Watermark Issue 19.04: GaYBOR Uproar

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • SARASOTA • ISSUE 19.04 • FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM

still wrestling with Domestic Partnership Registry

Post Super Bowl, the Queen of Pop talks about her directorial debut

gets boost in several states

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MEET JOHAN & BRANDON

Johan and Brandon met at work and a whirlwind romance later, they made a lifetime commitment. Each wanted to start their new life in a new home. After an exhaustive search, they chose Savannah at Park Central. They can join friends for drinks at Blue Martini, find the most recent fashions at the Mall at Millenia or relax at home in one of several pools, one of two fitness centers, 4 tennis courts, 2 sand volleyball courts or in the comfort of their spectacularly large 2 bedroom apartment. They are also looking to add a four-legged friend to the family. This is Johan and Brandon’s life at Savannah at Park Central.

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DEPARTMENTS 6 // MAIL 9 // ORLANDO NEWS 13 // TAMPA BAY NEWS 17 // STATE 18 // NATION & WORLD 27 // ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 36 // EVENT PLANNER 39 // TAMPA BAY OVERHEARD 41 // ORLANDO OVERHEARD 44 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 45 // TRANSITIONS 47 // ORLANDO MARKETPLACE 52 // CLASSIFIEDS 53 // SPORTS 54 // GALLERY W

PAGE

[Prop 8] serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to

18 lessen the status and human dignity

of gays and lesbians in California.

—JUDGE STEPHEN REINHARDT

ON THE COVER

A feud between Florida Entertainment Group and JAM, organizers of the Gancho Circuit Party in Ybor City, reached new heights during Gasparilla weekend when the rivalry went public through social networking and mass e-mails.

ILLUSTRATION

BY JAKE STEVENS

SCAN QR CODE FOR

WATERMARKONLINE.COM

Preview

PAGE

27

QUEEN OF POP:

Madonna is back, thanks to a spectacular Super Bowl performance, a new album and a new movie that she wrote and directed. She talks to us about being a gay icon and sitting in the director’s chair for W.E.

W A T E R M A R K I S S U E 1 9 . 0 4 // F E B R U A R Y 1 6 - 2 9 , 2 0 1 2

ORLANDO NEWS

TAMPA BAY NEWS

THE OSCARS

SLIPPING

Read it online!

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

PAGE Activists are waiting to see

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if Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs will bring a domestic partnership registry before the commission; Locally filmed My Fair Lidy will have its world premiere at the Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre this month; and cameras were rolling in Orlando as several out stars filmed Untold.

PAGE An ongoing feud between

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Florida Entertainment Group and the Gancho Circuit Party reached a climax over Gasparilla weekend thanks to public Facebook posts and e-mails; a former SeanCody. com model and performer is sentenced to life for the 2010 murder of a Pasco County tattoo parlor owner; Grand Central’s annual Chili Cook-Off expands this year to encompass a street festival.

PAGE One of the holiest gay

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holidays of the year is back—The Academy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC Feb. 26, and this year’s crop of nominees are as diverse as the films they represent. Movie critic Stephen Miller takes a look at the most popular categories and shares his thoughts on who will win—and who should win—at the Oscars this year.

PAGE The controversial off-

play about an 32 Broadway abused gay teenager who

faces bullying arrives at the intimate Studio 620 this month. Lead actor Drew Smith talks about playing gay and why it took him awhile to get comfortable in his role as “Eli.” We also talk with director Bob Devin Jones, who thought of Smith for the role immediately after seeing the New York production.

DON’T MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION. REGISTER AT WATERMARKONLINE.COM TO COMMENT ON STORIES PUBLISHED IN THIS ISSUE OF WATERMARK. FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Leather is a fetish, not an orientation

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

ShotonSite 1

I’d like to vent just a bit regarding the recent issue of Watermark [Issue 19.03].

This criticism goes to a much larger issue in the LGBT community than just a photo in Watermark.

A few weeks ago, I took a vacation to San Francisco after reading the book The Mayor of Castro Street. I wanted to experience all that I could from those pages in the book.

The experience was awesome and very emotionally moving for me.

As many people already know, the camera store that Harvey Milk owned is now an HRC retail outlet. I took the opportunity to go inside and buy a few shirts and try and imagine Harvey inside that very store, so vibrant and alive. As I strolled up Castro Street toward Market Street, I passed a store with sex toys and DVD’s etc. in the window.

I began to wonder how and why fetishes were confused with sexual orientation.

Why is it that anything “gay” has to be reduced to a fetish? This needs to stop.

We as a community need to stand up strong for equal rights and demand equal protection under the law, and understand at the same time what needs to remain a private part of an individual’s life. Leather men, bears, S&M and on and on are fetishes, not a sexual orientation.

Gay, straight and people in between may have an interest in these things. However, the LGBT community seems entirely too comfortable displaying these fetishes publicly.

The photo of the Leathermen on page 37 in issue 19.03 of Watermark and similar photos in a variety of publications is not what everyday LGBT life is about. Photos like these are confusing and even frightening to questioning youth and are more responsible for keeping people in the closet than the

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ORLANDO

1– LEATHER LUST: (L-R) Central Florida Leatherman 2012 judges Erik Caban, CB Kirby, Brian Humphries, Chris Light and Sir Ben Carter show their leather pride Jan. 29 at Parliament House. Photo courtesy Randy Sullivan 2– WAITING PATIENTLY: (L to R) Billy Manes, Linda Stewart and Randy Ross wait outside the county administration building Jan. 26 for an update on a countywide domestic partner registry.

Photo by Jake Stevens

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3– LATINA LESBIANS: HUD Assistant Secretary Mercedes Marquez (right) and pictured with her partner and Randy Stephens met with a Latina Lesbian group at The Center. Photo courtesy of The Center 4– SOCIAL NETWORKING: (L to R) Brei Taylor, Rev. Lisa Heilig, Sharika Mohammed, Hank Lewis and Michael Freeman met at UCF’s 18th Joseph C. Andrews Mentoring Breakfast.

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5– CHIEF CHAT: President Barack Obama talks with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer aboard Air Force One en route to the Magic Kingdom Jan. 19. Photo courtesy Pete Souza 6– IT’S OFFICIAL: Patrick James and Hunter Daffin registered as domestic partners Jan. 25. Photo courtesy Patrick James 7– SUNDANCE SPOTTING: Actor Edward James Olmos (left), pictured with Watermark contributor Carlos Archilla,, was among the award presenters at Sundance 2012. Photo by Mark Cady

ISSUE

19.03

8– TRIVIA TRINKETS: Doug Bowser prepares to hand out his prizes to some lucky winners at Hamburger Mary’s trivia Jan. 18.

Photo by Jamie Hyman

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OVERHEARD MrSisters Becomes Sin-ful Soon, Orlando will have it’s own SIN. Due to open March 23, the former home of MrSisters will have a new look and a new name. The owners of SIN Nashville say the club will have a new �loor plan and a cutting edge lighting system. A food menu will remain and owners are slowly leaking information at Facebook.com/SinOrlando.

Everything Must Go. Even Brian Feldman.

Brian Feldman, the award-winning Orlando-based conceptual artist, announced his �inal three Orlando projects before relocating to D.C. Feb. 13. Feldman has performed and produced more than 100 time-based art projects, including marrying a stranger in 2010 to demonstrate the absurdity of the law allowing almost perfect

strangers to marry, yet denying committed partners from marrying simply based on gender. Before moving he’ll complete his �inal three Orlando projects; “48hYardSale,” “The Skill Crane Kid 1st Birthday Party,” and “Brian Feldman’s Under the Covers.” For more info visit BrianFeldman.com/Projects.

Hot Leather

Central Florida Leatherman 2012 blazed through Orlando with a vengeance Jan. 29.

More than 125 people turned out for this year’s competition held at Parliament House.

For the third year, contestants competed in a number of categories, including “Physique,” “Gear,” and “Best fetish scene.” In the end, Drew Arch took home this year’s title. “This turned out to be the most entertaining, successful and hottest leather event in Central Florida history,” boasted producer Randy Sullivan. South Florida Leatherman

reported that this year’s producers, “Randy Sullivan and Griff Morgan have revived Central Florida’s leather community in one night.” While the producers are already gearing up for Central Florida Leatherman 2013, Drew Arch will prep to compete at S.E.C.C.(Southeast Conference of Clubs) in Augusta, Ga., and will potentially go on to International Mr. Leather in Chicago.

My Fair Lidy’s Big Debut The big screen debut of the Leigh Shannon �ilm, My Fair Lidy will be Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Valencia College East Campus in the Performing Arts Theater. The �ilm centers on a blue collar worker who has fallen on hard times and, after a chance meeting with Miss Sal, a successful Drag Performer, he is exposed to a new career opportunity. He undertakes a strange journey of becoming a Marlene Dietrich Impersonator. Local stars in

FEB. 2 - FEB. 15, 2012 // ISSUE 19.03

PG.37

the �ilm include Rus Blackwell, Tom Nowicki, Michele Feren and drag personalities Darcel Stevens, Melissa Mason, Susan Whitney, Tia Devine, Page King and Lady Guy.

Summer Breeze… makes me feel �ine

“Soft Southern Breezes,” featuring Key West artist Michael Palmer’s acrylic and ink work, opens at the Bowersock Gallery in Mount Dora, with an artist’s reception Friday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. The exhibit runs through March 13 and is believed to be the �irst publicized exhibit by an out artist in Mount Dora. Best known for his sense of color and form and intriguing unusual perspectives, Palmer’s pieces are frequently “shot” from above or below a scene and a clear, individual hand. The Mount Dora location is the second for Bowersock and partner Michael Sanger.

The original location is in P-town, Mass. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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Why is it that anything “gay” has to be reduced to a fetish?

—GARY RODMAN Westboro Baptist Church ever could.

Let’s be out and open in public regarding our sexual orientation and leave the fetishes in the privacy of our own homes.

GARY RODMAN WINTER PARK

Focus on common goal Our community needs leadership from all the parties involved in [the recent con�lict in GaYbor]. I, for one, hope that we �ind some common ground. From my perspective, our community bene�its from Florida Entertainment Group 365 days a year. FEG’s bars and nightclubs serve the community from a business perspective, and especially through the charitable interests they support throughout the entire year.

Gancho offers a completely different bene�it. Their goal is to reach outside our immediate community to other parts of Florida and the nation to bring a national focus to GaYbor during Gasparilla—Tampa Bay’s most recognized annual event.

Both goals—a 365-day business and a special event for three days—are excellent, and for everyone. From my perspective it can be a win for FEG, a win for Gancho, and a win for our entire community. There

watermarkonline.com

are a lot of smart, “type-A” personalities involved here, and it’s perfectly natural to see competition lead to this type of situation. But now it takes leadership to manage all the issues and move them to positives for the business and entire community—or at the minimum to assist helping both perspectives to ensure everyone bene�its.

White Party Miami and White Party Palm Springs can be models here. The “special event” nature of these parties brings travelers from across North America and the world. The 365-day gay businesses integrate creatively and thrive. In Orlando, Gay Days has increased business at the Parliament House, allowing them to host some of the best concerts and parties of the year. In time, the exact same thing can happen for Tampa Bay. Businesses must be able to make a pro�it and succeed. We should all do everything possible to nurture both FEG and Gancho. The trick is to �ind the path that will allow our community to bene�it from this success. I encourage everyone to commit to this goal. I hope that is the path we �ind.

AL FERGUSON ALANDCHUCK.TRAVEL SARASOTA

CONTRIBUTORS ABBY DEES

editor’s

Steve Blanchard EDITOR

SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com

W

Desk

HEN I FIRST CAME OUT TO MY

family, I defended my orientation by explaining that I wasn’t a drag queen with fake eyelashes and an over-the-top dress, or a man in a leather harness and chaps dancing on a Pride �loat.

You know, I wasn’t one of those people.

As a 21-year-old, those were legitimate arguments supporting my newly shared sexual orientation—and something akin to, “Hey mom and dad, I’m gay, but I could be a worse kind of gay.”

It’s one of those instances in my life that makes me cringe. It’s a time-machine moment. If I could go back, I’d confront myself and convince the younger me to just shut up for a minute.

Until technology allows me to do that, I have to live with the mistake. My old argument represented my own ignorance

WATERMARK STAFF

so closely related to my age and further damaged—however slightly—my parents’ already skewed view of the LGBT community. I stood by that defense as my parents adjusted to my big reveal. They eventually learned to partially accept that, considering the alternatives, I was the best kind of gay they could have got.

To express support for your orientation by explaining how it could be worse is a ridiculous argument. I know that now, but unfortunately my so-called reasoning isn’t as uncommon as I would hope. I’ve heard countless

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young men explain what kind of gay they are while throwing their other gay brothers under the bus.

Not too long ago, I actually heard a young man explain, “It’s not like I’m in Pride parades or anything.” Like that is a repulsive, awful activity. (Mom, Dad: I should go ahead and admit right here that I’ve been in several of those parades.)

As a community that preaches diversity, it’s dif�icult for many of us to accept it. Our ideas of what makes a man attractive or a woman beautiful vary so widely it proves the theory that there is somebody for everyone.

