’ spread online.

Then-Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith sued after the Department of Health denied his public records request for COVID-19

data in 2021 and announced the settlement Oct. 16. He was joined by the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

The settlement requires the department to provide COVID-19 data to the public for the next three years, including weekly statistics on cases, deaths and vaccinations by county, age group, gender and race, Smith said in a news release.

The state must also pay more than $152,000 in legal fees to cover the plaintiffs’ legal costs.

“All Floridians have a constitutional right to public records and the right to receive

critical public health data in a timely manner,” Smith said.

“The Department lied about the existence of these public records in court and did everything to restrict information and downplay the threat of COVID.” Florida stopped daily COVID-19 updates on its online dashboard in June 2021, citing a decrease in cases and an increase in vaccinations. Several states later did the same.

The Department of Health admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

district’s board of DeSantis allies violated the company’s contracts, free speech and due process rights.

The agreements shifted control over design and construction at Disney World from the district to the company and prohibited the district from using the likeness of Disney characters or other intellectual property without Disney’s permission. The agreements were signed in February before the district takeover by the DeSantis appointees, who claim the contracts neutered their powers for the district that provides municipal services for Disney World.

The takeover of the district, which was previously controlled

by Disney allies, came after the

company publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.

The contracts weren’t properly publicized and the Disney supporters on the district’s board at the time didn’t have the legal authority to sign the agreements, the district now-controlled by DeSantis supporters said in this week’s court papers.

Disney and DeSantis and his allies also are battling in federal court, where the company has sued DeSantis, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law.

Florida about a half-hour drive from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, where his rivals will be meeting. Trump has repeatedly said he sees no point in participating, given his commanding lead in the race.

Hialeah is an overwhelmingly Hispanic suburb, with more than 95% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, according to the most recent census numbers.

Most are Cuban or Cuban American and speak Spanish at home.

The choice of location reflects Republicans’ hopes that they will be able to continue to win over an increasing share of the Hispanic vote in the 2024 elections. During 2022’s midterms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s rivals, became the first Republican governor to win Miami-Dade county, which Hialeah is part of, in 20 years.

DESANTIS ALLIES ASK FLORIDA JUDGE TO THROW OUT DISNEY’S COUNTERCLAIMS IN LAWSUIT Wire Report

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RLANDO, FLA. | Agreements that Disney made with the governing district for Walt Disney World before it was taken over by appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weren’t legally valid, and the company’s counterclaims against the district should be dismissed, the governing body said in court papers filed this week.

The governing district now controlled by supporters of the Republican governor said in court papers Oct. 18 that a state court judge should dismiss Disney’s counterclaims. The counterclaims seek a court declaration that the agreements are valid and that the

TRUMP SKIPS ANOTHER DEBATE FOR FL RALLY Wire Report

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EW YORK | Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Florida as counter-programming to the third Republican presidential primary debate, which he is once again choosing to skip.

Trump’s campaign says he will hold a rally the evening of Nov. 8th at a stadium in Hialeah,

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nation+world news

FBI: INCREASE IN ANTI-LGBTQ+ HATE CRIMES Christopher Kane of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of The National LGBT Media Association

C

ompared to 2021 estimates, hate crimes last year that were motivated by bias against the victims’ sexual orientation rose 13.8% while those motivated by bias against the victims’ gender identity rose 32.9%, according to data from the FBI. The agency’s numbers come from the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, largely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System and the Summary Reporting System, which the FBI says collectively accounts for 93.5% of the U.S. population.

Data shows the increases in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes came despite a decrease, by 6.1%, of

estimated murder and non-negligent manslaughter cases during this same period.

“The rise in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community is both shocking and heartbreaking, yet sadly, not unexpected,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement responding to the FBI’s report.

“The constant stream of hostile rhetoric from fringe anti-equality figures, alongside the relentless passage of discriminatory bills, particularly those targeting transgender individuals, in state legislatures, created an environment where it was sadly foreseeable that individuals with violent tendencies might respond to this rhetoric,” she said.

“The FBI’s data serves as another alarming indicator of the state of emergency our community finds itself in,” Robinson said, adding, “We also know that this data is incomplete, that too many cities and

states are reporting incomplete data, or even no data at all, on hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community. If we’re going to bring a stop to that violence, we need a full accounting of just how many hate crimes are taking place – and that requires every jurisdiction stepping up.”

HRC reports that more than 20% of reported hate crimes are now motivated by anti-LGBTQ bias, amid a “horrifying wave” of fatal violence against, particularly, Black transgender women.

The group in June declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the U.S., citing, among other factors, the “wave of harmful and discriminatory legislation — some of which was engineered and championed by extremist GOP candidates running for president and their allies — and the concurrent spike in anti-transgender rhetoric and violence.”

INDIA RULES AGAINST MARRIAGE EQUALITY Ankush Kumar of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of The National LGBT Media Association

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he Indian Supreme Court of India on Oct. 17 issued its long-awaited marriage equality ruling. A five-judge constitutional bench led by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud in a 3-2 verdict against recognizing the constitutional validity of same-sex marriages in the country.

The top court said Parliament must decide whether to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, recognizing that they cannot make laws, but can only interpret them.

Chandrachud's ruling said the doctrine of separation of powers means that each of the three branches of the state performs a distinct function and therefore no other branch can function any other’s function. Chandrachud mentioned Section 4 of the Special Marriage Act

is unconstitutional because it is not sufficiently inclusive. The Supreme Court said either the Special Marriage Act needs to be struck down or read down.

The Supreme Court recognized that if the Special Marriage Act is struck down, it will take the country to the pre-independence era. The court also refused to strike down the Foreign Marriage Act of 1969, which deals with the recognition of marriage of Indian citizens outside the country.

Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said queer couples have a fundamental right to seek legal recognition of their union. The other three judges, Justices Shripathi Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, held queer couples cannot claim a right to recognition of their union in the absence of a statutory enactment.

While giving direction to the central, state and Union Territory governments, Chandrachud said that queer community should not be discriminated against. “Truly disappointed by today’s verdict. We are exactly where we started,” said Harish Iyer, a prominent LGBTQ

activist in India and one of the plaintiffs in the marriage equality case. “It’s just one topsy turvy ride with no significance.”

Anjali Gopalan, another plaintiff,, told the Asian News Agency she has been fighting for a long time and will keep doing so.

Karuna Nundy, one of the lawyers in the case, told the Asian News Agency there were some opportunities today that she believes have been pushed off to the legislators, and the central government has made their stand clear with regards to marriage.

The Supreme Court Bar Association President Adish Aggarwala reacted to the verdict and welcomed the marriage equality ruling.

“I am happy that the Supreme Court of India has accepted the version of the government of India in which it was argued that the court has no power to give this right of same-sex marriage. It is the only right of the Indian parliament,” Aggarwala said. "Today it has been accepted by the honorable Supreme Court.”

IN OTHER NEWS BIDEN REMEMBERS MATTHEW SHEPARD President Joe Biden marked the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death on Oct. 12. “Matthew’s tragic and senseless murder shook the conscience of the American people,” he wrote, adding that “Judy and Dennis Shepard turned Matthew’s memory into a movement, galvanizing millions of people to combat the scourge of anti-LGBTQI+ hate and violence in America.” Biden also noted his involvement as vice president in enacting the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It expanded federal hate crime laws to include those motivated by the victim’s LGBTQ+ identity.

GEORGIA WILL PAY FOR GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE Georgia will start paying for gender-affirming health care for state employees, public school teachers and former employees covered by a state health insurance plan, settling a string of lawsuits against agencies aiming to force them to pay for gender-confirmation surgery and more. The plaintiffs moved to dismiss their case Oct. 19 in Atlanta federal court, announcing they had reached a settlement with the State Health Benefit Plan. The state will also pay a total of $365,000 to the plaintiffs and their lawyers as part of the settlement.

ISRAELI LGBTQ+ GROUPS RESPOND TO WAR Israeli LGBTQ+ rights groups are supporting those impacted by their country’s war against Hamas. The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel said they and other Israeli groups have launched an “operation to take in people” who have been evacuated from communities. Ma’avarim, a transgender rights group, said they are cooking meals for soldiers and more. The group is also working to ensure trans people continue to have access to health care. A Wider Bridge, a U.S.based organization that seeks to build “a movement of LGBTQ people and allies with a strong interest in and commitment to supporting Israel and its LGBTQ communities,” is accepting donations on its website that it will send to Israeli advocacy groups.

UN COUNCIL NAMES NEW LGBTQ+ EXPERT The U.N. Human Rights Council has named Graeme Reid, director of LGBT Rights for Human Rights Watch, as the next Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity for the UN. Reid is the third person ever to be appointed to hold the mandate dedicated to addressing specific human rights violations against LGBTQ+ and gender diverse persons, following Vitit Muntarbhorn from Thailand and Victor Madrigal-Borloz from Costa Rica. Reid is an expert on LGBTQ+ rights and has conducted research, taught and published extensively on gender, sexuality and other issues. He is currently a visiting lecturer at Yale University.

