Watermark Issue 28.19: Ginger Minj goes country / TIGLFF returns

Your LGBTQ Life.

Sept. 16 - 29, 2021 Issue 28.19

Florida Rep. Smith files lawsuit against state for COVID-19 data

Chambers runs for Orlando City Commissioner District 3

Ginger Minj talks about her latest showing on ‘Drag Race’ and the release of her first country music album

Florida Rep. Smith files lawsuit against state for COVID-19 data

Chambers runs for Orlando City Commissioner District 3

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

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Your LGBTQ Life.

Sept. 16 - 29, 2021 Issue 28.19

TIGLFF’S EVOLUTION Florida Rep. Smith files lawsuit against TAMPA BAY INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL state for COVID-19 data RETURNS IN NEW FORM

Sarasota’s Harvey Milk Festival rebrands Chambers runs St forPete Orlando Commis-new leadership PrideCity announces sioner District 3

ENTERTAIN. EMPOWER. ENLIGHTEN. THE 32ND ANNUAL TAMPA BAY INTERNATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON OCTOBER 1ST - OCTOBER 10TH WWW.TIGLFF.COM/EVENTS

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Pride is something we can relate to.

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DEPARTMENTS 7 // PUBLISHER’S DESK

PAGE

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8 // CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 10 // TAMPA BAY NEWS

I want to win but I want to be the best of the best. I think in order to be the best of the best you have to beat the best of the best.

– “DRAG RACE” ALUM AND ENTERTAINER GINGER MINJ

12 // STATE NEWS 15 // NATION & WORLD NEWS 21 // TALKING POINTS 37 // EVENT PLANNER 39 // TAMPA BAY OUT + ABOUT 41 // CENTRAL FL OUT + ABOUT 42 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 43 // CENTRAL FL MARKETPLACE ON THE COVER

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TIGLFF’S EVOLUTION:

Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian Film Festival returns in new form.

SHE’S GONE COUNTRY: Ginger Minj talks “Drag Race” and her first country album.

SCAN QR CODE FOR

WATERMARKONLINE.COM

EVOLVING FEST:

The Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival returns for its 32nd year with a hybrid event of in-person and virtual showings.

WATERMARK ISSUE 28.19 / SEPTEMBER 16 - 29, 2021

FOR THE PEOPLE

STEPPING UP

FLORIDA LEADER

FAB AF!

PAGE Rep. Smith files lawsuit against state for COVID-19 data.

PAGE St Pete Pride announces new leadership ahead of its 20th season.

PAGE

PAGE

Read It Online!

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

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Equality Florida names new director of transgender equality.

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Harvey Milk Festival rebrands as Fabulous Arts Foundation.

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PUBLISHER’S

Rick Todd PUBLISHER

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

G

DESK

OOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO wait. At least that’s what Heinz commercials taught me in the 1980s.

You know, back in the 80s when the bottles were made of glass and you couldn’t squeeze the sweet, tangy goodness out of them.

Whether it’s Ernie being ditched by his male friends waiting for that ketchup to hit his fries, only to be rescued by the popular girls; or the hip kid in his red high tops who starts pouring the ketchup as he orders his burger, receiving the food just in time for the glob of falling ketchup. Timing was everything.

I feel like I adopted this slogan as a kind of mantra. I’m not exactly sure if it was a full embrace of the idea that patience is a virtue, or a post justification for procrastination. I am capable of good things. My wedding for example was one of the best nights of my life. It was organized and well executed, and I had amazing people helping me out. Sometimes though, things aren’t always well planned out and methodical. Sometimes it’s the adrenaline rush and anxiety

of putting it off and having limited time that gets it done.

I don’t think I’m alone in this, but I like to do what I am good at. If there is something I don’t perceive as my strong suit, I put it off to the last minute – something my accountant can attest to. Taxes are one of those things I put off because I either don’t like it or it gives me anxiety. Sometimes, more often than I will admit but our editor would agree, putting words on this page is a struggle and I missed my deadline by four days. To him I say – good things come to those who wait.

About four years ago I watched the NBC miniseries, “When We Rise.” I kind of remember it getting panned a little, but I loved it. It exemplified strength and courage.

The show chronicled the rise of the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States. Right off the bat, I was hooked. A small group of women set out to protest for their rights in a local park. They knew they were going to meet resistance.

They knew they would be attacked and arrested. They did it anyway because they also knew it was something they had to do.

I watched this in February of 2017, following the June 2016 attack at Pulse where 49 lives were taken and hundreds terrorized.

In the wake of this tragedy our community leaders mobilized to offer and expand resources to help those most affected. I was inspired and in awe of this community, and I wondered, how were we able to come together so quickly to give so much of ourselves?

We know who Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Cleve Jones and Harvey Milk are, but who are their local counter parts? Who are the small group of women that stood up for themselves despite the consequences so that those who came after them could have a better life? Who are the pioneers that laid the foundation in Central Florida and made this community Orlando Strong?

These questions needed answers so I set out to make a documentary about the LGBTQ community of Central Florida.

I spoke to a few people about it but it wasn’t gaining any traction.

Then I met Sandi Hulon, a film industry professional Watermark was doing a story on. Her passion for this project matched mine and the plan was set in motion. I started Watermark Film Company and with the help of some amazing people we launched a fundraising trailer to raise the money to make a feature length documentary telling our community’s story. We had big dreams and high hopes.

Our fundraising efforts didn’t quite match those dreams and the project was stalled. Turns out I’m not so great at asking people for money so I procrastinated. After COVID hit, we were further delayed.

I met with Sandi and then some advisers close to me and decided to make a big push toward reviving the documentary. I dissolved

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

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

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

Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Watermark Film Company and handed the task to Watermark Publishing Group. This gave me the opportunity to use the support system of an established business and allowed me to personally invest over $50,000 to the cause. We teamed up with the talented folks at Adrenaline Films and I am happy to report production is underway.

I feel more confident than ever to say that after a four year wait, something amazing is happening.

There are several ways you can be a part of this historic endeavor.

You can help with financial support.

We offer benefit packages for monetary contributions of many levels. Just visit GreetingsFromQueertown.com for details and to watch the fundraising

Right now there are too many local LGBTQ heroes sitting at home, whose stories are forgotten and unknown.

trailer. In filmmaking time is money, and the more money we raise the more time we get. Right now there are too many local LGBTQ heroes sitting at home whose stories are forgotten and unknown. Please help us tell their important histories.

We also want your stories, your pictures and your videos. Feel free to share these on our social media or email to Documentary@ WatermarkOnline.com. Were you at the early years of Gay Day at Disney, pride parades, sports leagues or Headdress Ball? Share it with us and help us tell the coming out story of Orlando.

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

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CONTRIBUTORS BENEVA FRUITVILLE

has been honored for her theatrical roles and volunteerism. She has performed onstage from New York to Fiji and can be seen on screen via Amazon Prime and Sarasota’s Suncoast View. Page 17

BRYANA SALDANA

Bryana Saldana is a 25-year-old, Afro-Latina poet born and raised in Orlando. Saldana had her first published poem through “Women Who Roar.” Saldana’s pronouns are She/Her/ They. Page 19

TIFFANY RAZZANO

is the founder and president of Wordier Than Thou, a literary arts nonprofit that creates fun, engaging events for writers and readers. Page 33 SABRINA AMBRA, NATHAN BRUEMMER, SCOTTIE CAMPBELL, MIGUEL FULLER, DIVINE GRACE, HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, JASON LECLERC, MELODY MAIA MONET, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, GREG STEMM, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI, MICHAEL WANZIE

PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARQUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

DISTRIBUTION LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, VANESSA MARESCA-CRUZ CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher.

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.

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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.

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central florida news

FLORIDA REP. CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR COVID-19 DATA Jeremy Williams

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RLANDO | After weeks of being denied records to COVID-19 data from the state, Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) and the non-partisan, non-profit group Florida Center for Government Accountability filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Health and the state surgeon general, Dr. Scott Rivkees.

In a lawsuit filed Aug. 30 in Leon County, Smith and the Florida Center allege that Rivkees and the Department of Health violated the law by withholding public records for daily local COVID-19 pediatric hospitalizations, case counts and more.

“After weeks of slow-walking our request, the state officially denied access to these records and falsely stated they were ‘confidential’ under state law, even after making those same records available for nearly a year on the Department’s daily COVID dashboard,” Smith said in a statement.

The lawsuit states that Rivkees and the Department of Health’s refusal to supply the records requested violates the Public Records Act and Article I, Section 24(a) of the Florida Constitution.

Florida’s Department of Health had been reporting daily COVID-19 information through a dashboard on its website until June when it began providing a weekly summarized report instead. In the 12-week period following the Health department’s change, Florida saw an increase in COVID-19 case of more than 2,000%.

“All Floridians have the right to receive critical public health data in a timely manner in order to make informed decisions to protect the health and safety of their families,” Smith said. “The DeSantis administration has consistently refused to release COVID-related public records, which not only hurts our efforts to contain this deadly virus, it is also unlawful.”

The lawsuit moved forward Sept. 8 and was assigned to Leon County Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper.

Cooper is the same judge who ruled against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ barring of mask mandates in Florida schools saying DeSantis and his administration acted “without legal authority.”

Speaking with WESH 2, Smith said filing the lawsuit was in part due to conversations he has had with members of the Orange County School Board.

“I was talking to members of the Orange County public school board and they were frustrated that they could not get basic COVID-19 information, data on case counts, hospitalizations, particularly as they effect children in our area,” Smith said.

A pre-trial hearing for the lawsuit has been scheduled for Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. where they will discuss the status of the case, schedule a trial and set hearing dates.

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COMMUNITY ALLY: Samuel

Chambers says addressing LGBTQ rights issues will be among his main objectives if elected. PHOTO FROM

CHAMBERS4OTOWN.COM

District Challenger Samuel Chambers seeks change in City Commissioner District 3 run Skyler Shepard

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RLANDO | Born and raised in Orlando’s District 3, Samuel Chambers grew up in the area he is now seeking to make a difference in and says he decided to run for the position of city commissioner because he has noticed the needs of his community going unheard.

Chambers has several key points listed on his website that he wishes to address if elected. Since the start of his campaign, Chambers says he has been going door-to-door, hearing out the residents of District 3 and actively reaching out to minority groups and listening to their take on what needs to be done within the community.

One of the issues he plans to tackle is Orlando’s homeless population.

“Our homelessness issue downtown has seemingly gotten worse. This is an issue that disproportionally impacts veterans and LGBTQ youth,” Chambers says.

“I think as a solution we need to one, look at the current ordinances

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

that criminalize the existence of the homeless and try to pull back some of those laws, as well as give funds to actual housing solutions – which are shown to not only be more effective but actually save money in the long run.”

Chambers says he believes it’s important to involve residents in the decision-making process.

With the Rosemont Development Plan, many residents voiced their concerns with the nearly 6,000 apartments being built. Chambers worries about the impact the development plan will have on the surrounding environment, traffic and community diversity.

“I’m concerned that it will gentrify the area and cause a lot of other rental units in that area to raise the cost of rent for those people, and white-wash the cultural background of the area” he says.