How we choose to de�ine ourselves differs. We have leathermen and twinks. Fems and butch. F2Ms and M2Fs, bears and jocks. There are even Facebook apps to help us with this organizational chaos.

If you need veri�ication of your “musclebear” status, simply enter some info into the app and you’ll �ind out if you truly �it that stereotype.

If you’re committed to being a butch lesbian, a similar app can verify that your love of �lannel isn’t in vain. We can joke about stereotypes all we want, but the truth is they exist, and not everyone is comfortable with them.

Watermark has the challenging yet very ful�illing task of covering a large swath of cultures. While we all share similar sexual

orientations, we are subdivided into so many smaller communities that it’s easy to recognize our differences before we see our similarities.

Whether a group of men put on their best leather and compete for a sash, or decide to bead a gown to match their heels and vie for a tiara, they are part of the LGBT community. When a young lesbian decides to join a woman’s group with a healthy affection for motorcycles, she’s still part our world.

And, believe it or not, when a committed, same-sex couple decides to bring a third person into their relationship and become a polyamorous unit, they are still under our LGBT umbrella.

We don’t have to understand every segment of our population and I admit that I don’t. But avoiding those we don’t appreciate or ignoring the groups with activities we don’t understand is just like distancing yourself from a softball game simply because you don’t like the sport.

That activity is going to exist, whether you appreciate and accept it or not.

Our “standard” LGBT af�iliation, which admittedly encompasses a vast majority of us, reaches even further than the groups included in the abbreviation. Rather than pointing a condescending �inger at those we see as so obviously different than us, we should encourage their involvement, whether we decide to experience it �irst hand or not.

And that is the right kind of gay to be. |  |

It was something akin to, “Hey mom and dad, I’m gay, but I could be a worse kind of gay.”

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FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

is a civil rights attorney-turnedauthor who has been in the LGBT rights trenches for 25-plus years. She and her partner have homes in Los Angeles and Nashville. Page 19

STEPHEN MILLER

is a long-time Watermark contributor and author of Screened Out, our movie reviews column. He is also an Orlando playwright and business consultant. Pages 9, 29

CHRIS AZZOPARDI

is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service and has interviewed a wide range of celebrities, including Cher and Lady Gaga. He lives in Canton, Mich., and can be reached via his website at Chris-Azzopardi.com.

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

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11/28/11 5:35:35 PM

TIME TO TELL: Director Gina M. Garcia, director of photography Danna Kinsky and assistants Chris Halper and Nick Olvier prepare to film a scene for Untold in Orlando Feb. 2. PHOTO COURTESY ALEESHA KERRI

Telling the tale Stephen Miller

STEPHEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

“We can make dramatic films that deal with real issues, and the lead character doesn’t have to die.”

— GINA M. GARCIA, WRITER/DIRECTOR OF UNTOLD me, another driver ran a red light, and he had to slam on his brakes. I took that moment of opportunity to jump out of the car and run.

Untold is de�initely not saying what happened to me made me gay—I was a tomboy before the incident. I think I was always gay; maybe that’s

Continued on page 10 |  |

Council to consider domestic partnership plan Staff report

O

RLANDO | Orange County commissioners will consider some sort of domestic partnership plan at their upcoming meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21, but it’s not yet clear what actually will appear on the Commissioners’ agenda.

So far, Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs has not committed to supporting a domestic partner registry similar to the one currently in use by the City of Orlando.

Orlando’s domestic partner registry kicked off Jan. 12 and covers protections such as hospital visitation, rights to health care decisions, correctional facility visitation, rights to funeral/burial decisions, guardianship and the right for both domestic partners to participate in the education of their children.

Jacobs declined to adopt the registry alongside the city, and alarmed LGBT activists when on Jan. 9, she proposed an alternate to the domestic partner registry—a downloadable form that would allow any individual to assign any resident, gay or straight, to make their important medical, end-of-life, and other decisions.

At a subsequent town hall meeting, LGBT activists said Jacobs’ proposed alternative was inferior to a domestic partner registry and insuf�icient to meet the needs of same sex partners.

On Jan. 26, Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance (OADO) members and other LGBT activists met with Mayor Jacobs and her advisors, where they discussed the

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

orlando

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RLANDO | Hoping to educate and encourage people affected by sexual abuse, the �ilmmakers behind Untold started shooting on Feb. 2 around Central Florida. The incredible, true story has a lesbian protagonist at its core, and it has attracted the attention of talent such as Terri Ivens (All My Children), Deidre Lovejoy (The Wire) and Tammy Lynn Michaels (The L-Word).

“I want to show a positive side of the gay community; we can make dramatic �ilms that deal with real issues, and the lead character doesn’t have to die,” said writer/ director Gina M. Garcia.

“Patty Jenkins—the director and writer of Monster (another central Florida story that went on to win actor Charlize Theron her Oscar)— is my mentor on this �ilm. She said that this is a story that’s dying to be told,” said Garcia.

In fact, Garcia uses her own background—one of being a child who was kidnapped and raped and

later in life, as young lesbian coming to terms with the effects. It started Oct. 12, 1981 in the Fashion Square Mall parking lot on east Colonial Drive in Orlando.

“I was abducted from the Waldenbooks,” Garcia said. “The man said he was mall security, and he took me to his car and raped me. I had a bad Dorothy Hamill haircut, and the person who took me probably thought I was a little boy. As he was driving away with

why I had the courage to jump out of the car.”

Terri Ivens—who played Simone Torres on All My Children for six years—portrays the grown Garcia.

Ivens had an immediate connection to her writer/director: “One of my costars from All My Children is Brian Gaskill (already cast as the abductor), and he said I just had to meet Gina. Brian set it up, and Gina and I hit it off immediately. At �irst, I was supposed to play her mother; I look just like the woman. Through all the negotiating processes, the producers decided I would do better as the lead.”

“I have a seven-year-old daughter, and the story changed me as a mother; it made me more careful, more diligent,” Ivens said, after reading the script.

Costar Tammy Lynn Michaels—The L-Word actress also famous for being Melissa Etheridge’s ex—says that shooting little independent �ilms is always dif�icult but electrifying.

“So many people in Hollywood were talking about Untold. After the �irst four or �ive pages, I was hooked,” said Michaels. “It’s

Elijah Adonijah, left, Gold’s Gym corporate director, hands Randy Stephens, executive director of The Center, a check for $500 as a show of additional support when the gym signed on as a business member. Golds Gym also waives enrollment fees for all of The Center’s members and recognizes domestic partners when enrolling members for family memberships.

NEWS

Indie Film Untold Starts Filming in Central Florida

SHOWING STRONG SUPPORT:

Continued on page 10 |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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orlando NEWS

|  | Untold from pg.9 probably of the most important projects I’ll ever be involved in.

“Gina wears everything on her sleeve; I love that! She said, ‘Look, I have a little movie with a little budget and a little cast.

Are you interested?’ and I said, ‘Yeah!’ I feel so honored to be a part of this project.”

“It’s hard to put your own life out there like this,” Garcia admitted.

In fact, Garcia had to teach herself �ilmmaking and scriptwriting to get the story told: “It took 25 years for me to �igure out what it all meant.

Finally, at 36, I jumped on a plane, and I �lew to the other side of the world, and I taught myself �ilming my �irst �ilm, about Hurricane Charley, in order to hone my skill.”

“It’s about a sexual abuse survivor struggling to �ind her identity. As a survivor myself, I �ind that very powerful, very positive,” said Michaels. “It also showed her work with a therapist (played by Lovejoy),

and I know how important therapists are!”

The cast and crew on the set at Recko’s bar on Edgewater Drive were shooting into the night on Feb. 3, their second day. The next day, they were set to drive down south, shooting key police scenes using the Kissimmee Police Department as a location. Filming will go on through February at several central Florida locations.

Garcia credits all the help she’s had in making the �ilm so far, but she seems to especially point out Monster writer/ director Patty Jenkins: “It’s kind of ironic; we’re shooting in some of the same places as Monster.

I tell people my �ilm is Monster with an eight-year-old and a happy ending.”

Because it’s such a small movie, Untold encourages us all to get involved. The website UntoldTheFilm.com allows people to tell their stories of sexual abuse and survival. It also has a section where people can donate to the movie to get it made.

“We’re doing this one dollar at a time,” Garcia said. |  |

|  | County DPR from pg.9 issue but again, Jacobs did not commit to supporting a registry.

Two weeks later, OADO member Mary Meeks sent an email stating that they’ve given up hope that Mayor Jacobs would support a domestic partner registry at the Feb. 21 meeting.

“We do not expect her to support the DPR, but will propose her insuf�icient alternative,” Meeks wrote. “She has said, however, that if enough Commissioners express support for the DPR at this meeting, she will allow it to go forward for a vote.”

Meeks is calling for community members to attend the upcoming meeting to support a registry, calling Feb. 21 “the big day—either we beat the Mayor for votes or it’s over.”

Other activists have been encouraging supporters to attend and wear red, which is a traditional way to show support for local LGBT issues.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in Orange County Chambers. |  |

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‘My Fair Lidy’ premiere benefits Hope & Help Staff Report

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RLANDO | A bit of movie history was made in Orlando last year when My Fair Lidy was �ilmed throughout the city with some popular, local talent. Now, for the �irst time, the public will get a chance to see the comedy/drama and raise money for Hope & Help when it premieres at the Footlight Theater on Saturday, Feb. 25.

According to Michael Wanzie, 100% of ticket revenue will go to Hope & Help, which provides case management, education, counseling and HIV testing throughout Central Florida. Tickets range from $15-30 and a red carpet celebration and interviews begins at 6 p.m. The screening of the �ilm is scheduled for 7:45.

My Fair Lidy stars Orlandobased performers Leigh Shannon

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Soon the newcomer’s redneck macho view of the world is challenged and as he learns to accept others, others around him �ind it dif�icult to accept him.

Other notable locals appearing in the �ilm include Darcel Stevens, Michele Feren, Tom Nowicki and Rus Blackwell. The Parliament House is also prominently featured in the �ilm as “House of Lords.”

New blu-ray projection equipment and a new screen are among upgrades being made to the Footlight Theater to accommodate the showing of the �ilm in its intended “letter box” format.

Advance tickets are available at WanziePresents.com. |  |

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GaYbor Turf War A con�lict involving two Ybor promoters erupts via social media Steve Blanchard

EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

Y

BOR CITY | A dispute between two local gay promoters, Florida Entertainment Group (FEG) and JAM Promo (JAM), erupted via social media during Gasparilla Weekend. And the tension created was still on display at February’s GaYbor District Coalition meeting at Gaspar’s Grotto on Feb. 10. Toward the end of the meeting, JAM producer Jose Garboza stood up and apologized for introducing a negative topic.

“Florida Entertainment Group has engaged in unethical business practices,” said Garboza, before GaYbor

Coalition president Carrie West interrupted him.

“We’ve issued a response on that,” West said, and abruptly adjourned the meeting.

West later explained that he was protecting the organization from legal action that could result when members attack each other publicly. “We can’t open ourselves up to that,” he said.

But Garboza was merely introducing the rainbow elephant in the room: the feud that has been hanging over Ybor’s gay west end since Gasparilla. During the three-day weekend, Garboza’s JAM Promo presented its annual Gancho Tampa—a series of ambitious circuit events at different Ybor venues. At the same time, FEG worked to maintain business and divert Gancho attendees

to their successful nightclub venues: G. Bar, Honey Pot and the Ybor Social Club. Methods and motivations are at the heart of the con�lict. It comes as no surprise that JAM and FEG see things very differently.

UPROAR IN GAYBOR

While more than 400,000 revelers enjoyed Tampa’s annual Gasparilla pirate invasion the weekend of Jan. 27-29, a less joyful battle was unfolding in the way gay west end of Ybor City, dubbed “GaYbor” nearly �ive years ago.

Through a �lurry of vitriolic social media, text messages and e-mails, nightlife-loving gays and lesbians bore witness to the bitter rivalry that has developed between two promoters with deep roots in the community.

JAM accuses FEG of targeting their dance party, marketed as a fundraiser for Metro Wellness and Community Centers, with misleading promotions and

JUST COMPETITION?

Competing events throughout the weekend were all held in close proximity, at clubs on or near 7th Avenue.

Both JAM and FEG claim their parties were a success. But LaColla said FEG’s efforts impacted Gancho’s momentum.

“I noticed Friday’s crowd (at The Amphitheatre) thinning and even saw some friends leaving,” LaColla said. “I learned later that they went to Honey Pot because they got texts offering free drinks and no cover.”

LaColla believes they came from Moss, and that his af�iliates did some quick reconnaissance at the Gancho event. It’s a charge Moss denies.

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tampa bay

2012. The party was held next door to The Honey Pot, owned by Florida Entertainment Group. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO

“A friend and customer of ours said it was lame at Gancho,” Moss said. “So I texted him and said if he came back I’d buy him a drink and he could tell me about it. I don’t know how that turned into a mass text. I want to see that text I supposedly sent out on a mass scale, because I didn’t send one.”

Both sides agree there was an online post the next day inviting ticket holders of Gancho to enjoy free entry to FEG’s bars on Saturday night. The post talked about the “extremely low turn-out” at Gancho.

“We feel badly for those people who purchased Gancho tickets and were so disappointed,” it read. “Although we are not af�iliated in any way, we believe you should have an awesome Gasparilla weekend.”