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viewpoint

Momma Ashley Rose

MOMMA

KNOWS BEST An Act of Liberation and Freedom

A

S LGBTQ+ HISTORY

Month comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about the power of coming out. It’s an act of liberation and freedom.

Coming out is the process of embracing one’s authentic self and sharing it with the world while breaking free from the chains of secrecy and shame.

It is not only a personal journey but also a political act; by disclosing your true identity, you challenge societal norms and demand recognition and respect for your existence.

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, coming out is a hard, emotional and sometimes taxing process.

The fear of rejection, discrimination and the loss of relationships often feels heavy. However, the journey can totally be worth it — it allows you to live life on your own terms and opens the door to a world where love and acceptance can flourish.

It can also be vital for building authentic connections. When you hide your true self, you limit the depth of your relationships. By coming out, you create space for genuine and meaningful connections with others who accept you for who you are and help foster understanding and empathy.

As people come out and share their experiences, the world becomes more aware of the diversity of the forms of human identity. This can really pave the way for greater acceptance and support within families, communities and society as a whole.

This journey isn’t always easy for some folks, but coming out has a profound impact on those who have not yet taken that step as well. It shows the importance of being a role model and a source of inspiration for others struggling with their identity.

When individuals come out, they send a powerful message: “You are not alone.” It encourages others to embrace their true selves and seek the love and acceptance they deserve. That representation is so important.

We all like to see others who look like us, dress like us, think like us and even love like we do. Coming out can help empower someone to do the same, letting them know (as I always say) that they are “loved, accepted and wanted.”

Coming out is a catalyst for challenging prejudice and discrimination. By openly acknowledging your identity, LGBTQ+ individuals confront stereotypes and misconceptions head-on.

This can help dispel myths and promote inclusivity.

It show the hate and fears people are not the truth.

It humanizes the LGBTQ+ community, putting a face and story to an often misunderstood and stigmatized group and making it harder for society to discriminate against us.

When your friends, family and colleagues realize that someone they love and respect is LGBTQ+, it becomes very difficult for them to hold onto biases.

Of course, the real significance of coming out is the impact on one’s mental health. Living in the closet can be incredibly stressful, leading to anxiety, depression and other issues.

Secrecy can be unbearable and it can often take a toll on your well-being.

By coming out, you release this burden and take the first steps towards self-acceptance. It can lead to an improved sense of safety and less mental stress, allowing you to embrace your identity with pride and confidence. We should encourage individuals to prioritize their mental health and happiness by taking this courageous step.

We should also remember that coming out is a way of respecting your truth.

It’s an acknowledgment of your own identity, a declaration of self-worth and a commitment to living authentically. It’s about showing the world that you deserve love and acceptance just as you are.

It lets you take control of your own narrative and decide how your story is told, rather than allowing others to define it for you.

This empowerment allows you to shape your life according to your values and desires.

I will always advocate

that you do not have to do it alone!

Through my life experience, I have learned that coming out is a powerful and transformative act. It’s a declaration of self-acceptance, a challenge to prejudice and discrimination, and

society. I also know and believe that everyone’s journey is different and your time to come out may be now, it may be tomorrow or it may be next year. It is for you to decide. You have the choice on your unique journey to make this decision.

for seeking support and resources when coming out. The process can be challenging, and I recommend leaning on friends, family and supportive organizations.

There are numerous LGBTQ+ support groups, helplines and online communities that can provide guidance and emotional support during this journey. Remember

an opportunity to build authentic connections. It’s a journey toward mental health, self-respect, and living an authentic and fulfilling life.

While I know and remember the fears and challenges that accompany coming out, the rewards far outweigh the risks.

Individuals not only change their own lives but also contribute to a more inclusive and accepting

Your story matters, it is valid and the world needs to hear it. Embrace your truth and come out as yourself — and remember, you are loved, accepted and wanted.

Your story matters, it is valid and the world needs to hear it.

Momma Ashley Rose has performed family friendly drag for over 20 years. She is a philanthropist, public speaker, activist and mentor who founded Rose Dynasty Foundation to help provide a safe space for all. Learn more at RoseDynastyFoundationInc.org.

Join your local LGBT Chamber, as we are the premier advocates for the Tampa Bay Area’s LGBT business community.

www.tampabaylgbtchamber.org

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viewpoint

Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate

LEIGH’S VIEW Did You Really “LOL?” Embracing our humanity in the digital age: a drag queen’s journey of self-discovery

I

N THE DAZZLING WORLD

of drag, where glitter and glamor reign supreme, and selfexpression knows no bounds, I’ve witnessed the community’s profound transformation over the years.

As a longtime stand-up comedian through being a drag queen, I’ve seen the community rise, shine and break free from the chains of prejudice. But even amid this colorful revolution, I recently found myself at a crossroads, forced to reimagine my drag career, free from the political constraints that had held me back for far too long. Let me take you on a journey through my experiences and observations, as I explore the impact of our obsession with technology on our lives and our relationships.

The very first thought that crossed my mind was, “Have I become my dad?” In this era of smartphones and constant connectivity, it is my fear that we have transformed into the very thing that we once laughed about, especially considering my humble origins as a good ol’ hillbilly from Kentucky. It’s almost comical how life’s twists and turns can make us realize that, in some ways, we’ve turned into the very people for which we once mocked their own ways of life and beliefs.

In 2023, with many political and social changes and challenges in full swing, our obsession with social media has pushed us to the brink. Constantly posting, scrolling and sexting with our phones never more than an arm’s length away have taken a toll on our mental wellbeing. It’s a mind-boggling experience for our brains and it makes me question where we’re headed.

The title of this article, “Did You Really ‘LOL?’” is meant to make you pause and think about the way we interact with our digital devices. Are we truly present in the moment or have we become slaves

to the technology that’s supposed to serve us? As we dive into the depths of this brave new world, we must acknowledge the undeniable power of technology and the ability to reach people instantaneously. But, as I’ve learned, this incredible power comes at a cost, one that has profoundly affected our many personal relationships, be it at work, home or in our daily lives.

I find myself becoming increasingly cautious about what I post and share online. Having fallen victim to the pitfalls of social media, I may have made the mistake of writing posts or comments that didn’t truly reflect my thoughts while simply feeling a particular way at one moment. It’s so easy to open the door for what many call “the haters.” When an innocent post is hijacked and twisted to make you appear as someone you’re not, it’s a disheartening experience. In such situations, my advice is to take the high road and avoid engaging in online battles. People seem more empowered to say hurtful things behind the safety of a screen, things they would never dare to say to your face. I recently experienced this and was taken aback by how someone could twist my words to demonize me.

And they found it easy to do so. But the great thing was, there were over 300 people applauding my post.

But still, tone is NOT in the post, so a person takes it differently than what it was meant to be.

Of course, we also must address the perilous intersection of social media and politics, which often results in the very worst conflicts. During the Trump years, I lost friends and even some loved ones due to political disputes that ignited on social media platforms.

Personal texting is no exception; I’ve significantly reduced my texting habits because text messages fail to convey tone and

inflection accurately, leading to misunderstandings and heated arguments.

Texting, in particular, has become a preferred medium for those who shy away from confrontations in person.

It’s all too easy to fire someone, end a relationship or send profanity-laden

this ever-growing labyrinth of technology, social media platforms and personal devices, remember to reach out and connect with others on a human level. Consider calling someone instead of texting, and when you encounter a post that riles you up, take a moment to

and, yes, even genuinely laughing out loud!

So, as we move forward in this brave new digital world, let’s strive to maintain our humanity and remember that behind every screen there’s a real person with real feelings.

Let’s choose kindness and

messages with just a few taps of a screen. Our phones have become permanent extensions of ourselves, but I’m here to tell you that I’m not planning to be buried with mine. I’d rather be remembered for the real-life connections I made, the faces I smiled at and the hearts I touched.

It is my hope that this article will encourage you to cherish your humanity in the digital age. As you navigate

read it again and refrain from contributing to a “hate” thread.

It’s crucial to acknowledge that suicides are on the rise and bullying is rampant, with social media playing a significant role in these disturbing trends. However, social media can also be a place for appropriate debate, showing support, expressing sorrow, combating loneliness

understanding, embrace our differences and ensure that our LGBTQ+ community continues to thrive, both on and off the screen.

I find myself becoming increasingly cautious about what I post and share online.

Martin ”Leigh Shannon” Fugate is a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer. A strong advocate for getting out the vote and creating political change, he is a past candidate for local political office and has a wide, diverse fan base. He’s been happily married to his husband, Joey, for 37 years.

