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MY DAD DECEMBER 31, 2014. I spend a lot of time thinking about him every year around Father’s Day. He was a good man. He married my mom, a single mother of five, and raised us all as his own.
My favorite thing about my dad was his sense of humor. If there is anything I got from him, it was certainly a love of terrible jokes. I remember one day, after a baseball game, we were driving past a Taco Bell. Back then Taco Bell called their Mexican pizza the Pizzazz. I begged him to stop, “Dad, I want a pizzazz!” To which he exclaimed, “A piece of what?!?”
It’s bizarrely my favorite memory of him. We laughed so hard at that stupid joke.
It must have been tough for him, stepping in as the father of five, three of which were older and had been raised by someone else. My one brother and I were too little to remember a time before him.
I don’t think I was an easy kid for him either. I was a bit of a momma’s boy who would rather be on stage than on a baseball field. I am sure it was a culture shock for him when I came out, and not one that I think he wanted to deal with, but he did — admirably.
I have another prevalent memory of my dad that didn’t end in laughter. As I alluded to, my family was a baseball family. We went to the baseball fields every weekend and were there all day. My brothers were baseball rockstars as they always made the All-Star teams. Then there was me. Sure, I enjoyed playing, but I wasn’t that good.
I remember I was playing in the Winter Park Little League
near the end of my baseball career. You eventually age out of little league and have to rely on high school sports to carry you further. It was not in the cards for me.
In this particular game my team was down by one run in the bottom of the seventh inning. For the non-sports fans out there, this means it was my team’s last chance to score. I was the lead off batter in our last at bat of the game. I can’t be sure, but I’d bet the people in the dugout and in the stands figured I was good for our first out of the inning. That was also not in the cards for me. Miraculously, I got a hit up the middle.
I made my way to first base and saw my dad on his feet, cheering as if to scream, “That’s my boy!” He made his way down the first base line to stand at the fence right next to me. He was clapping and cheering and I was on cloud nine. Unfortunately I got picked off immediately. I glanced back at my dad and he was shaking his head as he walked back to the stands.
As devastating as that was for me at the time, It makes me laugh to think about now. Although I felt I let him down in that moment, I am sure that he felt he let me down when he found out I saw him shaking his head.
We both stumbled that day, no one is perfect. We all have our off days. It’s how we handle those moments that make us who we are.
Recently, many of us watched our president stumble. There is no way around it, it was a horrible night that brought back a lot of PTSD from the 2016 election. I felt myself shaking my head in disappointment. However, it’s what we do now that defines that moment.
I’ve seen the panic set in on social media, people calling
for a change in the ticket and a contested convention.
I just want to remind everyone that Joe Biden is our current president. He is currently running the country and he has been doing right by us this whole time. There are many more examples of him being the leader we need than there are moments where he stumbles. There are teams of professionals around him that know him much better than all of us. If they have his back, then I have his back. If he stays in the race I fully support him. If he steps out, I fully support his replacement.
I know it is our party’s nature to question everything and I think
Chaos will breed chaos and we can’t afford that.
that makes us strong. Although in this case, I think we need a united front. We need to support our candidate. There is too much at stake. Chaos will breed chaos and we can’t afford that.
This year Watermark celebrates 30 years as your LGBTQ+ news source. Starting with this issue until our 30th Anniversary issue in August, we will highlight the stories that made up our pages with a retrospective look back. This time we take a look at 2019.
We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.
TATIANA QUIROGA is the executive director for Come Out With Pride. She is a proud mother, wife and LGBTQ advocate in Central Florida. Page 17
CONNOR BARRY is a journalist, photographer and a student at the University of Central Florida pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in environmental studies. Page 23
SABRINA AMBRA, ABBY BAKER, STEVE BLANCHARD, DEBORAH BOSTOCKKELLEY, JOHNNY BOYKINS, BIANCA GOOLSBY, JAKOB HERO-SHAW, LORA KORPAR, JASON LECLERC, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, MELODY MAIA MONET, NICHOLAS MACHUCA, TIFFANY RAZZANO, SISTER JUANA REACTION, MOMMA ASHLEY ROSE, GREG STEMM, SYLVIE TREVENA, MICHAEL WANZIE, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI
BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, J.D. CASTO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARCUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT PHOTOGRAPHY
3 PRIDE ORGS JOIN TO CREATE VOLUSIA PRIDE
Victoria Pera
DeLand Pride is joining forces with its two sister prides in Volusia County, Lake Helen Pride and Daytona Pride, extending their impact past one city alone. The nonprofit is branding the new collaboration as Volusia Pride. With this approach, encompassing all three groups together, leaders of the nonprofits say the community in Volusia County will be able to find everything in one spot.
Over the past two years, the DeLand Pride community has grown immensely. Leaders of the sister prides and DeLand Pride strongly believe in the strength of numbers.
Heather McLean, Executive Director of DeLand Pride and the Vice President supporting their 501(c)3 nonprofit talks highly of the collaboration between the three cities.
“You need more volunteers to do more things, especially in geographically different areas. So, when folks from Lake Helen came up to us and said it was important to them that they have their own group. We helped them by having them under our umbrella,” says McLean.
McLean says there are many pros that come with collaborating amongst other like-minded communities.
“From a paperwork and kind of bureaucracy standpoint, it’s easier for these groups to do good work when we don’t have to do three times the amount of tax filings and that kind of thing,” says McLean.
Another plus this extension provides is more visibility when it comes to advocating at the county level.
“We’ve really expanded into a much bigger team. We now have co-chairs of our advocacy committee, which allows us to do more work on advocating for the community at the school board or county level,” says McLean.
Volusia Pride has many important things in the works and leaders of the nonprofit are excited for the future of this group. McLean says the organization is at the beginning stages of moving into a bigger space where they will be able to offer mental health counseling services for anyone in the community that needs it.
The team has already started some partnerships with licensed mental health counselors that will offer services directly through the organization. Another goal of this new location and bigger space is to have a chance for more family friendly events, such as a family movie night.
The message that DeLand Pride wants to get out into the community is that they are not changing, rather growing. The rebranding of Volusia Pride is simply to show strength in numbers.
Volusia Pride’s goal is for those already living in the county to find it as a community where they can always feel welcomed and celebrated for who they are.
central florida news
Pride 2025
One Magical Weekend to move 2025 events for WorldPride
Jeremy Williams
ORLANDO | One Magical Weekend is moving its 2025 events, along with its Bear Jamboree events in partnership with Orlando Bear Pride, from the traditional first weekend in June to avoid being held on the same weekend as WorldPride 2025.
The events will now take place from May 29-June 2, 2025.
“Our goal is to support WorldPride’s efforts to facilitate and inspire the LGBTQIA+ community in every aspect as we celebrate Pride Month,” said Tom Christ, co-founder of One Magical Weekend, in a press release. “We have always kicked off Pride Month in Orlando by hosting our event the first weekend in June, but with WorldPride slated for that weekend we are moving our event date. With aligned missions, we would like to give people the opportunity to experience both events rather than making what may be a difficult decision to choose one.”
Joseph Clark, owner of GayDayS, said in an email to Watermark that
GayDayS’ annual events would remain on the first full weekend of June, which will be June 5-8, 2025. Watermark reached out to Girls in Wonderland to see which weekend the group’s female-focused events would be held on but have not heard back as of press; however, the Girls in Wonderland website does show the date for its 2025 events, which is also its 25th anniversary, as May 29-June 2.
Orlando’s annual event began in June 1991 with the first Saturday of the month at Disney’s Magic Kingdom as a way to bring visibility to the LGBTQ+ community. The first Saturday of next year will be June 7, 2025.
“We welcome all to join us the weekend before to celebrate here in Orlando, especially those international travelers who may want to experience Walt Disney World® Resort for the first time,” said Christ. “We invite our visitors to experience the magic that is Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and, of course, our own Iconic event Riptide at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Waterpark!”
InterPride, the organization that puts on the WorldPride events, announced in 2022 that it would be bringing its international celebration to Washington, D.C., in 2025 with a series of events running from May 23-June 8. D.C. was chosen as next year marks the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the nation’s capital.
While WorldPride events will take place over a 16-day period, the major events will take place in the final five days of the celebration, including the Human Rights Conference, running June 4-6; a music festival, running June 6-7; the parade, being held on June 7; and the Pride festival and concert, taking place June 7-8. Other events happening as part of WorldPride include DC Black Pride on May 23-26, the international choral festival happening May 23-June 8, a sports festival May 31-June 4, WorldPride’s opening ceremony on May 30 and its closing ceremony on June 8.
