Watermark Issue 19.08: Dining Out For Life

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • SARASOTA • ISSUE 19.08 • APRIL 12-APRIL 25, 2012 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM

YOUR LGBT LIFE.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

GAYBORHOODS REDEFINED

‘BULLY’ DIRECTOR TALKS

INSPIRATION

DP REGISTRIES FLOURISH IN TAMPA BAY

DINE

OUT LIFE

Tampa Bay chefs prep for annual fundraiser benefitting HIV/AIDS programs

ASAP presents:

CLEARWATER Pro Shop Pub L,D The Blue Heron Cafe L DUNEDIN Cabana Café Casa Tina’s Iris’s Grill B,L Kellys For Just About Anything D Pan y Vino

All locations donating 25% unless otherwise noted. Participating Locations As Of April 9, 2012

GULF BEACHES Frog Pond Restaurant B,L Seabreeze Island Grill & Raw Bar GULFPORT Backfin Blue Cafe D habana cafe L,D La Cote Basque Winehouse D O’Maddy’s Bar & Grille L,D Peg’s Cantina and Brew Pub D Pepperz Tangelo’s Grille D The Oar House Yummys L

Dining Out for Life

DINE OUT. FIGHT AIDS. Thursday, April 26

ST. PETERSBURG 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House L Bowled Restaurant L,D Cafe Alma L,D Cappy’s Pizza Saint Petersburg D Flamingo Resort D Georgie’s Alibi L,D Gratzzi Italian Grille D Lonni’s Sandwichs L 35% Parkshore Grill D The Cupcake Spot L,D The Queens Head D The Spot Bar And Grill D TAMPA Datz Tampa B Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grill D Kurdi’s Fresh Mediterranean Grill D The Cupcake Spot L,D Wimauma L,D

View the most current list of restaurants online at

DiningOutForLife.com/TampaBay BENEFITTING

LOCAL SPONSORS

NATIONAL SPONSORS

®

MEDIA SPONSORS

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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DEPARTMENTS 6 // MAIL 13 // ORLANDO NEWS 17 // TAMPA BAY NEWS 23 // STATE 24 // NATION & WORLD 35 // ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 47 // EVENT PLANNER 49 // TAMPA BAY OVERHEARD 51 // ORLANDO OVERHEARD 52 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 53 // TRANSITIONS 55 // ORLANDO MARKETPLACE 60 // CLASSIFIEDS 61 // SPORTS 62 // GALLERY W

PAGE

29

The drumbeat of zero tolerance for bullying is

getting louder.

—SUE WESTCOTT

ON THE COVER

PAGE Zach Harter, a baker at

17

The Cupcake Spot in St. Petersburg, is one of several dozen chefs in the Tampa Bay region with restaurants participating in the annual Dining Out For Life event, which is April 16.

Photo by Nick Cardello

SCAN QR CODE FOR

WATERMARKONLINE.COM

Preview

PAGE

35

BULLY PULPIT:

The documentary Bully made headlines even before its release for earning an R-rating, despite being made for teens. Director Lee Hirsch talks about his inspiration in making the controversial film.

W A T E R M A R K I S S U E 1 9 . 0 8 // A P R I L 1 2 - 2 5 , 2 0 1 2

ORLANDO NEWS

TAMPA BAY NEWS

STATE NEWS

GALLERY W

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 The concept of Central

13

Florida’s gayborhood is changing in the age of the internet and more widespread acceptance of our community; Buddy Dyer, Patty Sheehan remain in their elected posts; After 21 years, the Bears of Central Florida officially dissolve; more.

PAGE Domestic Partnership

17

Registries make headlines in St. Petersburg and Tampa, with Tampa set to begin registering partners this summer; Lakeland considers same-sex partnership benefits; more.

PAGE Corbin Fisher model and

23

actor Matthew “Sean” Bremer is found dead at 22; Joe Saunders raises more than $56,000 in first few weeks of his campaign for Florida House District 49; more.

PAGE Orlando’s annual Babes in

fundraiser brought 62 Bonnets in more than $11,000 this

year, thanks to a partnership between the Parliament House and other area bars. From the fabulous to the bizarre, the parade of festive headwear is a perfect photographic event.

TO SEE A PSA FOR DINING OUT FOR LIFE, USING BEHIND THE SCENE FOOTAGE FROM OUR COVER SHOOT, VISIT WATERMARKONLINE.COM. APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A little paint…a lit tle wine, and a whole lot of fun.

A Fun Innovative Art As Entertainment Experience

• Step-by-Step Instruction • 2-Hour Classes: $35/pp • Paint & Canvas Provided • 3-Hour Classes: $45/pp • Leave with a completed One-Of-A-Kind Work of Art

Private Parties Available Make a Reservation & Visit the Painting Calendar Online

6700 Conroy-Windermere Road, Suite 125 • (407) 601-7800 www.paintingwithatwist.com/orlando Painting with a Twist-Orlando-FL

What about Mary’s good deeds?

Last night I was handed a copy of Watermark issue with the article on Hamburger Mary’s [Issue 19.07].

I was not surprised that you decided to print this article. I was surprised that you got a few things wrong, as did ABC Action News.

You never contacted anyone from Mary’s for a statement.

Why don’t you write an article about all the money Mary raises for charity every week? Or the work we do to bridge the LGBT community with the straight community through our service and food and entertainment?

You decided to spotlight one moment in our two-year history and you completely missed the point. Our restaurant is very clean and we wouldn’t be open if it wasn’t and the work we do and the pride we take in that work deserves attention as well. I know you need attention to circulate your paper, but we are members of this community and we deserved a lot more respect than you gave.

Next time you sit down to write about us, think of all we give and how hard we work to serve the LGBT community ESME RUSSELL HAMBURGER MARY’S ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR YBOR CITY Editor’s Note: The above letter, addressed to Watermark, also appeared in the April 4 issue of the Tampa Bay e-newsletter Dishing With Mark & Carrie.

Not the first incident In regard to the recent article on the temporary closing of Hamburger Mary’s and the health code Violation.

I would like to praise editor Steve Blanchard for being a journalist with integrity and impartial views. I feel that gay businesses should be held to

“Anyone can go online and pull the health inspections on Mary’s and see they have had continuous problems.”

—JILL HUDSON a higher standard and that we should report the truths and facts, regardless of the backlash from others.

As for Esme Russell’s letter that was posted on MC Film Fest’s Dishing, the information was not correct and this was not the �irst health code incident [for Hamburger Mary’s—Ybor]. Anyone with a brain can go online and pull health inspections and see they have had continuous problems since they opened in Tampa.

Mary’s doesn’t donate any of the liquor sales or food sales to area charities. I �ind it appalling Esme’s letter would appear in Dishing without covering the story.

To Mary’s management: why did the restaurant have to be shut down in order to �ix the problem? They only care about making money.

They put the health and safety of the community at risk just to pad their pockets. Shame on them!

JILL HUDSON YBOR CITY

Come out from behind the gay curtain [Hamburger Mary’s Ybor] should stop hiding behind the gay curtain, come clean and admit what happened. They hopefully have corrected all the problems, including the rude staff. Now to get them to stop raping the community with their over-priced selections...

KEITH BUSCH TEMPLE TERRACE

Facts are facts I �irst saw this story on ABC Action News’ dirty

dining segment. The code violations at Hamburger Mary’s are of public record and can be legally obtained by the public.

I applaud Watermark and the editor, Steve Blanchard, for doing his job and publishing this story. I think all of the public has a right to know about repeat and excessive code violations at any restaurant, including Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor.

I hope Watermark continues to do the right thing and continues writing great articles, as it always writes to the gay community without censorship. True facts are true facts and that has never stopped Watermark from publishing articles before.

STEVE PUGH TAMPA

A sign of integrity Thank you for the article concerning the health code violations at Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor. I believe it is very important that the gay community support gay businesses, but I also think it’s just as important to keep the community informed of things like what happened with Hamburger Mary’s.

Many in our community may think we should steer away from reporting “bad news” so that gay businesses don’t suffer, which I think is wrong. It’s important and a sign of integrity to report the good with the bad.

Thanks for keeping us informed.

KEVIN HOLLOW TAMPA

What do you think? Share your opinion and join the conversation at WatermarkOnline.com.

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermarkonline.com

editor’s

Steve Blanchard EDITOR

SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com

A

Desk

NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT A

majority of homophobic people turn the inner turmoil they feel about their own same-sex attractions outward to attack the LGBT community. The study, which is set to be released in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology this month, is the third such study in recent years to come to the same conclusion.

If you’re wondering about that sound you just heard, it was a loud, collective “Duh!” from LGBT people everywhere. We �igured out a long time ago that the ones who seem to hate us the most are the ones battling their own similar, inner desires.