It offered free admission at both G. Bar and Honey Pot for anyone with a Gancho ticket stub.

Donahue admits to posting that message, and described it as competition.

“I posted one time about Gancho tickets being good with our bars,” Donahue said. “I call that good business. They say they want to compete with us, but when we compete with them they scream ‘victim.’”

LaColla and Garboza say they have no problem with competition, but how an organization goes about it can raise ethical questions.

“They attacked us publicly, and we have to defend ourselves,” Garboza said.

“Contacting people while they’re at an event to get them to leave and come to your bar is unethical. And saying that we’re ‘pretending to be a charity’ or that Gancho ‘does nothing’ for Ybor is what bothers me the most.”

Garboza clari�ied that JAM has committed a percentage of pro�its to Metro Wellness. He added that in its second year Gancho has yet to break even.

“We still gave them $800 this year,” he said.

NEWS

CIRCUIT DANCE: Jo Jo Infiniti, right, performed with the New Century Dance Company at the Ritz Ybor during Gancho

personal attacks. FEG counters that JAM is not a 501c3 nonpro�it organization, and that so-called attacks just constitute aggressive marketing on their part.

Who �ired the �irst shot? The answer depends on whom you ask.

According to JAM principal Tony LaColla, who co-produced Gancho with life partner Garboza and business partner Manny Alvarez, FEG instigated the con�lict by targeting Gancho with an ad for a “Circus, not Circuit” party at Steam Fridays that appeared on The Honey Pot’s Facebook page.

“It ticked me off,” the normally soft spoken LaColla said. “It was a direct attack on us. It was funny and cute, but we knew there was a message to us—about Gancho. There was no other reason to call it that other than to dig at us. That’s when it was obvious they were coming after us.”

But Steve Donahue, a partner in FEG along with Steve Moss and Ernie Webb, disagrees. He said the ad was a response to attacks on social media from the Gancho organizers.

“Their [Facebook] posts constantly talked about, ‘Why would you go to the same club, listen to the same music and do what you normally do on the weekend when this big event was coming in?’”

FEG felt targeted, according to Webb. “It’s unfair to be criticized for doing what we do every single week,” Webb said.

GETTING PERSONAL

Some say the feud boils down to personal animosity

Continued on page 15 |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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tampa bay NEWS

Gay-for-Pay porn star given life sentence in murder trial Staff Report NEW PORT RICHEY | A former gay-for-pay porn star and popular Chicago-based DJ was sentenced to life in prison last month for the murder of Dennis Abrahamsen.

Jason Andrews, who performed as “Addison” on SeanCody. com, pleaded guilty to the 2010 murder to avoid the death penalty, according to court records.

According to Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis, Andrews’ lawyer approached prosecutors with the deal. “(Andrews) actually said, ‘I killed Mr. Abrahamsen. It was a terrible thing I did. I will never be able to live with myself,’” Halkitis told the Tampa Bay Times.

The murder occurred in New Port Richey in 2010 when Adams and Amanda Logue bludgeoned the tattoo parlor owner to death with a sledge hammer. Police say the pair then stole $6,000 in cash,

credit cards and a video camera.

Logue had been hired to work at a sex party at Abrahamsen’s house.

That’s when police say the pair set up Abrahamsen.

Abrahamsen was found dead in May 2010 on a massage table in his house in New Port Richey.

The 41-year-old biker had been stabbed and bludgeoned after hosting a sex party at his house the night before, authorities said.

While Logue was inside “servicing” Abrahamsen, Andrews waited outside, waiting for word to strike, reports say.

The two were arrested a few days after the murder on charges of stealing $67.97 worth of clothes from a Beall’s store in Largo. Both were released on bail after detectives questioned them about the murder.

Andrews was charged with murder in July 2010 when U.S. Marshals found him in Chattanooga, Tenn. |  |

Chili Cook-Off benefits troops, highlights LGBT restaurants Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

S

T. PETERSBURG | The seventh annual Grand Central Chili Cook-Off has plenty to celebrate on Feb. 18. It’s the �irst time the event will be an all-day long affair complete with vendors, live entertainment and beer trucks.

“This year we wanted to bring it to the next level,” said organizer Brian Longstreth, who operates his real estate business in the district. “And bringing in another charity will be helpful.”

Tickets for the Chili-Cook off are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate and a portion of the proceeds bene�it Helping Our Troops (HOT), a volunteer-

based organization that aids local veterans, active military and their families. It’s an organization that the very LGBT-friendly district is even more excited to support this year, since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy prohibiting openly gay service members from serving, was rescinded last year.

“There have always been a lot of gay people in the military,” Longstreth said.

“They just don’t have to hide it now.”

Several local, out military members are expected to be on hand throughout the day, according to Longstreth, and he applauds their visibility.

As in years past, the festival will center around chili, and the myriad of recipes submitted by restaurant

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watermarkonline.com

owners and long-time cooks.

But this year, live music and a more festive atmosphere will continue the event into the late afternoon hours.

“It’s fair to say we’ve expanded it to beyond just the chili,” Longstreth said.

“We’re two blocks of arts and crafts, vendors, live musicians and fun.”

The chili-tasting portion of the day runs from 11 a.m.2 p.m., and the festival itself runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18. Two blocks of Central Avenue—between 24th and 26th streets—will be cordoned off.

For details, a full schedule of events and tickets, visit GrandCentralDistrict.org. |  |

Manny Alvarez & Jose Garboza of JAM

|  | GaYBOR Uproar from pg.13

between FEG’s Moss and Donohue and JAM’s Alvarez—all big personalities with loyal followings. Moss and Donohue are local nightlife visionaries and entrepreneurs who have been involved with many successful bars in Tampa Bay. Moss has been in a relationship with Erasure’s Andy Bell for the past two years.

Alvarez is a developer, real estate agent and promoter who is also a partner in Liquid Lounge. He grew up in Ybor, where his connections run deep.

Moss told Watermark that he could support Gancho if changes were made, but not while Alvarez participates.

“He can’t be involved for me to support it,” Moss said.

“And I don’t agree with their comparing Gancho to the White Party or the Charity Party and other circuit events that are 501c3 organizations. Those are all volunteer organizations with 100% of the proceeds going to charity, not just a few hundred dollars raised from an in�lated ticket price.”

Tony LaColla of JAM Promotions

Carrie West & Mark Bias of the GaYbor Coalition

LaColla said he and his JAM business partners simply want to bring a large-scale circuit party to Ybor City during Gasparilla, and that Gancho is an effort to raise money for charity and nothing more. He added that efforts to characterize it otherwise have hurt him personally.

“Through Facebook, texting and free drinks, a business is trying to sabotage an event that bene�its Metro,” LaColla said. “I �ind it surprising that a business would stoop so low. It tarnishes Ybor and Tampa.”

Moss said he has never hidden his feelings with LaColla and Garboza, and that being competitive is just smart business.

Alvarez deferred to his business partners to comment on the feud, adding only that, “It’s not a Manny Alvarez issue.”

“They’re tying to make it a personal thing with me,” he said. “It’s a community issue and the bottom line is it’s about competing fairly with other businesses.”

COALITION POLITICS

The dispute between JAM and FEG has fueled rumors and created awkward feelings

within the GaYbor District Coalition. Founded four-anda-half years ago to promote economic success and acceptance of LGBT businesses in the historic district, the coalition now has more than 265 members and has been recognized by the City of Tampa for its contribution to the resurgence of the Ybor City Historic District.

Coalition president West acknowledged that the con�lict has placed him in a tough spot.

“I’m just part of the puzzle here,” he said, seated at the Laughing Cat Restaurant, directly across the street from the MC Film Fest store he owns with partner Mark Bias. “I’m stern, reasonable and I like everyone involved. But in every family, the siblings �ight.”

West and Bias are cofounders of the GaYbor District Coalition and remain a force within the organization. Bias is co-secretary, along with Moss.

Prior to the February GaYbor meeting, JAM members sent e-mails asking GaYbor to either discipline Moss or remove him from the board due to a perceived con�lict of interest.

“When all of this came out on Facebook and through e-mails,

tampa bay

—CARRIE WEST, PRESIDENT OF THE GAYBOR DISTRICT COALITION

NEWS

I like everyone involved.

But in every family the siblings fight.

Steve Moss, Florida Entertainment Group Ernie Webb, Florida Entertainment Group

we asked the board not to respond,” Bias said. “We needed to form an of�icial response, so we waited until Thursday [the night of the meeting] to issue one.”

Signed by the entire board, it states that the coalition does not condone the squabble and characterizes it as a “First Amendment issue.”

“Our responsibility as a business league is to drive business to private enterprise, not to instruct private enterprises how to run their business,” the letter reads. “In any business community there will be business con�licts. It is in the best interest of all parties to move on.”

Coalition member Al Ferguson agreed, pointing out that similar circuit-type events have been a boon for promoters and bar owners in Orlando, Miami, Palm Springs and other cities.

“It’s perfectly natural to see competition lead to these types of situations,” said Ferguson, whose ALandCHUCK.travel was a sponsor of Gancho. “It takes leadership to manage all the issues and move them to positives for both businesses and the entire community.”

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

West believes this impasse will not impede the progress he sees in GaYbor and surrounding Ybor City. He says no one has left the coalition as a result of the recent uproar.

“The bottom line is that Gasparilla will continue to happen every year,” West said.

“If it’s not Gancho, something else will come in that weekend.

Our members don’t like the �ighting, and our elected of�icials don’t like the �ighting.

It casts a bad light on GaYbor.

No doubt.”

Bias clari�ied that he and West have not taken sides. “The key factor here is we—Mark and Carrie—aren’t a club, bar or restaurant. We’re Switzerland.”

But LaColla and Garboza think the coalition should take a more active role in helping the parties settle their differences.

“Something needs to change,” Garboza said. “GaYbor needs to update its by-laws or create a new position to handle these kinds of disagreements. I believe in GaYbor and what it has done so far, but it should respond when a business acts negatively.

They shouldn’t let this behavior go unchecked.” |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

15

sarasota NEWS

An increased need More seek the help of Trinity Charities in tough economy Stephen Warne

WARNE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

S

ARASOTA | In an economic climate where unemployment has reached levels unseen since the Great Depression and services are being cut from federal, state, and local budgets, Trinity Charities is providing more for the communities of Sarasota and Manatee counties than ever.

Most people know that Trinity Charities provides education, intervention, and support services for people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, but they also provide much needed assistance to anyone in crisis,

regardless of their health or HIV status.

In addition to the charity’s HIV prevention and support services, there are funds set aside for cash assistance if someone in need is suddenly without work and can’t pay their utilities.

Funds are also used for nutrition classess and health and wellness programs. Trinity Charities also provides free food to anyone who comes to their food pantry.

“If you can’t work or you are out of money to spend on food or home supplies, you just show up” said Bruce Fournier, Trinity Charities’ program coordinator.

“No requirements. We don’t have any stipulations for the pantry. If you are hungry, you need food!”

Since the pantry is funded strictly on donations and doesn’t involve any government funding, Fournier said there is no requirement to ask questions of those in need.

“People can just come,” he said. “I may not be able to feed you for months, but I can get you through a few weeks.”

Trinity Charities is a bit off the beaten track on Lockwood Ridge Road,a few miles past the end of the bus lines for both Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

But people from all over the area come every second and fourth Wednesday of the month to pick up food and home products from 2-5 p.m. at the Trinity Charities Pantry. The location is not always convenient, especially for those without transportation who rely on the bus routes.

“It would be nice if the counties would put a bus line

FILLING A NEED: Bruce Fournier, right, and Joseph, a volunteer break down boxes at Trinity Charities’ food pantry in Sarasota County. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WARNE out front,” Fournier said. “People travel on bikes, they walk here— not everyone has a car or can afford to get here. A bus would make a big difference.”

The pantry is experiencing the greatest demand for its services that Bruce has seen in his 10 years working with Trinity Charities.

“The need gets bigger and bigger,” he said. “When I started I was giving two bags of food to roughly 40 people a week. Now, around 300 people per month utilize our pantry, and sometimes

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FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

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we just don’t have enough to go around.

Fournier says cash donations are the most effective way to help.

“For every $5 cash we receive, I can buy $20 worth of groceries through All-Faiths Food Bank,” he said. “We can get so much more food than an individual can by utilizing the food bank system.”

For more information on Trinity Charities or to make a donation, go to TrinityCharities.org. |  |

Staff report

out is a “dif�icult but essential” step to achieving LGBT equality.

“By sharing our stories we will educate and inform others why understanding equal rights for all families is so important,” Rudisill said in a press release.

A panel of three judges will select the winning entries on Apr. 1.

St. Pete Pride returns for its 10th year on June 30, 2012, in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg. Come Out With Pride returns to Orlando the �irst week of October. |  |

or public—which discriminates based on gender identity or expression.

The Board of County Commissioners amended the policy Jan. 31 in a 6-1 vote.

Commissioner Steve Abrams of Boca Raton was the “no” vote,

stating that the new standards could negatively affect the number of businesses bidding on county projects.

Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, said Abrams’ concern is unfounded. |  |

Palm Beach County adds discrimination protection Staff report Palm Beach County’s Nondiscrimination in Contracting Policy now prohibits the county from doing business with or giving funds to any organization—private

Staff report

he South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble (SFPWE) is launching Youth Pride Band of South Florida, a new honors band with the goal of promoting understanding through music.

Twenty-seven students ages 15-18 had their debut concert earlier this month. Some of the students are LGBT, joined by straight allies from their schools.

Alain Ortiz, SFPWE president, said there are a number of adult gay bands across the country, but the Youth Pride Band of South Florida is the �irst of its kind.

Christina Dunbar, 18, is a bisexual �lutist and the president of the Gay Straight Alliance at Pembroke Pines Charter High School. “[The Youth Pride Band of South Florida] is a side of the gay community that I hadn’t seen,” she said in a media release. “It’s amazing how supportive everybody has been.”

The band is also producing a video for the “It Gets Better” project. |  |

state

lorida’s two largest LGBT Pride events, Come Out with Pride and St. Pete Pride, area teaming up to launch a contest focusing on coming out stories.

The organizations have asked for videos of people sharing their experiences of coming out to friends and families. Eight winners will be selected and featured in a public service announcement. The winning videos will be aired on television

in Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete and national markets, plus on YouTube and other social media platforms.

To enter, send an original and factual 1,500-word essay to OnceUponAPride@ ComeOutWithPride.org .

“Inspiring others through shared personal stories will help all of our communities listen, learn, and grow,” said Mikael Audebert, COWP executive director, in a media release.

Chris Rudisill, St. Pete Pride executive director, said coming

NEWS

Pride events host coming out video contest Youth band fights bullies with music F T

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17

nation+world NEWS

IN OTHER NEWS LGBT HOTEL TO OPEN IN NYC THE OUT NYC, a hotel marketed specifically toward gay travelers, is opening in the heart of New York City. Set to open March 1 in the Times Square area, developer Ian Reisner said the “straight-friendly’’ gay boutique resort will be a place where gay travelers “can feel 100% welcome.’’

Reisner hopes the 105-room hotel will become a marriage destination and focus of gay life in the city.

3 MEN JAILED IN LANDMARK U.K. GAY RIGHTS CASE Three men were jailed Feb. 10 in London for distributing pamphlets calling for homosexuals to face the death penalty in Britain’s first prosecution for hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. Ihjaz Ali, 42, was jailed for two years, while Kabir Ahmed, 28, and Razwan Javed, 27, were sentenced to 15 months each in a case brought under legislation introduced in 2010 that makes it a crime to incite hatred based on sexual orientation.

FEDERAL COURT RULES AGAINST ANTI-GAY CDC COUNSELOR The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Feb. 7 upheld the dismissal of a former counselor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta who claims her religious rights were violated because she was fired for refusing to counsel a gay woman. Marcia Walden was let go in 2007 after she told a woman seeking advice involving a same-sex relationship that she couldn’t help because her “personal values’’ as a devout Christian prevented her from offering any assistance.

VA. COULD LET AGENCIES BAN GAY ADOPTION The Virginia state Senate passed legislation Feb. 9 allowing private adoption agencies to deny placements that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, including opposition to homosexuality. The party-line 22-18 vote virtually ensures the Republican-backed bill will become law. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell says he will sign the bill. Virginia would become just the second state with such a law.

Appeals court throws out Calif. same-sex marriage ban Wire Report

S

AN FRANCISCO, CALIF. | Same-sex marriage moved one step closer to the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 7 when a federal appeals court ruled California’s ban unconstitutional, saying it serves no purpose other than to “lessen the status and human dignity’’ of gays.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave gay marriage opponents time to appeal the 2-1 decision before ordering the state to allow same-sex weddings to resume.

The ban known as Proposition 8 was approved by voters in 2008 with 52% of the vote. The court said it was unconstitutional because it singled out a minority group for disparate treatment for no compelling reason.

The court concluded that former Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker had correctly interpreted the Constitution and Supreme Court precedents when

Wire Report

Ugandan Parliamentarian David Bahati, who first introduced an anti-gay bill in 2009 that carried the death penalty for some homosexual acts, reintroduced the bill Feb. 7, raising concerns among rights activists who have been fighting the legislation. Though widely supported in Uganda, the bill’s progress apparently has been slowed by an international outcry against its harsh provisions, including the death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. “Serial offenders’’ also could face capital punishment.

CHARGES MADE IN GA. GAY MAN’S VIDEOTAPED BEATING

Wire Report

Atlanta police arrested 18-year-old Christopher Cain on Feb. 11 for the brutal assault of a gay man that was captured on a widely viewed video. Police have charged Cain with aggravated assault and robbery in the Feb. 4 attack on 20-year-old Brandon White outside a southwest Atlanta store. Federal authorities are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

he threw out Proposition 8 at trial.

The measure “serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to of�icially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples,’’ wrote Judge

For a map

Opponents of marriage of gay marriage equality in the U.S., see Gallery planned to ask W on page 54. the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling, which came more than a year after the appeals court panel heard arguments in the case.

“We are not surprised that this Hollywood-orchestrated attack on marriage—tried in San Francisco— turned out this way. But we are con�ident that the expressed will of the American people in favor of marriage will be upheld at the Supreme Court,’’ said Brian Raum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal aid group that helped defend Proposition 8.

Legal analysts question whether the Supreme Court will agree to take the case because of the narrow scope of the ruling. California is the only state to grant gays the right to marry and rescind it. |  |

“[Prop 8] serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.”

—JUDGE STEPHEN REINHARDT Stephen Reinhardt.

The panel also said there was no evidence that Walker was biased and should have disclosed that he was gay and in a long-term relationship with another man.

Wash. Gov. signs gay marriage bill into law OLYMPIA, WASH. | Gov. Chris Gregoire handed gay rights advocates a major victory Feb. 13, signing into law a measure that legalizes samesex marriage in Washington state, making it the seventh in the nation to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

Gregoire signed the bill surrounded by gay rights supporters.

“I’m proud our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but

UGANDA’S ANTI-GAY BILL REINTRODUCED IN PARLIAMENT

18

Prop 8 takes a hit

MARRIAGE LAWS ARE TRULY EVOLVING DAILY.

equal,” she said.

The law takes effect June 7, but opponents plan to �ile a challenge that could put the law on hold pending the outcome of a November vote. Separately, an initiative was �iled at the beginning of the session that opponents of gay marriage say could lead to the new law being overturned.

Washington state has had domestic partnership laws since 2007, and in 2009 passed an “everything but marriage”

expansion of that law, which was ultimately upheld by voters after a referendum challenge.

Same-sex marriage has the backing of several prominent Paci�ic Northwest businesses, including Microsoft Corp., Nike Inc. and Starbucks Corp.

Gay marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C. |  |

the promise of a veto by Gov. Chris Christie.

Monday’s vote was 24-16 in favor of the bill, a major swing from January 2010, when the Senate rejected it 20-14.

“It means the world isn’t changing, it means the world has already changed,” Steven Goldstein, chairman

of the gay rights group Garden State Equality said after the vote. “So wake up and smell the equality.”

The Senate vote sends the bill to the Assembly, which is expected to pass it on Feb. 16. But opponents say it’s “an exercise in futility” even if the Assembly passes the bill, given Christie’s veto vow. |  |

N.J. Senate OKs gay marriage TRENTON, N.J. | In a move that supporters called a civil rights milestone, New Jersey’s state Senate on Feb. 13 passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, marking the �irst time state lawmakers of�icially endorsed the idea—despite

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Joel Osteen and feel-good homophobia

W

HEN THE MICHELE

Bachmanns or Glenn Becks of the world do their public rants about rampant homosexual perversion and the decay of American values, I’m happy to let them talk.

As painful as it is to keep the free �low of ideas going, it is important to let people �ly their colors.

This way you know where they stand and you get to �ly your own big neon �lag in response.

When activists called to have the Mormon Church’s tax-exempt status yanked for its role in California’s Prop 8, I took the church’s side— not because I approved of their bully tactics, but because I didn’t want to see other churches lose their right to �ight for us one day.

So you’d think I’d be okay with mega-Pastor Joel Osteen’s remarks last month to Oprah Winfrey: “I believe that homosexuality is shown as a sin in the scripture. I do.” I’m so not okay with this I almost foam at the

mouth whenever I think about that nuclear white Osteen smile.

True, Osteen was just sick about having to say that we’re sinners, and almost apologized for it. He went out of his way to opine that Christians make too big a deal about homosexuality and that it’s about as sinful as being prideful or �ibbing. I’m glad that my marriage only offends God somewhat.

I’ve heard that Osteen has a big gay following, and I know one of those fans well. Once I emailed him to report that Osteen called homosexuality “not God’s best” on Larry King. My friend wrote back, “Well, nobody’s perfect. You take what’s good and leave the rest.” He continues to be inspired.

This all sounds reasonable, and you could argue that my friend was reminding me of my own professed philosophy about free speech and religion. And yet I shrieked out loud when I read his email.

The reason Fox News gets a pass but Osteen has incurred my wrath is because his message is so insidious. It’s feel-good homophobia, so couched in Godloves-you talk that Osteen avoids all responsibility for the fact that real people take his words to heart. Not everyone can “leave the rest” as my friend does.

Whenever Osteen answers the question about homosexuality he hems and haws, but always comes to the apparently painful conclusion that the Bible is unambiguous about it. He’s quick to add that he does love gay people, welcomes them in his church, doesn’t judge, that there are worse things to be, etc.

The message that it’s still a sin to be gay gets quickly obscured by smiley faces and glitter glue for hope.

Curiously, Osteen is rarely willing to take a stand on any other issues. He’s been criticized by the religious right for staying out of politics and being unwilling to talk about sin as much as he talks about positivity. It’s all about being “the best you can be”—God’s plan for you.

When Mike Wallace asked Osteen if he thought Mormons were true Christians, he humbly responded,

“I haven’t really studied them or thought about them … I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don’t know” and “I’m not one to judge the little details of it.”

Hmm. Why so vague about the folks who have an entirely different set of scriptures, but so damned clear on the disappointing truth about homosexuality? Perhaps some serious reexamination is in order.

Another pastor whose language and selective choice of issues is spookily similar to Osteen’s is the purpose-driven Rick Warren. Also a proclaimed political abstainer, he encouraged his �lock to

It’s feel-good homophobia, so couched in God-lovesyou talk that Osteen avoids all responsibility that real people take his words to heart.

vote against same-sex marriage and has disturbing ties to the recent wave of anti-gay policies in Africa.

Warren still insists that he loves gay people and works closely with “a number of gay organizations,” though no one ever asks which ones. These men are entitled to their opinions, but it’s time to call out the hypocrisy of this new breed of in�luential pastors who want us all to bathe in the light of God’s forgiving love. Except that LGBT people must still deny how God made them if they want “God’s best” for themselves. |  |

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perspective

PUBLISHER’S

J

Tom Dyer TOM@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

Remembering a man who changed your life

OHN LAWRENCE DIED LATE

last year, and his passing went almost unnoticed. It was more than a month before anyone published an obituary. Little has been made of it in the LGBT press.

Let’s take a moment to remember him now.

Like Harvey Milk, Lawrence is one of a handful of people whose courage changed the world in which we live. Like the rioters at Stonewall, his place in LGBT history was wholly circumstantial.

On Sept. 17, 1998, police of�icers in Houston were dispatched to investigate a “weapons disturbance.” They burst into Lawrence’s apartment, where they claimed they found him having sex with a much younger African American man. Both were arrested for violating a Texas law prohibiting “deviate sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex.”

They were held overnight and �ined $200 each.

According to Mitchell Katine, the lawyer who represented him, Lawrence was outraged.

“He was upset about how he was treated, physically and personally that night,” Katine told the

New York Times. “The �ire stayed in him.”

Rather than pay the small �ine, Lawrence fought back. Texas courts rejected his constitutional challenges, relying on a 1986 Supreme Court decision. In Bowers v. Hardwick, Justice Byron White wrote that, “To claim that a right to engage in [homosexual sex] is deeply rooted in this nation’s history and tradition or implicit in our concept of ordered liberty is, at best, facetious.”

Lawrence, then 55 and a nonactivist closeted to family and friends, appealed. Once again it went all the way to the Supreme Court, but this time with a different result.

“The petitioners are entitled to respect for their private lives,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the 6-3 majority in Lawrence v. Texas. “The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime.”

In his dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia scoffed that the majority’s opinion led to a logical conclusion that there is also a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. One year later, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts agreed with him, making that state the �irst to legalize gay marriage. Earlier this week, Washington became the seventh.

For Lawrence, it took �ive years from arrest to �inal vindication in 2003. “He was willing to be the real-life face of injustice throughout,” said Katine.

Legal scholars now argue that Lawrence’s stubborn righteous indignation, and the legal precedent that it spawned, laid the foundation for all the good things that have happened since— legalization of same-sex marriage, repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian personnel, the current administration’s decision to ignore DOMA—and likely many of the good things to come.

California’s Prop 8 is ripe to be reviewed by the Supremes.

A positive outcome would be impossible without Lawrence v.

Texas.

As an exercise to honor John Lawrence, consider whether you have the courage to stand up to injustice, or even to live openly in all circumstances and accept the consequences. I admit that I’m struggling.