“The Capital Pride Alliance is excited to partner with One Magical Weekend in 2025, as we bring WorldPride to Washington, DC,” said Ryan Bos, a representative for The Capital Pride Alliance, in a statement. “With the new dates, you can have fun partying in the Florida sun then travel up to our Nation’s Capital to keep the party going for what will be a powerful, inspiring, and momentous WorldPride.”
ONE WEEK: One Magical Weekend will move its annual events, including its RED Party (pictured), a week earlier in 2025.
PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS
SECOND FLORIDA OUTCOAST CONVENTION SET FOR AUGUST
Ryan Williams-Jent
ST. PETERSBURG | The second annual Florida OutCoast Convention will be held Aug. 12-14 at the Loews Coral Gables, once again focusing on the state’s LGBTQ+ tourism industry.
“We invite destination leaders, agencies and tourism professionals both within and outside of Florida to join us in conversations on how to effectively and authentically reach, support and better understand the LGBTQ+ traveler,” FLOCC’s website reads. Interested parties are encouraged to “FLOCC together to learn, network and strategize.”
FLOCC is hosted by the Tampa Bay-based OutCoast LLC, which supports LGBTQ+-inclusive businesses, destinations and experiences through blogging, networking and other initiatives. Last year’s inaugural convention, the first of its kind, made history when it welcomed nearly 150 industry experts to Tampa.
“It was an honor to unite so many tourism industry experts and LGBTQ+ leaders in one space for learning and networking,” OutCoast CEO Rachel Covello told Watermark afterwards. “The connections and collaborations made in only three days are a testament to what can be accomplished when efforts are made to focus on inclusive tourism.
“Florida is a state that has historically welcomed all people,” she continued. “We will continue our work until our LGBTQ+ family feels invited and embraced in all corners of the sunshine state.”
This year’s Coral Gables-based convention will once again feature educational sessions, networking events, an interactive marketplace and an awards gala. Subject matter experts will address digital marketing trends, highlight how to integrate LGBTQ+ history into travel, provide transgender sensitivity training, help attendees create an inclusive, long-term impact in their fields and much more.
Registration is $899 per person. It includes access to an opening cocktail reception/event, the full convention, this year’s awards gala/cocktail reception and meals throughout the conference which is supported by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and other organizations.
“This convention is an opportunity to gain critical insights into the needs of LGBTQ+ travelers, understand the latest trends and legislation, and connect with key leaders and influencers in the industry,” OutCoast shared in a press release June 26. “This unique opportunity allows professionals to advance their knowledge, build valuable connections and support the growth of LGBTQ+ tourism.”
FLOCC 2024 will be held at Loews Coral Gables, located at 2950 Coconut Grove Dr. in Coral Gables. For more information and to register, email FLOCC@OutCoast.com and visit FLOCC.LGBT.
tampa bay news
Official Outreach
Tampa Police Department holds inaugural Pride with the Police Chloe Wagner
TAMPA | The Tampa Police Department held Pride with the Police June 28 at CAN Community Health, highlighting their efforts to protect the LGBTQ+ community.
Pride with the Police was presented in partnership with the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber. Attendees met with Detective Christie Shiver, TPD’s LGBTQ+ liaison, while learning about the department’s Safe Place initiative.
Shiver became LGBTQ+ liaison in March. She initially started out as a 911 operator and dispatcher and became a law enforcement officer with TPD in 2015.
The LGBTQ+ liaison’s purpose is “to strengthen the relationship between the members of Tampa’s LGBTQ+ community and their public servants in the Tampa Police Department,” she says. As liaison, Shiver proudly serves as the bridge between the community of which
she’s a part and the city’s police department.
“If I can humanize the person behind the badge for one community member who may have had previous hesitation in reaching out to law enforcement, that is a successful development in a public service relationship,” she explains.
Shiver notes that “two-way communication allows the department to showcase its commitment to fair and inclusive policing, while also creating a safe space for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community to ask questions, voice concerns and build positive relationships with officers.”
The event introduced the new Safe Place decals for businesses registered in the program. Unregistered businesses had the opportunity to learn about TPD’s initiative and register if interested.
The program’s mission is to provide the community with easily accessible places they can turn to if they are a victim of crime by providing colorful decals to
place at the entrances of Tampa establishments. The decal was recently updated and mirrors TPD’s “newest commemorative badge authorized by the department to strengthen bonds with the community.”
The badges feature the Progressive Pride colors, are not taxpayer-funded and are voluntarily worn by officers on authorized dates throughout the year. Shiver says it “is not just about optics, the goal is to open dialogue and provide a conversation starter between those in the community and the officers of the department.”
Shiver hopes initiatives like this and events like Pride with the Police will reinvigorate the Safe Place program.
“I am here to listen to your concerns, answer your questions and be a resource for the LGBTQ+ community,” she says. “Whether you have had a positive or negative experience with the police, I want to hear about it.
“Most importantly, if you have been the victim of a crime, we want you to feel safe reporting that to any member of the Tampa Police Department,” she continues. “… Ultimately, my goal is to create a more inclusive community for everyone and to ensure that in Tampa we are all safer, together.”
View photos at WatermarkOnline.com. For more information about TPD’s Safe Place initiative, visit Tampagov.net/TPDSafePlace.
TAMPA PROUD: Tampa Police Department LGBTQ+ Liaison Det. Christie Shiver at Pride with the Police June 28. PHOTO
BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT
IS FLORIDA IN PLAY FOR BIDEN? STATE SEN.-ELECT AND RECENT POLLS SAY YES
Jeremy Williams
As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump prepare for a rematch of the 2020 presidential election, each candidate is looking to secure every vote they can, especially in swing states that are likely to decide the 2024 election.
Many didn’t have Florida on the list of those battleground states as Trump won the state in 2016 and 2020, however newly elected Florida Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith says don’t count Florida in the red column just yet.
“President Biden is delivering on issues that matter to voters in the state,” says Guillermo Smith. “It’s better jobs, it’s lower costs, it’s a steadfast commitment to protecting Social Security and Medicare. … There’s a lot of evidence not only that folks [in Florida] are moving towards Democrats but they’ve grown
tired of these obsessive culture war attacks coming from Republicans like Rick Scott and Donald Trump that do absolutely nothing to improve their lives.”
Recent polls indicate Guillermo Smith may have reason to be feeling confident in Biden’s Florida performance. A Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research poll released last month shows Trump’s Florida lead over Biden is narrowing with 43% of likely voters expressing support for Trump, compared to 37% backing Biden. This reflects a slight tightening from April when Trump led Biden 49% to 40%.
Guillermo Smith also points to several Democratic victories in Florida since Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election win in 2022 to show the state’s readiness to elect more Democrats.
“We saw that Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan was elected in Duval County in a historic election last year in a traditionally
conservative area of the state. We also saw … in Orlando, Democratic State Rep. Tom Keane won a special election for state House just a few months ago that was a +11 DeSantis seat,” he says. “Floridians want problem solvers, people who are going to tackle real issues and that’s what President Biden and Democrats in Florida have been doing.”
Something else that is likely to help Biden’s chances in Florida are two state constitutional amendments on the ballot this November — Amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana for adults ages 21 and older, and Amendment 4, which would establish the right to an abortion up until fetal viability or at any point to protect the patient’s health. Both are issues expected to help turn out the progressive vote in Florida.
The Biden-Harris campaign has also stepped up its focus on LGBTQ+ voters for Pride Month.
“President Biden has been a huge champion for curbing discrimination against LGBTQ people,” Guillermo Smith says. “For making sure that every student is protected in our public schools who identifies as LGBTQ, to make sure that every family is respected as well. And there’s no greater example than the Biden administration’s recent release of Title IX protections.”
The Biden administration’s rule extending Title IX civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ students would also expand the definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges, and adds safeguards for victims. Title IX bars sex discrimination in education.
Biden’s efforts to expand Title IX hit some roadblocks in June with federal judges temporarily blocking it in several states. But even as his administration continues to work on those expansions, Guillermo Smith points out that
Biden has not only been the most pro-LGBTQ+ president in our country’s history, but he has also been a champion for young people.
“He’s been able to offer relief to millions of Americans through student loan debt forgiveness and cancellation. He has been ... making historic moves through his office and working through Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to prevent gun violence. He opened the first ever office of gun violence prevention thanks to his partnership with Orlando’s own Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost,” he says. “These are issues that young voters deeply care about and it’s really, really important that folks remember this when they’re casting their ballots.”