Orlando has the highest pedestrian fatalities in the state – over 700 deaths in the last decade – so pedestrian and road safety is a big part of Chambers’ platform. As a bicyclist, he knows the dangers of maneuvering through the busy Orlando streets and has been hit

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by a car twice while riding his bike to school.

Chambers plans to introduce “Road Diets” in order to protect pedestrians and cyclists. According to Chambers’ platform, “Road Diets” allow for the same volume of traffic but shrink the number and size of lanes, thereby lowering speed limits and allowing more room for bike paths.

Chambers is looking to unseat District 3’s current commissioner, Robert Stuart, who has represented the district since 2006.

“He’s been a commissioner here for 15 years, ever since I was a child – we still have a homelessness issue, we’re still mostly powered by coal, some communities in our city are food deserts, we’re one of the most unaffordable places to live in the country and that’s what we’ve been kinda getting from his tenure,” Chambers says. “We know what he’s about, he’s been here for 15 years, we know what he’s gonna give us.”

While Chambers is the youngest candidate in the race he says that shouldn’t take him out of the running for potential voters. He emphasizes that he is the only new candidate running for the position that was born and raised in District 3 and has spent his time actively listening to the needs of his community and is ready to bring those ideas into office.

Election day is Nov. 2.

For more information on Chambers’ campaign, go to Chambers4OTown.com.

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tampa bay news

RICE ENDORSES WELCH FOR ST. PETERSBURG MAYOR Ryan Williams-Jent

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T. PETESRBURG | Current City Councilmember and former mayoral candidate Darden Rice has endorsed Ken Welch for mayor.

Welch, a Democrat who served as a Pinellas County commissioner for five terms, will face first-term City Councilmember Robert Blackmon, a Republican, in St. Petersburg’s nonpartisan election Nov. 2. They respectively received 39.41% and 28.25% of the vote in the city’s Aug. 24 primary, edging out Rice to advance in the race.

Due to term limitations, this year will mark Rice’s last in representing St. Petersburg’s District 4 on city council. She would have become the city’s first openly LGBTQ mayor if elected.

“Thank you St. Pete,” Rice shared after the results.

“Everyone who voted, no matter who you voted for, exercised our most important right as Americans. Your voices are critical to our democracy.”

The councilmember further noted that she looked forward to “continuing to listen to the people of St. Pete and working with our new mayor to make our city stronger in any way I can.”

Rice announced her decision to back Welch Sept. 8.

“We are at a crucial point in the trajectory and future prospects of St. Petersburg,” she said in a statement. “We cannot take for granted the momentum we have going or the serious challenges and issues we must address moving forward. That’s why I’m so proud to endorse Ken Welch to be the next Mayor of St. Petersburg.

“I’ve grown up in St. Pete, served on the City Council for eight years, and worked to improve our community and share our incredible story with the world for decades,” she continued. “I’m certain that there is no one better suited to be our next Mayor than Ken.” Rice added that Welch’s “endorsements look like the community, his experience will work for the community and together we can uplift St. Pete for generations to come.”

Welch, a longtime LGBTQ ally whose endorsements include the Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, its local chapter the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County and more, welcomed the news.

“I’ve worked with Councilmember Darden Rice for over a decade on housing, transportation, economic and community development initiatives,” he said. “With the primary election behind us, it’s important that we focus on reconciliation, and work together to pursue our common goals of equitable and inclusive progress for St. Petersburg. I appreciate Councilmember Rice’s endorsement and look forward to our future collaboration.”

St. Petersburg’s general election will be held Nov. 2 with no early voting.

The deadline to request a mail ballot is Oct. 23. For more information about Ken Welch’s campaign, visit KenWelch.com.

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PROUD PAIR:

New St Pete Pride President Tiffany Freisberg (L) and wife Megan Hickey at PrideFest’s 2021 kickoff at Sirata Beach Resort. PHOTO

BY DYLAN TODD

Stepping Up St Pete Pride announces new leadership ahead of 20th season Ryan Williams-Jent

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T. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride announced its new leadership Sept. 9 ahead of its upcoming 20th season.

Nathan Bruemmer, who oversaw 2021’s reimagined PrideFest as St Pete Pride’s president and acting executive director, has stepped down to become a strategic advisor for its board. Tiffany Freisberg, who served as this year’s vice president, has assumed each of the roles.

“We are deeply grateful to Nathan for his dedicated service to St Pete Pride over the last several years,” Freisberg says. “His commitment to diversifying the organization and its programming, including the conceptualization and creation of the St Pete Pride Trans Pride March, will continue to make an enduring impact on the community.”

St Pete Pride also wished Bruemmer success as the state’s LGBTQ+ Consumer Advocate for the Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He became only the second person

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

to fill the role, and the first who is transgender, when Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried appointed him to the position June 25.

Freisberg is the creative director of LionMaus Media, an ad agency she co-owns with her wife.

They moved to St. Petersburg with their three daughters in June 2019.

Determined to actively engage with the local LGBTQ community, Freisberg reached out to St Pete Pride seeking volunteer opportunities and “the rest is history,” she told Watermark in June. She joined the board in January 2021 and helped conceptualize this year’s four weeks’ worth of COVID-conscious events while laying the groundwork for next year.

“St Pete Pride is on the verge of its 20th anniversary, and we’re excited to focus our energies on reinvigorating the organization while simultaneously planning an unforgettable 2022 Pride season,” Freisberg says. “Our top priority in the months ahead will be to expand the board of directors to be more reflective of the community, recruit a dynamic executive

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director and actively enlist a broad spectrum of volunteers.”

Freisberg is joined on St Pete Pride’s executive committee by Board Secretary Molly Robison, Treasurer Stanley Solomons and Susan McGrath, member at large.

She says its leadership team wants “the community to feel that St Pete Pride truly belongs to them, and we’ll work hard to invite participation from a more diverse and inclusive range of volunteers and partners than ever before.”

“This year’s PrideFest celebration included St Pete Pride’s first ever large-scale family-focused event, as well as its first Juneteenth recognition,” she also notes. “We were overwhelmed with the positive response and we’ll continue to broaden St Pete Pride’s programming to reflect the full range of experiences within the LGBTQ+ community.”

The sentiment affirms St Pete Pride’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement adopted earlier this year.

“St Pete Pride was created out of a desire to ensure a safe space for all people of the LGBTQIA+ community of Tampa Bay to celebrate unity and the many things that make us similar,” it reads. “We value and respect diversity in its many forms: race, ethnicity, ability, class, faith, age, gender identity, sexual orientation and experience.”

To learn more about the organization and upcoming events, visit StPetePride.org.

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11

state news

EQUALITY FLORIDA NAMES DIRECTOR OF TRANSGENDER EQUALITY Skyler Shepard

O

rlando native Nikole Parker has been named the new director of transgender equality at Equality Florida. Parker takes over after former director, Gina Duncan, retired earlier this year.

Parker has been a part of a number of LGBTQ organizations including the onePULSE Foundation, Orlando United Assistance Center, Contigo Fund and more.

“I am so excited to re-join Equality Florida and continue the necessary work to ensure that transgender and nonbinary individuals, especially Black, indigenous, and people of color, voices are uplifted,” Parker said.

“Oftentimes we are left out of the very conversations being had to help us. I want to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.”

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PALM BEACH CO. POSTPONES MEETING WITH MAN ACCUSED OF VANDALIZING PRIDE INTERSECTION Christiana Lilly, from South Florida Gay News

T

he Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office postponed a Sept. 13 plea meeting with Alexander Jerich, the man accused of defacing the pride intersection in Delray Beach, Florida.

A new date has not been set but Richard Clausi, chief of the office’s misdemeanor division, told South Florida Gay News he thinks it will be another month before they meet.

“We’re just moving it for a month so I can reach out individually to all of the parties that were involved primarily with the dedication,” he explained.

“How it affected them, what they think would be an appropriate

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

punishment. While it’s not binding on the state, we want to get everybody’s input.”

Jerich, 21, was arrested June 17, days after he was recorded burning out his truck tires over the newly dedicated pride intersection in downtown Delray Beach. He had been part of a birthday caravan for former President Donald Trump when someone allegedly yelled at him to “tear up that gay intersection.” A member of the caravan, who said he is gay, came forward to police.

The Delray Beach Police Department states that the cost of the space was $16,720. The city’s public works department is working with the vendor to have the intersection repainted, which is expected to cost several thousand dollars, Gina Carter, the public information officer for Delray Beach, told SFGN in July.

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Clausi told SFGN that Jerich’s lawyer, Pedro Dijols, told him that his client “demonstrated willingness and an ability to pay the restitution to get the sidewalk back up to where it should be.”

The restitution is a minimum of $8,000.

“We’ll at least have a better idea of what the plea offer is in 30 days and what, if anything, the defendant wants to do with it,” he said.

Delray police originally charged Jerich with criminal mischief over $1,000, reckless driving and evidence of prejudice (felony enhancement). However, in August, State Attorney Dave Aronberg dropped the hate crime charge, saying the victim in this case was the city of Delray Beach, which does not have a sexual orientation or gender identity.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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nation+world news

EU THREATENS FUNDING OVER LGBTQ ‘FREE ZONES’ Brody Levesque of The Los Angeles Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

T

he executive branch of the European Union, the European Commission, has advised the governors of five of Poland’s provinces that pandemic relief funds totaling over 126 million euros ($150 million) will be withheld over their anti-LGBTQ measures.

The EU Commission is chiefly responsible for proposing legislation, enforcing EU laws and directing EU administrative operations. It notified the governors and the government of Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki that the coronavirus response investment initiative funds from the Recovery assistance for cohesion

and the territories of Europe, would be rescinded over the so-called ‘LGBTQ Free Zones’ established in the five provinces.

Poland has seen a resurgence in the past three years of rightwing religious ultra-conservative groups backed by nationalistic extremists in the heavily Catholic country of 38 million, leading to the passage of measures to restrict pride parades and other LGBTQ+-friendly events.

Proponents of these measures claim the necessity of the provinces to be “free of LGBTQ ideology” saying this is mandated by average Poles as well as by the anti-LGBTQ+ views of the Catholic Church. Last month, two separate LGBTQ equality marches were held under a heavy police presence in Częstochowa and Gdańsk.

In July of 2020, the anti-LGBTQ president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, won re-election. Activists have sharply criticized Duda — head of

Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party — over his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

Duda in June of last year said LGBTQ “ideology” is more harmful than communism.

ILGA-Europe, a Brussels based advocacy group promoting the interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people, at the European level, in a statement it sent to the Blade in June after the EU letter was issued, notes that both Hungary and Poland, another EU country in which lawmakers have sought to restrict LGBTQ rights in recent years are at odds with the EU position on LGBTQ+ people.

“For quite some time now, we’ve been informing EU ministers about systematic breaches of EU law committed by Hungary and Poland, which impact on LGBTI rights and the lives of LGBTI people,” says ILGA-Europe.

The board named Joni Madison, the current chief operating officer of the HRC as interim president effective immediately as board members engage in a search to replace David as president.