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Visibili-T JEFF COLINS 27, He/Him/His

V

Jeremy Williams

ISIBILI-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 aspiring author Jeff Colins. We met Colins through his husband Kyler Mills, who worked as a Watermark creative designer for two years.

Originally from outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Colins went to college in Knoxville, Tennessee, before heading back to Atlanta to finish his degree.

“I have an English education degree but I work in IT,” Colins says. “Which you wouldn’t guess looking at me.”

Colins was in his last semester of college, and he and Mills — who was living in Orlando — had been dating long distance for several months, when the COVID pandemic hit.

“I was working at a store in the mall that got shut down during COVID, and then we all got furloughed on a giant group call,” Colins recalls. “I had no job so I had to turn to Ky, who I had only been dating for four months and say, ‘What if we moved in together?’”

Mills was opened to it and Colins moved his life down to The City Beautiful to start their life together. Colins’ first impression of Orlando was “it is very flat.”

“There are no seasons and all of the neighborhoods are so uncanny valley because they look exactly the same,” he says.

“But I was pleasantly surprised

by Orlando’s queer community.

It was a bigger community than

I expected and it was also very normal in the sense that I could walk around and be like, ‘oh yeah, I have a husband’ and no one would give me side eye.”

While Atlanta has a large, vibrant LGBTQ+ population, Colins says that all but disappears once you get outside of the city, and that’s where he grew up.

“Once you leave Atlanta you are very much in the Deep South,” he says. “I’ve grown up my whole life being told that ‘being gay is not what God wants for you’ and ‘maybe you should just not talk about things like that when your deacon grandfather comes over.’”

Colins’ understanding of being transgender in that environment was essentially nonexistent. He says that as early as age 14 he knew he was different but didn’t know what it was. Then he met his first trans person.

“It was my friend’s mom who transitioned,” he recalls. “At the time I was identifying as a lesbian and I asked my friend ‘So does that mean your moms have to get divorced now because gay marriage isn’t legal in Georgia yet?’ Had no issue with this is a man who’s now a woman, I just knew gay marriage wasn’t legal.”

Around age 17, Colins started to experiment with different

identities to try and find where he fit.

“I started thinking I don’t feel like a girl. I don’t feel like a woman, I don’t know what I am,” he says. “Let’s try on different names, let’s try performing hyper femininity on purpose, let’s try performing hyper masculinity on purpose, let’s see what fits and for most of my junior year of high school I was just trying different things because I didn’t know who I was. I thought, ‘let me try on different hats and see what fits.’”

It was in Colins’ senior year of high school that he heard the tragic story of Leelah Alcorn, an American transgender girl who died by suicide and posted her suicide note on Tumblr.

“That was kind of the moment where it was like, I see myself in this situation because I am a guy with parents who would never let me be that. Parents who would rather me be dead than a boy,” Colins says.

When Colins moved to Orlando, he wrote a letter to his parents telling them that he is a man and that they would need to “deal with it.”

“By the time I got here I was already on testosterone and I was already out as much as I could be,” he says. “I know

who I am so I don’t need to be validated by anyone.”

When he isn’t working his IT job, Colins loves to write.

“I’m very much this introverted writer type,” he says.

“I write queer fiction all the time and I’ve been published a couple of times. I currently have two stories that I’m working on right now, both that I would like to get published.”

Colins has this dream future in his mind for him and Mills that he hopes one day will become a reality.

“We own a queer coffee shop and art gallery where I get to bake and make coffee all day and Ky can hang all his art on the walls,” he says. “While it didn’t pay great, when I worked at Starbucks I genuinely enjoyed working as a barista, and our shop would have all these signs of our queer life, and while it wouldn’t be a gay-only space, it would definitely be focused on the girls, gays and theys.”

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.

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talking points Thank you for your courage, thank you for your hope, and thank you for your pride.

You’re loved and you’re heard and you’re understood and you belong.

--PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, SPEAKING AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN NATIONAL DINNER IN D.C. OCT. 14

UPCOMING ‘SESAME STREET’ SEASON TO FEATURE SEVERAL LGBTQ+ STARS

T

HE UPCOMING SEASON OF “SESAME STREET” FEATURES AN OCTOPUS AS A CHEF, AN EXPLORATION OF AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND AN “ABBOTT ELEMENTARY”-STYLE MOCKUMENTARY featuring series creator Quinta Brunson. It will also feature several LGBTQ+ celebrities including Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, Emmy-winning actor and writer Dan Levy and actor — and former White House aide — Kal Penn, who booked his ticket after making a plea dressed as Cookie Monster on “Live with Kelly & Mark.” “Sesame Street,” designed by education professionals and child psychologists, is shown in more than 150 countries, has won 193 Emmys, 10 Grammys and received a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime artistic achievement, the first time a television program got the award. DeBose kicks off the new season on Max Nov. 9 singing the song “Friendship Feeling” with Elmo, Abby and Cookie Monster.

MORE THAN

20% REPORTED OF

HATE CRIMES ARE NOW

MOTIVATED BY

ANTI-LGBTQ+ BIAS

WITH 2022 HATE CRIMES

MOTIVATED BY

MARSHA P. JOHNSON PAINTING DONATED TO LGBTQ+ CENTER IN DC

P

YXIS PARTNERS PRESIDENT MICHAEL MANGANIELLO DONATED A PAINTING OF STONEWALL ACTIVIST MARSHA P. JOHNSON that queer artist Gio Black Peter painted to the Washington, D.C. nonprofit community health center Whitman-Walker Health.

Whitman-Walker has been treating people with HIV/AIDS in D.C. for more than 50 years. Manganiello donated the painting, saying it will serve as a “reminder of what is possible when we commit ourselves to justice and equality for all people.” The painting, which was unveiled Oct. 18, will be placed in the behavioral health unit of Whitman-Walker’s new Max Robinson Center.

MADONNA’S CELEBRATION TOUR KICKS OFF IN LONDON

M

ADONNA KICKED OFF HER CAREER-SPANNING CELEBRATION TOUR AT LONDON’S O2 ARENA ON OCT. 14, marking her first performance since suffering what her manager called a “serious bacterial infection” that led to hospitalization in an intensive care unit for several days back in June. Madonna rescheduled the North American leg of her tour, originally slated to kick off July 15 in Vancouver and run through Oct. 8 in Las Vegas. That leg now begins Dec. 13 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and runs through April 24, 2024, when it will conclude at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes. The superstar is scheduled to perform at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on April 4, 2024.

ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM PLANS TO EXPAND

T

HE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM IN PITTSBURGH HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO EXPAND WITH A $45 MILLION EVENTS VENUE. The entertainment project is part of the museum’s ‘Pop District’ initiative and would be built on an existing museum parking lot, according to Dan Law, the museum’s associate director.

Museum officials presented plans for the project to the city’s Planning Commission Oct. 17. The proposed site would be around 58,000 square feet (17,500 square meters), including a first-floor concert venue with standing room for up to 1,000 people, a second-floor mezzanine, and an events space that could hold up to 360 people on the fourth floor.

The third floor would be used for offices and support spaces.

BIAS AGAINST THE VICTIMS’ SEXUAL ORIENTATION RISING

13.8% AND

BIAS AGAINST THE VICTIMS’ GENDER IDENTITY RISING

32.9%.

— HRC report and data from the FBI

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Shelling OUT Florida Kava bars brew up LGBTQ+ safe spaces PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

O

Tiffany Razzano

VER THE PAST DECADE, THE

popularity of kava and kratom in Florida has soared. There are at least 30 bars in the Tampa Bay region alone, says Drew Apted, owner of Dharma Kava Lounge.

“Tampa Bay is the kava capital of, essentially, the world,” Apted asserts. “There are more kava bars per square mile than even the islands of Polynesia.”

Kava is a drink or extract made from the root of the Piper methysticum plant, a crop typically found in the South Pacific islands. These cultures have long consumed kava drinks for social, ceremonial and medical purposes.

Recreationally, effects of the tea

include mild euphoria, muscle relaxation and sedation.

As for kratom, also served as a drink or extract, it comes from a tropical plant, related to coffee trees, grown mostly in Southeast Asia. In small doses, people use it to boost their energy or improve their mood. In larger amounts, it can have an opiate-like effect, helping with pain, and it is also used recreationally.

David Romanello, the manager at Speakeasy Kava — which has one location in Largo and another in downtown St. Petersburg — agrees with Apted’s assessment.

“St. Pete is literally the mecca of kava bars in the world,” Romanello says. “Just go on Google Maps and you can count where they are.”

The kava and kratom bars serving these teas — and often coffee, kombucha and other drinks — offer non-alcoholic alternatives for those looking to connect with others outside of traditional bars and nightclubs.

They’re also generally known as accepting spaces welcoming of LGBTQ+ people. Many of these bars serve as comfortable gathering spots for the queer community, filling their

schedules with events that are inclusive year-round.