The 2024 presidential election will be Nov. 5. Learn more at Vote.org.
BIDEN PARDONS EX-SERVICE MEMBERS CONVICTED UNDER NOW-REPEALED GAY SEX BAN
Wire Report
WASHINGTON |
President Joe Biden pardoned potentially thousands of former U.S. service members convicted of violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex, saying June 26 that he is “righting an historic wrong” to clear the way for them to regain lost benefits.
Biden’s action grants a pardon to service members who were convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s former Article 125, which criminalized sodomy. The law, which has been on the books since 1951, was rewritten in 2013 to prohibit only forcible acts.
Those covered by the pardon will be able to apply to receive proof that their conviction has been erased, petition to have their discharges from the military upgraded and move to recover lost pay and benefits.
“Today, I am righting an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves,” Biden said in a statement. “We have a sacred obligation to all of our service members –- including our brave LGBTQI+ service members: to properly prepare and equip them when they are sent into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home. Today we are making progress in that pursuit.”
The president’s use of his pardon powers occurred during Pride Month and his action came just days before a high-profile fundraiser with LGBTQ+ donors in New York. Biden is trying to rally support within the Democratic-leaning community ahead of the presidential election.
Modern Military, the nation’s largest organization of LGBTQ+ service members and their families,
said the decision was a “historic step towards justice and equality,” and called on the military to approve the pardons quickly.
Administration officials declined to say why Biden did not act on the pardons sooner.
This is the third categorical pardon by Biden — using his clemency powers to cover a broad group of people convicted of particular crimes — after moves in 2022 and 2023 to pardon those convicted federally for possessing marijuana.
The White House estimates that several thousand service members will be covered — the majority convicted before the military instituted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 1993 that eased the way for LGBTQ+ troops to serve if they didn’t disclose their sexual orientation. That policy was repealed in 2011, when Congress allowed for their open service in the military.
A US OFFICIANT MARRIES 10 SAME-SEX COUPLES IN HONG KONG VIA VIDEO CHAT
Wire Report
HONG KONG | Ten same-sex couples got married in the United States over the internet from Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern Chinese city that does not formally recognize such unions but offers them legal protections.
The June 25 event was timed to mark Pride Month, with a registered officiant from the American state of Utah making their marriages official. Most states require the couple to appear in person to fill out paperwork and present identification, but Utah does not, and its digital application process has made it a go-to for online weddings since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Family members gathered in a hotel wedding hall in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district as couples
exchanged rings, then raised their glasses in a toast.
“I hope one day that everybody would accept the fact that love is not just between a man and a woman. It’s between two people who love each other,” said Lucas Peng, a 66-year-old Singaporean businessperson living in Hong Kong, and one of the 20 people tying the knot in the semi-virtual event.
“In Hong Kong, there’s not yet a way to go to a marriage registry to get married, but there’s still this way we can offer for them to realize their dreams of getting married,” wedding organizer Kurt Tung said.
Keeping with cultural and religious traditions, Hong Kong only recognizes weddings between a man and a woman. Self-governing Taiwan is the closest place that issues same-sex marriages, and Hong Kong recognizes those couples’ legal rights, though
the city doesn’t call them marriages. It has no laws banning same-sex relationships.
In September, Hong Kong’s top court ruled that the local government should provide a legal framework for recognizing same-sex partnerships, including rights to inheritance, joint custody of children, taxation, spousal visas and benefits from employment.
That came after LGBTQ+ rights activist Jimmy Sham, who married his husband in New York in 2013, raised a challenge at the city’s Court of Final Appeal that Hong Kong’s laws violated the constitutional right to equality. That contrasts with the increasingly conservative political tone in the Asian financial hub, where edicts from the authoritarian Communist Party leadership in Beijing have led to criticism from around the world that it’s squashing democratic rights and free speech.
IN OTHER NEWS
SUPREME COURT WILL TAKE UP STATE BANS ON GENDERAFFIRMING CARE FOR MINORS
The Supreme Court jumped into the fight over transgender rights June 24, agreeing to hear an appeal from the Biden administration seeking to block state bans on gender-affirming care. The case before the high court involves a law in Tennessee that restrict puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The federal appeals court in Cincinnati allowed laws in Tennessee and Kentucky to take effect after they had been blocked by lower courts. The high court did not act on a separate appeal from Kentucky. Arguments will take place in the fall.
CLUB Q SHOOTER PLEADS GUILTY TO 50 FEDERAL HATE CRIMES
The shooter who killed five people and injured 19 others at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ club that was a refuge in the conservative city of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes and was sentenced to 55 life terms in prison June 18. The 24-year-old is already serving life in prison after pleading guilty to state charges last year. Federal prosecutors focused on proving that the Nov. 19, 2022, attack at the haven for LGBTQ+ people was premeditated and fueled by bias. U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney, the first openly gay federal judge in Colorado, heard heart-wrenching testimony from victims before accepting the agreement, which also includes a total of 190 years on gun-related charges.
ARKANSAS REINSTATES RULE ELIMINATING ‘X’ OPTION ON IDS
The Arkansas Supreme Court reinstated an agency rule June 24 prohibiting residents from using “X” instead of male or female on state-issued driver’s licenses or identification cards. In a one-page order, justices stayed a lower-court ruling that had blocked the new rule that also made it more difficult for transgender people to change the sex listed on their IDs and licenses. The court did not elaborate for its reasons on staying the decision.
THAILAND MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL RECEIVES FINAL APPROVAL
The Thai Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill June 18 that will extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The measure passed by a 152-130 vote margin with four senators voting against it and 18 abstaining. The Thai House of Representatives in April approved the marriage equality bill, with 400 of 415 lawmakers who participated in the vote backing it. Taiwan and Nepal are the two other Asian jurisdictions that allow same-sex couples to legally marry.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE
What do you say?
AS
SOMEONE IN MY mid-40’s who is not a digital native, I have a somewhat trivial and love-hate relationship with social media. I often find myself rolling my eyes at some ridiculous posts and wasting precious seconds of my life on others — both are moments I can never get back. However, more recently, I posted a Facebook memory from several years ago. It was a meme simply asking, “You meet your 18-year-old self. You are allowed to say 3 words. What do you say?” To kick start the conversation, I shared that I would tell myself “It gets better.”
At the time, I was a freshman at UCF, experiencing my first real exposure to queerness. I didn’t know what I was, but I certainly knew what I wasn’t. Taken straight from the script of a melodramatic ‘90s lesbian flick, I realized that I was falling in love with my straight roommate. Spoiler alert: it was an epic disaster. I found myself spinning in a whirlpool of endless questions, ever-evolving self-discovery, lack of direction, absolutely no guidance and family rejection; everything felt overwhelming. I didn’t even recognize myself. Like countless other queer youth, I was kidnapped by darkness, despair and depression.
Therefore, as in a Hallmark Channel Christmas classic, I wish I could go back as a ghostly fairy godmother figure and whisper into my ear, “It gets better.” It gets much better. It gets so, so much better. And, 28 years later, I can confidently say — it is actually great! Even on the low days, I can still give thanks.
Originally, my post was meant to be an opportunity for us to inspire each other and perhaps spark a sense of gratitude. However, as I kept receiving Facebook notifications, I began to notice a common theme — a recurring sense of regret. There was a weightiness to the three words that many of my fellow queer community members shared. I could sense the sadness, the caution and the remorse. Having been involved in the LGBTQIA+ movement for years, I am fully aware of the challenges and struggles we face, our history and our aspirations. But this particular post was intended to be a simple, lighthearted discussion starter. Instead, it led me down a path of introspection, sparking numerous questions and ultimately altering my perspective. I understood that our shared experiences are not easy and deviate from the traditional American dream. However, the collective trauma seemed to leap off my screen and ring in my ears. It became evident to me that even those who had the privilege of a less turbulent journey still bore the weight of breaking away from societal narrative and norms. It appeared as if going against the grain in pursuit of our authentic selves created some level of trauma. This, to me, illustrates the firm grip and influence that heteronormative, white upper-class Anglo-Saxon expectations have on us, regardless of our gender, sex, race, religion, ethnicity, ability or country of origin.
viewpoint
My work in the LGBTQIA+ community is my passion, my life’s calling. I know I have an unhealthy entanglement and affair between my personal and professional lives, with such blurred lines that I’ve lost part of myself. Yet, I’m in love with her. When I do this
We carry this collective pain as our burden and our load. After much thought, I realized that at Come Out With Pride, I am creating spaces for our 18-year-old queer selves, who were inside us fighting to emerge and come out. All we wanted then and now is the freedom
As we each carry our crosses, we cannot allow it to define us. But instead at special moments such as Pride, we come together to find collective comfort, remind ourselves that we
I posted a Facebook memory from several years ago. It was a meme simply asking, ‘You meet your 18-year-old self. You are allowed to say 3 words. What do you say?’
work and organize for the community, I envision my audience of different faces and scenarios that I hope I’m helping, never really knowing the impact. But, with this post, I empathize and feel our collective trauma. The fear. The rejection. The addiction. The mental anguish. The uncertainty and unknown.
and the liberation to be our authentic selves. Therefore, I think about my 18-year-old lost, foolish self and give her grace for not knowing and love her for all her faults and fuck-ups. And I’ve learned and acknowledge that the work I’m doing now is to help heal her and the countless other 18-year-olds trapped in our memories who need to be in a place of love, belonging and acceptance.
are not alone and celebrate who we are then and especially NOW!