The decision to fire David comes after public sniping between him and the board co-chairs on the independent review the HRC initiated after he was named nearly a dozen times in the report issued by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

According to a report in the New York Times, a person familiar with the deliberations among the HRC board said that David “never told the organization that he was helping to advise Mr. Cuomo when the accusations came to light.” Further, David didn’t consult the LGBTQ group’s counsel, or inform them he was going to be interviewed by James’s office, the Times reported.

The ignominious outcome of David’s tenure at the HRC comes after two years with him at the helm of the organization. Observers had high hopes for him as the first person of color to run the nation’s leading LGBTQ group, which he took into new directions with a foray into legal work on LGBTQ rights. David, via

Twitter, vowed to fight the decision to terminate him in court.

“As a Black, gay man who has spent his whole life fighting for civil and human rights, they cannot shut me up,” he wrote. “Expect a legal challenge.”

The board identified as reasons for termination David’s inability to serve as the public face of HRC as well as “material damage” David has caused to the HRC as evidenced by media coverage and “hundreds of calls, emails and other negative communications HRC has received from staff, members of the Board of Governors, volunteers, program partners, general members, supporters, corporate partners, political figures, and more expressing serious concern with Mr. David’s conduct and its inconsistency with the values and mission of HRC.” “While the Board’s decision is not the outcome we had ever envisioned or hoped for in terms of Mr. David’s tenure with HRC, his actions have put us in an untenable position by violating HRC’s core values, policies and mission,” Patterson and Cox said.

The nation’s leading LGBTQ group is now faced with the task of finding a new president at a time of significant challenges for the movement.

HRC PRESIDENT TERMINATED AFTER BOARD DISPUTE Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

H

uman Rights Campaign (HRC) President Alphonso David has been terminated following a public dispute with the board over his role in the Andrew Cuomo scandal.

Jodie Patterson and Morgan Cox, co-chairs of HRC, issued a statement Sept. 6 explaining the decision. David, the group’s first Black president, was being terminated under the “for cause” provision of his contract.

“At HRC, we are fighting to bring full equality and liberation to LGBTQ+ people everywhere. That includes fighting on behalf of all victims of sexual harassment and assault,” Patterson and Cox wrote. “As outlined in the New York Attorney General report, Mr. David engaged in a number of activities in December 2020, while HRC President, to assist Gov. Cuomo’s team in responding to allegations by Ms. Boylan of sexual harassment.”

According to the statement, the boards for the HRC and HRC Foundation voted to terminate David.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

IN OTHER NEWS LUTHERANS APPOINT 1ST TRANS BISHOP The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America installed its first openly transgender bishop Sept. 11 in a service held in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. The church is one of the largest Christian denominations in the U.S. with about 3.3 million members. Rev. Megan Rohrer will lead one of its 65 synods, overseeing nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and Nevada. “My call is … to be up to the same messy, loving things I was up to before,” Rohrer shared. “But mostly … my hope is to love you and beyond that, to love what you love.” Rohrer previously served as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco.

BUTTIGIEGS CELEBRATE TWO CHILDREN U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten announced the arrival of their children Sept. 4. The first openly gay person to be confirmed by the Senate for a Cabinet position had shared in August that they had become parents. “Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents,” he shared via social media along with a photo. “We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family.”

Buttigieg, 39, has talked publicly about his desire to become a father since his 2020 presidential campaign.

LGBTQ AFGHANS SEEK ASSISTANCE Immigration Equality is advising that LGBTQ Afghans have requested assistance from the group. Aaron Morris, its executive director. The Taliban entered Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Aug. 15 and toppled then-President Ashraf Ghani’s government. The U.S. evacuated more than 123,000 people from Afghanistan until American military operations ended. More than 60 members of Congress have also urged the U.S. to evacuate LGBTQ Afghans from their country. “Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan two weeks ago, the reality for Afghan LGBTQ people has become a living nightmare,” said Morris. ““Immigration Equality won’t stand for the abhorrent treatment of our Afghan LGBTQ brothers, sisters and non-binary siblings.”

SWISS ACTIVISTS RALLY FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY Tens of thousands protested in Switzerland Sept. 4 for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Alpine country.

The protests came ahead of a national referendum on Sept. 26 on the legalization of same-sex marriage, which has already been introduced in many other European countries including Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands. Public broadcaster SRF reported that tens of thousands participated in the Zurich Pride parade which had the slogan “You can do it. Marriage for everyone now.” Currently, same-sex couples in Switzerland can only get official approval for civil unions. SRF reported that 70 groups from the LGBTQ community supported the protests.

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viewpoint

Beneva Fruitville

PICKING BERRY

A

This is 46 S OF THIS MONTH, I

have been on this planet for 46 years. I never thought I would see 40, much less 46, so it can be difficult to believe I’m here.

I feel like my life truly began when I left home for college at 17. I was not a smarty pants who skipped grades or anything, I just started kindergarten at the age of four because my birthday falls in September.

I could have waited another year but my mother thought I could handle school at that age.

A male in musical theater who could sing, dance and act, I had my pick of colleges upon graduation.

I wanted to be as far away from Florida as possible.

Somehow, innately, I knew this was how I would begin my new life; my actual life. No more orange groves. No more big fish, small pond theaters. No more rules.

I had chosen the University of Cincinnati, College – Conservatory of Music (CCM) to attend. To me, Cincinnati was a huge city. It was also a renowned school for musical theater with a far reach into the world of Broadway musicals. It was magical, new and exciting. It was 1993.

In 1993, the world was consumed by a global pandemic: HIV and AIDS. It was everywhere in my world, specifically. One of my professors was open and had been diagnosed with it and we, as students, were confronted daily by his fragility but conversely, his will to fight.

This pandemic was transmitted through the exchange of fluids, but there was a massive stigma surrounding the disease and the gay men it, at least initially, seemed to have been specifically targeting.

Watching icons die, week after week, became numbing. Friends, afraid of touching, afraid of drinking from the same water fountain, afraid of sharing a restroom, were normal occurrences. My life, relationships and romantic world became about avoiding contact.

Real physical contact.

Then, if contact was made, began the worry of “Do I have it now?’ “Do you have it?” Each new relationship started by going to get tested together.

My first boyfriend that tested positive wept in my arms when he was diagnosed. We wept together in fact because we did not know if the future we thought we were on the verge of beginning was going to even happen.

We were young and in love, facing mortality at 19 or 20. Sex could literally kill you. Then the “cocktail” came and there was a light at the end of a very dark tunnel – a mixture of certain drugs that helped to rebuild the immune system that has now brought people living with HIV/AIDS to a point of no detection of the disease.

The development in the treatment of this global pandemic that I have seen over the near 30 years I have been aware of its existence is truly incredible.

It is sad to think of the lives lost due to misinformation, ignorance, misguided anger and bigotry due to its initial attack on the gay population. It was also quite angering. I wanted to do something, needed to do something, so I joined ACT UP. ACT UP was an organization that not only talked about the devastation HIV/AIDS created but also protested inaction of governmental agencies with undeniably public displays. I also became involved with the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

helped whenever I could.

These were tangible ways to deal with my pain, hurt and anger.

In 2020, the world was consumed by a global pandemic. This time it truly affected everyone. No sub-genre of a supposed sub-class of human, but

dying from AIDS, I would have been first in line and administered it daily if I had to in order to save lives, including my own.

This time however, the stigma is being placed on those who wear masks and get vaccinated by some.

We have once again turned

have and are not psychics or fortune tellers.

Change does not always bring out the best in people and the divisiveness in our current culture surely proves that, but I must believe that there is love and hope in people. I must believe that people are

men and women, LGBTQ+ folx, all global citizens.

This pandemic was and is, as best we can tell, exchanged through means like the air. Contact is to be avoided. Masks are necessary for everyday life.

I cannot help but equate this to the AIDS crisis I have already lived through.

Masks = Condoms. Social Distancing = Abstinence. If we had a vaccine that would have prevented people

something that should bring us together into a fight over who is right and who is wrong.

It is a fool’s errand to make judgements on things we barely know anything about. We barely know anything about the current pandemic and its possible variants due to its infancy.

Scientists and doctors are as reliable as the knowledge they currently

inherently good.

I must believe that we can come together and make good decisions that will help all.

I have witnessed and lived through the onset of two global pandemics and the one thing I can truly attest to is that a person’s true colors are revealed when faced with dramatic change.

This is 46.

We were young and in love, facing mortality at 19 or 20. Sex could literally kill you.

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viewpoint

Bryana Saldana

DIARY OF A POET What is Love?

A

QUESTION THAT HAS

plagued my existence since I was a child.

I was told “I do it because I love you” then proceeded to get lied to, yelled at, beat and yelled at some more. All of which derived from this creature love. Mother did her best with the dingy platter of a childhood she was handed. Pure silver, never shined, and started with a gun to the head and ended with a day at the park. Hampton trips and drug fueled weekends. I’m certain “I do it because I love you” was the unspoken understanding to the trauma of her youth. Generational trauma. I’m the physical form of it.

I’m the walking, talking testimony of brokenness that gets swept under the rug of forgiveness. Never cleaned. It all starts with my lack of understanding within the confines of love. Women, drugs, men, lies and, for the very first time in my life, unspoken truths are ways I tried to navigate this blurry experience of love.

Honesty is hard to come by nowadays. It’s easier to pretend the world is not crumbling around you brick by brick, or body by body, from viruses to natural disasters spanning throughout the world.

We are fighting against the current of mother nature and I feel it’s because we never loved her enough in the first place. We took advantage of her beauty and never considered what she wanted.

We are all reflections of this love we sometimes do not have the capacity of providing because like me, we are told experiencing pain is what love is.

I’m not quite sure where this somewhat universal perception of what we must endure to know love is real came from but over the last few months

I found my way of breaking it apart. Those that have experienced generational trauma and want a change are tasked with breaking it apart. The generations before us didn’t treat our world kindly enough for it to recover from destruction but I hope this generation will fight until their last breath to give us a little more time. This is juxtaposed to generational trauma and love because if we are taught how to be better than we can do better, it’s taken many years for me to understand this and has shaped me in unimaginable ways.

Unspoken truths are the stepping stones to disrupting the status quo of it all. When we are honest with each other, about our feelings, intentions and experiences we take an unmeasured risk, but without that risk there bares no potential for reward. To break apart the generational trauma I hold, a risk is exactly what I took. I spent many years as a child not speaking up.

I can hear my aunt in my ears saying “close mouths don’t get fed” constantly, because I failed to express my deepest troubles and would have rather faced punishment than be truthful. How could you possibly explain pain some may not have endured and you could not understand yourself? Instead of speaking up, drug-fueled weekends, weekdays, any day felt better than feeling too deeply or speaking my truth. With drugs came sex at a young age because I felt that was all I could give anyone. I felt my words, my voice, did not matter. If I wanted to say no, it would stay stuck in my throat. I would cry in the shower, in my closet, anywhere that I could not be heard completely.

I attached my mind to the idea that if true love existed then maybe when I’m old it’ll happen, but I felt less than worthy and in turn

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

placed my brokenness in innocent people. They became the casualties to my own self-hatred. This is not all a sad story though.