I started Watermark in 1994, four years before Lawrence was arrested.

Frankly that took less of the John Lawrence brand of courage than coming out to my parents, or sharing with a respected “Old South” neighbor that I publish a newspaper for the LGBT community.

For Lawrence and the rest of us, courage is almost always about telling and living our truth.

When I was 31, and after I’d been sober for two years, I wanted to �inish the law degree that I had begun ten years prior. But how could I get the University of Florida law school—not a particularly nurturing place—to readmit me after such an extended lapse? I struggled to come up with a viable story until it dawned on me that I should simply tell the truth.

As a previously closeted recovering alcoholic, it was an option I hadn’t even considered.

So I wrote to tell them I had withdrawn a closeted alcoholic, actively hiding from myself. I now hoped to �inish my degree, an openly gay man

with the clarity and enthusiasm of sobriety—and some good counseling.

To my surprise, I received a congratulatory call from the dean inviting me back and offering whatever assistance the school could provide.

And I learned an indelible lesson: people relate to the truth.

John Lawrence knew the truth: that he’d done nothing wrong.

“Why should there be a law that only prosecutes certain people?” he said in an interview after his victory in the Supreme Court. “Why create a law that says, ‘Because you’re gay you can’t do this, but because you’re a heterosexual you can do the same thing?” |  |

fine art exhibition Our first openly gay ar t show in Mt. Dora featuring Nationally Acclaimed Key West Acr ylic Ar tist

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John Lawrence knew the truth: that he’d done nothing wrong.

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watermarkonline.com

TALKING POINTS

Being gay or pro-gay is not a bandwagon.

You don’t get a free ride anywhere, there’s no music

but occasionally we will sing

‘We Are Family.’

T

10,245 TWEETS

PER SECOND were generated on Twitter during Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 5.

15 Million

GRINDR WINS ‘CRUNCHY,’ ‘IDATE’ AWARDS

total tweets were posted during Super Bowl XLVI— that’s 3 million more than the 2011 game.

Source: PC Mag

PEOPLE ARE TALKING AT WATERMARKONLINE.COM ON CROWDS AND CONTROVERSY FOLLOW GANCHO TO YBOR CITY: “We must all work together and support every venture. I really hope that regardless of what party was attended last weekend, that Metro Wellness bene�its.”

—JOSHUA BEADLE

ON PROP 8 BEING RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL: “If the haters don’t watch out they’ll keep pushing this and it’ll end up in front of the Supreme Court. Then the fur will really �ly!”

—SCOTTIE CAMPBELL

—ELLEN DEGENERES, RESPONDING TO THE GROUP ONE MILLION MOMS, WHO OPPOSE HER NEW ROLE AS A SPOKESPERSON FOR JC PENNEY

ON CNN SUSPENDING ROLAND MARTIN FOR OFFENSIVE TWEETS DURING THE SUPER BOWL: “This is a nonissue. Does anyone really think he was being homophobic?”

—PHILLIP AMENT

SNOOKI IS BISEXUAL, QUESTIONS SITUATION’S SEXUALITY

HE ALL-MALE, GEO-SOCIAL “DATING” NETWORK APP Grindr won the 2011 Crunchies Award for Best Location Application, presented by TechCrunch.

The mobile application also took the 2012 iDate Awards in two categories, winning for Best Mobile Dating App and Best New Technology awards.

Grindr co-founder Joel Simkhai said, “it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized as an innovator and winner of one of the most prominent technology industry awards, especial among such major technology and social media heavyweights.” He accepted the Crunchy Award Feb. 1 in San Francisco.

On a daily basis, Grindr counts nearly 10,000 new users who log on approximately eight times per day and spend an average of 1.5 hours each day using the app, according to a press release sent by Grindr.

FROM THE BOOK TO THE WEB TO THE TV

T

HE POPULAR “IT GETS BETTER” MOVEMENT has seen several incarnations—in print, on YouTube, and now as a television special on MTV and LOGO. The hour-long special, which debuts Feb. 21, spotlights three young people struggling for LGBT acceptance. Special celebrity appearances by Margaret Cho, Chaz Bono, Adam Levine and Zachary Quinto are included in the powerful special, which airs at 11 p.m. on both networks.

C

ONTROVERSIAL YET POPULAR Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzo told US Magazine Feb. 8 that she’s bisexual—and that six-pack presenting co-star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino exhibits gay tendencies.

“I would consider myself bi,” the 24-year-old star said, adding that she wouldn’t wind up with a girl because “I like penis.”

Snooki also cited The Situation’s posture and the way he holds his cigarettes as reasons to doubt his “straight” persona, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he was to come out.

WATERMARKONLINE.COM POLL IT’S ALMOST TIME FOR THE 2012 OSCARS!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART? The accolades—I’m a movie buff.

8%

The fabulous parties people throw.

8%

Trying to win the Oscars pool.

9%

It’s all about the clothes.

33% 42%

Nothing—The Oscars are stupid and I don’t watch.

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

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ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT

Madonna Expresses Herself

With her Super Bowl performance behind her, the gay icon prepares for the release of her new album and her brand new film.

2

Chris Azzopardi

CHRIS@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

012 IS THE YEAR OF MADONNA. HER SUPER

Bowl halftime concert broke viewer records and many say it cemented her return as the First Lady of Pop.

Now, with the hype of her performance still fresh in the media and on social networking sites, the queen chameleon remains the master of reinvention. Just don’t tell her that.

“Please don’t throw those tired, old clichés at me,” Madonna playfully insists, nodding her head in half-kidding agitation. This is a new chapter in the indelible diva’s run, as she drops her hyped 12th album, MDNA, in March via a three-disc deal with Interscope; launches an extensive world tour (complete with a Miami stop); performs, perhaps, the gayest Super Bowl halftime ever; and releases her feature-length directorial debut W.E., a pet project that recently won her a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

And she—sexpot, spiritualist, Material Girl—really only has one word to de�ine herself at the moment: “Busy.”

All she cares to talk about is the �ilm, a semi-biopic on Wallis Simpson (played by Andrea Riseborough) and King Edward VIII dovetailed with a modern-day love story centered on �ictionalized damsel-indistress Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish).

Seated with Madonna at a WaldorfAstoria suite in New York City, one writer tells her he has a question to kick off the interview. “I’m sure you do,” she quips allknowingly, as if to acknowledge the fact that she’s aware how much gay men go gaga over her. This is, after all, the room reserved for a small group of gay press, her �irst stop after a tardy arrival and the

one her longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, insists will put her in a good mood for the rest of the day. Madonna agrees, sighing: “Let’s start with levity.”

Looking stunningly �lawless, not at all her 53 years, in a deep blue dress with her now-infamous black gloves and a bracelet of four crosses to represent each one of her children, she gives us exactly what we want: Madonna. No pretense. No �ilter. No warm-and-fuzzy.

WATERMARK: WHAT SIMILARITIES DO YOU SEE BETWEEN WALLIS AND EVITA?

MADONNA: What they have in common is what many people have in common who are public �igures, who become iconic and who have some kind of historical impact, especially women— strong women. People have a tendency to feel intimidated by the strength of these women, and in order to accept—actually, the word “accept” is wrong, because I don’t think they’re actually accepted. I think in order to deal with them, a lot of people who write history books, and humanity in general, have a tendency

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

to diminish women or undermine their accomplishments or try to portray them as heretical or as someone with an evil possession of some kind of sorcery, or undermine their strength or intelligence, so I think they have those things in common. Now I’m not saying that Eva Peron is without �laws or that Wallis Simpson was this perfect holy human being, but I do think they were both dealt with in a very unfair way in the history books.

HAVE YOU FELT THAT WAY?

(Laughs, expecting the question) Well, yeah, sure. Yes, of course. I mean, I don’t think it’s just me. It’s strong women in general.

THE FILM IS DRIVEN BY A CONTEMPORARY WOMAN’S VIEW OF THIS HISTORICAL FIGURE. DO YOU SEE ANYTHING IN YOUR STORY THAT MAY, OR THAT YOU HOPE ONE DAY MAY, DO THE SAME FOR SOMEONE ELSE? Continued on page 34 |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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DAYTONA BEACH THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT!

February 22 7:30pm TICKETS: Peabody Box Office, Charge at (800) 745-3000, Online at Ticketmaster.com www.BroadwayinDaytonaBeach.com

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Screened Out MOVIE REVIEWS

My statue has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R!

I

T’S GAY LENT AGAIN—TIME TO GIVE UP SOMETHING YOU

Stephen Miller

STEPHEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

crave, light a few candles, and say a few prayers. This is very important stuff! It’s so that your favorite actor, director or movie wins an award on the Highest of Holy Nights, the Academy Awards, airing Feb. 26 on ABC. 2011 was an interesting year, one in which the actors were often much stronger than the movies they supported. Meryl Streep is nominated for The Iron Lady, a �ilm that—except for her stellar performance—has little to recommend it. Moneyball is another one—with Brad Pitt’s fantastic portrayal in the middle of a story more about statistics than people. (And I have no earthly idea how Jonah Hill earned a nomination!)

Perhaps the best example is The Help. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are �lat-out amazing. However, the thinly developed white people—especially the stock racist ones—weaken the impact signi�icantly.

This year wasn’t completely bereft of artistic daring. There’s Terrence Malick’s under-nominated �ilm The Tree of Life. Martin Scorcese gave us Hugo, one of the most interesting children’s �ilms made this decade. Finally, we saw a wonderful black-andwhite movie that de�ied expectations by hearkening back to the silent era: The Artist.

I always root for daring.

Jean Dujardin in The Artist

Viola Davis in The Help

Christopher Plummer in Beginners

BEST ACTOR

BEST ACTRESS:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

It’s our theme loud and clear: these performances lift �ilms from mediocrity. Demián Bichir de�initely pulled it off with A Better Life, an American immigrant redux of The Bicycle Thief. Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Brad Pitt in Moneyball also accomplished this.

However, The Descendants was quiet and delightful, and so was George Clooney!

Who Should Win: I loved The Artist so much that I want Jean Dujardin to win.

Who Will Win: The Academy will

agree: Dujardin.

None of the Best Actress �ilms were perfection, though most of these women’s performances were.

The one exception was Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

(I like the acting in the Swedish version better.) Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs was great, but Michelle Williams was a showstopper in My Week with Marilyn. Meryl Streep is brilliant, but The Iron Lady mostly reduced the powerful and hated Margaret Thatcher to a doddering old woman.

Who Should Win: Viola Davis is

the glue that held The Help together.

Who Will Win: Give the gold

to Davis.

I may never understand how Jonah Hill (Moneyball) got here.

His performance is miles below wonderful Kenneth Branaugh as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn. Hill also shows no depth when compared to Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Nick Nolte in Warrior.

Who Should Win: Christopher Plummer as a 70-something who comes out of the closet in Beginners.

Who Will Win: I think the Oscar

voters will keep agreeing with me: Plummer.

(L-R) Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in The Artist

BEST PICTURE:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is somewhat manipulative. The Help is white people ending racism. The Tree of Life? Many people think you’re pretentious (not me). Moneyball, your stats-heavy plot still bores me. War Horse, I love you, but no one else seems to. For small �ilms like Midnight in Paris and The Descendants: if Brokeback Mountain was too tiny to win, you have absolutely no chance at all.

Who Should Win: I vote for the unique: Hugo or The Artist.

Who Will Win: Oscars will vote like the Producers’ Guild: The Artist.

Octavia Spencer in The Help

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Ouch! Don’t make me pick.

The only one I’d dismiss is Jessica Chastain in The Help (though I love her in other �licks.) Melissa McCarthy is brilliantly funny in Bridesmaids. Bérénice Bejo is radiant in The Artist. Janet McTeer lifts Albert Nobbs, as does Octavia Spencer in The Help.

Who Should Win: I want to hear Melissa McCarthy’s acceptance speech.

Who Will Win: Spencer has it.

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Michael Hazanvicius directed The Artist

BEST DIRECTOR

If the Director’s Guild doesn’t nominate you, Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), you’re not going to win here. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris was cute but not perfect. Alexander Payne may have been too subtle in The Descendants.

Who Should Win: I would be overjoyed for either of the two more risky �ilms: Martin Scorcese for Hugo or Michel Hazanvicius for The Artist.

Who Will Win: The Director’s

Guild gave it to Hazanvicius.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

29

the most prominent new face of the LGBT community’s latest menace.

“When they have nothing else to complain about, they come after us,” Sieber said.

Timely as it is timeless, La Cage focuses on the hysteria created when sexuality and relationships are subject to societal disapproval or worse.

“A family can be a family no matter what it looks like,” he said.

Sieber, a resident of New York State, took advantage of his newfound rights there last Thanksgiving and married chef and former Beauty and the Beast actor Kevin Burrows, who was playing the fork when they met during that momentous Broadway production.

“It was meant to be,” he says.

Since then there’s been lots of progress.

“When La Cage’opened in 1983, the gimmick was there was guys and girls dancing and you couldn’t tell who was what,” Sieber says. “We got rid of that completely. The idea was STAGE QUEEN: Christopher Sieber, right, plays “Albin” alongside George Hamilton’s “Georges” in the touring production of La Cage at Tampa’s Straz ‘we’re a drag club, let’s just do it!’”

Center.