Tatiana Quiroga is the executive director for Come Out With Pride. She is a proud mother, wife and LGBTQ advocate in Central Florida.
Tatiana Quiroga
15 Years
2 NIGHTS ONLY NOVEMBER 15-16
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, BEER GARDEN, UNLIMITED TASTINGS
1 Owner Rick Todd (L) and founder Tom Dyer cut the cake at Watermark’s 25th anniversary celebration in August.
PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD
2 Gov. Ron DeSantis is sworn in as the 46th governor of Florida in January.
3 Jazell Barbie Royale makes history as the first Black trans woman to be crowned Miss International Queen in Thailand in April. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD
4 Nikki Fried begins her role as Florida’s first female Agriculture Commissioner in January.
5 Actor Jussie Smollett alleged he was attacked in Chicago in January. It was later found that Smollett staged the attack. PHOTO COURTESY THE CHICAGO PD
6 LGBTQ+ advocates celebrate 50 years since Stonewall at WorldPride in New York City. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO
7 Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ+ community at the closing of the region’s Flamingo Resort. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT
8 Florida Rep. Shevrin Jones announces his run for the state’s District 35 Senate seat in 2019.
PHOTO FROM SEN. JONES’ FACEBOOK
9 Lil Nas X became the first out LGBTQ+ man to ever be nominated for a CMA award, and the first to win with “Old Town Road.”
PHOTO FROM LIL NAS X’S FACEBOOK
10 Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (2nd from L) and her family celebrate her historic inauguration.
5 YEARS AGO
MOST POPULAR SONG:
“Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
BEST SELLING ALBUM: “Lover” Taylor Swift HIGHEST RATED TV SHOW: “NCIS” HIGHEST GROSSING FILM: “Avengers: Endgame”
BEST PICTURE OSCAR RELEASED 2019: “Parasite” OUT CELEBRITIES: Lil Nas X, Willow Smith, Stormy Daniels, Julianne Hough, Eugene Lee Yang (The Try Guys), David Matheson (Former conversion therapist), Anthony Bowens (Professional Wrestler) STATES WITH MARRIAGE EQUALITY: 50
ON THE COVER
Pete Buttigieg, who has served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana since 2012, came out as a gay man in a self-penned essay published by the South Bend Tribune on June 16, 2015. In April of this year, he declared his candidacy for president of the United States.
Buttigieg spoke with Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segel by phone ahead of the Human Rights Campaign’s LGBTQ+-focused presidential town hall which aired on CNN Oct. 10.
In honor of Watermark’s 30th anniversary, publisher Rick Todd continues the tradition of reviewing our past remarkable years. On this page he reviews Watermark’s 25th anniversary year, 2019.
LOOKING BACK:
Rick Todd, Publisher
WAS A YEAR FOR the LGBTQ+ record books. It was a year of firsts, a year of closings and a year where Gov. Ron DeSantis began his reign against LGBTQ+ rights.
DeSantis was sworn in as governor of Florida at the beginning of 2019. We got the first glimpse of his coming battles with the LGBTQ+ community when he immediately issued an executive order to reaffirm the state’s commitment to diversity, failing to mention anything about sexual orientation or gender identity. Our community suffered other setbacks in 2019. The Supreme Court upheld Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military service, a federal judge struck down Tampa’s ban on conversion therapy and although the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, it died in the Senate.
However, the year was marked by a series of milestones that left us with plenty to celebrate. New Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried started her term in office by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to her department’s list of workplace protections. She continued to make us proud by appointing the department’s first ever LGBTQ+ liaison, Nik Harris. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg made history when he announced his candidacy as the first openly gay candidate for U.S. President. Taiwan became the first country in Asia to allow marriage equality and the Inaugural National
Transgender Visibility March took place in Washington, D.C. GayDayS Inc moved its long-standing events away from June to August, prompting the newly formed Kindred Pride Foundation to promote Red Shirt Pride Days in an effort to keep the spirit of the first weekend of June in Central Florida alive.
Jussie Smollett reported he was attacked in an anti-gay and racially motivated hate crime. The Chicago police department’s investigation led to information that the attack was faked as a way to advance the actor’s career. While Metro Inclusive Health announced its grand re-opening with a state-of-the-art community center, we said goodbye to Blue Star’s The Venue in Orlando, Hamburger Mary’s in Tampa and Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg.
Black drag won big in 2019 with Darcel Stevens winning Miss Continental Plus and Jazell Barbie Royal winning Miss International Queen. Jazell was the second American to win the competition and the first Black trans woman to take the honor.
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talking points
I think the ‘X-Men’ film I’m in is the gayest film that I’ve ever done … It’s got a queer director, lots of queer actors in it. I love the fact that something so mainstream and so in the comic book world is so queer.
— ALAN
CUMMING ON PLAYING NIGHTCRAWLER IN 2003’S “X2: X-MEN UNITED,” JUNE 2024
IT WAS A BANNER NIGHT FOR QUEER THEATER ARTISTS AT THE 77TH ANNUAL TONY AWARDS, HONORING THE BEST IN BROADWAY, ON JUNE 16. Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” which follows three friends as their lives change over the course of 20 years, told in reverse chronological order, picked up the awards for Best Revival of a Musical and Best Orchestrations. Jonathan Groff picked up his first Tony Award for his leading role in the show, while his costar Daniel Radcliffe earned his first Tony Award for featured performance. Sarah Paulson won her first Tony Award for her starring role in the play “Appropriate,” about a family coming to terms with the legacy of their slave-owning ancestors as they attempt to sell their late father’s estate. It was her first nomination and win. The big winners of the night were the adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel “The Outsiders,” which dominated the musical categories, earning Best Director, Sound Design, Lighting Design and Best Musical, and “Stereophonic,” which dominated the play categories, winning the awards for Best Play, Featured Actor, Director, Sound Design and Scenic Design.
LILY GLADSTONE, CORD JEFFERSON AMONG THOSE INVITED TO JOIN FILM ACADEMY
ACTORS LILY GLADSTONE, DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH AND CATHERINE O’HARA and filmmakers Cord Jefferson and Boots Riley are among the lucky few who have been invited to join the film academy. In total 487 artists, including actors, directors, costume designers, publicists and executives received invitations this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said June 25. Those who accept will be able to vote in the Oscars race. Should all invited say yes, the academy will have 9,934 voting members with 35% women, 20% from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities and 20% international. The invitees include a total of 19 Oscar-winners and 71 nominees.
BOBBY BERK MAY HIT CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR BIDEN
INTERIOR DESIGNER AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY
BOBBY BERK TALKED WITH THE BIDEN-HARRIS 2024 team
June 25 about “going on the road, going on the campaign trail, and maybe speaking” at the Democratic National Convention. “I had a great meeting” with the president’s team, he said during a brief interview with the Washington Blade just ahead of the White House Pride celebration, which was headlined by first lady Jill Biden. Berk, who appeared on the first eight seasons of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” says he is excited “to support an administration that has 100 percent support in our community.” “That’s what’s so amazing about this administration is they are for everyone, not just for a select few,” he said.
‘INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE’ RENEWED FOR THIRD SEASON
AMC’S HIT SERIES
“INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE,” BASED ON THE POPULAR ANNE RICE BOOK of the same name, has been renewed for a third season. The show follows Louis, played by Jacob Anderson, a vampire from New Orleans who shares with journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) his life story and volatile relationship with fellow vampire Lestat (Sam Reid). The announcement came days before the show’s second season finale on June 30. According to Deadline, season three will follow Lestat as he starts a band and goes on tour. Seasons one and two of “Interview with the Vampire” are available to stream on AMC+. No release date for season three has been announced.