In Central Florida, Winter Park’s Kava Cove Lounge recently held an after party following Come Out with Pride 2023 in Orlando. In Pinellas County, Mad Hatters Ethnobotanical Tea Bar hosts weekly events inclusive of everyone.

Kaylee Kerin was introduced to kava and kratom through a girlfriend several years ago. Mad Hatters was the first bar she ever went to locally in 2021.

“It was cool. It was interesting, and everybody seemed to be inviting and welcoming,” Kerin explains.

“There didn’t seem to be any feeling of ‘Am I okay here?’

I just felt like, ‘I’m with my people.’ I had been trying to

figure out, ‘Where do people like me hang out?’”

Speakeasy also became a regular hangout spot for her.

“It’s not necessarily all queer people, but everybody was cool with me and I felt safe,” she notes. “And the [kava and kratom] community is often very queer focused …

It’s about who you are. Your reputation. Whether you’re gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever.

It’s inconsequential and that’s the beauty of it. It’s truly just a space where we’re all people.”

Apted has cultivated that in his location since Nov. 2014.

He opened Dharma when he was just 20 years old, after he quit drinking alcohol, “with the fullest intent to create

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CONTINUED ON PG. 29 | uu |

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| uu | Shelling OUT FROM PG.27

something that resembled a regular alcohol bar or venue but without the pressure or the booze.”

While many of his customers are looking for an atmosphere that’s different from traditional bars, many are now sober from alcohol or drugs and want to socialize in a bar-type setting.

“We serve a decent amount of people in recovery or who just started their recovery journey,” he says. “That’s a big part of this place.”

Knowing his own experiences, he says he intentionally created a space to serve the LGBTQ+ community.

“Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of spaces where I was safe in my identity or open and out,” he explains. “As a bisexual man, when I was younger the only place to meet other gay men was liquor bars and then I quit drinking … The hurdle I faced from the very beginning was trying to get gay people out of the bars. A lot of what we do as gay adults is all alcohol all the time. I always wanted to show people there was an alternative.”

Now, many of Apted’s regulars identify across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. When he first opened, there weren’t any other queer spaces nearby — other than his neighbor in the same plaza, the LGBTQ+ Quench Lounge — so from the beginning, a Pride flag has greeted customers at the front of the bar.

“It’s right there when you walk in so you know what you’re getting yourself into,” he notes.

Mad Hatters, which is trans-owned, also opened in unincorporated Pinellas County in 2014.

Two years earlier, owners Judah and Levi Love — longtime bartenders at the LGBTQ+inclusive bar Emerald — left to open their own venture.

They purchased a biker bar and transformed it into a The Broken Tusk.

By the time they opened the bar, they had already quit drinking alcohol and discovered kava and kratom. They soon realized they no longer wanted to serve alcohol, creating the concept for Mad Hatters.

“This is something we feel very passionate about and we

KAVA COMMUNITY: Supporters and staff at Dharma Kava Lounge in Largo Oct. 20. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD are really excited to be able to educate others on how plants can be beneficial for everything from depression to insomnia to social anxiety, hypertension, high blood pressure and more,” they told Watermark at the time.

Mad Hatters manager and friend of the owners David Baptista recalls being surprised when they announced the change.

“Levi sat me and another good friend down — they had gone sober and we had not, yet — and said, ‘We’re not doing anything healthy for anybody,’” Baptista says. “I told him he was crazy. ‘We know you’re sober now, but it’s crazy.’ But I was wrong. It worked.”

The former Georgie’s Alibi bartender stopped drinking alcohol not long after that and now touts the benefits of kava and kratom, especially for those looking for a non-alcoholic alternative to the bar scene.

Addiction is prevalent among members of the LGBTQ+ community. An estimated 20-30% of members abuse substances compared to just 9% among the general population, according to the Addiction Center.

The organization has served as a resource for those who are struggling with substance use disorders and co-occurring behavioral and mental health disorders since 2014. It notes that “kava is generally considered to be non-addictive; however, it can be habit forming and lead to the development of a tolerance.”

Substance abuse is “common because of the oppression we hid over the years in alcohol bars,” Baptista says. “Those were our safe spaces for a long time. In the early 90s, after coming out, I wouldn’t dare go anywhere else but a gay bar and it’s so ingrained in our culture.”

Kava bars provide more options for people, he notes.

“The beauty of this is you still get that community, that social interaction. Just come in and have a hot tea, have a kombucha.”

He adds of alcohol, “Kava’s actually what helped me quit drinking.”

From the beginning, Mad Hatters has welcomed everyone through its doors with an emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community.

“That’s something we’ve always prided ourselves on.

Anyone is welcome, all walks of life, as long as you are vibing and not hurting anybody, not bringing anybody down,” Baptista notes. “I’ve seen trans women who were nervous to come in, you could tell they were stealth, and it’s like, ‘Oh no, baby girl, come in.’ Just to see the joy on someone’s face that they can be who they are, that’s everything.”

Baptista says it’s also been “extremely rewarding” to know Mad Hatters has played a role in changing people’s minds about the LGBTQ+ community.

Bartenders there once received a letter from a former customer who hadn’t been there in years.

“He was extremely homophobic,” Baptista says.

“He didn’t understand trans rights and in his letter, he told us, ‘You educated me.’ He moved away, got a good job and became an ally. It’s important to have a conversation.

There’s a difference between ignorance and hate.”

Romanello, an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, says the Speakeasy staff is dedicated to inclusivity, equal rights and activism as well, noting that the bar tends to attract customers who feel the same way.

“We’ll have in-depth conversations about issues of the world. We might have some differences, but we all come together in the same space and have really open discussions,” he says. “We all come from a leftist political ideology and when we all have conversations about current events at the bar, we all come to certain educational points.

“We often talk about the LGBTQIA+ community and possible issues coming up in Congress,” he continues. “We’re all very passionate about seeing equal rights for everybody because we’re all human.”

Many kava and kratom bars offer a similar vibe.

“We all come from such different walks of life. You can walk into any kava bar up to any group of people and ask what their stories are and they’ll all say something different,” Romanello explains. “We are such a diverse group of people.

We all have the same struggles

and are just trying to get by in daily life. We all have reasons for being in the community.

That’s part of what makes it so welcoming.”

In Central Florida, Kava Cove Lounge Manager Adam Kelley says they’re one of the most LGBTQ+-inclusive bars in the region. It’s billed as “a place where people can come drink some kava, relax and socialize.”

“We’re known as, arguably, maybe the friendliest one in town,” he says. “Those of us in the community have nicknamed Kava Cove as ‘Homo Cove,’ just to kind of be cheeky about it.”

Christmas lights displayed underneath the bar have permanently been changed to rainbow colors.

“So, instantly when you walk in the lights, even if subconsciously, tell you, 'hey, you’re in a safe space,'” Kelley says. “And we have our flag up, too.”

He recalls one day at the bar when he surveyed the diverse clientele enjoying their drinks and chatting.

“I stood behind the bar in awe,” he says. “There were two guys who work in a bank that came in every day in suits and ties to get kava. On the other end were four Rollins College students and on another end was an aging hippie named Mark. Not only were they all occupying the same space at the same time, they were all conversing.”

And, of course, it’s welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.

“I think it’s amazing that we have this community,” Kelley says. “I’m almost 48 years old.

I grew up in the 80s and 90s where you couldn’t openly come out and there weren’t a lot of places that were friendly to us.

To see that leap to where we are now, where it’s not anything you need to be concerned about, is amazing.”

Dharma Kava Lounge is located at 13328 66th St. N. in Largo while Speakeasy Kava has two locations, one at 12514 Starkey Rd. in Largo and another at 2101 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg.

Mad Hatter’s Kava Bar can be found in St. Petersburg at 4685 28th St. N. In Central Florida, Kava Cove Lounge is located at 2020 W. Fairbanks Ave. #100 in Winter Park. Visit DharmaKavaLounge. com, SpeakeasyKavaBar.com, MadHattersTeaBar.com and KavaCov.co to learn more about each.

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Cooking with Sass

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Ginger Minj dives into memories and recipes in new book

G

Jeremy Williams

INGER MINJ IS A DRAG ICON AND

local legend who is best known worldwide for their time on the hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and its spin-off “All Stars,” but they are much more than that.

This Renaissance Queen is also an actor, appearing in several films including “Dumplin’,” “The Bitch Who Stole Christmas” and last year’s hit “Hocus Pocus 2”; a singer, with three albums released so far; a stand-up comedian, podcaster and now an author, releasing her first book, “Southern Fried Sass: A Queen’s Guide to Cooking, Decorating, and Living Just a Little Extra,” on Nov. 7.

Minj “brings her signature humor and sass to this tongue-in-cheek memoir-cum-life manual-cum-cookbook,” the book’s synopsis reads.