If it were not for this, or my mom telling me her truths, I would not have been able to dig myself out.

With truth comes the

and pandering to capitalism would be on the back burner. Truths could have broken this indoctrination that we must endure the worst of it to know what the sun feels like.

Although this happened for me, I could have avoided many obstacles if when

Love is not giving anyone but myself the power to disrupt my peace. Love is crying when I need to and remembering who I am when my tears have dried.

Love is letting go of what hurt you and looking at yourself as the world and the world as yourself, doing

greatest responsibility to convey it in a way that could be universally understood. I see it this way: If the person who oversaw our country was truthful, proactive and cared about the state of our world, then some things could have been avoided.

We could have potentially prevented what feels like the millionth surge of COVID. Climate change would have been a priority

someone asked me what’s wrong, I would have said “everything” and allowed dialogue in my sadness and troubles. I, as the world, did not hold enough love for my mind, heart, body and soul, where I was housed 24/7, and therefore I did not have the tools to avoid the heartache or destruction.

I found love in my reflection. Love is the way I nurture my body, mind, soul and spirit.

your best to disrupt the generational trauma of this land and your blood. Love is a journey, it’s not a race, it’s not even a marathon.

Love is knowing there is no end, simply beginning again and as much as you need to. Love is knowing you are worthy of the sun, no matter what. Love is conversations with the moon and holding no expectations of the tides.

Love is knowing there is no end, simply beginning again and as much as you need to.

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talking points As a Black, gay man who has spent his whole life fighting for civil and human rights, they cannot shut me up. Expect a legal challenge.

—ALPHONSO DAVID, FORMER HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN PRESIDENT, IN A STATEMENT AFTER HE WAS LET GO BY HRC OVER HIS ROLE IN THE ANDREW CUOMO SCANDAL.

ELTON JOHN PAIRS WITH BIG TALENT ON ‘THE LOCKDOWN SESSIONS’

E

LTON JOHN IS RELEASING AN ALBUM OF COLLABORATIONS WITH ARTISTS from several generations and genres, including Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Stevie Nicks and Stevie Wonder. “The Lockdown

Sessions,” a collection of 16 songs featuring John with artists from Dua Lipa to the late Glen Campbell, will be released on Oct. 22 by Interscope Records, the label announced Sept. 1. The pandemic project was spurred by John having to pause

1 IN 3

LGBT EMPLOYEES

REPORTED

his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour in March 2020, and by his Apple Music talk show “Rocket Hour,” through which he got to know many of the artists he would work with. The tracks were recorded with the artists remote from each other in

EXPERIENCING HARASSMENT OF SOME KIND

some cases, together with safety precautions in others.

AT WORK DUE TO THEIR

SEXUAL ORIENTATION LIL NAS X HONORED BY THE TREVOR PROJECT

L

IL NAS X HAS BEEN AWARDED THE INAUGURAL SUICIDE PREVENTION ADVOCATE of the Year Award from the advocacy group The Trevor Project. The group cited Lil Nas X’s “openness about struggling with his sexuality and suicidal ideation, his continued advocacy around mental health issues, and his unapologetic celebration of his queer identity.”

In February, Lil Nas X shared a series of intimate TikTok videos documenting his life story, including his battle with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation during his rise to fame. In May, he released a music video which depicts Lil Nas X uplifting a younger version of himself in high school when he was contemplating suicide and struggling to come to terms with his sexuality.

FORD RESPONDS TO TROLL WITH ‘VERY GAY F-150’

T

HE GERMAN DIVISION OF FORD ANSWERED A SOCIAL MEDIA TROLL who complained about one of the car company’s paint schemes with its “Very Gay Raptor” for a ColognePride event. The company presented a 2021 model of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck, originally Performance Blue, painted in gold dust and rainbow colors after someone commented online that the original color was “very gay.” Ford said that it was a 60-hour makeover of the truck, which was wrapped in 30 square meters of rainbow colored and gold-glittered Alphafoil. The truck was also created to mark the 25th anniversary of Ford sponsoring and allyship with Christopher Street Day/ColognePride.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

JOJO SIWA GETS SAME-SEX PARTNER ON ‘DWTS’

OR GENDER IDENTITY.

OP STAR JOJO SIWA WILL COMPETE AS PART OF THE FIRST SAME-SEX PAIRING on “Dancing With the Stars” for the show’s upcoming 30th season. Siwa, an 18-year-old who has said she identifies as gay and queer, said the same-sex pairing signals to viewers that it’s OK to be your true self.

She named Lindsay Arnold, Jenna Johnson and Britt Stewart as among the show’s regular pros she’d like to be paired with. Siwa noted that among the things to be worked out with her partner are who leads, how do they dress and what shoes do they wear. “Dancing with the Stars” season 30 premieres Sept.

20 on ABC.

1 IN 4 REPORTED

P

EXPERIENCING SEXUAL

HARASSMENT AND 1 IN 5 REPORTED

EXPERIENCING

PHYSICAL HARASSMENT.

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TIGLFF’S EVOLUTION TAMPA BAY INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS IN NEW FORM

W

Ryan Williams-Jent

HEN THE TAMPA BAY INTERNATIONAL

Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF) returns for its 32nd year Oct. 1-10, audiences can expect everything they’ve come to love about the LGBTQ-focused cinematic celebration. They’ll also have more ways to experience it than ever before, a direct result of its ongoing evolution that began last year.

TIGLFF skipped the silver screen entirely in 2020 due to COVID-19, holding a virtual festival to safely reach audiences during the ongoing pandemic. The organization launched TIGLFF Online to engage longtime supporters and find new ones, just weeks after naming Derek Horne as its new programming director.

Horne was instrumental in the transition, having already programmed the Annapolis Film Festival at the beginning of the year.

The long-running event was one of the first in the country to be held virtually.

“We learned last year that adaptation after 31 years is possible, even on the fly,” TIGLFF President Rob Akins says. “Derek

was very helpful with that … we were able to find a platform that was user-friendly and low cost that has since become one of the standards for virtual film festival programming, and we found that we can make a lot of changes happen very quickly.”

Audiences welcomed it. Akins notes that TIGLFF attendance increased 42% when compared to their landmark 30th celebration in 2019.

“We heard a lot of, ‘I was able to watch films when I wanted to watch them,’ and ‘I was able to see more films than I would have been able to have seen in a live festival,’” he says. “Overall, the experience was a positive one.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

To ensure that was the case, TIGLFF Online utilized Eventive – a platform billed as “the most flexible and comprehensive virtual cinema solution” that they continue to enjoy. It launched in 2018 and offers a “virtual cinema package with security, rights management, integrated ticketing, visibility and accountability built in” that now hosts more than 600 film festivals worldwide.

TIGLFF’s virtual festival paved the way for two more expansions – smaller festivals designed to virtually elevate the most marginalized voices in the LGBTQ community. In partnership with St Pete Pride, TIGLFF launched its inaugural Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival last November surrounding the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“TIGLFF is truly putting in the work to be an organization that is inclusive,” Board Member Kayden Rodriguez told Watermark last year. “That’s why this festival is happening, to show that we see the transgender community. We’re supporting all of the community ... film can really bring us all together.”

CONTINUED ON PG. 25 | uu |

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CELEBRATING FRIENDSHIP: “Language Lessons” (L) opens the 32nd annual Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Tampa Oct. 2. The festival closes with “Glob Lessons” in St. Petersburg Oct. 9. The films examine the relationships between gay men and straight women, Director of Programming Derek Horne says. PHOTOS COURTESY THE TAMPA BAY INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL | uu | TIGLFF’s Evolution FROM PG.23

A second effort followed this June. TIGLFF launched Queer in Color – its inaugural Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC)-focused festival – to commemorate Pride Month and Juneteenth. Rodriguez chairs each of the planning committees.

“TIGLFF in general is trying to revamp programming to reconnect to the community,” they explained at the time. “Our programming has always been diverse, but we know that we need to do better. This is owning up to that.”

Akins believes that doing so is critical for TIGLFF’s longevity. He wanted to ensure the organization “not only talks about diversity in the community, but also leads with it,” which is why each festival respectively utilized a transgender and BIPOC screening committee for its film selections.

It’s a practice that will continue moving forward, and one that also influenced this year’s TIGLFF lineup.

Horne says the festivals “gave me a perspective about the importance of including diversity in the program to attract new audience members.

“After these two specialty festivals attracted new audience members, we want to keep them engaged,” he continues. “So I made sure to include a selection

of trans and BIPOC-related films in the program.”

“The last year and almost three quarters of this one have allowed us to really shake things up out of necessity, to try some things that we were not able to do before that have been embraced by the community,” Akins says.

“It’s also allowed us to lead locally among film festivals.”

This year TIGLFF will hold a hybrid festival, a combination of streaming options available throughout Tampa Bay flanked by in-person screenings in Tampa and St. Petersburg. The festival will return to its traditional home for its opening weekend Oct. 1-3, presenting 11 feature films at the historic Tampa Theatre.

Its opener is “Language Lessons,” a comedic drama making its Tampa Bay premiere.

Directed by and starring openly LGBTQ Florida native Natalie Morales (“Parks and Recreation”), it co-stars her fellow writer Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”) and details their unlikely pairing.

In a sign of the times, the film was shot entirely during the pandemic. Horne says it “underscores the importance of human connection as these two people form a meaningful friendship via online computer sessions, which is so relevant to our socially isolated and technology-dependent time that we have all been facing.”

Virtual screenings will follow Oct. 4-10, including several feature films and all of this year’s

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

shorts programs. The groupings include “It’s A Queer World After All,” shorts representing the best in international LGBTQ cinema and “Queer-toons,” a new program of animated features.

“We always knew after last year’s successful all-virtual festival that we wanted to keep an aspect of that going forward,” Horne says. “Especially this year when all the rising COVID variants have some people concerned about going to the theaters.

“Also, because we only have theaters reserved for the opening weekend and closing weekend, there was not room for all the programming,” he continues. “So to keep it simple and cohesive, I decided to put all the narrative feature films in the theaters and all the documentaries and shorts online.”

Two documentary programs also explore the careers of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum and histories of LGBTQ Pride celebrations. Horne says there’s something for everyone, especially locals.

In addition to featuring the in-person screening of the horror film “Inheritance” – a local spotlight featuring fan favorite Tampa Bay drag performer Amy DeMilo, TIGLFF 32 will feature the world premiere trailer of “Tampa Baes.” The unscripted docuseries is produced by Amazon Studios and follows “the young lesbian ‘it-crowd’ navigating and celebrating

life in Tampa Bay – Florida’s LGBTQ+ hub and the place to see and be seen.’

It will precede “Rebel Dykes,” a documentary examining the lives of a gang of lesbian, trans and queer people in 1980s London that begins streaming Oct. 4.

The premiere will also include a special introduction by the producer and show-runner.

This year’s festival will close at the AMC Sundial in St. Petersburg, where TIGLFF will present three films over the course of the weekend. The closing night film is “Glob Lessons,” another piece making its Florida premier. The road-trip buddy film focuses on another unlikely duo.