While I understand the need for the study, which was conducted in the U.S. and Germany with 160 college-aged subjects, I don’t �ind its �indings surprising at all. Hypocrisy

WATERMARK STAFF

is incredibly common and has reared its ugly head time and again in the national headlines.

Non-scienti�ic studies have shown the exact same results of this study for decades. Remember Ted Haggard, the big-time preacher who talked about the sins of homosexuality from his pulpit, only to be found with a male escort in a hotel room in the mid 2000s?

Senator Larry Craig was also antigay—even after he was arrested for

Publisher: Tom Dyer • Ext. 305 • Tom@WatermarkOnline.com Chief Financial Officer: Rick Claggett • Ext. 108 • Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Administrative Assistant: Erik Caban • Ext. 100 • Erik@WatermarkOnline.com Editor-in-Chief: Steve Blanchard • 813-470-0899 • SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com Online Media Director: Jamie Hyman • Ext. 106 • Jamie@WatermarkOnline.com Proofreading: Ed Blaisdell Art Director: Jake Stevens • Ext. 109 • Jake@WatermarkOnline.com Production Assistant: Andrés Duputel • Ext. 107 • AdProduction@WatermarkOnline.com Sales Manager: Mark Cady • Ext. 103 [Orlando] • Mark@WatermarkOnline.com

his enthusiastic toe-tapping in an airport restroom. And most recently, we have the Irish priest who unexpectedly showed a slide show of images depicting man-on-man sex acts to a room full of parents.

He, being a member of the anti-gay Catholic Church, of course had no idea how those images made it onto his USB drive.

If it wasn’t so common, it would be laughable. But homophobia takes root within its offenders because they are uncomfortable with who they truly are. That’s when they lash out at those who are brave enough to live the life they want. Surely they were planted there as part of the Gay Agenda.

So what does this mean? Do we have a lot of closeted homosexuals in positions of power in this country? Okay, that may be a stretch, but the number of homophobic barbs �lung by those seeking of�ice seems to be worse now than ever.

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum— who’s chances of gaining his party’s nomination are fading faster than the sleeves of his sweater vests, especially since “suspending” his campaign April 10—is the most notorious homophobe of late.

He has vowed to reinstate “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” to prevent service members from serving openly in our armed forces, promised to push a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on a federal level and “saved” a young man the embarrassment of bowling with a pink ball at a campaign stop.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly.

On March 27, while he campaigned in Wisconsin, the

former Pennsylvania senator bowled with a college Republican group.

When the college student reached for a pink ball that some of the young women had used, Santorum was caught on camera telling the young man that using a pink bowling ball was unacceptable— especially on camera. “Friends don’t let friends use pink bowling balls,” he was heard saying.

Really?

While he shrugged the comment off as a joke, it is obvious Santorum is fearful of anything that links him to the LGBT community. Following the results of the scienti�ic study, his fear of being linked to anything perceived as gay is a reaction of note.

Whether or not Santorum is secretly battling his own gay demons is a debatable statement more suited for an argument in an open forum. But his ongoing protests seem to only make his battle cry seem weaker.

Are all of the people �ighting to keep rights away from us secretly gay? That’s highly unlikely.

The study simply says that closeted people are “more likely” to show hostility toward same-sex couples or gay people. But the study goes on to mention that the environment in which a child is raised also in�luences their views on homosexuality— which is again, no surprise.

Researchers said that subjects responded to statements like, “It would be upsetting for my mom to �ind out she was alone with a lesbian,” or, “My dad avoids gay men whenever possible.”

While the collective “Duh” of the LGBT community is expected when research like this yields these conclusions, we can only hope that those spouting their hatred can learn, eventually, to accept themselves for who they truly are. |  |

If you’re wondering about that sound, it was a loud, collective “Duh!” from LGBT people everywhere.

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APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

CONTRIBUTORS REV. PHYLLIS HUNT

is the senior pastor of Tampa Metropolitan Community Church and is an LGBT rights activist. She lives in Tampa with her partner. Page 27

JOE KISSEL

is a journalist, musician, filmmaker and fitness trainer in New York City and has ties to Tampa Bay. Page 38

Greg Burton, Erik Caban, Scottie Campbell, Amy Dees, Kirk Hartlage, Rev. Phyllis Hunt, Joseph Kissel, Ken Kundis, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, David Moran, Anthony Paull, Greg Stemm, Brett Stout, Louanne Walters, Stephen Warne

PHOTOGRAPHY NICK CARDELLO

is the owner of Cardello Photography and he lives and works in Tampa Bay. He is the official photographer for several area events and organizations. Page 17

Nick Cardello, Angie Folks, Tom Eckert, Julie Milford, Travis Moore, Chris Stephenson

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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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7

The

one

for me

Patient model. Pill shown is not actual size.

INDICATION COMPLERA® (emtricitabine 200 mg/rilpivirine 25 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) is a prescription HIV medicine that contains 3 medicines, EMTRIVA® (emtricitabine), EDURANT™ (rilpivirine), and VIREAD® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) combined in one pill. COMPLERA is used as a complete single-tablet regimen to treat HIV-1 infection in adults (age 18 and older) who have never taken HIV medicines before.

COMPLERA does not cure HIV and has not been shown to prevent passing HIV to others. It is important to always practice safer sex, use latex or polyurethane condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with any body fluids, and to never re-use or share needles. Do not stop taking COMPLERA unless directed by your healthcare provider. See your healthcare provider regularly.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Contact your healthcare provider right away if you get the following side effects or conditions while taking COMPLERA: • Nausea, vomiting, unusual muscle pain, and/or weakness. These may be signs of a buildup of acid in the blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical condition • Light-colored stools, dark-colored urine, and/or if your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow. These may be signs of serious liver problems (hepatotoxicity), with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly), and fat in the liver (steatosis) • If you have HIV-1 and hepatitis B virus (HBV), your liver disease may suddenly get worse if you stop taking COMPLERA. Do not stop taking COMPLERA without first talking to your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will monitor your condition COMPLERA may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how COMPLERA works, and may cause serious side effects.

Do not take COMPLERA if you are taking the following medicines: • other HIV medicines (COMPLERA provides a complete treatment for HIV infection.)

• the anti-seizure medicines carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®, Epitol®), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Dilantin-125®, Phenytek®) • the anti-tuberculosis medicines rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifater®, Rifamate®, Rimactane®, Rifadin®) and rifapentine (Priftin®) • a proton pump inhibitor medicine for certain stomach or intestinal problems, including esomeprazole (Nexium®, Vimovo®), lansoprazole (Prevacid®), omeprazole (Prilosec®), pantoprazole sodium (Protonix®), rabeprazole (Aciphex®) • more than 1 dose of the steroid medicine dexamethasone or dexamethasone sodium phosphate • St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) • other medicines that contain tenofovir (VIREAD®, TRUVADA®, ATRIPLA®) • other medicines that contain emtricitabine or lamivudine (EMTRIVA®, Combivir®, Epivir® or Epivir-HBV®, Epzicom®, Trizivir®) • rilpivirine (Edurant™) • adefovir (HEPSERA®) In addition, also tell your healthcare provider if you take: • an antacid medicine that contains aluminum, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA • a histamine-2 blocker medicine, including famotidine (Pepcid®), cimetidine (Tagamet®), nizatidine (Axid®), or ranitidine hydrochloride (Zantac®). Take these medicines at least 12 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA • the antibiotic medicines clarithromycin (Biaxin®), erythromycin (E-Mycin®, Eryc®, Ery-Tab®, PCE®, Pediazole®, Ilosone®), and troleandomycin (TAO®) • an antifungal medicine by mouth, including fluconazole (Diflucan®), itraconazole (Sporanox®), ketoconazole (Nizoral®), posaconazole (Noxafil®), voriconazole (Vfend®) • methadone (Dolophine®) This list of medicines is not complete. Discuss with your healthcare provider all prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements you are taking or plan to take.

8

PALIO Date: 02.15.12 • Client: Gilead • Product: Complera YOUR LGBT LIFE. APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08 • File Name: 21208_pgitvd_journal_ad_Watermark_lo.indd watermarkonline.com watermark Ad page 1 • Trim: 9.875” x 10.375”

Watermark

COMPLERA is a prescription medicine used as a complete single-tablet regimen to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV medicines before. COMPLERA does not cure HIV or AIDS or help prevent passing HIV to others.

COMPLERA.

A complete HIV treatment in only 1 pill a day.

Ask your healthcare provider if it’s the one for you.