“Featuring Ginger’s favorite Southern-inspired recipes, ‘Southern Fried Sass’ showcases some of her most vulnerable and celebratory moments, revealing the most valuable lessons she’s learned after years in drag and

the pearls of wisdom she’s gleaned from her grandmother’s personal brand of Southern resilience.”

Minj spoke with Watermark by phone ahead of the book’s release to talk about food, family and more.

WATERMARK: WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK, AND WHY STRUCTURE IT IN THIS WAY?

Ginger Minj: It encapsulates me as an entertainer because I don’t do just one thing. I kind of dabble in everything, so there would be no way to tell my life story except in that way. When we first sat down to discuss what the book was going to be with the publishing company, they said “OK, just tell us who you are and what you do outside

of ‘Drag Race.’” When I started diving into it they were like “Well this could be a lifestyle book, it could be a memoir, it could be a tell-all, it could be a cookbook”; so I said, “why don’t we do all of them?” Then they told me that’s never been done before and they didn’t know if it would work.

I said to them, “how about I go away, I try to structure something for you as a sample and then we’ll see if it works?”

We did, they loved it and we dove right in. It took two years to write it because the process was so different than anything else.

IT REALLY SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE: MORE THAN 50

CONTINUED ON PG. 33 | uu |

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMON AND SCHUSTER

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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE READERS OF THIS BOOK TO TAKE AWAY KNOWING ABOUT YOU?

| uu | Cooking with Sass FROM PG.31

RECIPES, DESIGN TIPS, STORIES FROM YOUR YOUTH AND AS A DRAG PERFORMER. IT FEELS LIKE A ONE-STOP POT FOR ALL.

It really is a beautiful casserole. It sounds daunting when you say it’s part this and part that, and I don’t want people to think that it’s going to be something hard to wrap their heads around. It really flows beautifully and one thing kind of leads into the next.

Food has always been my love language. I’ve learned as I travelled around the world, even when I can’t communicate with somebody, I can learn so much about them and who they are and where they’re from by the food that they share with me.

AS A FELLOW SOUTHERN-RAISED GAY GUY, THE SET UP FOR THIS BOOK MAKES SENSE TO ME BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS GOT THE BEST FAMILY STORIES WHILE YOUR MOM OR AUNT OR GRANDMA WAS COOKING IN THE KITCHEN.

My grandmother was the one who protected me from the rest of the family because I was so different. Whenever they’d start to pick on me too bad she would whisk me off to the kitchen, then put me up on the stool and I would help her cook.

She told me one day after my sister had outed me at Thanksgiving to the whole family, which the details of the story are in the book — they are funny and they are very, very sad — she told me that she learned a long time ago in her life if you shove their mouths full of love then they don’t have the time to spit out the hate. That’s why we cook the way we do.

She never had a whole lot growing up but her prize possession was her recipe box and when she passed away that got left to me. That’s what kind of kicked off the idea of taking the food I grew up with and the things I’ve collected on my travels and putting them all into one place. But then when I sat down and started going through the recipes I was remembering where I was and what the story was behind each one. And things that I had never heard of before my mom, my sister and my Aunt Glenda Faye were telling me stories. I was learning things

FOOD THERAPY: Ginger Minj's "Southern Fried Sass" is the most honest look at the Central Florida legend, the drag icon says, calling the book "the most personal thing I've ever done." PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMON AND SCHUSTER

about my family that I had never heard in my nearly four decades on this planet. I wanted to sit down and write out all these stories and how they affected me.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH RECIPES TO INCLUDE IN THE BOOK?

I started by including everything that was my favorite.

All the foods that I really love, the foods that I love to make, and then I went to my mom, my sister, my Aunt Glenda Faye and my husband and asked what recipes do you make that you think encompass you as a person? I tried to include those in the stories about them.

WHEN SOMEONE PICKS THIS BOOK UP AND TAKES IT HOME, WHAT IS THE RECIPE YOU WOULD RECOMMEND THEY START WITH FIRST?

The chicken salad is the easiest and it is so versatile. You can eat it right out of the bowl, you can put it on a sandwich, you can stuff it into mushrooms and bake those. It is different than most chicken salads and there’s some really good stories around it.

And you know as a fellow southern person that growing up in the south every day is a

holiday. Southern families will find a way to get together and serve food. There is an entire chapter in the book about the holidays and there is every single recipe you’ll need for a perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.

That’s one of things I’m most proud of in the book, you can just open up that chapter, copy everything right out of there and you’ll have the most perfect meal that you’ve ever had for a holiday. And it’s easy.

THAT’S PERFECT SINCE WE ARE COMING UP ON THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

That’s why we wanted to release the book now. My publishers were pushing me to push it out at Pride but to me the holidays are my time, and the holiday season is really when the food is a part of the conversation, so it was important to me to push it out now.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST VALUABLE LESSONS YOUR GRANDMOTHER TAUGHT YOU?

Along with the one earlier — if you shove their mouths full of love then they don’t have the time to spit out the hate — she taught me that everything you do, whether it’s cooking, performing or doing any kind

of job in the world, you just do it with care and love because if you don’t, you’re not gonna get that back and it’s not gonna be worth your time.

ARE THERE STORIES FOR YOUR “DRAG RACE” FANS?

There’s so much piping hot tea, as the kids say, for the “Drag Race” fans in there, never-before-heard juicy bits of gossip. Things that have happened in my three seasons, out on tour with the different girls and stuff like that. I’ve been telling everyone that everything from the chicken to the gossip is juicy.

There’s a perfect sweet tea recipe in there, you can do it spiked or unspiked. Mix yourself up a pitcher, sit on the porch and gossip about everybody. That was my grandmother’s favorite thing to do. She would just sit there on her porch and if you sat with her having some tea she would just spill it all for you.

WAS GRANDMA’S TEA SPIKED OR UNSPIKED?

Well she always had her own pitcher, so if that tells you anything.

I think even the people in Orlando who have known me for so long, I feel like they only know me on the surface level and I feel like this fills in all the gaps of what made me into me. What brought me to Orlando, what kicked off my career and made me the person that I am today.

There’s a lot of dark stuff in there but I only shared it because I wanted people to have the full picture and to understand that even though I’ve done bad stuff and made mistakes I’ve come out of it on the other end as a better person, and they shouldn’t be afraid to do that too.

I’m a little scared about it because it’s the most personal thing that I’ve ever done. I have never shared all of me with the world before. Only the bits and pieces that I’ve wanted to so I’m nervous about it but it’s also very cathartic and liberating to put it out there and let it go.

After “All Stars 6” where I shared that story about my mom giving me my first pair of ruby slippers, when I went back out on tour people were coming up to me sobbing and telling me how that story reflected there’s or they wished it had reflected there’s, and I realized there is such power in sharing your story. It made me feel good that people connected with me and the things that have happened to me on a different level than they have before. So that’s when I decided I was going to put it all out there, warts and all, and I think that it will help a lot of people. It’s also really funny too.

WITH ALL YOUR SUCCESS, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT LITTLE KID SITTING ON THE STOOL IN HIS GRANDMOTHER’S KITCHEN COULD SAY TO YOU IF HE COULD SEE YOU TODAY?

I think that little boy would say thank you, because that little boy never felt seen, never felt heard; was honestly told to just sit in the corner and be quiet and don’t embarrass anybody.

Now I’m putting that little boy’s story out there into the world for everybody to see and read.

Ginger Minj’s “Southern Fried Sass” releases Nov. 7. Learn more at GingerMinj.com.

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ON STAGE

The Florida Frontier

William Shatner on his live tour, LGBTQ+ fans and more unique or unusual to be behind the camera and being in front of an audience on stage is where I am a lot of the times — effortlessly, but with a great deal of effort, I move between it all. I try to prepare, which is the essence of being ready. So that preparation of what am I going to talk about, to whom am I talking or what’s in front of a me and what’s the story I’m telling, it’s all part of a natural thing for me.

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU WORKING ON?

ENGAGING EVENING:

William Shatner is bringing his live tour to four Florida cities Nov. 8-12. PHOTO

BY JASON SHOCK

W

Ryan Williams-Jent

ILLIAM SHATNER’S NAME IS

synonymous with space. It’s where the 92-year-old actor, author and recording artist has made a significant amount of history.

The veteran performer originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk on “Star Trek” in 1966, appearing in every episode of the franchise-launching series. Decades later — after starring in spinoffs including the first seven “Star Trek” films — Shatner experienced space not through Kirk’s eyes, but his own. In 2021 at age 90, he became the oldest person to ever fly in space during Blue Origin’s second sub-orbital human flight.

Shatner reflects on that and more during “William Shatner LIVE on Stage,” coming to Florida Nov. 8-12 starting at Tampa’s Straz Center. The tour promises “a night of intergalactic fun as he leads

audiences on a journey through time and space." The event also includes a screening of 1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan,” one of the franchise’s most celebrated films.