83.1% OF SAME-SEX MARRIED COUPLES WHO WERE ASKED HOW marriage CHANGED their lives REPORTED POSITIVE CHANGES IN THEIR SENSE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, 74.6% REPORTED POSITIVE CHANGES IN
AND 61% REPORTED BECOMING
What it means to be intersex and how they are often forgotten in the larger LGBTQ+ conversation
WConnor Barry
HILE LGBTQ+ VISIBILITY IS higher today than ever before, there are still parts of the community that are misunderstood or forgotten. Many know what LGBTQ stands for, but often what comes after the plus is ignored.
The extended acronym, LGBTQIA+, includes ‘I’ for intersex, a community often forgotten when talking about the queer community and LGBTQIA+ Pride.
This is why it was so important, that during this past Pride Month, Orlando flew an updated version of the LGBTQIA+ flag that includes the intersex flag in it, adding the yellow triangle with a purple circle within it. With this inclusion it is also important to educate ourselves and each other on the intersex community.
According to United Nations: Free & Equal, a campaign of the United Nations Human Rights Office, people who are intersex were born with chromosome patterns or sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. Often confused with transgender people, intersex people are distinctly different. Differing from male and female chromosome patterns, XY and XX, intersex patterns can also be a range of other chromosome combinations including XXY, XXX, XYXY, XXXY or XO. Overall, there are more than 30 medically classified intersex variations. Some variations cause intersex traits that are visible at birth, others aren’t noticeable until CONTINUED ON PG. 26 | uu |
BY
PHOTO
DYLAN TODD
puberty and some variations are not physically visible at all.
For example, according to the intersex advocacy group interACT, people with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome are born with testes and XY chromosomes, but they are immune to androgens such as testosterone. As a result, they are unable to develop a penis and scrotum leading to genital differences like developing a vulva and clitoris or even breasts at puberty.
Another example is complete gonadal dysgenesis, or Swyer syndrome. This occurs when a baby is born with XY chromosomes but does not develop testes, rather they often develop a vulva and small uterus prenatally as well as tissue that is neither testis nor ovary, according to the interACT website.
These variations often come with a spectrum of bodily differences that make it difficult to categorize intersex individuals as either male or female. As a result of this, intersex people often face unnecessary surgeries and discrimination both in and out of the LGBTQ+ community.
Juleigh Mayfield is an intersex woman and one of the biggest intersex advocates in Florida. Over the last 10 years, she has worked to educate people on what it means to be intersex and has fought for intersex rights and equal treatment, both socially and legally. Now she is starting up her first nonprofit organization, Interclusions, to increase her range and create a safe place with resources for intersex individuals.
“It will be community based and offer help to people that are just finding out they are intersex,” says Mayfield. “We will provide a safe place for people to come to navigate with other intersex people, maybe even find people that are also suffering from their different genetic variations. Whether that be PCOS or AIS, or whether it be more direct like XXY or XXX or XO.”
Mayfield says that within the over 30 different intersex variations are also a range of different ways people, and their bodies, can be affected. This is why it can be difficult to find others dealing with the same things you are; something Interclusions looks to assist with.
Mayfield also hopes that Interclusions will help to bridge the gap between the intersex community and the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as non-intersex and cisgender people. She says that doing so can significantly help the intersex community since most people have no idea what intersex really means.
“A lot of people, even in my work, will say, ‘Oh, you’re a
and a fully functional female reproductive system, but this cannot occur in humans. Even within the LGBTQIA+ community this misinformation is prevalent.
“Trans individuals have started to reclaim that word, but that doesn’t make it exist,” Mayfield says. “Saying that you are [a hermaphrodite] confuses people that think that means you’re intersex. Or you’ll have people that are not really sure in the
Confusion and misinformation like this are one of the biggest causes of a lot of intersex struggles, since most people do not understand them, they often face mistreatment or ignorance in their daily lives.
Misinformation harms the intersex community even beyond people not understanding them physically. For decades, false information has been painting a terrible picture of intersex people
We will provide a safe place for people to come to navigate with other intersex people, maybe even find people that are also suffering from their different genetic variations.
— JULEIGH MAYFIELD,
hermaphrodite,’ but that doesn’t exist in human form,” says Mayfield. “It’s not possible in human biology but that ends up becoming a pejorative for how people feel about it. … Or a lot of people will say, “Well that means you’re trans,’ but no. About 2% of the world’s population is intersex and only 2% of that number identifies as trans.”
While the terms are often confused with each other, hermaphrodites are very different from intersex people.
A hermaphrodite is an organism that has both a fully functional male reproductive system
trans community, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, I’m intersex,’ but they’re not.”
As Mayfield says, intersex people are often mistaken as being transgender because they do not always look the way that non-intersex people expect them to.
“I know a man that is XXX. Phenotypically he’s all male, but his chromosomal pattern is straight female on the inside. … I also know a woman who was born phenotypically female on the outside, but at two years old they realized that she was born with testes instead of ovaries,” says Mayfield.
them and encourages parents of intersex children to make them fit better with what society deems to be “normal.” This leads to the biggest issue that the intersex community is trying to tackle, unnecessary surgeries.
“One of the things that the intersex community strives for is getting rid of unnecessary surgery at birth. [For example,] ambiguous genitalia or doctors telling you that you’ve got to pick one or they’re not going to fit into society … That’s part of the fear mongering,” says Mayfield.
According to UNFE, these irreversible surgeries can lead to permanent infertility, pain, loss of sexual sensation, mental suffering and depression. Mayfield gives an example of this in a friend of hers, whose testes were removed at birth because their parents chose to raise them as female.
“Those testes were made the way they were made for her body, so when she hit puberty, her body reacted the way it would have had they left the testes inside. Now she doesn’t have those, and she doesn’t have ovaries either,” says Mayfield.
In their intersex fact sheet, UNFE refers to these surgeries, which are frequently performed on people far too young to consent to them, as potential violations of “their rights to physical integrity, to be free from torture and ill-treatment, and to live free from harmful practices.”
UNFE also goes as far as to say that these surgeries should not be permitted because of the severe harm they cause to intersex people.
Many of the surgeries that some intersex youths are forced to endure are not even motivated by medical needs, rather aesthetic or social reasons are often the bigger factor. Mayfield says that it is ridiculous these surgeries are even allowed to happen.
that has continued to alienate them for their differences.
“For XXY’s they said for the longest time that ‘they’re going to grow up to be incarcerated, they’re not going to have a lot of friends … they’re going to be mean to pets, maybe a serial killer,’” says Mayfield. “Especially in western civilization, they’ve told parents to abort us because we don’t fit the binary and nobody’s going to know what to do with us.”
Mayfield says that this type of misinformation continues the problems intersex people face because it makes people afraid of
“We should cut your penis off and make it a vagina because that looks a little better? But then that girl at five or six starts to have complications and they’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t know why but she’s developing as a boy,’” says Mayfield.
Along with unnecessary surgeries, intersex people often spend their entire lives dealing with ignorant doctors. Medical discrimination is a huge challenge that the intersex community faces. Even within the medical community, intersex people are often misunderstood, and
CELEBRATING PRIDE: Juleigh Mayfield (center) rides on Watermark’s float during Come Out With Pride’s Most Colorful Parade in downtown Orlando in 2021. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD
their problems misdiagnosed or disregarded by doctors who are uninformed.
According to the UNFE fact sheet, “Health-care professionals often lack the needed training, knowledge and understanding to take into account the specific health needs of intersex persons, provide appropriate healthcare, and respect the autonomy and rights of intersex persons to physical integrity and health.”
This is something that Mayfield herself has had to endure many times in her life.
“I have to teach every doctor that I sit in front of … and say, ‘I’m not crazy, I found out at 17 that I have an extra X, and this is what’s happened to me throughout my life,’” says Mayfield.
She was misdiagnosed with adolescent hemorrhoids when she began having a menstrual cycle at 12 years old and the doctors could not understand why she was bleeding. It was not until her 40’s that Mayfield finally found out the truth after visiting the National Institute of Health for a series of exams.
Mayfield has even experienced doctors trying to come up with explanations for her ailments that were not possible, with four separate doctors asking her during an extended hospital stay if she was certain the issues were not simply caused by pregnancy.