“I fell in love with this film and the characters of Alan and Jesse,” Horne says. “Even though it’s not a romantic relationship, they have such chemistry together and comedic timing. This year’s opening night film and closing night film focus on friendships between a gay man and a straight woman. My friendships with straight allies have always been very meaningful to me and I am happy to celebrate the value of friendship in this year’s festival.”

TIGLFF notes that all in-person screenings will follow protocols set forth by each theater to protect guests, all of which are subject to change. To minimize risk, the Tampa Theatre upgraded its HVAC system last year to incorporate more fresh air and a bipolar ionization system and has implemented

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enhanced environmental cleaning throughout its venue.

Similarly, AMC movie theaters is a member of Clorox’s Safer Today Alliance. It’s designed to combine “world-class expertise in infection protocols with EPA-approved disinfection solutions … to make public spaces safer, so the world can move forward, together.”

“It is possible to attend films as safely as we can,” Akins says.

He also notes that “given the state of the world, and trends and movie consumption prior to the pandemic, it’s going to be a combination of live and virtual streaming going forward.”

“We still need to get out,” he adds. “We’re very fortunate to have an organization like this around, especially after 32 years when so many others have gone away. Maybe we don’t need to watch every film in a theater, but it’s still good to be out and around other people.

TIGLFF provides something that’s needed.”

The 32nd annual Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF) will be held Oct. 2-10. In-person screenings will be held at the Tampa Theatre at 711 N. Franklin St. in Tampa and AMC Sundial 12 at 151 2nd Ave. N. in St. Petersburg. For more information about the venues, COVID-19 safety precautions and to purchase tickets, visit TIGLFF.com. View this year’s schedule on pg. 27 and read more about the films at WatermarkOnline.com.

CONTINUED ON PG. 27 | uu |

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IMAGES COURTESY TIGLFF

| uu | TIGLFF’s Schedule

FRI., OCT. 1 OPENING FILM: “LANGUAGE LESSONS” (2021) 7:30 p.m. | Tampa Theatre

SAT., OCT. 2 “MASCARPONE” (2021) 1 p.m. | Tampa Theatre “NIMBY” (2020) 3 p.m. | Tampa Theatre “JUMP, DARLING” (2020) 5 p.m. | Tampa Theatre “THE NOVICE” (2021) 7 p.m. | Tampa Theatre “BALONEY” (2021) 9 p.m. | Tampa Theatre

SUN., OCT. 3 “NORA HIGHLAND” (2020) 12 p.m. | Tampa Theatre “BETWEEN THEM (TOUTES LES DEUX)” (2021) 1:30 p.m. | Tampa Theatre

MON., OCT. 4 – SUN., OCT. 10 “IT’S A QUEER WORLD AFTER ALL”

“WINGS” (2020); “ROADKILL” (2020); “TOTAL CATCH” (2021); “BONSOIR” (2021); “COCOON LOVE” (2021); “FOUR B (CUARTO B)” (2021); “AIMEE VICTORIA” (2021); “LAURA’S VOICE” (2021)

TIGLFF Online

SHORTS PROGRAM #4:

SHORTS PROGRAM #1:

“BEFORE THE ERUPTION (ANTES DE LA ERUPCION)” (2020); “GOD’S DAUGHTER DANCES” (2020); “NIGHT RIDE (NATTRIKKEN)” (2020); “UNLONELY” (2021); “AS SIMPLE AS THAT (SIMPLES ASSIM)” (2021); “SWINGIN’” (2020)

SHORTS PROGRAM #2: “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE” TIGLFF Online “A BIG FAT TAIWANESE SAME-SEX WEDDING” (2019); “BELONGING” (2020); “NO MAN’S LAND” (2021); “CARO COMES OUT” (2020); “WE ARE NOT WHO THEY SAY WE ARE” (2020); “THE LEAF” (2021); “LET THERE BE COLOUR” (2019); “TAIWAIN PRIDE FOR THE WORLD” (2020)

“FIREBIRD” (2021) 3:30 p.m. | Tampa Theatre

SHORTS PROGRAM #3:

“KISS ME KOSHER” (2020) 6 p.m. | Tampa Theatre

TIGLFF Online

“SUGAR AND SPICE”

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT:

“SNIPS AND SNAILS”

TIGLFF Online “COMPLICATED” (2020); “VIRGIN MY ASS” (2020); “GETTING CLOSER” (2020); “HARD” (2021); “IN[APP] LICABLE” (2020); “PRIVATE PHOTOS (FOTOS PRIVADAS)”; “PEACE” (2020); “FRANKIE” (2020); “GRADUATION” (2020)

SHORTS PROGRAM #5:

“DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES” TIGLFF Online “EARLY TO RISE” (2020); “GAYDREAM” (2021); “THE NIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLY (LA NUIT DU PAPILLON)” (2020); “HEAVEN REACHES DOWN TO EARTH”; “METUBE: AUGUST SINGS ‘UNA FURTIVA LAGRIMA’” (2020); “POLTER” (2020); “CATFISH KILLER” (2020); “THORNS” (2020); “FORGIVE US” (2021); “SUNDOWN TOWN” (2020); “THE LAST LETTUCEFEST” (2021)

SHORTS PROGRAM #6: “LIFE’S A DRAG”

“INHERITANCE” (2021) 8 p.m. | Tampa Theatre

TIGLFF Online

“THE BEAUTY PRESIDENT” (2021); “THE STORY QUEENS (LAS REINAS DE LOS CUENTOS)” (2021); “A JOY LIKE ANY OTHER (UN METIER COMME UN AUTRE)” (2021); “MAN UP IN LOCKDOWN” (2021); “WHEN I’M HER” (2021)“RED MASISI (MASISI WOUJ)” (2021); “PARALELO” (2021)

SHORTS PROGRAM #7: “QUEER-TOONS” TIGLFF Online “THE QUEEN’S HEART” (2021); “THE SAPPHO PROJECT: FRAGMENT 147” (2021); “REVIVING THE ROOST” (2019); “ARE YOU STILL WATCHING?” (2021); “EVERYONE HAS MY JACKET” (2021); “ALL THOSE SENSATIONS IN MY BELLY” (2020); “OUR BED IS GREEN”; “I BLEED (SANGRO)” (2019); “OUT OF THE DARK: AKEEM” (2021); “MEN IN BLUE: 12 STORIES” (2021); “GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE FAMILIES OF BEARS” (2020); “MAMA HAS A MUSTACHE” (2021)

VIRTUAL FEATURE:

“REBEL DYKES” (2021) TIGLFF Online,

TUES., OCT. 5 – SUN., OCT. 10

WEDS., OCT. 6 – SUN., OCT. 10 VIRTUAL DOUBLE FEATURE: ACTIVIST HEROES TIGLFF Online, “AIDS DIVA: THE LEGEND OF CONNIE NORMAN” (2021) ; “YES I AM: THE RICK WEILAND STORY” (2020)

THURS., OCT. 7 – SUN., OCT. 10 VIRTUAL DOUBLE FEATURE: DRAG STARS

TIGLFF Online “BEING BEBE: THE BEBE ZAHARA BENET DOCUMENTARY” (2021); “WORKHORSE QUEEN” (2021)

SAT. OCT. 9 “INVISIBLE: WOMEN IN SOUTHERN MUSIC” (2021) 3 p.m. | AMC Sundial 20, “POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA” (2021) 5 p.m. | AMC Sundial 20

CLOSING FILM: “GLOB LESSONS” (2021) 7 p.m. | AMC Sundial 20

VIRTUAL FEATURE: “BUILDING A BRIDGE” (2021) TIGLFF Online

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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27

ASK US ABOUT: Repeat Guest Discounts Military & Veteran Discounts Spa Specials & Memberships Florida Resident Discounts & Student Discounts Call 1-800-818-1211 or visit thegrandresortandspa.com for information.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Ginger Minj talks about her latest showing on ‘Drag Race’ and the release of her first country music album

D

Jeremy Williams

RAG ICON AND ORLANDO NATIVE

Ginger Minj is a queen of many talents. Minj — whose real name is Josh Eads — is a drag performer, a comedian, an actor, a singer-songwriter and a podcaster, all of which she has managed to showcase in 2021.

Minj gave an award-winning performance at Orlando Fringe this year as the Queen of the Fairies in the show “Arden,” she can be heard each week — alongside Trinity the Tuck — on the “Werkin’ Girls” podcast and she released her second album “Gummy Bear” earlier this summer.

She also made her third showing as a competitor on the massively popular reality series, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” appearing in “All Stars 6” on the Paramount+ streaming service. She is now beginning a new path in her career as a country western music star.

Minj’s third album, a country music record called “Double Wide Diva,” is out Sept. 17. The album’s first single, “Walk Tall,” is a song she wrote with Brandon Stansell and Jeffrey James and is about being who you are, living authentically and walking tall no matter who says you shouldn’t.

Minj spoke with Watermark by phone a week before the “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6” finale about how the season went for her and about her latest career move as she boot scootin’ boogies her way into country music.

CONTINUED ON PG. 31 | uu |

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Garth Brooks, I love Tanya Tucker and I love Shania Twain, of course.

I mean she really kind of merged more into pop. My whole reference point for country music — outside of country-western, old-school stuff my grandparents listened to — is all ‘90s. So my album is really going back to that type of sound, Wynonna Judd and all that. I’m doing a cover of “Friends in Low Places” on the album.

| uu | She’s Gone Country FROM PG.29

WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS WHEN THEY APPROACHED YOU FOR ANOTHER SEASON OF “ALL STARS” AND WHY DID YOU WANT RETURN?

Well, it’s not the first time that I had been asked if I would be interested. I knew that I didn’t want “All-Stars 2” to be the end of my journey because it was kind of a traumatic experience for me. So I knew that when I went back it had to feel right in my heart — win, lose, it’s all whatever — it just had to feel right in the universe.

Then, of course in the middle of the pandemic, you get a phone call and you’re like, “You know I haven’t been doing anything except online digital shows for months and months and I really kind of feel like this is an opportunity.” I also felt like I learned so much more about myself, my drag and how to do things for myself during quarantine. I felt a little more well rounded so I said “OK, I think I can do this now. I think I’m ready to go back.”

HOW DID BEING ON “ALL STARS 2” PREPARE YOU FOR COMING INTO “ALL STARS 6”?

I knew what not to do. I went into “All Stars 2” and my whole life was kind of a mess at that point.

I just lost [“RuPaul’s Drag Race”] season 7, my grandfather who raised me had just passed away, I was in an 11-year relationship that ended and I was out there in the world famous for the first time.

I had no clue how to handle that or deal with it.

So I went into “All Stars 2” with this whole headspace of “OK, you gotta be nice this time. You can’t be a bitch, you can’t be real, you can’t be this, you can’t be that. You just gotta give the fans what they want so you won’t get the hate that you got before,” and I realized that it wasn’t fun for me and people hated me even more because it was not authentic. So I knew going into “All Stars 6,” I just wanted to be myself.