Before taking COMPLERA, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have liver problems, including hepatitis B or C virus infection • have kidney problems • have ever had a mental health problem • have bone problems • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if COMPLERA can harm your unborn child • are breastfeeding; women with HIV should not breast-feed because they can pass HIV through their milk to the baby Contact your healthcare provider right away if you experience any of the following serious or common side effects: Serious side effects associated with COMPLERA: • New or worse kidney problems can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. If you have had kidney problems in the past or take other medicines that can cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider may need to do blood tests to check your kidneys during your treatment with COMPLERA • Depression or mood changes can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless, feeling anxious or restless, or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself • Bone problems can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. Bone problems include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do additional tests to check your bones • Changes in body fat can happen in people taking HIV medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the main part of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The cause and long-term health effect of these conditions are not known • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider if you start having new symptoms after starting your HIV medicine

Ad page 2

Common side effects associated with COMPLERA: • trouble sleeping (insomnia), abnormal dreams, headache, dizziness, diarrhea,

nausea, rash, tiredness, and depression Other side effects associated with COMPLERA: • vomiting, stomach pain or discomfort, skin discoloration (small spots or freckles),

and pain Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of COMPLERA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Take COMPLERA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it • Always take COMPLERA with a meal. Taking COMPLERA with a meal is important to

help get the right amount of medicine in your body. A protein drink does not replace a meal • Stay under the care of your healthcare provider during treatment with COMPLERA and see your healthcare provider regularly

Please see Patient Information for COMPLERA on the following pages.

Learn more at www.COMPLERA.com

PALIO Date: 02.15.12 • Client: Gilead • Product: Complera • File Name: 21208_pgitvd_journal_ad_Watermark_lo.indd APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08 • Trim: 9.875” x 10.375”

LGBT LIFE. watermark YOURWatermark 9

FDA-Approved Patient Labeling Patient Information COMPLERA® (kom-PLEH-rah) (emtricitabine, rilpivirine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) Tablets

COMPLERA may help: • Reduce the amount of HIV in your blood. This is called your “viral load”.

• Increase the number of white blood cells called CD4+ (T) cells that help fight off other infections.

Important: Ask your doctor or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with COMPLERA. For more information, see the section “What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking COMPLERA?”

Reducing the amount of HIV and increasing the CD4+ (T) cell count may improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).

Read this Patient Information before you start taking COMPLERA and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.

What is the most important information I should know about COMPLERA?

COMPLERA does not cure HIV infections or AIDS. • Always practice safer sex.

• Use latex or polyurethane condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with any body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.

• Never re-use or share needles.

Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about how to prevent passing COMPLERA can cause serious side effects, including: 1. Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis can happen in HIV to other people. some people who take COMPLERA or similar (nucleoside analogs) medicines. Lactic Who should not take COMPLERA? acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death.

• Do not take COMPLERA if your HIV infection has been previously treated with Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like HIV medicines. symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you • Do not take COMPLERA if you are taking certain other medicines. For more get any of the following symptoms which could be signs of lactic acidosis: information about medicines that must not be taken with COMPLERA, see “What • feeling very weak or tired should I tell my healthcare provider before taking COMPLERA?” • have unusual (not normal) muscle pain • have trouble breathing What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking COMPLERA? • have stomach pain with Before you take COMPLERA, tell your healthcare provider if you: - nausea (feel sick to your stomach) • have liver problems, including hepatitis B or C virus infection - vomiting • have kidney problems • feel cold, especially in your arms and legs • have ever had a mental health problem • feel dizzy or lightheaded • have bone problems • have a fast or irregular heartbeat • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if COMPLERA can harm your unborn child Pregnancy Registry. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take antiviral medicines during pregnancy. Its purpose is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms • are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. The Centers for Disease Control and of liver problems: Prevention recommends that mothers with HIV not breastfeed because they can pass • your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice). the HIV through their milk to the baby. It is not known if COMPLERA can pass through • dark “tea-colored” urine your breast milk and harm your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best • light-colored bowel movements (stools) way to feed your baby.

• loss of appetite for several days or longer Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription • nausea and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

• stomach pain 2. Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems can happen in people who take COMPLERA or similar medicines. In some cases these liver problems can lead to death.

Your liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and you may develop fat in your liver (steatosis) when you take COMPLERA.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are COMPLERA may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking COMPLERA or a similar affect how COMPLERA works, and may cause serious side effects. If you take certain medicines with COMPLERA, the amount of COMPLERA in your body may be too low and medicine containing nucleoside analogs for a long time. it may not work to help control your HIV infection. The HIV virus in your body may become 3. Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. If you also have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection resistant to COMPLERA or other HIV medicines that are like it. and you stop taking COMPLERA, your HBV infection may become worse (flare-up). A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. Do not take COMPLERA if you also take these medicines: COMPLERA is not approved for the treatment of HBV, so you must discuss your HBV • COMPLERA provides a complete treatment for HIV infection. Do not take other HIV medicines with COMPLERA. therapy with your healthcare provider.

• the anti-seizure medicines carbamazepine (CARBATROL®, EQUETRO®, TEGRETOL®, • Do not let your COMPLERA run out. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare TEGRETOL-XR®, TERIL®, EPITOL®), oxcarbazepine (TRILEPTAL®), phenobarbital provider before your COMPLERA is all gone.

(LUMINAL®), phenytoin (DILANTIN®, DILANTIN-125®, PHENYTEK®) • Do not stop taking COMPLERA without first talking to your healthcare provider. ® ® • If you stop taking COMPLERA, your healthcare provider will need to check your health • the anti-tuberculosis medicines rifabutin (MYCOBUTIN ), rifampin (RIFATER , ® ® ® ® , RIMACTANE , RIFADIN ) and rifapentine (PRIFTIN ) RIFAMATE often and do regular blood tests to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking • a proton pump inhibitor medicine for certain stomach or intestinal problems, including esomeprazole (NEXIUM®, VIMOVO®), lansoprazole (PREVACID®), omeprazole COMPLERA. (PRILOSEC®), pantoprazole sodium (PROTONIX®), rabeprazole (ACIPHEX®) • more than 1 dose of the steroid medicine dexamethasone or dexamethasone sodium What is COMPLERA? COMPLERA is a prescription HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) medicine that: phosphate • is used to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV medicines before. HIV is the • St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).

If you are taking COMPLERA, you should not take: • contains 3 medicines, (rilpivirine, emtricitabine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) • other medicines that contain tenofovir (VIREAD®, TRUVADA®, ATRIPLA®) combined in one tablet. EMTRIVA and VIREAD are HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency • other medicines that contain emtricitabine or lamivudine (EMTRIVA®, COMBIVIR®, virus) nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and EDURANT is an EPIVIR® or EPIVIR-HBV®, EPZICOM®, TRIZIVIR®) HIV-1 non-nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI).

• rilpivirine (EDURANT™) It is not known if COMPLERA is safe and effective in children under the age of 18 years. • adefovir (HEPSERA®)

YOUR APRIL 12-25, // ISSUE 19.08• File Name: 21208_pgitvd_journal_ad_Watermark_lo.indd watermarkonline.com PALIOLGBT Date:LIFE. 02.15.12 • Client: Gilead2012 • Product: Complera watermark 10 BS page 1 • Trim: 9.875” x 10.375”

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Also tell your healthcare provider if you take: The most common side effects of COMPLERA include: • an antacid medicine that contains aluminum, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium • trouble sleeping (insomnia) carbonate. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take • abnormal dreams COMPLERA. • headache • a histamine-2 blocker medicine, including famotidine (PEPCID®), cimetidine • dizziness (TAGAMET®), nizatidine (AXID®), or ranitidine hydrochloride (ZANTAC®). Take these • diarrhea medicines at least 12 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take COMPLERA. • nausea ® ® ® • the antibiotic medicines clarithromycin (BIAXIN ), erythromycin (E-MYCIN , ERYC , • rash ERY-TAB®, PCE®, PEDIAZOLE®, ILOSONE®), and troleandomycin (TAO®) • tiredness ® • an antifungal medicine by mouth, including fluconazole (DIFLUCAN ), itraconazole ® ® ® (SPORANOX ), ketoconazole (NIZORAL ), posaconazole (NOXAFIL ), voriconazole • depression (VFEND®) Additional common side effects include: • methadone (DOLOPHINE®) • vomiting Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if your medicine is • stomach pain or discomfort • skin discoloration (small spots or freckles) one that is listed above.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your • pain healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. Your healthcare provider and your pharmacist can tell you if you can take these medicines with COMPLERA. Do not start any new medicines while you are taking COMPLERA without first talking with your healthcare provider or pharmacist. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that can interact with COMPLERA. How should I take COMPLERA? Stay under the care of your healthcare provider during treatment with COMPLERA. • Take COMPLERA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.