Sieber says another sign of the times included La Cage composer Of course, Mike Nichols’ The Jerry Herman and director Arthur Birdcage with Robin Williams and Laurents going to the premiere with Nathan Lane, so popular in the beards—and not the kind so many 1990s and evergreen on cable, gay bears showcase. tells basically the same tale of “That’s how far we’ve come,” what happens when a right-wing, he added. conservative politician goes to “La Sieber has particular ire for Cage” to meet Georges and his “wife” politicians like Michelle Bachmann after their children announce their and her gay-reparative-therapyengagement. practicing husband Marcus Sieber, who also got a Tony Bachmann, who’s known almost as nomination for his work in Shrek the much for his publicly �lamboyant Musical, played Georges opposite hand gestures he calls waving.

Firestein in a “They keep saying 2011 Broadway that gay marriage will production, destroy the fabric replacing Arrested of America,” he Development’s says. “That gay is Jeffrey Tambor who so bad. I just don’t Straz Center Feb. 21-26 to give life Joe Kissel KISSEL@WATERMARKONLINE.COM had hip trouble. see that fabric and relevance again to one of the Now Sieber’s being destroyed gayest and greatest musicals. taking on the now that we can T’S NOT WHO YOU LOVE, This time Sieber dons the wigs role Firestein get married, just and heels as Albin, the frustratingly originated, which IT’S THAT YOU LOVE.” because I can —CHRISTOPHER SIEBER, lovable and dragmatic performer no doubt adds REFERRING TO ANTIhold my head who’s partnered to dandyish AS THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY another dimension LGBT POLITICIANS up high at the Mediterranean club owner Georges, to the “Two of �ish market.” struggle speeds toward its inevitable conclusion played by George Hamilton. (Straight a Kind” actor’s For more and 71, Hamilton had a gay halfdespite the dying protestations of the religious interpretation of a role that could information and tickets, visit brother who he says helped inform help bookend dramatically different || StrazCenter.org. and politically conservative right, the theme of his performance.) chapters in LGBT American history.

You could argue this classic La Cage Aux Folles, written nearly 30 years ago, Still, the road must be traveled, story of families staying together MORE INFORMATION he said. seems more prescient than ever. has helped advance LGBT rights “With the primaries, since the beginning with numerous conservatives are trying to �ind WHO: Christopher Sieber The DNA of a handful of great roles of both characters, “Georges” Tony-award winning productions, WHAT: La Cage Aux Folles something to stick,” Sieber says. men runs prominently through and “Albin.” including the original 1983 show WHERE: Straz Center for the Once again, gay marriage is this show, and one of them is twoSieber, fresh from the new Performing Arts, Tampa starring and written by Harvey emerging as a social issue linchpin in time Tony nominee Christopher national tour’s performances at the WHEN: Feb. 21-26 Firestein based on the 1973 French the Republican nominating contests, Sieber—the only actor in the show’s Kennedy Center, invades equalityTICKETS: StrazCenter.org play by Jean Poiret. with Rick Santorum shaping up to be legendary history to take on the challenged Florida and comes to the

Going Both Ways THEATER

Christopher Sieber takes on iconic La Cage role at the Straz

“I 30

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.2/2/12 2:2731PM

stage. The small group has bonded, Smith says, and that has helped create a more powerful presence on the stage, be believes.

“We all interact so much—I’m in every scene—that we’ve become very comfortable with each other,” Smith says. “When you reach that point you can truly lose yourself in your character and portray what that character feels. Being so close to my cast mates has actually helped us portray violence.”

Jones adds that the skills of his actors are impressive, and that it shows on stage.

“Drew, like all good actors, is intense and willing to explore,” Jones says. “I knew the cast would interact well and handle the different sets of circumstances of their characters. This is not a gay play; it’s a play about people.”

Smith agrees. Everyone has dealt with self-loathing at some point in their lives, he says, and the characters of Slipping portray that PLAYING “ELI”: Canadian actor Drew Smith stars in the Florida premiere of Daniel Talbott’s controversial drama Slipping, about teen gay bullying, at Studio@620. throughout the play. Jones adds PHOTO COURTESY STUDIO 620 that the revelations in the script are relatable by anyone.

“There’s a universal humanity in it,” Jones says. “It’s a dif�icult After Smith read the script, he subject matter but you make was interested in the role, but told the characters speci�ic and they his director he didn’t want to kiss become universal. It’s just a or “show any wedding tackle.” beautifully written piece.”

“Now he’s doing both,” Jones The Advocate named Slipping as laughs. “He’s immersed himself in one of the Ten Best gay plays of the the story and in the character.” year and playwright Larry Kramer This production is the Florida (Faggots, The Normal Heart) calls premiere of Daniel Talbott’s drama, it a play about love and how it is so which surprised audiences in hard for so many of us to face it and New York. know what to do with it.

The story It’s a true depiction follows Eli, who of life, according is alone and to Smith, and friendless after sometimes that the death of his depiction isn’t father and being always �lattering. taking on the role of “Eli” were the dumped by his Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM “People are nude scenes in the intimate theater. abusive boyfriend. people—straight “It was different playing gay at The high school or gay,” Smith —ACTOR DREW SMITH, �irst, but I got used to it and lost senior moves with T. PETERSBURG | DREW SMITH says. “And a WHO PLAYS THE LEAD myself in the character,” Smith says. his mom from San lot of them are doesn’t understand why so many people CHARACTER IN SLIPPING “I think it helps that the cast is all Francisco to Iowa mean. To me, straight and that their characters and �inds a possible think the play Slipping, in which he stars as that’s more pretend to be straight, while my relationship with a closeted boy in controversial than telling a story a bullied and abused gay teen, is controversial. character is out. The hardest part his new school. of an abused gay teen. How we was getting naked on stage.”

“I really related to Eli,” Smith The 22-year-old, handsome actor plays the lead choose to portray ourselves is what The studio’s artistic director, says. “He’s picked on a lot and I was is controversial.” character in the Studio@620 production, running Bob Devin Jones, says he had Smith too—although not for the same For more information or tickets in mind for the lead role from the reasons. I know how he masks it now through Feb. 19. to Slipping, visit Studio620.org. |  | beginning—shortly after he saw and knows why he puts up a front.”

“Why is it controversial?” Smith Smith is straight and says he the production of Slipping nearly Smith says that when he was in MORE INFORMATION wonders during an interview at the has known gay people all of his two years ago. school he was emotional, especially studio in downtown St. Petersburg. life, and has never understood why “I had seen Drew do a when it came to athletics. He adds WHAT: Slipping “I don’t feel like it is. I’m opensomeone would be so opposed to monologue at Eckerd and I thought, that when those emotions got the WHEN: Now through Feb. 19 minded and I don’t see a problem another person’s sexuality. The ‘Here’s an athlete with sensitivity,’” best of him, other students and with representing a certain former Eckerd College soccer star WHERE: Studio@620, St. Petersburg Jones says. “I wanted to give him athletes would taunt him. sexual orientation. To me, that’s adds that his only apprehension in an opportunity.”

The cast of Slipping is small— TICKETS: Studio620.org not controversial.” three men and one woman take the

Finding the Controversy THEATER

Slipping takes on bullying and teen angst at Studio@620

S 32

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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33

|  | Madonna from pg.27 The Duchess is really Wally’s spiritual guide, so to speak, and even though she [the Duchess] came from a different era where women didn’t have the same kind of choices and opportunities, we as women still are all raised on this fairytale idea that no matter how many opportunities we have education-wise or job-wise, your knight in shining armor is going to arrive on his beautiful white stallion and sweep you off your feet and take you off into the twilight, and you’re going to live happily ever after.

This is something that we all have to deal with when we grow up. But one person isn’t going to be all of those things to us; ultimately, we have to make our own happiness, and when we can own that and take responsibility for our own happiness, then we can �ind a mate for ourselves, or companion or signi�icant other or whatever you want to call it. That’s certainly what the Duchess imparts to Wally, and I hope that I can inspire other women to think that way with my own life and behavior.

WHAT’S THE THING THAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT WALLIS SIMPSON WHILE DOING YOUR RESEARCH?

34

The discoveries that Wally makes in her journey and her investigations were essentially mine. When I heard about the story—what a magnanimous, generous romantic gesture Edward VIII made toward Wallis Simpson—I thought the same thing that Wally says when she’s looking in the mirror trying on the necklace: “What must it feel to be loved that much?”

As I started to unravel the story and read the letters and go on the journey that I went on to write the script, I realized that, in fact, it wasn’t this fairytale romance as I had imagined it would be. I found that Wallis Simpson tried to avoid the actual marriage from taking place, how she saw the writing on the wall and how she tried her best to get Edward to see the writing on the wall. She was very astute in her observations, but obviously she couldn’t talk him into her point of view. He was just cunt-struck, as they say in England. (Laughs at her choice of words) Sorry!

A lot of people who write history books have a tendency to diminish women or undermine their accomplishments.

DID YOU EVER THINK OF MAKING THE MOVIE WITHOUT THE CONTRASTING MODERN-DAY STORY OF SOMEONE REFLECTING ON A HISTORICAL FIGURE?

No. I wasn’t interested in making a straightforward biopic. I don’t think it’s possible to tell the story of one person from beginning to end in two hours. I think that’s actually an unfair challenge to give oneself.

And also, truth is so subjective and each of us could read the same �ive books about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and we would walk away with a different interpretation. It would impact us in a different way, and so it was important for me to establish that. As much research as I did, and as close as I tried to stay to the truth and as authentic as I wanted to be, it was important that I be clear that it is a point of view. I never intended to just tell the story of Wallis Simpson.

WHAT’S THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING THIS STORY FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW?

Most of the perspective on the story is, “Look what he gave up for her,” and it’s told from the male point of view. I think that when Wally starts to make all these discoveries about the Duchess, she appeals to Mohamed Al Fayed [keeper of the Duke and Duchess’ letters] as an outsider, because he lives as a foreigner and as an outsider in England, not really accepted by society.

Really, in my movie, each character is an outsider. Wally is living in alienation in the Upper East Side, where she doesn’t �it in; [Wally’s love interest]

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

—MADONNA Evgeni is a Ukrainian immigrant working as a security guard, but he’s really an intellectual and an artist and he doesn’t �it in; the Duchess doesn’t really �it into this aristocratic world that she’s found herself in; and Edward doesn’t really �it into the Victorian world that he was raised in. So its how all these people who feel like outsiders try to come to terms and �ind their way in the world.

IS THAT SOMETHING YOU DRAW FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE?

Yeah, but I think a lot of people can relate to it. A lot of us feel like we don’t �it into the conventional norm or what society expects from us. More and more, people are rede�ining what makes a family, what makes a couple, what makes love, what romance is, what a union is, what soul mates are—all of these things we’re reinventing, because family is what you make it. It’s funny how things turn out that way. Sometimes your parents aren’t really the people who nurture you. You have other role models in your life that become your mother and your father. It’s unusual when the family you’re born into is actually the people that feel like your family.

GROWING UP, YOU REBELLED AGAINST YOUR UPBRINGING AND CONVENTION, BECOMING A MAJOR TRAILBLAZER. HOW IS IT DIFFERENT BEING A MOTHER WITH KIDS WHO WILL NOT HAVE TO FIGHT THE SAME BATTLES THAT YOU FOUGHT?

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

Not that this has anything to do with my �ilm, but it’s an interesting question. I don’t think that I’m a conventional parent. I realize that, to a certain extent, my children are raised with privilege; they have housekeepers, I didn’t. There are a lot of differences. On the other hand, my parents raised me in a very conventional way and I rebelled against it, and now my children come to me and they often want to do things because everybody else does them, and I say to them, “That’s just the worst reason I’ve ever heard for doing something.”

I encourage them to question things. Question their behavior, take responsibility for their behavior, think outside the box.

And they will have a different set of challenges. They will be compared to me. I will be some kind of a benchmark that they have to live with and deal with, and they are going to have to �ind their way in the world. We are all born with, and into, our challenges, so I don’t think for a second that life is going to be so simple and easy for them.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE ALL YOUR YEARS OF RESEARCH ON WALLIS SIMPSON IS OVER WITH, OR ARE YOU STILL INVESTED IN HER?

I’m done with my deep research, but I still feel a strong connection to her. She’s always

watermarkonline.com

going to be a part of me. I am still uncovering little gems about her. People come to me and say, “Oh, look at this little note that we found in this handbag that was auctioned off 20 years ago.”

People are still bringing me bits and bobs and memorabilia, so I’m still discovering things about her—and I’m sure I will for the rest of my life.

I was actually going through my papers in my �iles the other day and found an astrological reading that someone had done for me 30 years ago. I was reading it, and the woman was talking about some aspect of my personality and she quoted Wallis Simpson: “All for love and the world well lost.” I thought, “How weird, she was already a part of my life.” That was a little foreshadowing. That happened 30 years ago, so who knows what’s going to happen 30 years from now. |  |

MORE INFORMATION

WHO: Madonna WHAT: W.E. in theaters now, MDNA album March 26 WHERE: In concert in Miami, although at press time no date had been confirmed

Read the full interview with Madonna at WatermarkOnline.com

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Event Planner

Orlando

ORLANDO

Billy Elliot

Michael Jackson The Immortal

FEB. 14-21 Bob Carr Center for the Performing Arts BobCarr.Orlando-Theatre. com 407-849-2577

Ybor City

T

Florida Leather Weekend

he artists and acrobats of Cirque du Soleil have done it again—this time mixing astounding stunts and storytelling with the music of the late Michael Jackson.