Shatner will appear afterwards in an adjustment made “to adhere to the guidelines of the ongoing and necessary" SAG/AFTRA strike.

Watermark spoke with Shatner ahead of his Florida appearances, who reflected on his tour and shared a message for LGBTQ+ fans.

WATERMARK: DO YOU PREFER WORKING WITH A LIVE AUDIENCE OR ON SCREEN?

Well, it’s all my skill set and really, the creativity flows. It doesn’t seem

When I’m done promoting the fact that I’ll be in southern Florida in the next couple of weeks, I will get in my car and drive to a studio near me and do the narration for a big, hit show called “The UnXplained,” which I’m hosting [on the History Channel.] The show has become very popular and it’s a really good hour of entertainment. Things that are unexplained, that happened to us that are around in our world, weird things that have no explanation and we just throw it out there and say, “look at this, you will not believe your eyes,” and it’s great entertainment.

So I’m busy doing a lot of things, one after the other, and that’s my life.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR LGBTQ+ FANS?

You know, I guess the message is this — I mean, I’m not one for messages — but whatever your sexual orientation, it’s your business, it’s what you do. It’s what you’re feeling. If you were born in one body and feel identification with another, that’s your business. You’re not harming me, I’m not harming you, live your life. You only have — I want to tell you, from the point of view of my age — you have one shot at it, and to make yourself miserable, unhappy, unuseful, is outrageous.

Live your life. You just have a few moments.

IT’S BEEN JUST OVER TWO YEARS SINCE YOU WENT INTO SPACE. HAS YOUR PERCEPTION OF THAT TRIP CHANGED AT ALL?

Things apparently I said, and I saw them briefly on some footage, I don’t recall saying, because it was

such an emotional moment for me.

But apparently, I said “I don’t want to forget this moment” when coming out of the spaceship, having had a real — I don’t know, life-changing is dramatic — but it certainly affected me a great deal along lines that I had already been affected by. Thinking of global warming and the destruction of our planet.

But I have not forgotten the circumstances of why I wept so uncontrollably at that moment, and I’ve continued to tell the story — and I will tell the story, if I’m asked the evening I’m in your town — about what I felt, what I saw. The conclusion of which is very profound, in that we’re losing it, and I keep saying we’ve got to do something about it as the years go by, and as we further the destruction of our Earth.

WHAT DO YOU FIND MORE FASCINATING, SCIENCE OR SCIENCE FICTION?

That’s an interesting question.

You know, what a lot of people don’t understand is that scientists are like very creative writers. They theorize something and let’s use black holes as an example. “I think there’s a black hole in the center of the galaxy, but I don’t see it. I don’t know. It’s just theory. What I’m going to do is try and find from all the examinations by so many people with telescopes and radio telescopes and observation, I’m going to try and support my idea that there’s a black hole in the center, gathering all the energy in its horizon.” Well, that was the theory.

Stephen Hawking. The theory is supported by facts that came along and all of a sudden, they say, “I think it really does exist.” And then, because of the advent of technology, we see them. So what was a science fiction idea became a science fact as time went on, and that’s what’s happening all over.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR SHOW?

What I want to tell you is come to the evening I’m in your town. It’s fun. You’ll see a wonderful movie that’s been refurbished and then I’ll come on stage and we’ll have a good time. It’s really a worthwhile evening of entertainment and information.

Please go, I’d be delighted to see you all.

“William Shatner LIVE on Stage” plays at the Straz Center in Tampa Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Learn more and buy tickets at StrazCenter.org. Shatner will also appear in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Melbourne and Sarasota’s Van Wezel Nov. 11.

Learn more at WilliamShatnerTour.com.

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DRAG

Queendom Come

Eureka O’Hara says ‘We’re Here’ at Halloween on Central

SHE’S HERE: Eureka O’Hara will perform Oct. 29 during Halloween on Central 3 in St. Petersburg.

PHOTO BY SEAN VADLELLA

E

Ryan Williams-Jent

UREKA O’HARA FINDS HERSELF AT A

turning point. “Not only in the entertainment industry,” she explains, “but in my life, period.”

That’s because the drag superstar — a fan favorite finalist on multiple iterations of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” who’s bringing her unique brand to Tampa Bay’s Halloween on Central Oct. 29 — came out as transgender last year. Her journey was chronicled on HBO’s docuseries “We’re Here.”

O’Hara co-hosted the series for three seasons with “Drag Race” sisters Bob the Drag Queen and Shangela, visiting “small-town America spreading love and connection through the art of drag.”

The network announced the trio wouldn’t return to lead its fourth season in June.

At the time, the outgoing hosts wished their successors and fellow “Drag Race” alum Sasha Velour,

Priyanka and Jaida Essence Hall “the best on continuing this work during an increasingly difficult time for the LGBTQ+ community.” O’Hara says that while she may appear on the series again one day, it’s her final appearance on the show for now that’s resonated with her the most.

Its third season finale in Dec. 2022 brought the queens to Florida, where they visited the interim Pulse memorial, protested against the state’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law and more. It was during that trip that O’Hara met two trans advocates who inspired her to live authentically, one who transitioned later in life and a young girl with affirming parents.

She says the experience made her realize she was “tired of being afraid.”

“I got to see both perspectives, an older person that transitioned and a younger person whose family celebrated her,” she explains. “I just remember as a little kid, literally praying in bed at night and wishing I could wake up as a girl and not really understanding what it meant.

“I feel happier presenting female and living my feminine energy — which is the one thing that I was literally beat and abused for when I was young,” she continues. “Now that’s all I can do is be my feminine self. That’s my truth.”

O’Hara says she also felt compelled to come out because of her platform. Nearly 600 anti-transgender bills were filed in state legislatures in 2023, including a series of laws enacted in Florida.

“I saw trans people under fire and I was like, ‘it’s time for me to get out there and be myself,’ because I have large person privilege. I have confidence privilege,” she says. “I’m ready to take it on headfirst and I have this platform to just scream that ‘I’m trans and I’m large, and you can’t do anything about it.’

“I’m not afraid of people anymore,” she notes. “I’m not afraid and so I had to be trans for my community and for myself.”

O’Hara says her authenticity has impacted her work as well, offering a fresh outlook for new projects.

She’s currently writing a book, crafting a Mrs. Claus-themed holiday show and preparing to launch other exciting ventures.

“I’m really finding where my art lies,” she says. “Is it within me being a trans woman or a drag queen and how is that represented? I’ll always be a drag queen, of course. I’m a drag entertainer regardless and like Mama Ru says, ‘we’re all born naked and the rest is drag.’ I don’t devalue my drag queen-ness just because I transitioned; my art is progressing and I’m finding my own rhythm.”

The entertainer is excited to bring that perspective to Halloween on Central 3, where 22 blocks of St. Petersburg’s Grand Central and Edge Districts will close from 12-5 p.m. on Oct. 29. A key component of

the LGBTQ+-inclusive spooktacular is Cock-o-Ween at Cocktail, where she’ll perform on the LGBTQ+ hotspot’s main stage across from the bar.

O’Hara will be joined by hostess and Central Florida drag legend Darcel Stevens, New York City sensation Alotta McGriddles and headliner Robin S. The Billboard Hot 100 recording artist is known for “Show Me Love” and other hits.

“Halloween on Central has proven to be one of our busiest days of the year!” Cocktail owner David Fischer says. “The event kicks off the holiday season and the attendees are all about celebrating fall and supporting local businesses. Halloween on Central really excites people about the possibilities of future closures to parts of Central Ave., as has been hinted in the past by city officials.”

“I’m bringing you Halloween extravaganza eleganza,” O’Hara teases. “I love Halloween because it’s our chance to celebrate ourselves. It’s that one time a year when you get to express yourself in any crazy, goofy way and nobody judges you. It’s just fine. It’s a celebration of happiness and difference and candy. What isn’t there to love?”

Outside of her Halloween hype, O’Hara also notes she’s excited to reconnect with Florida fans.

“There’s so much queerness in Florida, and you know who you are and I love you,” she says.

“Although the politics may be a little wishy washy, I know that middle America is just trying to figure out how to survive in their own weird way and they’re blinded by old moral compasses.

“We’re all trying to grow and learn together,” she adds. “Sadly we have to be the people to educate those who are being educated in different ways. We just have to live, thrive and be positive and kind any way that we can so that we can prove to them that we’re not the monsters they want us to be.”

The monsters, she says, will be saved for the stage. Fans can expect O’Hara to perform as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and more as she showcases everything in her arsenal.

“I’m gonna bring dancing, energy and positive vibes,” O’Hara promises.

“Let’s have ourselves a spooky, ooky Halloween and make it the biggest ever! This P.H.A.T. queen is ready for Halloween.”