• Always take COMPLERA with a meal. Taking COMPLERA with a meal is important to help get the right amount of medicine in your body. A protein drink does not replace a meal.

• Do not change your dose or stop taking COMPLERA without first talking with your healthcare provider. See your healthcare provider regularly while taking COMPLERA. • If you miss a dose of COMPLERA within 12 hours of the time you usually take it, take your dose of COMPLERA with a meal as soon as possible. Then, take your next dose of COMPLERA at the regularly scheduled time. If you miss a dose of COMPLERA by more than 12 hours of the time you usually take it, wait and then take the next dose of COMPLERA at the regularly scheduled time.

• Do not take more than your prescribed dose to make up for a missed dose.

• When your COMPLERA supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. It is very important not to run out of COMPLERA. The amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time.

• If you take too much COMPLERA, contact your local poison control center or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

•

What are the possible side effects of COMPLERA? COMPLERA may cause the following serious side effects, including: • See “What is the most important information I should know about COMPLERA?” • New or worse kidney problems can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. If you have had kidney problems in the past or take other medicines that can cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider may need to do blood tests to check your kidneys during your treatment with COMPLERA. • Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms: - feeling sad or hopeless - feeling anxious or restless - have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself • Bone problems can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. Bone problems include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do additional tests to check your bones.

• Changes in body fat can happen in people taking HIV medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the main part of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The cause and long term health effect of these conditions are not known.

• Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time.

Tell your healthcare provider if you start having new symptoms after starting your HIV medicine.

BS page 2

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of COMPLERA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

How do I store COMPLERA? • Store COMPLERA at room temperature 77 °F (25 °C).

• Keep COMPLERA in its original container and keep the container tightly closed.

• Do not use COMPLERA if the seal over the bottle opening is broken or missing.

Keep COMPLERA and all other medicines out of reach of children.

General information about COMPLERA: Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use COMPLERA for a condition for which it was not prescribed.

Do not give COMPLERA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have.

It may harm them.

This leaflet summarizes the most important information about COMPLERA. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about COMPLERA that is written for health professionals. For more information, call (1-800-445-3235) or go to www.COMPLERA.com.

What are the ingredients of COMPLERA? Active ingredients: emtricitabine, rilpivirine hydrochloride, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate Inactive ingredients: pregelatinized starch, lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, povidone, polysorbate 20. The tablet film coating contains polyethylene glycol, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, triacetin, titanium dioxide, iron oxide red, FD&C Blue #2 aluminum lake, FD&C Yellow #6 aluminum lake.

This Patient Information has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Manufactured and distributed by: Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, CA 94404 Issued: August 2011 COMPLERA, the COMPLERA Logo, EMTRIVA, HEPSERA, TRUVADA, VIREAD, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. or its related companies.

ATRIPLA is a trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb & Gilead Sciences, LLC. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved.

202123-GS-000 02AUG2011 CON12115 2/12

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O

NEW DYNAMIC: Mills 50 is considered Orlando’s premier gayborhood location, but urban sprawl and more accepting communities have influenced several new LGBT communities. PHOTO BY JAKE STEVENS

There Goes the Gayborhood!

Acceptance, sprawl, and the web has changed the idea of the gay neighborhood in Central Florida Stephen Miller

STEPHEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

D

id you move into a neighborhood because it felt safer than where you were from? Where do LGBT people go to see and be seen?

More importantly, how is the concept of the “gayborhood” changing in the age of the internet and more widespread acceptance of our community?

“Central Florida never did have a concentration like New York City’s Chelsea or San Francisco’s Castro,” said The Center’s executive director Randy Stephens. “Anyone who says we’ve had something comparable obviously hasn’t been to those other places.”

When exploring the concept of gay neighborhoods—where gay and gay-friendly businesses and

homeowners gather—Central Florida offers a whole suite of complications. US census data, collected every 10 years since 1990, shows that Orlando has the 10th highest LGBT concentration by percentage, and the metropolitan area (including other cities nearby) has the ninth highest percentage.

By neighborhood, Orlando may only have small pockets of gayborhoods. The Mills50 area once called ViMi (for Virginia and Mills, streets that bisect in the area) may have more LGBT presence, but the census still misses those of us who don’t selfidentify.

Another complication is how spread out Central Florida population is as a whole, with small klatches of gays in all over and even as far down as Davenport, with performers wanting to live near the theme

parks. Central Florida is known nationally for its exurban sprawl, where suburbs are built around suburbs. An October 2007 National Geographic article brought us to national attention.

“Gays have always been known for re-gentrifying areas of cities,” said Stephens, “but statistically, that does not make a Christopher Street or a Castro.”

Yet, Stephens points out that recently, the 6-block Mills50 area has seen resurgence in LGBT businesses. Other areas, like nearby Ivanhoe Row, also has a growth of LGBT presence, with four LGBT businesses within half a block of each other. In the 2012 Advocate list of America’s gayest cities, Orlando ranked second, partly because of city and county antidiscrimination laws and domestic partner registry.

At the same time, the census also showed that many of us are exiting Orlando for the quieter areas—some suburban, some even rural. Youth culture, social media sites, a more transient workforce, and sprawl all affect Continued on page 14 |  |

RLANDO | Activist Stuart Milk will attend two events in Orlando next week: a �irst-ever fundraiser for the Harvey Milk Foundation, and MBA’s Pride in Business Awards Gala.

Milk was just a teenager when his uncle was assassinated in 1978. San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk was the �irst openly gay elected of�icial in the nation. Since his death he has become an LGBT icon, symbolizing courage and the importance of coming out and living authentically.

His nephew, Stuart, became a leading consultant on diversity and disadvantage in the workplace. And because he is gay, he began speaking out about LGBT equality.

In 2009 Milk accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—from President Barack Obama on his uncle’s behalf. At that ceremony, Archbishop Desmond Tutu convinced him that he must continue his uncle’s legacy. He formed the Harvey Milk Foundation that year.

According to Milk, the foundation serves as a beacon—particularly to LGBT youth, and particularly those in the 80-plus countries where their existence is illegal and even dangerous.

“I consider myself privileged to stand side-by-side with activists in brutally homophobic cultures where it takes tremendous courage to speak out,” says Milk.

“I try to remember that when my uncle ran for of�ice as a very out openly gay candidate, homosexuality was considered a mental illness and consensual gay sex was a crime.”

Since 2009, Milk has addressed England’s House of Lords, Italy’s Parliament and the ruling Islamist Party in Turkey. The Mayor of London helped him organize a “No to Hate” rally for 10,000 in Trafalgar Square. Milk and Martina Navratilova met with the President of the Czech Republic about damage done by homophobic state pronouncements. And later this summer he and Billie Jean King will be Pride Ambassadors at the Summer Olympics in London.

Milk has strong ties to Orlando. He was grand marshal at Come Out With Pride 2009, and was the keynote speaker at Equality Florida’s Orlando Gala.

The Thursday, April 19 fundraiser for the Harvey Milk Foundation will be at the Lake Davis home of Gary Baron and Richard Szadek. Milk will speak about “The State of Global Equality.” The host committee includes Mayor Buddy Dyer, Commissioners Patty Sheehan and Daisy Lynum and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.

On Friday, April 20, Milk will be keynote speaker at MBA’s Pride in Business Awards Gala at The Mezz. For information and tickets, visit MBAOrlando.org. |  |

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

orlando

Staff Report

NEWS

Stuart Milk Headlines Fundraiser, MBA Gala

13

|  | Gayborhood from pg.13

our gayborhoods, creating more questions than answers.

OUR HISTORY AT HOME

“I lived in Deltona for over 10 years. I was harassed and stalked, had very hostile neighbors, and had a lot of problems out in the woods. Glad to have concrete under my feet!” said Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan.

That is not an uncommon sentiment for LGBT people across the nation who, for decades, left less-tolerant areas for the protection of big cities.

In fact, 2010 census information shows that Orange County had the third highest reported number of gay households in Florida.

“For us, it was about being downtown,” said Scottie Campbell of his and partner Brendan O’Connor’s abode in the Mills50 District. Campbell is now the executive director of the Ivanhoe Main Street Project, boosting business in the Mills50adjacent neighborhood. Campbell and O’Connor moved from gay Thornton Park to Mills50, next door to Paradise, a gay bar, but it wasn’t for the camaraderie.

“Being gay has always been only one part of who I am,” said Campbell, “so I was never looking for the gay area, per se.”

In fact, a quick Internet search of real estate sites for gayfriendly neighborhoods turns up multiple references to Mills50, College Park, Lake Highland, Winter Park, and Audubon Park, plus many more.