The touring production of Michael Jackson The Immortal features all of Jackson’s greatest hits, from “Thriller” and “Billy Jean” to “Man in the Mirror.” Press releases say the show underscores Michael’s global messages of love, peace and unity—a perfect attraction for LGBT fans of the late King of Pop. The Immortal is a hit in Las Vegas and stops at Orlando’s Amway Arena for two nights, Feb. 28-29.

Unlike other Cirque shows, this one mixes live music and vocals with the recorded voice of Michael Jackson—so what you hear is the King of Pop himself.

The stunning lights, acrobatic moves and music are a perfect setting for a fun night out, and those hot men and women wearing tight or very little clothing should provide enough eye candy for everyone in the audience.

For tickets, visit CenterOrlando.com.

36

FEB. 23-26 Various Ybor venues FlLeatherWeekend.com

St. Petersburg Green Card Wedding Bridesmaid

THROUGH FEB. 25 The L-Train TheLtrain.com 813-995-5063

Tampa

La Cage Aux Folles

ST. PETERSBURG

SARASOTA

Diana Ross

Linda Eder

For more than four decades, Diana Ross has been in the spotlight both on stage and in the eyes of the LGBT community.

Ross, who began as the lead singer of the Supremes, tied the Beatles when she reached 12 number one hit singles in the USA. Her activism and support for LGBT rights has earned her respect in the community and a countless number of drag impersonators. When she performs an audience of dedicated LGBT fans follow in troves!

Ross’ new tour brings her to St. Petersburg’s newly renovated Mahaffey Theatre on Friday, Feb. 24. Expect a crazed crowd to jump to their feet when she sings her anthem, “I’m Coming Out,” just one of an extensive list of chart-topping smashes.

Listing her slew of awards here would take up several pages, but the multiple Grammy Award winner has earned American Music Awards, a Tony Award for her one-woman show and an Academy Award nomination.

Check out the touring icon and get tickets at MahaffeyTheatre.com.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

QUICK PICKS

Considering she hasn’t been on Broadway all that much, Linda Eder admits that it makes her laugh when she’s considered a “Broadway Queen.” Eder, who soared to stardom after an unprecedented 12-week run on television’s Star Search in 1987, played the lead role of Lucy Harris in Broadway’s Jekyll & Hyde, which earned her international recognition.

Every one of Eder’s concerts is packed with LGBT Broadway fanatics who hang on every crystal clear word of the

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

FEB. 21-26 Straz Center for the Performing Arts StrazCenter.org 813-229-7827

multiple-octave singer, and we expect the same when she stops at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota on Friday, Feb. 24—even though that’s the same night that Diana Ross performs in St. Petersburg.

There are enough LGBTs to go around, and since Eder’s latest album reunites her with ex-husband and Broadway scribe Frank Wildhorn, she’s recaptured the sound that has catapulted her to stardom.

For tickets, visit VanWezel. org or call 941-953-3368.

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Sarasota

Lily Tomlin

MARCH 1 Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall VanWezel.org 941-953-3368

MORE INFORMATION For more events or to submit your upcoming show, concert or performance, visit WatermarkOnline.com.

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We Are Pleased To Announce Three New Programs:

Mental Health Counseling Substance Abuse Counseling Department of Health Eligibility Screening for Ryan White Programs and Services

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Family Case Management Ryan White Case Management Project AIDS Care (PAC) Case Management Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services (CRCS) VOICES (Condom Negotiations Skills classes) Limited Emergency Financial Assistance Medical Co-Pay Assistance Program Food and Personal Needs Pantry Brighter Seasons for Children Free Rapid HIV Testing Advance Care Planning Monthly Client Dinner Social Support Group HIV Update Classes • Eligibility Requirements Apply • Visit us or call one of our three locations in Pinellas County: 3050 1st Ave South 1214 Cleveland Street 4601 34th Street South St. Petersburg Clearwater Flamingo Resort/St. Petersburg 727-328-3260 727-449-2437 727-321-7600 www.asapservices.org and LIKE us on Facebook 38

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4 1

ShotonSite

Tampa Bay

1- DRESSED LIKE AN EGYPTIAN: (L-R) George Medeiros, Audrie Rañon and Scott Durfee celebrate art with an Egyptian influence at the St. Petersburg Museum of Art on Feb. 3. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 2- LOTS OF HEART: Committee members and organizers of the 7th Annual Wine, Art & Heart take a moment to pose during the event at Morean Clay Arts Center in St. Petersburg Feb. 11. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD

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3- HER MAJESTY: St. Petersburg performer Jaeda Fuentes was crowned Miss Mardi Gras Dunedin at Blur Nightclub Feb. 12. PHOTO COURTESY JEFFREY KLEIN

4- MAKING A SPLASH: The girls of Karmic Tattoo performed at the Sarasota Valentine Splash at the Bobby Jones Golf Clup on Feb. 11.

PHOTO COURTESY PROSUZY.COM

5- LOOK AT THAT BODY...ART: A performer shows off her body paint during an Egyptian art exhibit at the St. Petersburg Museum of Art on Feb. 3. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 6- NEVER A BRIDE: Director Joseph Alan Johnson is surrounded by the cast of his Green Card Wedding Bridesmaid, after its premiere at the L-Train in St. Petersburg Feb. 8. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 7- OPENING REMARKS: Sally Phillips and Michael Smith share a laugh during an opening day reception of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus’ Winter Conference at the Hampton Inn Ybor on Feb. 10. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD

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8- WOMEN OF POWER: (L-R) Linda Stewart, Val Demings, Alex Sink and Sally Phillips were all on hand to speak during the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus’ Winter Conference in Ybor City the weekend of Feb. 10-12. PHOTO COURTESY SALLY PHILLIPS

OVERHEARD New format, new venue, more success The annual Wine Art and Heart event raising money for Suncoast Hospice was a huge hit again this year, and expectations are high that �inancial records will be broken. The charitable event changed course slightly with a new format and a new venue. Organizers did away with the traditional sit-down dinner and opted for food and wine stations strategically placed throughout the massive Morean Clay Arts Center in downtown St. Petersburg.

The building was arranged so a natural �low of traf�ic touched every corner of the art on display—all of which was for sale. Ticket and art sales bene�itted the charity.

Totals weren’t available at press time.

A Wranglers reunion

It’s hard to believe that it’s been �ive years since the popular LGBT country bar Wranglers closed its doors in Ybor City. The expansive club in the 1900 block of 7th Avenue was one of the �irst LGBT clubs in the area, and brought cowboys and

cowgirls from throughout the state to celebrate all things related to country music. So it was a surprise to many when Wranglers suddenly shut its doors in the summer of 2007, leaving country and western LGBTs nowhere to two-step or line dance on the weekends. While the club is gone, many friendships were forged—and now there’s a chance to revisit those connections with a reunion party at the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg March 9-11.

Details were sketchy at press time, but we expect to see some familiar bartenders, performers and members of management reminiscing about the old days while

enjoying a cocktail or beer by the Flamingo pool. For details, check out Wrangler’s Reunion on Facebook.

Gettin’ gay on the radio

Miguel Fuller has carved out a gay niche in Tampa Bay’s morning radio world.

The co-host of Play 98.7’s “That Guy Kramer” show is in an ever-expanding role, discussing LGBT issues like same-sex marriage, online dating and clubbing in West Florida. Fuller is a natural at keeping it gay, but he outdid himself on the morning broadcast of Monday, Feb.

13, discussing the death of Whitney Houston, who died two days prior. Fuller shared a story with host Steve Kramer and co-host Holly O’Connor about his favorite Whitney song—“Queen of the Night” from The Bodyguard. He explained that he had two friends steal �ire extinguishers to create smoke so he could perform that song. Fuller added that his “stage” was an open �ield in Colorado. O’Conner and Kramer agreed that Fuller’s story was the gayest moment on Tampa Bay radio yet.

Based on what we’ve heard, we’d have to heartily agree.

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Finding gay symbolism In the not-too-distant future, Tampa could see gay street designations similar to that of Chicago. According to Carrie West, president of the GaYbor District Coalition, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is open to displaying some kind of symbol throughout the gay sections of Tampa designating it as a “gay area.”

Talks have just begun but West is hopeful plans can move forward this year. Right now there are no details on designs of the gay signage, but we’re hopeful it will be bright, fun and digni�ied. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

39

CLUB ORLANDO COME OUT TO PLAY!

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ORLANDO

1– TEAM EFFORT: Equality Florida members got their activism on during Lobby Days in Tallahassee earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY EQUALITY FLORIDA

2 – WHOA!: Crimson Chaos takes a spill during the Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls “Love is Madness” bout Feb. 11 at Semoran Skateway. PHOTO COURTESY PHANTOM PHOTOGRAPHICS 3 – THEY DO: On Feb. 11, Beth Marshall and Michael Wanzie presided over the wedding of Chad Lewis and Jason Donnelly at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, immediately following the Orlando premiere of Prop 8 on Trial. PHOTO BY RICK CLAGGETT

7

4 – LET’S EAT!: TheDailyCity.com’s Mark Baratelli welcomed hungry food truck fans to his Food Truck Bazaar, Feb. 12 at Fashion Square Mall. PHOTO COURTESY TASTYCHOMPS.COM 5– A DECADE LATER: Baggy Pants Theatre presented The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later at Maitland’s Jewish Community Center beginning Feb. 2. PHOTO COURTESY RANDY STEPHENS

4

6 – BEATING THE CHILL: (L to R) Sue-Bee Laginess and Sandra Morales enjoyed a chilly meal at Mucho Tequila and Tacos Feb. 11 as a cold front passed through Central Florida.

PHOTO COURTESY SUE-BEE LAGINESS

7 – AND, ACTION: (L to R) Chris Halper (1st AD), Kirstin Banka (Stunt Rider) and Gina M. Garcia (Director/Producer) get ready to film a scene for Untold recently in Central Florida. PHOTO COURTESY ALEESHA KERRI

8 – SO PRETTY: The full cast of Little Miss Parliament House practice their “pretty hands” backstage at the Footlight Theatre.

PHOTO COURTESY DOUG WHITE

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6

8

OVERHEARD Long Live a Legend Mark Wayne, the Last Vegas performer who headlined the Red Fox Lounge inside Best Western Mount Vernon in Winter Park with wife Lorna Lambey, died Feb. 14 of a heart attack. For the past 20 years, Wayne played a mean synthesizer as part of “Mark and Lorna.” Wayne was a Las Vegas entertainer in the 1960s with a musical comedy act. Last year he told News 13 that he used to buy breakfast for Wayne Newton and that Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. checked out his

show. He eventually moved to Florida and performed along the Space Coast. He met his singing partner and wife, Lorna Lambey, while judging her in a beauty contest in Cocoa Beach. Since 1991, the “Mark and Lorna” show, described by Wayne as a “retro lounge act” has been performing several nights a week at the Red Fox Lounge.

The act is so popular, it’s believed the Saturday Night Live skit, “The Culps” was inspired by the pair.

Daytona Gets Lynched

Everyone’s favorite Glee villainess and gay activist

Jane Lynch and Melbourne native supermodel Kate Upton have been named Grand Marshals for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26. The actresses are co-starring in the new Three Stooges movie.

A Sarasota native herself, Lynch has won an Emmy and Golden Globe winner for her role on Glee.

Walgreens Acquires BioScrip

Walgreen Co. will acquire the community specialty pharmacy and centralized specialty and mail service pharmacy businesses of

BioScrip, Inc. for about $225 million. With the deal, expected to close by late April, Walgreens will add BioScrip’s national community specialty pharmacy network of 30 pharmacy locations in 16 states and the District of Columbia, primarily serving HIV, oncology and transplant patients. According to Walgreens, the BioScrip asset acquisition �its its strategy to advance community pharmacy and to bring more specialty pharmacy products and services closer to patients. “Together, BioScrip’s clinically focused community specialty pharmacies and access to additional limited-

distribution drug therapies and Walgreens’ existing nationwide network of retail and health system pharmacies create a strong network of support for our core drug store business to provide specialty pharmacy solutions to our patients,” Walgreens president Greg Wasson said in a statement.

Tip it!

In The Wings Productions in conjunction with Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Tipping the Scales: A Cabaret of Epic Pro-Portions!

WAVE award winner Ginger Minj, along with more than 20 of Orlando’s favorite

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

actors, singers, dancers, drag queens, and artists, will converge at Sleuth’s on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m., to help send Ms. Minj to the National Miss Continental Plus competition in Chicago.

With performances that cover Broadway, pop, rock, and classical music, there’s something for everyone!

Performers include Janine Klein, Trixxie DeLuxe, Krystal Gillette, Erynn Hair, Angel Sheridan, Leontyne Carter, Lady Deception, Chantel Reshae, National Holiday, Luna Eclipse, Matthew Burton and Sasha Blake. For more info and tickets, visit BrownPaperTickets.com/ Event/224639.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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THE ORLANDO FRINGE AND HARD ROCK CAFE PRESENT

F E AT U R I N G Februar y the 27th, 2012, from 7pm-10:30 pm a t Hard Rock Live Or lando!