THIS SEASON, YOU VOTED ON EACH GIRL’S TRACK RECORD WHEREAS IN PAST SEASONS, SOME GIRLS HAVE VOTED OUT THEIR BIGGEST COMPETITION. WERE YOU TEMPTED TO PLAY THE GAME IN ANY OTHER WAY?

Listen, I want to win but I want to be the best of the best. I think in order to be the best of the best you have to beat the best of the best. First of all, I didn’t want to be

THE FINALE FOR “ALL STARS” IS NEXT WEEK AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF ONLINE TRIBUTES OUT THERE FOR YOU. HAVE YOU HAD ANY CHANCE TO READ ANY OF THEM?

SOUTHERN BELLE: After getting to the finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6,” Ginger Minj is releasing her second album this year, “Double Wide Diva,” her first in the country music genre. PHOTO COURTSY GINGER MINJ

shady. Second, I didn’t want to get rid of somebody who deserved to be there, someone who worked hard to be there. And third, nobody wants to be the best of what’s left, you know? So I felt like if I voted with integrity, I would be able to go to sleep at night and be OK with that decision. Also, if and when I win, I think the rest of the world would be like “Oh my gosh she won on the best season ever, it was the best competition and those girls really gave her a run for her money.”

WHO WAS THE HARDEST PERSON FOR YOU TO SEND HOME?

They were all difficult to send home and that’s not even just being politically correct or nice.

For me personally, I felt like the least emotionally damaging way to send people home, for myself, was to simply look at the track record. Just like with Scarlet [Envy], Scarlet was great in the competition but she had been safe every week. Whereas Jan [Sport], though she had been on the bottom, she had won the week before and Kylie [Sonique Love] hadn’t won anything but she had been in the top. So to me, I just took all the emotion and the personal feelings out of it and said, “OK, well this is clearly just the slightly weaker track record and that’s the decision to make.”

TALK TO ME A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU DECIDED ON YOUR DIFFERENT LOOKS FOR THIS SEASON.

People need to understand that we put this thing together at the height of a pandemic. What that means, there’s a lot of drag that comes from overseas. A lot of

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

drag comes from China, including our fabric, wigs, shoes, all of that.

I didn’t realize just how difficult it was gonna be to pull together one single look much less 20 looks to take with me.

Gidget Galore and myself, we did everything together because we spent all of quarantine together doing digital shows and all that.

She was teaching me how to sew and I was teaching her how to do certain things and I said, “Alright if we’re gonna do this then we’re gonna do it.” We raided literally every corner of every costume shop we could to find fabric.

We spent a week dyeing the black lace for my goth look because the only lace we could find was blue. We dyed it once and it turned red, we dyed it again and it turned green, so it was a bunch of trial and error of trying to get everything together.

For my Pop Art look, we made that out of iron-on transfers. It was fun and creative and it felt like guerilla theater.

YOU PUT AN ALBUM OUT THIS SUMMER, “GUMMY BEAR,” AND IT HAS A DIFFERENT SOUND THAN YOUR FIRST ALBUM, “SWEET T.” WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION IN DEVELOPING “GUMMY BEAR”?

When I did “Sweet T,” it was like therapy for me. It was my Adele album. I poured my heart, soul and emotions into it. I released it and it was great, people liked it, and then I got into the nightclub and realized I can’t do any of these songs. I can’t perform these because nobody wants to sit there after dancing all night and watch me sing a sad song as I cry to myself on stage at 2

o’clock in the morning. So I needed to do songs that were unique to me and very much my style but more fun and dancier. So that’s how “Gummy Bear” came to be.

I recorded a majority of that album a couple years ago and I just kept hanging onto it because I just knew it wasn’t the right time yet. So we released that and it went well and I actually just released at midnight last night [Sept. 2] the first single off of my next album that drops in a couple of weeks and it’s a country album.

SO YOU’RE LIKE BECK, YOU’RE HITTING ALL THE GENRES.

Yeah, I think country is the one I’m gonna stick with because it’s what I always wanted to do, it’s what I knew the best growing up and it’s what I think my voice is more suited toward. I just knew that I had to ease into country.

I think the country fans have an immediate reaction toward drag and the drag fans have an immediate reaction toward country, so I have to kind of ease both sides of that in. But I think they’re ready.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR COUNTRY INSPIRATIONS AND WHY IS IT DOLLY PARTON?

[Laughs] Well, who doesn’t love Dolly? I’ve never met a single person in the world who has a negative thing to say about Dolly Parton and having met her several times and worked with her, she’s just gets nicer as she gets older.

The more you know her, the more she just wants to hug you and love you and give you everything in the world. So I think everybody should do it like Dolly. I also love

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I have and they literally take my breath away. They’re so beautiful, it makes it feel like I’ve died. It’s something so personal that is now being shared with the entire world.

So there’s mixed emotions going into it, but it’s nice to see the world see you through other people’s eyes, if that makes any sense. I can go out there, I can talk myself up all day long and nobody’s going to give a shit. I’m too close to the source material. But then you get other people who have had these experiences and share them and I think it makes people stop and take notice of who I really am as a person outside of “Drag Race.”

THE FINALE IS A WEEK AWAY BUT WHEN WE PUBLISH THIS IT’LL BE AFTER THE FINALE HAS AIRED. SO SINCE I’M NOT ABLE TO GET A REACTION FROM YOU TO THE FINALE, I WAS WONDERING COULD YOU GIVE ME A RESPONSE TO THE FINALE, FIRST IF YOU WON AND A SECOND IF YOU WERE A RUNNER-UP.

If I were to win, this moment means more to me than anything in the world and I think that’s because it’s not just about winning the crown and winning the title.

I feel like it’s a full-circle journey for me, particularly with the community of Orlando. They were there for me at the beginning of this eight years ago and I’ve received nothing but love and support from that community. So to be able to bring that title home it’s like a huge celebration for us.

If I don’t win, well I guess I’ll be back in another five years. If I don’t win I don’t want people to feel bad for me. I learned from season 7, it doesn’t continue to push you in your career. Getting out there, hustling and making connections does. Really appreciating the people and the work is what really pays off. I’ve always done that and I’m never gonna stop.

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FILM

Fab AF!

Harvey Milk Festival rebrands as Fabulous Arts Foundation

(ABOVE)

QUEER SOUND:

Superknova, a Chicago-based transgender musician who creates queer pop, will perform in Sarasota.

PHOTO COURTESY FABULOUS ARTS FOUNDATION

F

Tiffany Razzano

OR NEARLY 12 YEARS, SARASOTA’S

Harvey Milk Festival transformed the greater Tampa Bay region’s LGBTQ scene by creating safe spaces through community-driven arts events.

By booking queer musicians and other performers, the nonprofit honored the legacy and political activism of its namesake Harvey Milk, and used the arts to make a statement about equality. But it’s no secret that the organization has always had big plans. Among them, a queer performing arts center is in the works in Sarasota.

Despite this, the nonprofit might have surprised some of its followers when it announced a big name change at the end of August. Now, the organization goes by Fabulous Arts Foundation – or FabAF – which better represents its mission of queer arts and advocacy work.

“We’ve always said, we’re working on a queer performing arts and community arts center, we want to build on what we’ve done, so we can’t stay under that name. We’re growing,” Shannon Fortner, founder and president says.

With a new name comes a new board. Fortner remains at the helm and is joined by vice president Mason Gallo, a queer-identified transman and activist; George Hemcher with the Sarasota Opera; and Andrew Ensign.

The organization offers a multitude of advocacy and community outreach initiatives, including diversity and inclusivity training, an LGBTQ youth scholarship program, a vlog series featuring queer and trans BIPOC voices,

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

and a collaboration with the Sarasota Friendship Center to showcase the history of LGBTQ elders.

At the heart of its programming are its public arts festivals, including the upcoming Fabulous Independent Film Festival (IFF), which this year is incorporating some of the best pieces of the former Harvey Milk Festival, including live music, performing and visual artists, guest speakers, theatre and vendors.

And in the winter of 2022, the group is introducing a new event – a three-day Drag Culture Festival at the Sarasota Opera. “We’re excited to have the Drag Culture event next year in a space like that. It’s exciting to have that visibility,” Fortner says.

For now, their primary focus is on the 11th annual Fabulous IFF, a two-week showcase that features a mix of virtual and in-person art events.

The opening night art installation, set Sept. 23, 6 p.m., in Sarasota’s Rosemary District at 800 Cocoanut Ave., invites attendees to explore a parallel universe: a Queer Utopia.

It will feature interactive and immersive installations exploring time travel and identity by artists including John Gascot, Tate Leigh, Michael Murphy and Tylia Janei. The evening will also include a performance by cellist Ash Hoffman. Guests are invited to dress in a way that embodies the theme.

There will also be a meet-and-greet with FabAF’s new board members and ambassadors. “Honestly, it’s a breath of fresh air to have new board members come in and vibrate on the same level,” Fortner says. “We want the community to get to know them.”

General admission tickets can be purchased in advance for $20, while advance student tickets are $15 and $125 for VIP. At the door, general admission tickets are $25, student tickets are $20 and VIP tickets are $150.

On Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., the organization will host Q+Dance+Performance Art at the Players Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota. The show features contemporary dance artist and instructor Bianca “JustBee” Russell.

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From 2:15 to 10:30 p.m. on Sept.

25, FabAF will present the Music & Arts Festival, which will be held in the Rosemary District in Sarasota at 1250 10th Street. The emcee will be New York City-based drag queen Selma Nilla, who started her drag career in Sarasota and is known for her winning appearance on the Netflix series “Nailed It!” Her appearance is “a tease” to the new drag festival, Fortner says. “We’re really excited to have her be able to host and perform.”

The band lineup for the day includes a variety of genres and styles. Moon Kissed, a synth pop trio based in NYC, recently released their debut album, “I Met My Band at a New Year’s Party.

SuperKnova, a Chicago-based transgender musician who creates queer pop, will also perform, sharing her “unique sound that incorporates hip-hop inspired drums, driving synths and virtuosic guitar solos,” FabAF notes. Other bands and musical artists performing at the festival include Fortner’s group MeteorEYES, Daddy, Roxx Revolt & the Velvets, Divine AF, Emmanuelle Sasson and Me Umbra.

And, of course, there’s the 11th annual Fabulous IFF. Usually, the festival screens its films at Sarasota’s Burns Court Cinema, but this year there are two ways to view the films.

All films – a wide variety of LGBTQ+ shorts and feature selections from around the world – are available on demand Sept. 23-Oct. 2. There’s also a drive-in festival Sept. 30-Oct. 2 for those who want to attend in person, but still stay socially distanced and safe.

“This is big for us after having to do only virtual last year because of the pandemic,” Fortner says. “It’s something cool and accessible and safe and you get to see a cool queer film in the Rosemary District.”

The films will be screened at 800 Cocoanut Ave. in Sarasota. Each night there will be specialty drinks and food trucks available at the site. Tickets are $30 and include drive-in admission for up to four people.

All events will incorporate various safety protocols. It was a tough decision to host this expansive festival this year with COVID-19 numbers surging in Florida, including the Sarasota area, but Fortner says the community needed it.

“There’s been so much disconnect in the community because of COVID,” Fortner says. “I feel confident enough to hold the events. We need this festival.”