“Orlando is too small of a city, too spread out, and too transient to have only one gay area,” said Rudy Wright, co-owner of Framing of Central Florida. He and his partner live in smalltown Debary, 27 miles away from their Orlando shop.

“When I moved to MetroWest, I thought I was the only one out there,” said Stephens. “The internet proved me wrong,” noting that social networking made him more aware of his many LGBT neighbors.

In fact, our community if becoming less centralized: Sheehan said, “Colonialtown [the area around Mills50] does not have as high of a concentration of LGBT households [in 2010]

14

Orlando is too small of a city, too spread out, and too transient

to have only

one gay area.

—RUDY WRIGHT

as the last census [2000], but everyone is more welcome in other neighborhoods. Look at College Park, Spring Lake Manor and Baldwin Park. We have spread out, so to speak.”

ORLANDO’S LGBT BUSINESS TIMELINE

“I believe it was always more business-oriented than housingoriented,” Stephens said of the idea of Orlando’s gayborhood.

The Mills50 district is still considered the city’s primary example. In 1991, the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Community Center, (GLBCC, precursor to The Center) opened on Colonial-SR 50, a couple blocks from Mills.

However, many people credit the May 1992 opening of Out & About Bookstore on Mills by Bruce Ground as the real start of an LGBT business area. Soon, drag performer Leigh Shannon’s Ritzy Rags opened next door, and in late 1994, a competition book and gift shop, Rainbow City, moved in nearby. Big box retailers and competition eventually shuttered both bookstores, but Ritzy Rags is still in its location today, having expanded its sales �loor.

“When we opened our original

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

shop on Virginia Drive in 1993, we were looking for an artsy district” says Wright of Framing of Central Florida.

The Center moved closer, buying its Mills address in 1999.

Other gay-owned or LGBTfriendly non-retail/restaurant businesses also moved into the area, including Balloon World, Orlando Immunology Clinic, Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Loch Haven Veterinary Clinic. Mojo replaced Out & About, and Peacock Lounge is still going strong.

Still, for many recent years, the area was marked with empty storefronts as businesses would come and go, including Mad’Lyn’s cafe, The Cactus Club (now Paradise Bar), and Friendly’s Restaurant.

REJUVENATION AND PROPAGATION

“It was always our intention to revitalize the area,” said Eddie Nickell, the co-owner of Funky Monkey Restaurant and Wine Company, and Bananas Café; all now exist in the same Mills50 block that Out & About opened.

In fact, the popularity of these restaurants—and the see-andbe-seen aspect—have effectively

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

revitalized the LGBT presence in the area. Business has been so good for Nickell and co-owner and Nicolas Olivieri that they have expanded to restaurants in Thornton Park, downtown, and at International Drive.

However, even these expansions call to question the notion of a gayborhood, since the drag shows that marked Funky Monkey as different now also occur in the family-friendly tourist corridor.

“We’re bringing a bit of Vegas to I-Drive,” said Nickell.

Still, in order to help support the Mills50 district and The Center, Nickell and Olivieri signed a long-term lease on property The Center owned, opening their corporate of�ices and a wine & gift shop called The Vault.

“We de�initely want to be a strong, positive force in the area,” said co-owner Olivieri.

Yet this is not the only gayfriendly district. Even today, “about 50% of our business is still gay clients,” added Framing of Central Florida owner Rudy Wright. Recently his business moved from Mills50 to Ivanhoe, less than a mile away, for a better lease. “Our clients followed

watermarkonline.com

us not because we’re gay, but because we’re dependable,” Wright surmises.

As populations everywhere become more accepting, the concentration of LGBTs in metropolitan areas is going to shift to smaller towns like Oviedo, population 32,961.

Oviedo Exchange Mall owner Richard Jones says, “Since we’ve advertised in Watermark, sales have increased 10 to 15%. In the last month, we’ve been watching who comes in to pick up Watermark, and often they come in just for the publication.”

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

“I think our members don’t care if they live in a gay neighborhood,” said Orlando Youth Alliance executive director Michael Slaymaker.

“They’re looking for someplace inexpensive, close to school or work, with good public transportation.”

Living in a large metropolitan area may be enough for kids who still today face bullying and dif�iculty coming out.

Yet, overall, with heightened media presence and internet access, people may feel less alone wherever they live.

Paul Driver, who’s been with husband Steve Brooks for 24 years, lives in the old suburban Spring Lake Manor: “While our area is not considered to be one of the ‘gayborhoods,’ we have a very high percentage of gay and lesbian couples. But it’s also very mixed, including racially.”

LGBT are also represented further out, even in rural Lake County. Andre Provencher directs theater in Clermont, whose population is less than 30,000.

He’s been with partner John Faix for over 20 years: “Most folks are actually pretty cool with it and treat John and me as just another married couple.”

In fact, the 2010 census saw the number of Lake County gayidenti�ied couples double to 895. |  |

Jamie Hyman

JAMIE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

closed,” Mack said. “That’s when everything started to fully degrade.”

BOCF attracted a fair share of controversy, including a split among its members in 2009 when BOCF leadership decided to move Bear Bust out of downtown Orlando, to a hotel in Kissimmee.

Disgruntled local bears hosted rival events downtown, and many members and former members were unable to mend fences after that.

“I just think it was a decision that with so many feelings in town, it was better that the club just go away for now,” Mack said.

“If somebody wants to try to resurrect it or something similar, we would be very supportive of that. It was felt that this club was done.”

Mack said just a few BOCF board members remained when the club dissolved, and they are supportive of Parliament House’s future efforts in producing bear events. |  |

Orlando elections get mixed LGBT results Staff report

ORLANDO | Orlando’s April 3, 2012 general elections were a mixed bag for the gay candidates.

Michael Cantone (who identi�ies as bisexual) lost to incumbent Buddy Dyer in the race for Orlando mayor. Dyer faced three challengers but was able to claim 57% of the vote, preventing a run-off election.

Cantone received the least number of votes at 3%.

Candidate Phil Diamond received 28% and candidate Ken Mulvaney received 11% of the vote. This will be Dyer’s third full term as Orlando’s mayor.

Patty Sheehan was been re-elected to a fourth term in of�ice. Sheehan faced just one candidate—Aretha Janine Olivarez. Sheehan easily defeated Olivarez by securing 77% of the vote. Sheehan represents Orlando’s District 4.

In District 1, neither Randy Ross nor Chase Smith became Orlando’s second openly gay city commissioner.

Both candidates were defeated by Jim Gray, who received 55% of the votes, eliminating the need for a run-off election in May. Chase received 29%, while Ross claimed 11% of the votes. A fourth candidate, Steve Rayle, received 5% of the votes. |  |

TO A DV E R T I S E H E R E

Come network with us on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the Month, 11:30AM–1:PM. Hosted by: THE CENTER 946 North Mills Ave Orlando, FL 32803

orlando

ORLANDO | After 21 years, Orlando’s social club for bears is of�icially no more.

Bears of Central Florida (BOCF), which used to host the annual Bear Bust weekend, has dissolved and its �inal act was a $2,000 donation to The (LGBT) Center.

“The Center accepts the donation in memory of all the past members of BOCF and in honor of its contribution to the local LGBT Community,” said Randy Stephens, executive director of The Center.

Rob Mack, the last chairman of Bear Bust, said the donation resulted from dissolving BOCF’s �inal assets.

“The club has had so many ups and downs over the years, we wanted it to be a positive ending and make sure all the loose ends were tied up,” Mack said.

In October of 2011, Watermark

reported that Parliament House had purchased the rights to “Bear Bust” and would continue to host the event. At that time, acting BOCF president Rob Roberts would not comment on speci�ics but said “[BOCF] is pretty much defunct.”

Mack said that there was no longer any local member support for the club.

“There was quite a bit of division, and we just were not able to get the numbers and support we needed to do functions,” he said. “It just kind of fell apart.”

Mack said that it’s a symptom of a larger trend, as clubs across the country are struggling to maintain membership and support, and the challenging economy has resulted in less time and money to put toward maintaining social organizations.

The closure of the club’s home bar, the Full Moon Saloon in 2007, added to BOCF’s dif�iculties.

“I think that started the decline, when the Full Moon

NEWS

BOCF officially dissolves

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EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T CULINARY LINEUP: (L-R) Dining Out For Life Chefs Zach Harter, Scott Jones, Tony Pera, Andy King and Gary Moran sit at the bar of Café Alma in downtown St. Petersburg. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO

Dine out for a cause Area restaurants will donate proceeds to ASAP on April 26 Steve Blanchard

EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

AMPA BAY | It’s a rare opportunity when you can help a local charity by simply doing something you do every day—like eating.