“I was like, ‘You know I’m intersex, right?’” says Mayfield. “I’m like an easy bake oven, I don’t even have all the parts you need to make a full cake. Why would you think that?”
During the month-long ordeal, Mayfield says that a doctor even told her that had she been aborted, she would not be dealing with these issues her intersex traits have caused her.
With bodies that even doctors often don’t understand it is already difficult enough for intersex people to find the care they need. However, it is becoming even harder as gender-affirming care is fought off in states like Florida. In fact, much of the legislation against transgender people harms the intersex community as well, despite the fact that the vast majority of intersex people are not transgender. Mayfield says that a friend of hers was refused estrogen treatments that he needed because the doctors accused him of attempting to transition.
Beyond the doctors, the hospitals and government that oversee the doctors can be a problem. This means that even if an intersex person can find a doctor who understands them and is willing to help, there are other obstacles that can still stand in their way. Mayfield herself had
and biological differences that intersex people can experience. This is why the roadblocks that intersex people often face when trying to get medical treatment is especially concerning, while some get by without any health issues many are faced with a lot of them.
“We could be talking to an XXY
what Mayfield describes as her body “constantly fighting itself for dominance.” This has also led to a host of other health issues including lupus and osteoporosis.
“The doctors were like, ‘we’re not actually sure how you’re alive … so we’re going to have to put you on estrogen for the rest of
I know I’m creating ripples that long term might make a difference. That’s important to me. Nobody said advocacy was easy … but once it finds you, you feel like you need to keep doing it for the people behind you.
— JULEIGH MAYFIELD,
to fight for the treatment she needed to literally save her life.
“Some of my doctors are tied to Advent Health, where it becomes a political or a religious thing,” Mayfield says. “When I went and had my orchiectomy … Advent health tried to say that it was my doctor’s way of getting around having a sex change form … But this was life or death for [me. I’d] die if we didn’t remove them.”
Despite the number of issues and roadblocks she has faced in getting the treatment she needs; this is only a small window into the huge number of complications
male, and he may have been born with both testes and looks really tall, has some physical aspects of being XXY, but not have any other issues or maybe he can’t have kids,” says Mayfield.
However, she was not so lucky.
As an XXY woman, Mayfield was born with a partial uterus, one cracked fallopian, one ovary, one testicle, a female-sized heart, male-sized lungs, a diminished Adam’s apple and breast tissue. These widely varied sex characteristics cause issues in her body as it tries to perform many of its functions, leading to
out there you have a lot of older intersex individuals that have never had the help.”
This is why Mayfield often brings it back to education, as it is important to teach non-intersex people about intersex reality but also to teach intersex people about the struggles they may encounter and how to deal with them.
While Mayfield and other intersex advocates around the world work to continue that education, small steps like intersex inclusion in the Pride flag can go a long way in affecting people’s lives. While some don’t consider intersex as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and some intersex people don’t want to be a part of that community, Mayfield says that intersex inclusion in the acronym and especially now the flag is still very important.
“There are many people in the gay community who want to open themselves up, because love is love, and they’re willing to embrace everybody,” Mayfield says. “There are plenty of people in the intersex community that gravitate towards the gay community because where they may not know how they fit in yet in their lives, they find acceptance in that community and that’s huge.”
Inclusion of the intersex flag into the Pride flag also serves as a powerful part in helping to educate people on what intersex is, says Mayfield. More visibility on the flag can lead to people taking an interest in learning what that part of the flag represents.
your life,’” says Mayfield. “Which won’t cure that, it just slows down the progression of what’s fighting within my body.”
Doctors told her that if she did not get the hormone treatment, she would not live past 48. Now years later, Mayfield is 49 and in better health than ever before.
“I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been, but I still have a lot of internal problems and most intersex people don’t live beyond early 70’s,” Mayfield said. “Our lifespan tends to be cut short, and there are things you can do, but because the information is not
Education is the easiest way for people to help the intersex community fight discrimination and mistreatment. The more people understand something, the less they are afraid of it. That’s why Mayfield feels her job as an advocate for the intersex community can never be done, regardless of how small or large the impact is, it must continue one small change at a time.
“I know I’m creating ripples that long term might make a difference. That’s important to me,” Mayfield says. “Nobody said advocacy was easy … but once it finds you, you feel like you need to keep doing it for the people behind you.”
PROGRESSIVE FLAGS: The LGBT+ Center Orlando flies the progressive Pride flag, with the intersex symbol and colors, outside of its Orlando community center. PHOTO BUBBA TRAHAN
•
Science Fiction/Jobsite Feature
Time Warp to the Straz for Jobsite’s ‘The Rocky Horror Show’
Chloe Wagner and Ryan Williams-Jent
(ABOVE)
MAKING A MAN:
Mark Wildman (L) as Rocky and Clay Christopher as Dr. Frank-NFurter in “The Rocky Horror Show.”
PHOTO COURTESY
JAMES ZAMBON PRODUCTIONS
THE ANTICI… PATION IS OVER FOR
Jobsite Theater and all of its fans.
After 25 seasons, the Straz Center’s resident theater company will present “The Rocky Horror Show” July 10-Aug. 4, a production that became their #1 best-seller weeks before opening night. “This might be one of the most formative shows to me as both an artist and human, but what I’ve never done is to direct the stage show,” says Director David Jenkins, also Jobsite’s co-founder and producing artistic director. “I’ve wanted this for forever, and the right time and place finally came together.”
Jobsite announced “The Rocky Horror Show’s” inclusion as a part of its landmark season last year, promising a unique spin on the “OG kitschy rock ‘n’ roll sci-fi gothic musical.” They called it “a no-brainer for the company,” which has produced memorable versions of fellow cult classics like “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in recent years.
“Straightlaced Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter as they look for a phone
to call for help,” it’s described. “As their innocence (and more) is stripped away, they encounter a castle-full of wild characters while the not-so-good Dr. and his motley crew unveil his latest creation — a Charles Atlas-inspired beefcake named Rocky.”
The live musical predates the widely celebrated 1975 adaptation “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and is “in many ways very, very different than the film it inspired,” Jobsite notes. Among other things, Rocky has lines, the pacing is much faster and there are additional songs to complement favorites like “Time Warp” and “Sweet Transvestite.”
Audience participation — which has become customary in late-night screenings over the decades — is allowed for Jobsite’s version, but with a few caveats. For one thing, the show is different from the film, so the timing of the lines has changed with fewer pauses in the script.
Jobsite is also asking attendees not to bring props, as bags of props will
“I get to be a part of one of the most iconic songs and dances and I get a villainous streak? Sign me up,” he says. “This group has some of the most amazing singers I’ve ever worked with. I’m truly humbled and honored to be in this production with so many talented individuals.”
be sold in the lobby before the show, and to be mindful of the differences between the versions.
“Many AP lines for the film are based on visual cues that will not be present on stage and so that thing you’re yelling out won’t even make sense,” Jenkins explains. “We say this to underscore the majority of your perfectly timed callbacks built up over the years at shadowcast screenings will not work at the live show, and audience members trying to compete with a live show/not the movie might be frustrating to the audience, the cast and maybe even you.”
Jenkins took inspiration from the 1974 cast recording from the Roxy in Los Angeles for Jobsite’s production, describing it as “grittier and more true rock than the film.” He’s also examined more recent versions like the West End’s “Rocky Horror Live.”
Whatever its iteration, “Rocky Horror” is known for its unabashedly proud characters, colorful costumes and unique sets and storyline. It’s all a part of why the property has garnered a large LGBTQ+ fanbase.
Jenkins finds “Rocky Horror” important to the community because it emphasizes being true to yourself. It’s something he first experienced at 14 years old in his native Jacksonville, where he was “both too young” to watch it and instantly “hooked,” becoming a part of the shadowcast within weeks.
“For me, as a cisgender, heterosexual ally, ‘Rocky Horror’ was my entry point into having direct contact with people who didn’t live/love like me and learning, gaining empathy and understanding,” he says. “Especially in a town like Jacksonville in the late 80s, early 90s, the value of that can’t be overstated.”
Jobsite has enlisted an array of local, award-winning performers, a live band and a stacked crew and production team to bring “Rocky Horror” to the stage — including company staple Spencer Meyers. The entertainer plays Riff Raff.
Meyers says he’s loved “Rocky Horror” since he was a teenager and is excited to play the hunchback handyman, one of its most popular antagonists who features prominently in Time Warp.
That includes fan favorite entertainer Matthew McGee, another LGBTQ+ actor taking the stage. He plays The Narrator, also known as The Criminologist.