Eureka O’Hara will perform during Halloween on Central 3 at Cocktail’s Cock-o-Ween, located at 2355 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. Read more on p. 10 and at CocktailStPete.com/ Halloween-2023.

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announcements

TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Metro Inclusive Health celebrated 30 years Oct. 14 with Metro on the Move, raising $152,000 for the organization’s mission and thanking outgoing CEO Lorraine Langlois for three decades of service. “Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to this momentous evening,” they shared via social media Oct. 18. “Together, we are creating a world of inclusive healthcare where everyone’s needs are met, regardless of who they are or where they come from.”

The LGBTQ+ Resource Center announced Oct. 18 that Bryan Hinkson, June Parlett Norsworthy and Jamie Riley are the organization’s 2023-24 BranchOUT Scholars.

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Project Pride held the 32nd Sarasota Pride Oct. 21, delivering on its theme of “LGBTQ+ a lot more.” Read more and view a full photo gallery at WatermarkOnline.com.

The 45th All Hallows Ball was held in Tampa Oct. 21. Read more and view a full photo gallery at WatermarkOnline.com.

Alice Marie Gripp was crowned the winner of Closet Ball 2024 Oct. 22.

CANCELLATIONS Come OUT St. Pete announced the indefinite postponement of their 7th annual event Oct. 13, originally scheduled for Oct. 14. Read more on p. 10.

CAN Community Health announced the cancellation of the organization’s final CANDance Oct. 13, originally scheduled to return in late October. “CANDance’s enduring legacy is a living testament to the extraordinary potential of compassion and collaboration, a fervent promise that continues to inspire a future brimming with health and happiness for all it has touched,” they shared.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Lakeland’s The Parrot Owner Rich Dunn, Tampa Bay entertainer Austin Hagge, Cocktail bartender Sebastian Hathcock, Cosplayer Charles Parilla, St. Pete staple Barbra Ann (Oct. 26); Tampa vocalist David Valentine, Tampa educator Matthew Healey, Keller Williams Tampa Central admin Danny Gitsas, St. Pete hairstylist Jacob Andrew Harris (Oct. 28); Tampa Bay artist Juan Fontanez Jr. (Oct. 29); Salon GW owner Gregory Brady (Oct. 30); Sarasota activist Michael Kehoe, Tampa Bay Sister of Perpetual Indulgence Shelita Cra-k, State Farm agent John Psomas, Tampa Bay entertainer Apollo Infiniti (Oct. 31); St. Pete bear Wendell Wilson, Tampa Bay entertainer Reggie Gatewood, Comic connoisseur Julian Jabbar Hills, Tampa Bay bear Daniel Johnson (Nov. 1); Tampa organizing coach Tracy Miller, St. Pete salesman Toby Browning (Nov. 2); Ceridian’s Kevin Gordon (Nov. 3); Gulfport everyman Daniel Hodge, St. Pete mainstay Rich Runyan, St. Pete cowboy Winston Haws (Nov. 4); Tampa Bay DJ Duane Cook, LGBTQ Resource Center Chair Susan Gore, Life Plan Law attorney Catherine Blackburn (Nov. 5); Project manager Sean Kelly, Tampa signing interpreter Steve Hammond, St. Pete Bears founder Grahame Harte, TIGLFF supporter Timothy Thomas, Metro Inclusive Health founder Bob Pope, Pinellas Park LMT John Waldorf (Nov. 6); Photo pro Josh Reed, Lakeland lad Kenneth Elliott, Boating enthusiast Misty McDevitt (Nov. 8).

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MERCURY RISING: Mercury Stardust, the “Trans Handy Ma’am,” (L) meets with fans and poses with the staff at Mojo Books & Records Oct. 15.

PHOTO FROM MOJO BOOKS & RECORDS’ FACEBOOK

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THE JEDI WAY: Nick Capezza (L) and Rick McGuire tap into the force for All Hallows 45 at Bryan Glazer JCC Oct. 21.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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DRAGNIFICENT DIVA: Thorgy Thor performs on the main stage at Sarasota Pride 32. PHOTO

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BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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LOOKING BACK: Outgoing Metro Inclusive Health CEO Lorraine Langlois speaks at the organization’s 30-year celebration Oct. 14. PHOTO

BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

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PAVING THE WAY: Sarasota Pride Grand Marshal Tom Edwards leads the Bike Rally opening the 32nd event Oct. 21.

PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

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HAPPY HAUNTS: (L-R) Constance Panic, Daphne Ferraro, Tim Hinton, Kathryn Nevets, Steve Blanchard and Chi Chi Lalique cast a spell at the Phantom History House’s Party with the Tampa Bay Sanderson Sisters Oct. 21. PHOTO FROM PHANTOM

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HISTORY HOUSE’S FACEBOOK

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CLOSET QUEENS: Closet Ball 2024 Alice Marie Gripp (L) and Founder Rockell Blu strike a pose Oct. 22 during this year’s pageant at Southern Nights Tampa.

PHOTO BY JAMARCUS MOSLEY

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MASQUERADE BALL: Angelique Young strikes a pose during Equality Florida’s 2023 Suncoast Celebration Oct. 14 at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium. PHOTO FROM

EQUALITY FLORIDA’S FACEBOOK

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|

A Queer Podcast Presented by

Hosted By Rick Todd Jeremy Williams

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announcements

CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Artist Nick Smith raised more than $6,600 for Zebra Youth from the opening of his art show fundraiser at The Hammered Lamb. The event, which raised its funds from donated raffle prizes, was presented by Kate Maini and Smith’s Urban Quarters Team, Realty Executives Gallery Properties, on Oct. 12. “It really is amazing to witness the community coming together and making an immediate impact on the neighborhoods we live in. These dollars will change lives for LGBTQ+ youth in Central Florida and we appreciate each and every one of you for your contributions to the cause,” Smith wrote on his Facebook page Oct. 17 along with a photo of himself and Maini presenting the check to Zebra Youth’s executive director Heather Wilkie.

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Former Equality Florida press secretary and bestselling author Brandon Wolf was named to Out Magazine’s 2023 Out 100 list Oct. 17.

José Luis Dieppa was presented with the “2023 Public Relations Professional of the Year Award” by The Healthcare Power Hour this month. The award represents excellence, innovation and professionalism in the field of Public Relations.

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DEPARTURES Alauna Friskics, who has been the Orlando Fringe Festival executive director for the past seven years, announced Oct. 4 that she will be stepping down from her role at the longest running Fringe festival in the U.S. Friskics will remain in her position through Jan. 15 while the board looks “to find the right person to lead the organization into the future.” Friskics’ final event for Orlando Fringe will be the organizations 2024 Winter Mini-Fest in January.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS The Pride Chamber’s Rich Crabtree, Orlando chef Matt Wolfe (Oct. 26); Former Out & About Books owner Robert Bruce Ground, Tako Cheena proprietor Edgardo Guzman, Southern Nights bartender Lance Keller, Orlando occupational therapist Sarah Bapst (Oct. 28); Hope & Help case manager Norm Gentry, Orlando attorney Michael Morris (Oct. 29); Bungalower’s Brendan O’Connor, Florida Academy of Physician Assistants executive director Lolita Jerido, Clear Channel Outdoor’s Brian Fenn, Former Watermark editorial assistant Samantha Rosenthal (Oct. 31); Central Florida Softball League commissioner Bobby Agagnina, Miracle of Love’s Angus Bradshaw Jr., Fitness guru Jennifer Mae, Orlando bartender Juan Miller, Orlando Gay Chorus’ Chip Reif (Nov. 2); Contigo Fund’s foundation manager Joel Morales (Nov. 3); Massage therapist and framer at Framing of Central Florida Kirk Johnston (Nov. 4); Orlando drag entertainer Robert Crane aka Erica Roberts, Orlando realtor Cindy Gregory, Orlando Verizon Wireless employee Ryan Lopez (Nov. 5); Compassion & Choices philanthropy officer Michael Thomas Farmer, Women In Film & Television Florida President Robin Wright (Nov. 6); Orange County school teacher Kevin Hanna (Nov. 8).

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AWARD WINNER: José Luis Dieppa (2nd from R) is presented with the “2023 Public Relations Professional of the Year Award” by (L-R) Whitney Silvia, Janet Schuler, Zach Hudson and Alana Sadhu at Advent Health in Orlando Oct. 13. PHOTO FROM JOSÉ LUIS DIEPPA’S FACEBOOK

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MAKE ‘EM LAUGH: Trixie Deluxxe (L) and Sabrina Ambra host Watermark’s Movies Out Loud at Savoy in Orlando Oct. 19.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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HOME TEAM SUPPORT: Wayne (L) and Lynn Dictor attend the final 2023 home game of the Orlando City Soccer Club at Orlando City Stadium in Orlando Oct. 7. PHOTO FROM LYNN DICTOR’S FACEBOOK

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ARTISTIC FUNDRAISING: Nick Smith (L) and Kate Maini (R) present a check to Zebra Youth Heather Wilkie Oct. 17.