That’s why Dining Out For Life works so well, according to Jay Aller, Resource Development Manager with the AIDS Services Association of Pinellas (ASAP).

“It’s so simple,” Aller said.

“You just go to the restaurant and eat—and the more you eat, the more that gets donated.”

At press time, nearly 40 restaurants in Tampa Bay agreed to donate at least 25% of the money spent at their establishments on Thursday, April 26, to help fund ASAP’s programs. Aller said he expects $55,000 can be raised in 2012, even though the economy still

hasn’t fully rebounded.

Aller admitted that getting restaurants to participate this year has proved challenging.

“From last year, there are 10 participating restaurants that have closed, three changed hands and �ive others said ‘no’ because of the economy,” Aller said. “But a majority of our restaurants

of their sales, representatives from area organizations and businesses serve as ambassadors at each of the dining establishments.

“They are there to welcome patrons, explain the program and to talk about ASAP,” Aller said. “The community has been incredibly responsive. I’ve gotten a lot of calls, and about a week ago I sent out an email about Dining Out For Life and it was the most opened mailer and most clicked on link out of all of the emails I’ve sent for ASAP.” Nationally, Dining Out For Life has raised money for HIV/AIDS programs across North America for 21 years. National spokespeople Ted Allen of Chopped and actress Pam Grier appear on ads in national publications and television networks. Locally, Dining Out For Life Public Service Announcements will run on Bright House Networks,

“This is the best day of the year to order dessert.”

—JAY ALLER, ASAP RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

are returning from previous years and we’ve had a couple of restaurants approach us because they learned about last year’s event through word-of-mouth.”

Now in its seventh year in Tampa Bay, Dining Out For Life has steadily grown. While the restaurants donate a percentage

Continued on page 18 |  |

AMPA | By the middle of the summer, residents of the City of Tampa will be able to register as domestic partners, thanks to the Tampa City Council.

An ordinance similarly worded to one in Orlando sets in motion a domestic partnership registry for citizens of Tampa. It was approved by the council after its second reading on April 5.

“I am so very pleased to bring forth this ordinance that represents a small step in bringing dignity and equality to all,” said Yvonne Yolie Capin, the council member who proposed the registry.

The registry allows for registered domestic partners—both same-sex and opposite-sex—to make critical life decisions concerning hospital visitation, medical decisions and more. Its wording closely follows the wording of the DPR in Orlando and does not de�ine relationships as a marriage.

Tampa now joins Orlando, Gainesville, West Palm Beach and Key West, as well as the counties of MiamiDade, Broward and Palm Beach, in allowing unmarried couples to register as domestic partners.

The City Clerk now has 90 days to set up the registry, which means domestic partners can begin registering sometime in mid-July. |  |

tampa bay

Steve Blanchard

NEWS

Tampa approves Domestic Partnership Registry

St. Petersburg intros DPR Staff Report

S

T. PETERSBURG | The City of St. Petersburg could be next on the growing list of major Florida cities adopting domestic partnership registries. City Councilman Steve Kornell introduced the idea at the April 5 City Council meeting, setting things in motion to let city residents in unmarried relationships to have some protections concerning medical and end-of-life issues.

With a unanimous vote, the council voted to pass the language of the ordinance on to city staff, which will present it at a meeting later in the month.

“It’s a banner day for equality,” said Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida said in a Facebook post.

Once the city attorney’s of�ice returns to the chamber with the approved language, the council must vote again on the �irst reading. If it clears a second reading, it will be on its way to becoming law in St. Petersburg.

“It says, ‘Come here, your employees will be welcome,’” Kornell said of a domestic partnership registry. |  |

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MEET SOME OF YOUR DINING OUT FOR LIFE 2012 CHEFS

TONY PERA MANAGING PARTNER

CAFÉ ALMA, 260, 1ST AVE. S., #100, ST. PETERSBURG AGE: 38 TENURE: 1 ½ years, but 14 years with the company BACKGROUND: Self-taught SPECIALTY: Day Boat (Fresh seafood caught daily) MARITAL STATUS: Single

GARY MORAN CHEF/OWNER

WIMAUMA RESTAURANT AND CAFÉ, 4205 S. MACDILL AVE., TAMPA AGE: 42 TENURE: 4 months BACKGROUND: London culinary school in London, worked in New York and San Francisco and studied under Wolfgang Puck SPECIALTY: Florida seafood caught locally in the Gulf of Mexico MARITAL STATUS: Married, one year

|  | Dining Out for Life from pg.17

and will feature local chefs who appeared in a recent Watermark shoot.

“I like to tie our events close to home,” Aller explained. “That’s why when the opportunity presented itself with Watermark, I took advantage of it.”

Five chefs appeared for an April 5 photo shoot at Café Alma in downtown St. Petersburg. (See sidebar). Local �ilmmaker Jeff

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Klein of SwellFella Productions shot video of the shoot, which is now running on Bright House Networks.

“Jeff did such a great job,” Aller said. “And Holly O’Connor and Miguel Fuller of Play 98.7 FM agreed to do the voiceover.

I’m so excited about their participation.”

Klein has made a name for himself locally for his videography. Last summer he recorded an “It Gets Better” video for the Tampa Bay Rays.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

SCOTT JONES EXECUTIVE CHEF

THE QUEENS HEAD RESTAURANT AND EUROBAR, 2501 CENTRAL AVE., ST. PETERSBURG AGE: 27 TENURE: 1 ½ years BACKGROUND: Self-taught and apprenticeship SPECIALTY: Fish and Chips

ZACH HARTER CUPCAKE SPOT, 405 CENTRAL AVE., ST. PETERSBURG AGE: 27 TENURE: 2 years BACKGROUND: Self-taught SPECIALTY: Berry Squared (Strawberry cake with raspberry cream cheese icing) MARITAL STATUS: Single, but has a long-term girlfriend of 3 years

MARITAL STATUS: Single

In 2011, ASAP provided medical case management to more than 960 clients and conducted 2,042 free HIV tests.

Money raised from Dining Out For Life will help keep programs like these moving forward.

“The money raised helps all of our programs,” Aller said.

“We have clients throughout the Tampa Bay area—primarily in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

And while many clients are members of the LGBT

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ANDY KING

BAKER

EXECUTIVE CHEF

DATZ DELI, 2616 S. MACDILL AVE., TAMPA AGE: 31 TENURE: 1 ½ years BACKGROUND: Self taught, in the industry for 16 years SPECIALTY: Mac and Cheesestuffed Meatloaf MARITAL STATUS: Married for five years

community, ASAP also serves a large portion of the community at large, according to Aller.

A majority of ASAP’s clients are below the federal poverty level, and more than 120 children bene�it from a youth program that ensures they have school supplies, care giving support and other basic needs.

Aller said that restaurants and ambassadors can sign up to help with Dining Out For Life up until Wednesday, April 25, by visiting ASAPServices.org/DOFL. Those

watermarkonline.com

who are unable volunteer can simply choose a restaurant listed on the site and enjoy a meal.

“This is the best day of the year to order dessert,” Aller said. “At conference last year someone said one city mayor made a declaration that calories don’t count for Dining Out For Life day.” |  | To see the PSA recorded during Watermark’s photo shoot, visit WatermarkOnline.com.

EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

LAKELAND With a 4-2 vote by the City Commission, t he City of Lakeland will move forward with a study to learn the �inancial impact of providing bene�its to same-sex partners of city employees.

The step is seen as a giant one for equality activists, given that Polk County is known for its conservative views. Consideration of the measure was not passed without opinionated discussions, however.

“We’re using taxpayer money for a social contract that is illegal,” commissioner Howard Wiggs told the commission, referring to Amendment 2, which bans same-sex marriage and prohibits recognizing any contract resembling marriage for same-sex couples. “It’s an inappropriate use of taxpayer money.”

Wiggs and fellow commissioner Phillip Walker voted against the measure, which is only a cost analysis at this point.

Commissioner Justin Troller, who voted in favor of moving forward, said the measure is “a good, proactive policy. I’m all for it.”

Commissioners Edie Yates, Keith Merritt and Don Selvage all voted in favor of the measure to receive more information about same-sex bene�its.

One point of contention surrounded bene�it opportunities for opposite-sex, unmarried couples.

Wiggs asked how it could be fair not to include unmarried heterosexual couples in any ordinance that would provide bene�its.

Selvage explained that since heterosexual couples can marry, a measure providing unmarried bene�its was unnecessary.

Walker, who did not say much during the meeting, said he was

morally opposed to offering bene�its to same-sex partners, adding that unmarried heterosexual couples should be included in any measure providing couples to same-sex partners.

“Do it for everyone if you’re going to do it,” Walker said in the meeting.