McGee previously played Dr. Frank-N- Furter in American Stage in the Park’s 2012 production — as well as the role of The Narrator for the first time in 2023. “Rocky Horror” marks his Jobsite debut and he says the show has a “definitive queer property” but also a broader appeal.
“Your grandma enjoys ‘Rocky Horror’ and most likely knows how to do the Time Warp too,” McGee muses. “It’s powerful that this show firmly embraces counterculture so meaningfully while actually bringing people together to celebrate differences.”
He also adds that while “Rocky Horror” is often produced near Halloween, he would “venture to say this play actually works better outside of spooky season.”
“‘Rocky’ works all year round and summer is a great time to beat the heat at The Frankenstein Place,” McGee notes. Also making a Jobsite debut with the production is Clay Christopher, who brings Dr. Frank-N-Furter to life.
Christopher has always dreamed of starring in “Rocky Horror.” Being able to play one of originator Tim Curry’s most-celebrated roles is a lifetime dream come true, he says, especially as a person of color.
“[T]o have the opportunity as a man of color to take on the role has been so important to me,” he says. “Frank is such a delicious character, full of confidence, strength, beauty and yet offers a vulnerability that is moving. How could I not want to dive into his presence?”
He hopes his performance will remind audiences to stay true to themselves.
“This show exclaims and almost demands that people should be who they want to be and to experience their desires; to be who they truly are on the inside,” Christopher shares. “As Frank sings towards the end of the show: ‘Don’t dream it, be it!’ Be who you are and love yourself unconditionally.”
“The Rocky Horror Show” plays July 10--Aug. 4 at Tampa’s Straz Center. Tickets start at $24.50. For more information and to read Jobsite’s full FAQ, visit JobsiteTheater.org.
announcements TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT
CONGRATULATIONS
Southern Nights Tampa marked nine years in Ybor in June.
ST PETE PRIDE 2024
St Pete Pride closed its month-long celebration June 30 after 14 events. Its signature weekend once again welcomed hundreds of thousands to St. Petersburg, beginning with the Friday Night Concert June 21 at Jannus Live. The concert featured more than four hours of entertainment emceed by Daddy Sparkle and Mr. Vyn Suazion, and performers included the 2023 and 2024 St Pete Pride Royal Courts. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 15 winner Sasha Colby headlined to a sold-out crowd of nearly 2,000 people.
Pridegoers subsequently filled North and South Straub parks to enjoy entertainment, vendors and food trucks before, during and after this year’s St Pete Pride Parade on June 22. It began once again with the Trans March and featured hundreds of floats and marchers. The evening culminated with a special performance from headliner Saucy Santana.
The weekend ended June 23 with the Grand Central Street Fair. Tens of thousands filled St Pete Pride’s birthplace in the Grand Central District, where Come OUT St. Pete unfurled its 375-foot Progressive Pride flag and Cocktail once again hosted a mainstage celebration with Thelma Houston and more. Transtastic and the inaugural Generations of Pride followed June 28 and June 30. Watermark was on hand to help celebrate all month. Read about St Pete Pride 2024 in the official St Pete Pride Guide and view photos from this year’s events at WatemarkOnline.com.
LOCAL BIRTHDAYS
Career coach Tim Durling (July 4); Tampa Bay icon Kori Stevens, St. Petersburg entertainer Kristina White/Lady Fatalya (July 5); Balance Tampa Bay’s Steve Watson, Tampa Bay educator Brad Rice/entertainer Georgia Moore (July 6); Sarasota Opera’s Carlos Eduardo Vincente, St. Petersburg realtor Brian Sprague, USF IT guru Angel Arcelay, Tampa Bay actor Chris Stein, American Financial manager Keith Williams, “Captain Marvel” superfan John Owen-Chambrone (July 7); Tampa Bay DJ Greg Anderson, Horror master Scott Swenson (July 8); Bay City Rehab & Wellness owner Scott Barry, Photographer Tony Fowler (July 9); Sarasota actor Kenneth Rapczynski, MCC Tampa Senior Pastor Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw (July 10); Sawmill Campground’s Justin Pamplin,Prestar Services Co-Owner Chip Hansell (July 11); LGBTQ+ advocate James Keane, artist Steven Ranochak (July 12); Tampa Bay entertainer Robert Rigsby/Rockell Blu, former Quench Lounge manager Gary Miller (July 13); Gasparilla Festival of the Arts staple John Scheffel, LGBTQ+ activist Gil Sainz, Disney fan Matthew Samay (July 14); Tampa Bay artist Chad Mize, Tribeca Salons stylist Mikey Ferrer, Jr., Three Boys Café owner Matthew Downs (July 15); OutCoast CEO Rachel Covello, Michael Saunders & Co. realtor Jason Coy Turner, Community advocate Michael Snyder (July 16); American Stage staple James Michael McCracken, Fitness instructor Dennis Carnahan, St. Petersburg IT wiz Frank Meekins (July 17).
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PRIDE RIDE: Andy Citino represents TransNetwork in the St Pete Pride Parade June 22. PHOTO BY BUBBA TRAHAN
2 POOLSIDE POSE: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” All Star Alaska Thunderfuck (L) and photographer Morgan Le Shade say “Hieeeeeeeeee” at The Wet Spot June 20.
PHOTO COURTESY MORGAN LE SHADE
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G-O-D-D-E-S-S: Sasha Colby headlines St Pete Pride’s Friday Night Concert at Jannus Live June 21.
PHOTO BY LUIS XAVIER DE PENA
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EPIC DAY: Empath Health tables at St Pete Pride’s Parade Day Festival June 22. PHOTO BY RICK TODD
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TRUE DIVA: Thelma Houston performs at Cocktail’s main stage along for the Grand Central Street Fair June 23.
PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT
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TAMPA PROUD: Representatives from the City of Tampa, Tampa Police Department and CAN Community Health come together for Pride with the Police June 28. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT
7 BACK TOGETHER: Brianna Summers (L) and Angelique Godwin take a break to enjoy lunch at Ride ‘Em Cowboy June 23.
PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT
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TRANS JOY: (L-R) St Pete Pride’s 2024 Royal Court Justine B. Knights, Vivion Rachel Clarke, Kiala Santi and Amari Lavish close out Pride Month with Transtastic June 28. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD
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announcements CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT
CONGRATULATIONS
Central Florida’s Veteran’s Affairs Health Care Services celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride Month with its annual event at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona June 21. Celebrating its 14th year, the Orlando VA honored its LGBTQ+ veterans with dozens of VA representatives and LGBTQ+ organizations setting up tables to hand out Pride merchandise, meet veterans and share what services are available to them through the VA and in the local community. Go to WatermarkOnline.com to see photos from the event.
26Health, in a press release June 21, named Latrice Stewart its new interim chief executive officer. The health care organization also announced that it is resuming hormone therapy for adults starting on July 1, following the recent reversal of Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care.
The News Junkie celebrated 11 years on Real Radio 104.1 on June 26.
Donald Rupe’s “From Here” opened Off Broadway at The Pershing Square Signature Center in Manhattan on June 27 and runs into August. “From Here,” which debuted at the 2019 Orlando Fringe Festival, explores the complex feelings and community reactions in the days after a lone gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Hanks Orlando celebrated 37 years in business on July 1.
Pastor Rushing Kimball celebrated two years at Broadway United Methodist Church of Orlando July 1.
CLOSURES
The Garden Bistro, formerly known as Island Time, closed its doors on June 23.
LOCAL BIRTHDAYS
Central Florida performer and entertainer P. Sparkle Rob Ward (July 4); Orlando drag performer Ed Dobski aka Trixie Deluxe, co-owner of Shelbie Press Debbie Simmons, Pineapple Healthcare’s Yosmar Rumbos, owner of Pom Pom’s Teahouse Pom Moongauklang (July 5); Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, owner of John Michael Exquisite Weddings and Catering Michael Thomas (July 6); Port Orange’s Madonnaloving Ryan Madison, Montessori teacher Natasha Kay (July 7); Orlando Gay Bowling League President Tommy Ryan Greene, Hamburger Mary’s Jacksonville co-owner Brittany Moore, Darden attorney and board member Carole Conroy (July 8); Co-owner of Shelbie Press Michelle Murray (July 9), The Contigo Fund’s program director Marco Antonio Quiroga, LGBT+ Center Orlando Chief Operating Officer Nikole Parker (July 11); Central Florida drag performer Kristina McLaughlin, CDW Electrical’s Chris Brown, Orlando event planner Jorge Cruz (July 12); The Dru Project’s Shawn Chaudhry, Central Florida comedian Brianna Jaye, One Orlando Alliance board member Andrea Massey-Farrell (July 15); Watermark Splash Award-winning Orlando-based actor Hunter Rogers, Bank of America’s Tayt Jones, AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Russell Walker (July 16).