To purchase tickets call 407-351-5483 or visit Ticketmaster.com

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COWBOY BIRTHDAY: Orlando performer and recording artist CiJay Bailey, right and pictured with fellow performer Paul Lloyd, celebrates his birthday on Feb. 23.

Transitions

CHANGE-OF-LIFE COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Local Birthdays LGBT-friendly Pinellas County Commissioner John Morroni, gorgeous O-Town dancer, choreographer, DJ and nightclub impresario Blue, Tampa activist Chris Goldsmith and Tampa Bay Bears president Keenan Rose (Feb. 16); Beautiful St. Petersburg performer and live vocalist Iman and Disney entertainment guru John Bearse (Feb. 17); Tampa’s Xtreme Total Health and Wellness consultant Ty Williams (Feb. 18); Stonewall Pinellas Democrat president Rick Boylan (Feb. 19); Tampa model and web site recruiter Michael Vought, funeral director and Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Committee cofounder Sam Odom, Tampa Bay resident and Orlando Sister Billy Seablom, Flamingo Resort regular Mikel Vought and Largo resident and Lighthouse Credit Foundation fronter David Crow (Feb. 20); House of Adonis hottie Jose Ortiz (Feb. 21); Tampa consultant Bart Nagy, rollergirl Jessy “Spikey” Wales, Tampa Bay Business Guild administrator and TIGLFF superstar Renee Cossette and Gulfport St. Pete Pride president Stanley Solomons (Feb. 22); Orlando’s sexy, singing cowboy cub CiJay Bailey, superstar realtor and selfless volunteer David Dorman and Tampa’s 5ive Magazine publisher Travis Sedler (Feb.

23); songbird Megan Monesmith (Feb. 24); Orlando graphic designer Lisa Buck, Framing of Central Florida co-owner Mike VanDerLeest, Tampa artist and hairstylist Christopher Nejman, Tampa’s Outings and Adventures founder Robert Geller and Tampa Bay transgender activist Janice Carney (Feb. 25); Christ the Cornerstone of Pinellas Park pastor Joyce Stone and twins Bill Pease of Orlando’s MyOptics and Jim Pease, president of Tampa Bay’s Log Cabin Republicans (Feb. 26); Ybor Karaoke Idol emcee and karaoke diva Carlos Lopez, sexy Sarasota Ballet sales manager Michael Maraccini and muscled Tampa massage therapist Eduardo Campos (Feb. 27).

Celebrity Birthdays Slutty Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, music mogul David Geffen, feminist politician Barbara Jordan and perpetually horny writer Anais Nin (Feb. 21); girl-and-boy-smooching big-screen sweetheart Drew Barrymore (Feb. 22); fab folkie Michelle Shocked and Sex and the City starlet Kristin Davis (Feb. 24); HIV/AIDS activist and violet-eyed acting legend Elizabeth Taylor and muscled model and adult film star Zeb Atlas (Feb. 27); leggy dance god Tommy Tune (Feb. 28).

Are you making a Transition? Having a birthday or anniversary? Did you get a new job or promotion? See your news in Watermark! Send your Transition to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com or go to WatermarkOnline.com/Submit-a-Transition - it’s that easy!

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

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y boyfriend Shane wants me to move in with him but he is a total slob. We’ve been together almost three years and I really want to take our relationship to the next level, but I just can’t imagine sharing a house with someone who leaves his clothes all over the �loor and doesn’t keep up with the dishes (even though he has a dishwasher).

Financially, I can’t afford to live on my own anymore–I got laid off last year—and Shane owns his house, so it only makes sense to move in with him. I truly love this guy and he really wants us to live together, but I’m worried that his lack of basic housekeeping skills will end up driving us apart. What should I do?

—Neat and Clean in New Smyrna Dear Mr. Clean, People enter relationships with different habits and ideas about cleanliness. In that respect you and Shane are no different than every other couple, and your problem should be �iled under “S” for “solvable.”

But there are a couple red �lags.

First, you’re talking about moving into Shane’s house at a time when you have limited options. If you’re there not because you want to be, but because you have to be, the scales tip in an unhealthy way. Will you feel comfortable telling Shane you want him to help keep a cleaner house—when it’s his house? And what if he says, by word or by deed, that he’s unwilling?

Start by having a relaxed but serious talk before you make any decisions. Tell Shane your minimum requirements— clothes and wet towels off the �loor, no dishes in the sink, cap on the toothpaste.

Ask if he can accommodate these requests without resentment. Be reasonable but be honest, and ask him to be equally transparent. If possible, try a trial period before you move in. Because here comes the Truth: If he can’t make some minor changes for you, this will be the �irst frustrating battle of many.

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recently came out to my family back in Oregon after my father said to me that he was “sick and tired of hearing about those fags in California” in response to the repeal of Prop 8. I am the third of four girls in an extremely conservative Christian family, and I moved to Tampa after graduating from high school last year so I could go to college away from home. Now my parents say that they won’t pay my tuition or living expenses unless I move back to Oregon and transfer to a nearby Christian college so I can “get on the right track.” I don’t have money of my own and there’s no way I’ll qualify for �inancial aid (my parents make too much money), so I can’t stay in school—or even in Florida—without their help. I know my parents love me, but I’m sure they will try to “�ix” me if I go back. What should I do?

—Fearful Freshman Dear Quivering on the Quad, You’re at a turning point, my brave little dumpling. You don’t need to be �ixed. And every instinct you have is telling you not to return home.

Your priorities should be as follows: 1) stay out of Oregon until you’re strong enough to visit on your terms, 2) �ind a safe place to live and a way to pay for it, 3) make some trusted friends, 4) explore options to continue in school—maybe now and maybe down the road, and 5) plug into some of the many wonderful LGBT resources and experiences that Tampa Bay has to offer.

I know it’s scary, and it would be great if you could explore options and learn about yourself with a safety net from the family. But in this case, the price is your soul! Here comes the truth: if you return now, they’ll own you. If you stay and make it—and you will—you’ll never lack for self-suf�iciency again. And that’s worth way more than all the cashmere sweaters that may be waiting at home.

Good luck!

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• Gynecomastia reduction • Liposuction • Laser hair removal • Sculptra®, Botox®, Radiesse®, Juvederm® • Laser skin rejuvenation • Rhinoplasty • Facelift & eyelift • Cosmetic breast surgery • Professional skin care • Accredited in-house surgical suite

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real estate

WE KNOW THIS TOWN

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FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

51

[CLASSIFIEDS]

407-481-2243 • Deadline for classifieds is January 27, at 5:00pm.

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Chair Rental in Winter Park- Chair Rental available in Professionally managed Full Service Salon.$200 plus Tax a week.

Great parking in front of Salon. (407)7748448 or (407)325-3410 for more info. Gerard Barnard Salon, 713 Clay St., Winter Park.

professional services House Cleaning - Free estimates, Reasonable rates, No contracts. Call John at 407-592-8774.

real estate for rent Quiet country...Sorrento, Mt.Dora area 1/1 with w/d, very private with great kitchen and screened porch, gated estate. $700/ mo. + sec. Util. incld. (352)267-4068

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Danny Veal, Realtor GRI,CLHMS & CDPE - I made

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Should there be a swimsuit competition for Realtors??

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SHORT SALE priced to move at $279,000.

Danny Veal, Realtor Coldwell Banker (407)496-2662 / www.DannyVeal.com

Male Looking for Roommate - Share 3 bedroom home, south of downtown. $400/ mo. includes 1 bed/1 ba & all utilities. Nonsmoker preferred. (407)383-7107

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ADVERTISING SALES - If you are retail & customer-focused, computer literate & proficient, web knowledgeable & a self-starter with inside or outside sales experience, then we might be a match!

Watermark Media, the gay & lesbian news source for Orlando & Tampa Bay, is seeking an experienced sales professional to help us grow our business by helping businesses in the Tampa Bay area grow.

You would call on potential clients, guide their advertising campaigns and make a very good living. Watermark Media is a great company offering a competitive compensation package that includes salary, commissions and health benefits.

Send your cover letter and resume to Chief Financial Officer Rick Claggett at Rick@watermarkonline.com or fax to (813)849-2986.

GBLT Florida licensed therapist full time or part time. Good salary & benefits. Send resume to hr@ metrotampabay.org

personal services MAN-TO-MAN - very friendly, masculine, good looking man with solid athletic body.

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professional services TOP GAY REALTORS WWW.GAYREALESTATE.COM Instant Free Access to Florida and the Nation’s Top LGBT Realtors.

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BODY SENSATIONS - WHERE YOUR KNOTS BECOME NOT! MASSAGE FOR MEN HEALTHY IN MIND & BODY. SLENDER WITH STRONG SOOTHING HANDS, HOT TOWEL. RELAXATION TO REJUVINATION. GREAT RATES. TIM 813*352*7814. MA-56731

Watermark does not knowingly print advertisements for sexual services. Beyond printed content, Watermark does not inquire into the nature of personal or professional services advertising. Payment for sexual services is illegal in the State of Florida, and respondents to classified advertising should govern themselves accordingly. As required by law (Florida Statute 480.0465), Licensed Massage Therapists include their license number in all advertising.

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FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

watermarkonline.com

Trans triathlete wins USA Triathlon Spirit Award

T

rans athlete Chris Mosier was awarded the USA Triathlon Spirit Award earlier this month as part of the annual Multisport Awards. Mosier was one of �ive athletes named for the award, which recognizes individuals who illustrate the principles of the positive spirit of the sport as displayed through acts of sportsmanship and leadership.

Mosier is also the 2012 ambassador for the Empire Triathlon Club in New York City and works with LGBT sports leagues to improve transgender inclusion.

In 2011, Mosier competed in the Nautica New York Triathlon in

August. Two years prior, Mosier competed in the women’s division.

He transitioned in 2010.

In an August interview with GoPride.com, Mosier said that he never focused on his gender, rather his abilities.

“I’ve always been athletic,” he told the website shortly before the Nautica Triathlon last year. “I played baseball and basketball as a kid, and really got into sports in high school. I was known more as an athlete than anything else.”

Mosier also said that competing in the men’s category has proven more challenging than the women’s division, which is something he expected.

“Whereas I would be �inishing in the top 10 or top 5, or in some cases, winning a female age group, I’m coming in a much lower place

Staff Report

E RUNNING WITH RESPECT:

Triathlete Chris Mosier is focused on competing and ensuring a safe environment for all athletes—transgender or not.

competing against males,” he said in the interview. “My times are still good and I’m happy with where I’m at, but winning races doesn’t seem like a feasible thing anymore.”

With the ambassador title and the Spirit Award under his arm, Mosier is more focused than ever to advocate for all people to feel safe in competitive sports.

USA Triathlon is the national governing body for the sport of triathlon and duathlon and has over 135,000 members. |  |

nglish football—or soccer to Yanks—must be more accepting to gay players, according to former Chelsea captain Grame le Saux.

The 43-year-old said he endured years of taunts from opposition fans and other players about his sexuality, even though he’s heterosexual. Rumors erupted because he distanced himself from the playboy lifestyle of a typical footballer.

The years of jibes came to a head in 1999, when he reacted to provocative comments from England teammate Robbie Fowler by elbowing him in the head. Both players were reprimanded by the Football Association for the incident at the time.

There have been no openly gay footballers in England since former Norwich and Nottingham Forest forward Justin Fashanu, who came out in 1990 but committed suicide in 1998.

And Le Saux feels that more must be done to improve tolerance of sexuality in the game.

“The important thing isn’t whether or not there are gay players in professional football,” Le Saux told BBC Radio Jersey. “The point is that the environment is such that if they are, they feel that they can achieve and the profession will support them. At the moment I still don’t think that’s there.” |  |

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

sports

Staff Report

Le Saux: Gay players need support

53

Galleryw

MAP KEY

MARRIAGE MAP

54

FULL MARRIAGE RIGHTS

MARRIAGE LEGAL, BUT ON HOLD

Connecticut Iowa Massachusetts New Hampshire New York Vermont Washington D.C.

Washington State New Jersey

CIVIL UNIONS Oregon Illinois Rhode Island Hawaii

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

HAD MARRIAGE EQUALITY, BUT WAS REVOKED California Maine

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PROHIBITED

BY LAW

W

ITHIN ONE YEAR, MARRIAGE EQUALITY has expanded into three more states, bringing the total to eight in 2012. However, legal challenges and possible governor vetoes are in the works, so that number could change. It’s an ever changing, color-coded map of equality that is progressing—slowly—in favor of full equality across the country.

While Prop 8 in California loses its strength as it winds its way through the system, Washington State awaits implementation of its brand new law and a pending veto of marriage equality is expected from N.J. Governor Chris Christie’s pen, advocates for same-sex marriage remain optimistic.

To help navigate the laws of acceptance, Watermark offers this quick glimpse of where marriage equality stands right now. Consider it a snapshot of this moment in history.

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

watermarkonline.com

MARRIAGE LAWS ARE TRULY EVOLVING DAILY. For more on the legal battle, see Nation and World news on page 18.

FEB. 16 - FEB. 29, 2012 // ISSUE 19.04

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

55

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