Karen Lukhaub, director of risk management and purchasing for the city, explained that same-sex partners of city employees would be required to complete several requirements, including signing an af�idavit saying they are not married and evidence of the partnership, such as a joint checking account or joint ownership of a home or vehicle.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, the commission discussed same-sex bene�its after Lakeland resident and former Ledger editor proposed the idea in February, and cited similar bene�it programs in Orlando, Tampa and St. Petersburg. |  |

Authorities have discovered that a cleanly severed leg that washed ashore in St. Petersburg just after Christmas belongs to a missing Bradenton woman who was in a relationship with another woman. Kelly Moriarty, 38, and her girlfriend, Doris Carter, 62, were both last seen on Dec. 16 near Plant City. The leg was identified as Moriarty’s after DNA samples were collected from her family. The case is still ongoing.

SPRINGFEST RETURNS TO CHRIST THE CORNERSTONE Christian performers from throughout the Tampa Bay area will participate in the annual Spirit Fest on Saturday, April 14, at Christ the Cornerstone Church. Popular LGBT artists like Canaan Band, Phil Garris and Tammy Hatch will perform throughout the day while fans browse several vendor booths. The festival runs from 10-5 p.m.

For more information, visit ChristCornerstone.com.

EQUALITY FLORIDA RETURNS TO DALI

tampa bay

Steve Blanchard

SEVERED LEG BELONGS TO BRADENTON LESBIAN

NEWS

Lakeland to consider same-sex benefits for employees

IN OTHER NEWS

Equality Florida’s Pinellas Gala returns to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg on Saturday, April 21. The fundraising event features hors d’oeuvres and a “state of the state” address by executive director Nadine Smith. The gala runs from 7-10 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at EQFL.org/PinellasGala.

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2/24/12 10:05:39 AM

Scarbie returns to host Bowling for Boxers

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ARASOTA | For the fourth time, bicyclists will take on a 12-mile expanse of Legacy Trail to raise money for HIV/AIDS programs in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Trinity Charities’ AIDS Ride returns Saturday, April 21, and organizers hope to surpass last year’s record effort of $11,000 raised.

According to Greg Kaspar of Trinity Charities, last year’s event saw 50 riders participate. While the ride is advertised as a 25-mile roundtrip excursion, there are shortcuts for those who don’t wish to spend as much time on the trail. A “beginners” route allows for recreational riders to depart from the longer course and most riders will end at the same time. Organizers say that more than

READY TO GO: Riders prepare to take on the Legacy Trail during the 2011 Trinty Charities AIDS Ride in Sarasota. PHOTO COURTESY TRINITY CHARITIES

a dozen rest areas will be available for those needing a break or some liquid refreshment during the ride.

The fun ride begins when riders meet at the YMCA parking lot at 8301 Potter Park Dr. at 8 a.m. for registration. Riders will take on the Legacy Trail at 9 a.m. The route runs from South Sarasota to the Venice Train Station and back.

Money raised funds Trinity Charities’ HIV/AIDS programs assisting individuals and families living with the disease in area counties. This year, the AIDS Ride is sponsored by Macy’s Department store.

For details, to register or for more information, visit TrinityCharities. org or call 941-355-0847. |  |

ARASOTA |One of the largest fundraisers of the year is back at the AMF Gulf Gate Lanes— complete with host David “Scarbie” Mitchell.

The 13th Annual Bowling for Boxers fundraiser, bene�itting ALSO Out Youth and Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota, is Sunday, April 15. Admission is $15 and includes bowling and shoe rental.

“Scarbie” is known for her portrayal of classic Carol Burnett character “Eunice,” from Mama’s Family, and for her imitations of Lily Tomlin. Mitchell, Scarbie’s creator, is a Sarasota-based actor and artist who has appeared at fundraisers throughout Sarasota and Tampa Bay and on the stages of Venice Theater.

According to organizer Jim Jablonski, funds will be raised through a silent and Chinese auction, raf�le drawings and the ever-popular “Mr. and Ms. ‘Best Boxers’ Contest.”

AMF Gulf Gate Lanes is at 7221 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. For more information, contact Jablonski at 941-812-5819. |  |

sarasota

Staff Report

Staff Report

NEWS

Annual bike ride returns to benefit Trinity Charities

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David Moran

DAVID@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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Saunders pulls in $56,000-plus in first few weeks of campaigning Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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RLANDO | After just over a month since he announced his candidacy for the newly created Florida House District 49 seat, Joe Saunders has raised more than $56,000. At press time that total put him on track to be the most successful Democratic fundraiser in the state so far this year.

“I think people are excited,” Saunders said. “They are excited to get involved in the campaign and in the central message of putting new and fresh voices in Tallahassee who will change the climate and bring progressive values to the forefront.”

Saunders is known throughout the state for his seven years spent working as a �ield director with Equality Florida. That name recognition has helped him, no doubt, but so has the youth-driven

population of District 49—which has an average age of 35.

“Most people in the district care about a lot of the same things—that the water they drink is clean, the air is clear and that our government is ef�icient and effective,” Saunders said. “They want to make sure their kids are going to schools in a state providing quality public education.”

Saunders added that his “progressive views” also include fairness for all Florida residents— not just those in the LGBT community.

“Fairness is a big part of policy,” Saunders explained. “Across the board, people know that when I’m elected I’ll bring a message of fairness for everyone—from foreclosures and LGBT equality to fairness in tax policies.”

Several democratic strategists contacted for this story weren’t ready to discuss Saunders’ chances

just yet, considering only two other candidates have declared their candidacies—civil rights lawyer Shayan Elahi, a leading progressive civil rights lawyer, and Rene Plasencia, a Colonial High School teacher and coach.

Candidates have until June to qualify. Saunders, a democrat, said it was his mission to raise as much money as possible right out of the gate to get a jump on any other candidates eyeing the newly restructured district.

“We hit the ground running and it’s been an incredible response,” Saunders said. “People know I’ve been effective in my work as a community organizer and that I’d be effective as a legislator.”

Saunders will face a democratic opponent in the August primary.

If he wins, he’ll face a Republican opponent in the November general election. |  |

storylines featured in several of EA’s titles.

On its website, the FFA claimed that “queer activists” have pressured EA into including gay character in their new Star Wars game.

The group has initiated a hate

mail campaign, and according to GamesIndustry.biz, EA has received thousands of letters threatening boycotts.

EA has of�ices around the world, including their Tiburon of�ice located in Maitland. |  |

Anti-gay group blasts EA over gay game characters Staff report

MAITLAND | Electronic Arts (EA), a video game development company, is �ighting back against the Florida Family Association (FFA), an antigay group, over gay characters and

well-known model with the Corbin Fisher adult website was found dead on March 26—and rumors are circulating about the cause of his death.

Matthew Bremer, who performed as “Sean” on the popular website, was only 22 at the time of his death.

While no of�icial cause of death has been released, inquiries about his supposed drug use have spread rapidly over the internet.

While Bremer’s family and Corbin Fisher have eulogized his life and success as a model, the gay blog Kruezer at Night alleged in an April 4 post that the gay media is covering up details about Bremer’s career and death due to advertising pressure from Corbin Fisher.

In a statement, Jason Gibson, CEO of Corbin Fisher, described the model as a “dream come true” for someone in the adult entertainment industry.

“Beyond handsome and so naturally attractive and �it,” Gibson said of Bremer. “More importantly, though, he had the most open, accepting attitude when it came to sex and sexuality. From the �irst day we met him, he made no secret that, while he had a girlfriend and cared for and loved her deeply, he could appreciate and enjoy other men as well.”

Bremer’s modeling career took off after working with Orlando-based Chrome Talent. He identi�ied as straight, sources say, but some closer to the adult entertainment industry say he was bisexual.

“Tormented bisexual Matthew ‘Sean’ Bremer couldn’t reconcile what he did with women off camera and what he did privately for paid companionship with wealthy gay men to �inance his appetite for the things his modeling and painting business couldn’t provide,” an entry on Kruezer at Night alleged. The blog further claims that Bremer unintentionally overdosed on prescription medicine given to him by a male client who the blog claims paid Bremer for sex.

The blog also posted information about a Sanford drug arrest when Bremer was in possession of controlled substances.

His sudden death left fans reeling, who posted numerous well-wishes to the deceased performer and his family.

According to Gibson, Bremer’s father came out when Bremer was a teenager and Bremer’s family valued the importance of being open and honest with oneself and others. He also spoke about how much the performer enjoyed hearing from fans and admirers.