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VETERAN PRIDE: (L-R)
Tatiana Quiroga, Darcel Stevens and Solimar Miranda celebrate LGBTQ+ veterans at the Orlando VA’s Pride Month event at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona June 21. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS
2 MIX & MINGLE: Lisa-Marie Matyas Steinmeyer (L) and Melody Maia Monet network at Watermark’s Third Thursday business social at the LGBT+ Center Orlando June 20. PHOTO BY CAITLIN SAUSE
3 HOW YOU DOIN’?: (L-R) Rick Todd, Jeremy Williams and Kathleen Sadler at Baldwin Perk, a “Friends”-themed eatery in Orlando June 26.
PHOTO COURTESY JEREMY WILLIAMS
4 THE DARK SIDE: Divine Grace hosts karaoke as “Star Wars” Emperor Palpatine at Savoy in Orlando June 20. PHOTO BY DANNY GARCIA
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CAPITAL PRIDE: (L-R) Orlando’s Samuel Vilchez Santiago (R) celebrates Pride Month with Chasten and Pete Buttigieg at First Lady Jill Biden’s White House event in Washington, D.C. June 26. PHOTO FROM ORANGE COUNTY DEMOCRATS’ FACEBOOK
6 VISTING GAYMERS: Members of Charlotte Gaymers Network check out the latest issue of Watermark while attending Anime Festival Orlando at the Rosen Plaza June 29. PHOTO BY LUIS XAVIER DE PEÑA
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ANIMAL PRIDE: Sean and Robert Mundyschein check out the animals at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Sanford for the “Suneset at the Zoo” Pride event June 28.
PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS
8 PEOPLE’S CHAMPIONS: Florida Sen.-elect Carlos Guillermo Smith (L) and Orange County school board candidate Stephanie Vanos knock on doors in Orlando June 22 to energize voters. PHOTO FROM CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH’S FACEBOOK
community calendar
CENTRAL FLORIDA
Thornton Park Disco Brunch
SUNDAY, JULY 7, 12-4 P.M.
JACK & HONEY’S, ORLANDO
Join Jack & Honey’s on the first Sunday of the month for the Thorneton Park Disco Brunch. Features $6 double Mimosas and the original DJ Lou Bear playing your favorite disco hits. Be sure to call 407-440-4079 or email Mike@JackAndHoneys.com and make your reservation.
Watermark’s Third Thursday
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 6-8 P.M.
SAVOY, ORLANDO
Watermark will have its July Third Thursday networking event at Savoy Orlando. Featuring light bites and your first drink free, Watermark’s Third Thursday is meant to spotlight current advertisers and provide a space to mix and mingle with LGBTQ+ professionals. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase for some amazing prizes. This month’s event will benefit PFLAG Orlando. For more information, call 407-481-2243 or visit WatermarkOnline.com.
TAMPA BAY
Kori’s Big BirthGAY Bash!
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 9 P.M.
ENIGMA, ST. PETERSBURG
Join Tampa Bay staple Kori Stevens in celebration of the entertainer’s birthday. “Enigma has been a home for me since its birth and I am happy and excited to bring everyone together in celebration,” she says. Joining the icon will be fellow fan favorites PheYonce Montrese, Dixie Lynn and Autumn Vee. Festivities begin at 9 p.m. and the show begins at 11 p.m. Learn more at Facebook.com/EnigmaStPete.
The joy Ride Info Sessions
JULY 10 & 19, TIMES VARY
LOCATIONS VARY, TAMPA BAY
Empath Partners in Care will host two info sessions for the inaugural joy Ride, set to continue the philanthropic legacy of The SMART Ride on Nov. 2223. The first is scheduled for July 10 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at EPIC’s Tampa campus. The second is 10-11 a.m. on July 19 at The Bikery in St. Petersburg. Learn more about this year’s ride at ThejoyRideFlorida.org.
EVENT PLANNER
CRAZY FOR COCO
Queer & Trans Recovery Group, July 10; 17, Rose Dynasty Center, Lakeland. 863-267-6172; RoseDynastyFoundationInc.org
“The Rocky Horror Show” July 10-August 4, Jobsite Theater, Tampa. 813-229-7827; JobsiteTheater.org
“The Figs,” July 10Aug. 4, American Stage, St. Petersburg. 727-823-7529; AmericanStage.org
LGBTQ+ Veterans Coffee Connection, July 11, EPIC St. Petersburg Campus, St. Petersburg. 727-643-4939
EPIC Generations Coffee Hour, July 12, Sunshine Center, St. Petersburg. 727-328-3260; MyEPIC.org
Popcorn Watermelon –The Summer Blockbuster Edition, July 13, American Legion Seminole Post 111, Tampa. 813-237-1271; TampaBaySisters.com
CENTRAL FLORIDA
A.C.E, July 5, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org
Eva’s Casita Tour-a-Thon, July 8-19, Eva’s Casita, Orlando. PeerSupportSpace.org
Popcorn Flicks in the Park: “The LEGO Movie,” July 11, Winter Park Central Park, Winter Park. 407-629-1088; Enzian.org
“The Wedding Singer,” July 11-Aug. 4, Theatre Winter Haven, Winter Haven. 863-294-7469; TheatreWinterHaven.com
April Fresh’s Ladies of the 80s, July 12, Jack & Honey’s, Orlando. 407-440-4079; JackAndHoneys.com
Coco Montrese, July 12, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando
Midsommar Night, July 12, Cocktails & Screams, Orlando. 407-904-0124; CocktailsAndScreams.com
“Little Women,” July 12-14, Theater West End, Sanford. 407-548-6285; TheaterWestEnd.com
“Beauty and the Beast,” July 12-Aug. 4, Athens Theatre, DeLand. 386-736-1500; AthensDeLand.com
Glamorous Dinner Show, July 13, Jack & Honey’s, Orlando. 407-440-4079; JackAndHoneys.com
JustCallMoe Celebrity Bowl-o-Rama, July 13, Oviedo Bowling Center, Oviedo. 407-366-5000; OviedoBowlingCenter.com
“Magic! And a Little Bit of Comedy,” July 14, SAK Comedy Lab, Orlando. 407-648-0001; SAK.com
Celebration of Life: Kellie Parkin, July 15, The National Entrepreneur Center, Orlando. 407-420-4895; ThePrideChamber.org
Tragic Kingdom, July 18, Cocktails & Screams, Orlando. 407-904-0124; CocktailsAndScreams.com
TAMPA BAY
Brittany Baldwin & The Bee Stings, July 5, Salty Nun, St. Petersburg. 229-232-0011; Facebook.com/ BrittanyBaldwinMusic
Drake Bell, July 5, Coastal Creative, St. Petersburg. 813-452-9799; CoastalCreativeTV.com
WMNF’s Big Gay Bingo, July 8, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailStPete.com
Creating Your Legacy Will/ Estate Planning, July 9, Empath Partners in Care, St. Petersburg. 727-328-3260; MyEPIC.org
Senior Social Cafe, July 9, Rose Dynasty Center, Lakeland. 863-267-6172; RoseDynastyFoundationInc.org
Coco Montrese, July 13, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsTampa
New Kids on the Block & Paula Abdul, July 19, MidFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa. LiveNation.com
SARASOTA
LGBTQ+ Sarasota Business Networking, July 10, Blvd. Cafe, Sarasota. 941-203-8102; BLVDCafesrq. om
Sarasota’s Big Gay Weekend, July 1214, Multiple locations, Sarasota. 941-366-6116; SarasotaOut.com
Pride Night Continues Trivia, July 17, The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, Sarasota. 941-445-1938; PPSRQ.org
Hosted By:
Rick Todd
Jeremy Williams
SPONSORED
BACK TO SCHOOL MADE EASY
Whether you’re getting your child ready for the start of camp, the sports season, or the school year, you want them to feel their best. Orlando Health Physician Associates has over 25 locations across Central Florida. Some o er after-hours appointments for current patients, but all house a team of experts dedicated to helping your child get ready for their next adventure with annual wellness checks, same-day testing, immunizations, and more. For appointments and additional information, go to OrlandoHealth.com/BackToSchool