Learn more about the Fabulous Arts Foundation, its upcoming celebrations and buy tickets at FabAF.org.

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Up to 20,000 copies of our biweekly newspaper are distributed every other Incoming mailboxFlorida, size limit is 10MB per email.

Thursday throughout Central Tampa Bay and surrounding Emails larger than 10MB will not be received. Please optimize attachments accordingly. communities. Watermark also produces a collection of high-gloss specialty publications, and a Publishing web siteGroup withis atherapidly growing online community.

Watermark premier media outlet for the gay,

Watermark Publishing Group is the premier media outlet for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community in Central and West Florida. Up to 20,000 copies of our biweekly newspaper are distributed every other Thursday throughout Central Florida, Tampa Bay and surrounding communities. Watermark also produces a collection of high-gloss specialty publications, and a web site with a rapidly growing online community.

lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Central and West Florida.

Up to 20,000 copies of our biweekly newspaper are distributed every other Thursday throughout Central Florida, Tampa Bay and surrounding communities. Watermark also produces a collection of high-gloss specialty publications, and a web site with a rapidly growing online community.

Incoming mailbox size limit is 10MB per email.

Emails larger than 10MB will not be received. Please optimize attachments accordingly.

Absolutely no phone calls please. Only the most promising applicants will be contacted.

Incoming mailbox size limit is 10MB per email.

Emails larger than 10MB will not be received. Please optimize attachments accordingly.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Incoming mailbox size limit is 10MB per email.

Emails larger than 10MB will not be received. Please optimize attachments accordingly.

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community calendar

EVENT PLANNER ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Bring It 2 the Stage

Santana, Sept. 17, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7000; AmwayCenter.com

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22, 7 P.M. THE ABBEY, ORLANDO Impulse Group Orlando presents Bring It 2 the Stage talent showcase at The Abbey Orlando. Impulse is promoting HIV/AIDS, STI, sexual health, substance abuse and social justice awareness through the dynamic scope of competition. Contestants will compete, showing off their talents in individual and group performances, singing, dancing and more.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m. This is a free event. For more information and for the link to register, go to Impulse Group Orlando’s Facebook page.

CFL ACE ARO Peer Network, Sept. 18, virtual.

407-228-8272; TineyURL.com/ CFLACEGroup The Almost Fall Fest, Sept.

19, Quantum Leap Winery, Orlando. 407-421-9005; Mills50.org Hasan Minhaj, Sept.

19, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org NTVM’s “Leveraging Your Authentic to Build Your Legacy,” Sept. 22, virtual.

NationalTransMarch.com “Every Brilliant Thing,” Sept. 22-Oct. 16, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando. 407-447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org J.I.: Young & Restless Tour, Sept. 23, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org Brew & View: “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Sept. 24, Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company, Orlando. 407-270-6749; IvanhoeParkBrewing.com John Crist, Sept. 24, King Center, Melbourne.

321-242-2219; KingCenter.com “Clue,” Sept. 24-Oct. 17, Athens Theatre, DeLand. 386-736-1500; AthensDeLand.com J. Cole w/ 21 Savage, Sept. 25, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7000; AmwayCenter.com National Theatre Live: “No Man’s Land,” Sept.

25, Enzian Theater, Maitland.

407-629-1088; Enzian.org

THE KING’S

JESTER

Global Peace Week SEPT. 27-30, 8:30 A.M.-8 P.M. VIRTUAL

Former “Patriot Act” host and “Daily Show” correspondent Hasan Minhaj brings his topical comedy to the Straz Center in Tampa Sept. 18 and the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando Sept. 19. PHOTO FROM MINHAJ’S FACEBOOK

International Food And Drink Festival, Sept. 26, Lake Eola Park, Orlando.

407-936-4332; Facebook.com/ InternationalFood AndDrinkFestivalOrlando Spyro Gyra, Sept.

29, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org Brett Eldredge, Sept.

30, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org

TAMPA BAY “Cabaret,” Sept. 10Oct. 2, Carrollwood Players, Tampa. 813-265-4000; CarrollwoodPlayers.org Brittany Baldwin, Sept.

18, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com Hasan Minhaj, Sept. 18, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

Daryl Hall & John Oates, Sept. 20, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa.

813-600-1000; LiveMu. sc/3dFJemr WADA Member Social, Sept. 21, Warehouse Arts District Association, St. Petersburg. 727-256-0821; WarehouseArtsDistrictStPete.org EPIC Coffee Club - Serving and Supporting LGBTQ+ Seniors, Sept. 22, Gulfport Senior Center, Gulfport.

727-328-5524; MyEPIC.org Lisa Noe, Sept. 23, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg.

727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com Voices of the Community: Giving Voice, Sept. 23, virtual, 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Maroon 5, Sept. 24, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa.

813-600-1000; LiveMu. sc/3dFJemr Eric Clapton, Sept. 25, Amalie Arena, Tampa. 813-301-6500; AmalieArena.com

Nurse Blake: The PTO Comedy Tour, Sept. 26, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

Each September, the Peace and Justice Institute celebrates the International Day of Peace with Global Peace Week festivities and events including peace education, music, guest speakers and free film screenings in partnership with the Global Peace Film Festival. This year’s festival will be held virtually. Go to GlobalPeaceWeek2021.eventbrite.com to register and see a full event list.

TAMPA BAY

Lindsey Buckingham, Sept. 27, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com

Pride on the River

Fresh Start, Sept. 29, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailStPete.com Jennifer Real, Sept. 30, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com

SARASOTA The 11th Annual Fabulous Independent Film Festival, Sept. 23Oct. 2, virtual. 941-228-4872; HarveyMilkFestival.org Bianca “Justbee” Russell’s “Movement,” Sept. 24, The Players Club, Sarasota. 941-228-4872; HarveyMilkFestival.org

SATURDAY, SEPT. 18, 1-9 P.M. THE TAMPA RIVERWALK, TAMPA Tampa Pride presents its inaugural, end-of-summer celebration along the Hillsborough River. Pride on the River will feature a drag brunch, Pride boat parade, a festival at the pier and a fireworks show. Brunch tickets start at $30, boat parade entry fees start at $90, festival and firework show are free with VIP tickets available starting at $30. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to PrideOnTheRiver.org/ Store.

Balance Tampa Bay’s September Social TUESDAY, SEPT. 21, 6-8 P.M. HOLLANDER HOTEL, ST. PETERSBURG Join Balance Tampa Bay at the Hollander Hotel in St. Pete for their September Social. Sip on a delicious cocktail, hang out with old friends and meet new ones while Balance shares information on upcoming service and social opportunities for the rest of the year. Complimentary appetizers will be provided. for more information, visit BalanceTampaBay.org.

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

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Bevel and Flat Mirrors Cut to your specifications!

Specialty Frames Available in Oval, Circle, and Shadowbox.

All Custom Framework is Professional Crafted on-premises!!!

TyroneFrame.com 2060 Tyrone Blvd N • St. Pete

(727) 344-1000 38

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announcements

TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS GaYbor District Coalition celebrates 14 years in Tampa’s historic Ybor City this month.

Come OUT St. Pete crowned its 2021 Come Out As You Are Royal Court Sept. 5. Alexis De La Mer, James Cass and Russell Mania will represent the organization. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

Red Mesa Restaurant celebrated 26 years Sept. 6.

Uptown Eats celebrated one year in St. Petersburg Sept. 10.

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Hamburger Mary’s Clearwater celebrates 8 years Sept. 18.

Tampa Pride’s inaugural Pride on the River will be held Sept. 18 featuring performances from “Drag Race” stars Alyssa Edwards and Brita Filter and more. Learn more at PrideOnTheRiver.org and read all about the festivities at WatermarkOnline.com.

Metro Inclusive Health opened inclusivitea on Central Ave. Sept. 14. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

Jay Miah will perform as Nevaeh King on FOX’s “Alter Ego,” premiering Sept. 22.

CONDOLENCES Tampa’s Donn Rosenthal died Sept. 6.

He will be dearly missed.

CANCELLATIONS Manatee Pride and Pasco Pride have each postponed their previously scheduled returns until next year, citing Florida’s rise in COVID-19 cases. The former will be held March 5, 2022 and the latter hopes to return early 2022. Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Tampa Bay pool man Mark Francen, Pinellas Co. School Board’s Caprice Edmond, St. Pete artist Barry Rothstein (Sept. 17); CAN Community Health Sarasota senior vice president Rogelio Capote, Owner of David Vargas-State Farm Insurance David Vargas (Sept. 18); Keller Williams St. Pete realtor Mauricio Moreno, St. Pete comedian Jeff Klein (Sept. 19); Cosplay captain Leif Thomas (Sept. 20); The Meadows Country Club’s John Pozo-George, Tampa socialite Neil Parker (Sept. 21); Parri Law Firm owner Dan Parri, Lead Pastor of The Edge Community Church Ricc Rollins (Sept. 22); Tampa Bay chef Darlene Herrick (Sept.

23);Tampa Bay fashion designer Ivanka Ska, Quench twin Nick Caraccia, Bay Area Pool Authority manager Mark Celaya-Renaud, Pasco Pride’s Charlie Russo (Sept. 24); Tampa Bay caregiver R.J. Walker, State Rep.-elect Michele Rayner (Sept. 25); Accuracy Painting’s Kelly Bachman (Sept. 27); Tampa realtor Cody Limberger (Sept. 28); Tampa decorator extraordinaire Matthieu Stanoch, Ybor City event planner Tony LaColla (Sept. 29).

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EPIC ENCOUNTER: Empath Partners in Care (EPIC) tables at the University of South Florida Student Life Center Sept.

7 as a part of the Targeted Outreach for Pregnant Women Act. PHOTO COURTESY EPIC

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B-I-N-G-O: Bingo hostess Georgia Moore (L) and performer Mya Buena Matthews help raise $400 for the Rose Dynasty Foundation Sept. 7. PHOTO COURTESY ROSE DYNASTY FOUNDATION

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TAMPA PROUD: Tampa Pride’s board accepts a $10,000 donation from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa Sept. 8.

PHOTO COURTESY TAMPA PRIDE

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BIG WINNERS: (L-R) James Cass, Alexis De La Mer and Russell Mania are crowned Come OUT St. Pete’s new royal court Sept. 5. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

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LOUD & PROUD: The Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay hang with Pete the Pelican before singing the National Anthem at the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Pride Night. PHOTO COURTESY GMCTB

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BIG RETURN: The Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival’s board celebrates the launch of this year’s 32nd annual event at the Straz Center Sept. 9. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

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TEAM SCREAM: (L-R): Justin Horn, Julian Cruz, Lindsey Burkholder and Deidre Favero survive Halloween Horror Nights Sept. 10. PHOTO COURTESY DEIDRE FAVERO

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SHOWING SUPPORT: Project Pride drops off care packages to the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Sept. 9. PHOTO

COURTESY PROJECT PRIDE

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PRESENTED BY:

A night of hilarious commentary with hosts Jeff Jones and Sabrina Ambra roasting a cult classic film.