The funds were raised during Smith’s latest art show at The Hammered Lamb. PHOTO FROM

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GALA GAYS: Jerick Mediavilla (L) and event host Carlos Guillermo Smith attend Equality Florida’s Greater Orlando Gala at the Sheraton North Orlando in Maitland Oct. 20. PHOTO

BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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PRIDE KICKOFF: Members of Impulse Group Orlando host the official Come Out With Pride Kick Off Party at The Veranda at Thornton Park in Orlando Oct. 20. PHOTO BY DAISY CHAMBERLIN

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HONORING A QUEEN: Equality Florida’s Nikole Parker presents Darcel Stevens with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the organization’s Greater Orlando Gala at the Sheraton North Orlando in Maitland Oct. 20.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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PURPLE PRIDE: Caitlin Sause (L) and Kalika Perry are ready to celebrate Pride at Watermark’s festival booth at Lake Eola Park in Orlando Oct. 21. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

NICK SMITH’S FACEBOOK

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C E N T R A L

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FREE TRIAL PASS DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH PE/ED OR PAINFUL INTERCOURSE AND WANT TO AVOID PILLS, INJECTIONS, OR SURGERY? CALL 863348663708 FOR A FREE CONVERSATION WITH CENTRAL FLORIDA’S ONLY MOBILE MALE PELVIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST.

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community calendar

EVENT PLANNER

Leather & Cigar Social, Oct. 26, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com

CENTRAL FLORIDA

“Hocus Focus: New Halloween Experience,” Oct. 26-30, Fairgrounds St. Pete, St. Petersburg.

Fairgrounds.Art

Spooky Empire FRIDAY, OCT. 27, 1 P.M.- OCT. 29, 5 P.M. HYATT REGENCY, ORLANDO Spooky Empire returns to celebrate its 20th year of delivering the best sights, sounds and screams to Halloween lovers. Touted as Florida’s Premier Horror Convention, Spooky brings together fans of horror, fantasy, sci-fi and more with a three-day convention filled with celebrities, cosplayers, vendors, tattoo artists and more, and this year promises to be bigger and better as they ring in two decades worth of conventions. One day passes start at $40 with weekend passes starting at $80. For more information, visit SpookyEmpire.com.

Pride in Business Awards and Gala SATURDAY, NOV. 4, 6-10 P.M. HARD ROCK LIVE, ORLANDO The 2023 Pride in Business Awards Gala will honor Central Florida’s stellar LGBTQ+ and ally business owners, professionals and community leaders with awards presented by distinguished guests and business professionals. Hosted by Darcel Stevens and Les Vixen’s Ivy, the event will feature performances by the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Shakes, Opera Orlando and more, as well as a silent auction.

Tickets start at $250 for members and $300 for non-members. More information can be found at ThePrideChamber.org.

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT CENTRAL FLORIDA

Stop the Block Party, Oct. 29, Eau Gallie Civic Center, Melbourne. 321-255-4638; AwakeBrevard.org

52nd Annual Fall Fiesta in the Park, Nov. 4-5, Lake Eola Park, Orlando. 407-855-0606; FiestaInThePark.com

Drag Brunch – Rocky Horror, Oct. 29, Island Time, Orlando. 407-930-2640; IslandTimeOrlando.com

Neil Gaiman in Conversation with Art Spiegelman, Nov. 6, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Halloween on Central 3

Boo at the Zoo, Through Oct. 29, Brevard Zoo, Melbourne.

321-254-9453; BrevardZoo.org

Halloween Sunday Funday Revival, Oct. 29, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando

Leu Gardens’ Happy Frights/Haunting Nights, Through Oct. 31, Leu Gardens, Orlando. 407-246-2620; LeuGardens.org

Brenda’s Bungalower Bingo Birthday Party, Oct. 31, Tactical Brewing Co., Orlando. 407-2023-3303; Bungalower.com

“Nosferatu,” Through Nov. 5, Renaissance Theatre Company, Orlando. RenTheatre.com

Emo Halloween 4: Back From the Dead, Oct. 31, Will’s Pub, Orlando.

407-898-5070; WillsPub.org

An Evening with Fran Lebowitz SATURDAY, NOV. 4, 7:30 P.M. STRAZ CENTER, TAMPA Celebrated author occasional actor Fran Lebowitz brings her unique brand of social commentary to the Straz. The openly LGBTQ+ public speaker will reflect on her books, such as “Metropolitan Life” and “Social Studies” and much more. Tickets begin at $56 and are on sale at Straz.org.

Dharmaween, Oct. 28, Dharma Kava Lounge, Largo. 727-223-9954; DharmaKavaLounge.com

“Star Trek” legend William Shatner beams down to Florida for his Live On Stage tour with stops in Tampa, Melbourne and Sarasota Nov. 8-12. Read our interview with the veteran actor on p. 35.

TAMPA BAY

Halloween on Central returns for its third annual spooktacular, featuring 22 blocks of Central Avenue filled with costumes, candy, entertainment and vendors. The open street costume stroll will close Central Ave. from MLK to 31st Street and feature LGBTQ+ inclusive events like FrankenPride, Cock-OWeen and more, detailed on p. ___.

“The Rocky Horror Halloween Show,” Oct. 28, The Floridian Social, St. Petersburg. 727-322-4600; HellOnHeelsRHPS.com

OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

“Annie,” Through Oct. 29, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

SUNDAY, OCT. 29, 12-5 P.M. CENTRAL AVE., ST. PETERSBURG

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Halloween Weekend, Oct. 27-29, Enigma, St. Petersburg. 727-235-0867; EnigmaStPete.com

Spooky Empire, Oct. 27-29, Hyatt Regency, Orlando. 954-258-7852; SpookyEmpire.com

Maluma, Nov. 3, Amway Center, Orlando. 844-854-1450; AmwayCenter.org

Thornton Park District 10th Annual Halloween Block Party, Oct. 28, Burton’s Thornton Park, Orlando.

407-412-5140; Orlando.gov

Greek Fest 2023, Nov. 3-5, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Maitland. 407-331-4687; OrlandoGreekfest.com

Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull * Ricky Martin: The Trilogy Tour, Nov. 9, Amway Center, Orlando. 844-854-1450; AmwayCenter.org

TAMPA BAY “Beetlejuice,” Through Oct. 29, Straz Center, Tampa.

813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org “Frankenstein,” Through Nov. 12, Jobsite Theater, Tampa. 813-476-7378; JobsiteTheater.org “The Choir of Man,” Through Dec. 10, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

Halloween Party 2023, Oct. 28, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com Psychic Readings & Séance, Oct. 28, Phantom History House, Tampa. 727-656-0478; PhantomHistory.com Halloween Drag Brunch, Oct. 29, Salty Nun, St. Petersburg. 727-329-9994; Facebook.com/SaltyNun Hallow-Queen GaYbor Bar Crawl, Oct. 29, Multiple Venues, Ybor. Facebook.com/ GaYborDistrictCoalition EPIC Halloween Party, Oct. 31, Empath Partners in Care, St. Petersburg. 727-328-5526; MyEPIC.org 1st Saturday Yoga & Meditation, Nov. 4, Skyway Marina, St. Petersburg.

Facebook.com/WeAreTBBL Truth & Justice Dinner, Nov. 5, Hilton Carillon Park, St. Petersburg. 727-327-2796; PinellasDemocrats.org William Shatner, Nov. 8, Straz Center, Tampa.

813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

SARASOTA Monsters Booze Cruise 4, Oct. 27, Marina Plaza, Sarasota.

SarasotaOUT.com

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

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OUT ON N O-TOWN O T 2023 Pride In Business Awards & Gala | Saturday, Nov. 4th Presenting Sponsor:

Keynote by: Todd Delmay, LGBT RIghts Activist & History Making Marriage Equality Plaintiff and presentations by: Justin Nelson, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Orland Mayor Buddy Dyer & U.S. Congressman Maxwell A. Frost Orlando

Performances by:

EMCEE Darcel Stevens

EMCEE Ivy Les Vixens

This is the last call to grab your tickets by scanning the QR code above!

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Schedule a Checkup with a Trusted Physican.

Whether you want the all-clear to go chasing your goals, the peace of mind that you’re firing on all cylinders, or a trusted partner on the road to a healthier you, your primary care journey starts at Orlando Health Physician Associates. Schedule your annual wellness check, flu shot, or health screenings at one of our 50+ Central Florida locations at OrlandoHealth.com/Checkup.

choose well.

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When it comes to your health, you want the best care available. You want Bayfront Health. A connected network of primary and specialized physicians, ERs and a hospital focused on a forward-thinking and innovative approach to wellness. Giving you more reasons to choose well. BayfrontHealth.com