CMX Cinemas Plaza Café 12 | 155 S Orange Avenue $12 tickets Watermarkonline.com/Movies-Out-Loud | $15 at the door.

A portion of proceeds with be donated to Come Out With Pride Masks are recommended, vaccines encouraged. All attendees assume all risks related to COVID-19.

supporting sponsors:

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announcements

CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Will’s Pub celebrated 26 years on Sept. 1.

MojoMan Swimwear & Clothing celebrated two years at its Colonial Plaza location Sept. 7.

Trixie Deluxxe’s Charity Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando helped to raise $1,250 for the LGBT+ Center Orlando Sept. 9

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Rock Hard Fitness helped to raise more than $1,900 for Equality Florida during its third annual Community Sweat fundraising event Sept. 12.

RESEARCH STUDY Three of the nation’s largest blood centers — Vitalant, OneBlood, and the American Red Cross — in partnership with the LGBT+ Center Orlando are seeking participants to join a new groundbreaking FDA-funded study in Orlando to consider new approaches for determining blood donation eligibility for men who have sex with men. If you are a gay or bisexual male between 18-39 years old and interested in becoming a blood donor, you may be eligible to participate. To gather the necessary data the blood centers are partnering with LGBTQ Centers in eight cities across the nation. The study looks to enroll 250–300 gay and bi men in Central Florida who meet the study eligibility criteria.

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LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Stonewall Bar DJ JB Burgos (Sept. 16); Hamburger Mary’s Orlando Broadway Brunch Bunch founder Jimmi Rossi (Sept. 17); Glamorous socialite Bill Jansen, Favorite allyJustice Mitchell, Priority One Financial’s Steven C. Lewis Jr. (Sept. 18); Flight of Ideas’ Bob Kodzis (Sept. 19); Disney manager of corporate alliances Jason Dobbins, Dr. David Rice at Eola Eyes, “DJ Trypsin” Gabe Medina (Sept. 20); Old Town Kissimmee general manager Thearon Scurlock, Hogwarts student Heather Murphy, Walt Disney Port Orleans Resort lobby concierge Gerry D. Evans, Animal advocate Ziggy Shockley, Orlando Gay Chorus creative director James Rode, Orlando artist and comedian Angela Ramos, JLD Communications founder Jose Luis Dieppa (Sept. 21); Orlando sister “Isadora Knocking” Morris Beverly (Sept.

22); Former board president of The Pride Chamber Lu Mueller-Kaul, former Watermark art director Charlie Carballo (Sept. 23); Former President at Florida Theatrical Association Ron Legler, Orlando photographer Angie Folks (Sept. 24); Southern Nights Orlando’s Christopher Bishop, Orlando chef Nathan Shifflett, Project Manager at Disney Kevin Thornton (Sept. 25); Orlando performer Eddie Cooper, Orlando performer Janine Klein, Keep Orlando Beautiful coordinator Jody Goostree, graphic artist Jarrod Pope, Watermark’s formerdirector of digital media Jamie Hyman (Sept. 26); Central Florida State of Gratitude grant recipient Kevin Voeltz, Darden Restaurants’ social media strategist Jeff Alexander Giordano, Dapper Duck owner Chuck Zell (Sept. 28).

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DISNEY FUN: (L-R) Noelle, Tanya and Angie Blasingame dress up and head to Walt Disney World Sept. 10. PHOTO COURTESY TANYA BLASINGAME

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READY TO FLY: Geyson Rosario (L) and trainer Drew Sizemore celebrate Geyson’s completion of five weeks of flight attendant training at JetBlue University Sept. 7.

PHOTO COURTESY DREW SIZEMORE

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SWEAT FOR A CAUSE: Rock Hard Fitness and Equality Florida team up for a Community Sweat fundraiser at Rock Hard Fitness in Orlando Sept. 12. PHOTO COURTESY ROCK HARD FITNESS

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STAYCATION ADVENTURE: Reiner Wolf (L) and Steffen Brandt take a ride on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Sept. 5.

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MORNING JOE: Ben Johansen shows off his rainbow mug at Embellish FX in Orlando Aug. 31. PHOTO

COURTESY BEN JOHANSEN

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FLOWER POWER: Andrea Montanez (L) and Joél Junior Morales work on a project at The Acre Orlando Sept. 8. PHOTO

COURTESY ANDREA MONTANEZ

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SHOW READY: (L-R) Twila Holiday, Risa Risque, Kirsty Liana Rimmer and April Fresh grab a photo at Secrets Hideaway Resort & Spa in Kissimmee Sept. 7. PHOTO

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COURTESY LOC ROBERTSON

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MATCHING NECKLACES: Bobby Hermida (L) and Kim Murphy show off their shrinky dink necklaces in Orlando Aug. 21. PHOTO

COURTESY BOBBY HERMIDA

PHOTO COURTESY REINER WOLF

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T A M P A

B A Y

ACCOUNTING

M A R K E T P L A C E

HEALTHCARE

PHOTOGRAPHY

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME!

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Primary Care for All Combined HIV/Primary Care PrEP (Descovy) Same Day Transgender Care and HRT STI Testing/Treatment Same or Next Day Appts.

Fine Art | Portrait | Wedding | Commercial www.DiversityHealthCenter.com info@DiversityHealthCenter.com 4302 N. Habana Ave, #200, Tampa, FL 33607 CALL US TODAY! Ph: (813) 518-0881

www.DylanToddPhotography.com info@DylanToddPhotography.com (727) 310-1212

MEDICAL

REALTOR

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

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

YOUTH SERVICES

www.diversitytampabay.org

Youth Drop-In Centers, Group Activities, Inclusion and Anti-Bullying Trainings for Schools and Other Organizations, Annual Alternative Prom, Music, Crafts, Arts.

Now serving young people in locations in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Empowering LGBTQ+ Youth and Their Allies and Creating Inclusive Communities

(941) 951-2576

www.ALSOyouth.org

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CALL FOR RATES

813-655-9890

Crossroads Center next to Ross

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C E N T R A L

F L O R I D A

ACCOUNTING + BOOKKEEPING

M A R K E T P L A C E

ATTORNEYS

COUNSELORS + THERAPISTS

MARRIAGE & DOMESTIC PARTNER PLANNING PERSONAL/BUSINESS TAX PREPARATION, e-file QUICKBOOKS ADVANCED PROADVISOR®

Leah eah G. James, CPA, MSTax

Judy L. Hines, CQA, CPB, CPS, CAP 407.478.4513 • ContactUs@geckoCPA.com

ACCOUNTING + BOOKKEEPING Personal Returns from

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Call for an appointment

407.923.4000

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Individual, Corporation, and Partnership Put 30+ years of experience to work for you.

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Tax Preparation Immediate appointments Taxes prepared while you wait!

407-435-9995 407-435-9995

1850 Lee Rd. Winter Park, FL 32789

www.SeanTurnerPHD.com www.SeanTurnerPHD.com

COUNSELING

AIDS ORGANIZATION

Mary Lieberman, LCSW Certified Imago Therapist Helping our Community Since 1987

Original

FINANCIAL PLANNERS

DICTOR FINANCIAL, LLC Wayne S. Dictor, President

Individuals & Couples ・ Adult Children of Alcoholics ・ Anxiety Gay & Lesbian Issues ・ Co-Dependancy ・ Depression

Office: 407-942-3366

Mobile: 941-230-4797 Wayne@DictorFinancial.com

Counseling Services of Central Florida, Inc. 1954 Howell Branch RD., Suite 106 ・ Winter Park, FL 32792

Phone: 407-657-8555, ext. 4・Fax 407-657-5774

COUNSELORS + THERAPISTS

2727 N Atlantic Ave - Box 900 Daytona Beach, FL 32118 Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member SIPC

FUNERAL SERVICES

AIR CONDITIONING

407-295-9231

www.4seasonsair.net The A/C Company you wish you called first.

We have the perfect deal on

PERFECT AIR for your home

FL License#: CAC056308

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in Rebates plus additional utility company incentives on qualified units.

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C E N T R A L

F L O R I D A

GARDEN + NURSERY

CITY OASIS Your Downtown Garden Shop 407-898-8101 1214 N. Mills Ave. Orlando Mention Watermark and Save!

Exotic Orchids, Bonsai, Ornamentals, Tropical Plants Full Service Interior Design and Maintenance Free Estimates, Prices start as low as $99/mo

M A R K E T P L A C E

INSURANCE

LGBT MEDICAL

Are eligible to Are you eligible switch switch your your Medicare Medicare coverage? coverage?

Kathleen Donnelly

Licensed Sales Representative

407-414-6133, TTY 711

HEALTH + FITNESS

Discount Nutrition Center Serving Orlando for 24 years

.Vitamins .Herbs .Dietary .Sports

We will match or beat local prices!

Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Insurance Company one of its affiliated Advantage organization withor a Medicare contract.

Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with companies, a Medicare Advantage Medicare. organization with a Medicare contract.

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Between Conway Rd. & Bumby Ave.

Come see Dave, Ed & Staff for a Free Consultation!

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Exterior and Interior Shutters Custom Blinds - Shades - Draperies

Julie Rose (407) 949-1969 620 Douglas Ave Suite 1302 Altamonte Springs Fl. 32714 email: web:

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jrose@SuperiorCustomShutters.com www.SuperiorCustomShutters.com

Read It Online!

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

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MEDICAL

C E N T R A L

F L O R I D A

OPTOMETRIST

M A R K E T P L A C E

ROOFER

VETERINARIAN

PERSONAL TRAINING www.rockhardfitnessorlando.com

FREE TRIAL PASS 1 WEEK UNLIMITED CLASSES 1 HOUR PERSONAL TRAINING 820 Lake Baldwin Lane p. 407.802.4631

Proudly Caring for the Pets and People of the LGBTQ Community since 1955 Open 7 Days a Week!

BOARDING

DOGGIE DAYCARE

NEW WELLNESS CENTER

1601 Lee Rd. Winter Park (407) 644-2676

PHOTOGRAPHY

YOUTH SERVICES Changing the lives of LGBTQ teens and young adults for over 30 years Social support groups Make friends Scholarships for college Weekly groups in Orange, Seminole & Polk Counties

· Join · Volunteer · Donate

info@OrlandoYouthAlliance.org www.OrlandoYouthAlliance.org

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA /WatermarkFL Fine Art | Portrait | Wedding | Commercial

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Call 407-481-2243 FOR MORE INFORMATION

SEPTEMBER 16 - 29, 2021 // ISSUE 28 .19 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

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Wedding Design by Simple Weddings Florida

FINE ART | PORTRAIT | WEDDING | COMMERCIAL www.DylanToddPhotography.com | 727-310-1212 | 515 22nd St S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712

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Compassionate care is at the heart of everything we do.

Avita is a national pharmacy services organization with deep expertise in HIV, PrEP, and LGBTQ+ care. We want you to feel deeply understood, cared for, and empowered to reach your full potential for health.

Visit us online atavitapharmacy.com to learn more and transfer to Avita.

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AAHIVP Certified Pharmacy Teams Financial Assistance Support Free Delivery of PrEP & HIV Meds Care Team Outreach

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