According to Bremer’s obituary, he was born in Orlando and lived most of his life in Palm Bay where he graduated from Bayside High School. Bremer went on to work as a model and was awarded the 2011 model of the year. |  |

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state

Drag icon RuPaul entertained a packed courtyard during her sole US appearance at Sawmill Campground March 31. For more pictures of RuPaul’s performance and the campground’s first-year anniversary celebration, visit WatermarkOnline.com.

Photo by Chris Stephenson

NEWS

Central Florida model, performer found dead

ONE-STOP TOUR:

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nation+world NEWS

IN OTHER NEWS MORMON STUDENTS COME OUT IN VIDEO Students from Brigham Young University, a strict Mormon college that prohibits “homosexual behavior,’’ launched an “It Gets Better” video aimed at reassuring other gay and lesbian youth struggling with their faith and sexual orientation.

The YouTube video made by 22 BYU students is the first of its kind with ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the students could face expulsion and excommunication from the church.

NYC CATHOLIC QUITS BOARD Joseph Amodeo says he’s ``had enough’’ of Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s attitude. Amodeo said April 7 that he quit the junior board of Catholic Charities after Dolan, the head of New York’s Roman Catholic archdiocese, failed to respond to a ``call for help’’ for homeless youths who are not heterosexual.

GAY OHIO STUDENT CAN WEAR T-SHIRT Sixteen-year-old Maverick Couch, a gay student who sued his Cincinnati high school for violating his freedom of expression rights by prohibiting him from wearing a T-shirt designed to urge tolerance, will be allowed to wear the shirt for one day only.

The Waynesville School District agreed to let Couch wear the shirt saying ``Jesus Is Not A Homophobe’’ on the April 20 Day of Silence, part of a national anti-bullying campaign.

CHILE PASSES ANTIDISCRIMINATION LAW Chile’s Congress has passed an antidiscrimination law after the killing of a gay man whose attackers beat him and carved swastikas into his body. The House of Deputies approved the measure in a close vote April 4, seven years after it was first proposed. President Sebastian Pinera urged lawmakers to accelerate approval of the law after 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio died March 27.

TRANS-WOMAN ALLOWED IN PAGEANT The Miss Universe Organization decided April 2 that 23-year-old Jenna Talackova , a transgender woman, can compete to become Canada’s representative at the 2012 Miss Universe pageant.

Talackova underwent a sex change four years ago after being born a male. Her sex change initially led organizers in Canada to disqualify her, citing a rule that she must be ``naturally born’’ a woman.

CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM EXHIBITS LESBIAN PHOTOS An Alabama museum long focused on civil rights is introducing a new topic: Lesbian awareness in the South. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute opened a new exhibit March 30 featuring photographs of lesbian couples and families living in the Deep South.

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Lawsuits challenge DOMA’s constitutionality Wire Report

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lawyer for gay married couples argued April 4 in Boston, Mass. that a law that denies them a host of federal bene�its given to heterosexual couples amounts to “across-theboard disrespect” and should be struck down as unconstitutional.

The 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which de�ines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, is being challenged in two cases before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The law also prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

In arguments to the court, Paul Clement, a lawyer for the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, defended the law, saying Congress had a rational basis for passing DOMA in 1996.

Clement said Congress wanted to preserve a traditional and uniform de�inition of marriage. He also argued that Congress has the power to de�ine the terms used in federal statutes to distribute federal bene�its.

“This is not in any way an effort to override the states’ own de�inition’’ of marriage, Clement said.

But lawyers who brought two lawsuits challenging DOMA argued that the power to de�ine and regulate marriage had been left to the states

for more than 200 years before Congress passed DOMA. They said the law puts same-sex couples into a separate but unequal class of marriage.

Mary Bonauto, an attorney for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), said Congress passed the law out of “moral disapproval.’’

“It is simply that, frankly, Congress just didn’t want to deal with samesex couples,’’ said Bonauto.

Assistant Attorney General Maura Healey said the law forces Massachusetts to have two classi�ications of marriage: one for heterosexual couples and one for gay couples.

“DOMA .... is really a rule of exclusion,’’ she said.

Last year, President Barack Obama announced the U.S. Department of Justice would no longer defend the constitutionality of the law. After that, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, convened the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to defend it.

The 1st Circuit court is expected to issue its ruling within the next few months.

MARRIED GAY COUPLES SUE FOR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS Immigration advocates on April 2 �iled a lawsuit on behalf of several married gay couples, alleging a federal law violates their

constitutional rights by preventing them from sponsoring their spouses for green cards.

The complaint, which challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act, was �iled in federal court in Brooklyn by Immigration Equality, an advocacy group. Each of the �ive couples named as plaintiffs is struggling to obtain U.S. citizenship for a foreign-born spouse.

The 1996 law, known as DOMA, prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages and denies federal bene�its to married gay couples.

The federal government does not recognize lesbian and gay couples for immigration purposes, and several of the couples have been denied green cards.

“The families in today’s lawsuit meet every quali�ication for immigration bene�its, with the sole exception that they happen to be lesbian or gay,’’ Rachel Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, said in a statement.

All of the plaintiffs were married in states that have sanctioned gay marriage. If the couples were heterosexual, the government would recognize the foreign spouse as an immediate relative of the U.S. citizen, paving the way for citizenship, advocates say. The lawsuit claims DOMA violates their constitutional right to equal protection. |  |

Anti-gay group in Liberia issues hit list Wire Report

MONROVIA, LIBERIA | An antigay group in Liberia distributed �liers March 30-April 1 with a hit list of people who support gay rights, and one member of the group threatened to “get to them one by one.’’

The �liers mark the latest development in an increasingly hostile national debate about gay rights in this country on Africa’s western coast.

Lawmakers in February introduced two new pieces of

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legislation that would make homosexuality punishable by possible jail time. And a vow by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf last month to preserve an existing law criminalizing “voluntary sodomy’’ prompted a statement of concern from the U.S. State Department.

The �liers distributed in parts of Liberia’s capital were signed by the Movement Against Gay’s in Liberia (MOGAL). The group said those involved in promoting gay rights “should not be given space to get a gulp of air.’’

“Having conducted a

watermarkonline.com

comprehensive investigation, we are convinced that the below listed individuals are gays or supporters of the club who don’t mean well for our country,’’ the �liers read. ``Therefore, we have agreed to go after them using all means in life.’’

No individual members of MOGAL signed the �lier. But Moses Tapleh, a 28-year-old resident of the main community where the �lier was distributed, said he was af�iliated with the group and stressed that its threats should be taken seriously. |  |

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

25

The Quest for the Perfect Chest

by George H. Pope, MD, FACS Orlando Plastic Surgery Center

Gynecomastia, the enlargement of breast tissue in men, can be an embarrassing condition, but it is surprisingly common and very easy to correct with a simple surgery.

In any given year, I perform over 100

If you can’t be with us on the 25th

gynecomastia reduction operations

or would like to speak to us about your

on men from throughout the United

specific concerns, feel free to contact

States. It’s one of the procedures

my cosmetic surgery coordinator,

I perform most often in my practice,

Lisa Crews, at 407.857.6261 or

and one I find most rewarding.

lisa@orlandoplasticsurgerycenter.com.

Men who have gotten very adept at hiding their chests—covering up at the beach, avoiding close-fitting shirts, working out alone—all of a sudden are confident and free. They

Lisa has more than 20 years experience in cosmetic surgery and has helped hundreds of men through the process of preparing for and recovering from gynecomastia surgery.

Gynecomastia FAQs Here are some of the most common questions and answers about gynecomastia.

1. WHAT IS GYNECOMASTIA AND WHAT CAUSES IT? Gynecomastia is characterized by excess localized fat, excess glandular tissue or a combination of the two. It may be present in both breasts, or just one.

2. HOW IS THE CONDITION TREATED SURGICALLY? Gynecomastia surgery is a simple procedure where the surgeon makes a small incision in the areola to remove glandular tissue and then performs liposuction of the area for definition. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and no overnight stay is required. The procedure usually takes two to three hours, and you’ll be in recovery for another four to five hours.

In my practice, the operation is performed in my fully accredited outpatient surgical center, Orange Avenue Surgical Suite (OASIS). Anesthesia is administered by board certified anesthesiologists, and patients receive post-op care from experienced registered nurses.

3. WHAT IS THE RECOVERY PERIOD? The initial recovery the 7 to 10 days right after your procedure. If drains are used, they will typically remain in for about three days and be removed at your first post-op appointment.

You should be able to go back to work a week after surgery, if your work is not physically demanding.

tell me their surgery was life-changing, that they are enjoying activities they used to dread.

Total recovery time can vary, but most patients are fully healed in three to six months. At this point most or all of the bruising and swelling should have dissipated and the scars should have begun to shrink and fade.

If you have considered gynecomastia reduction surgery, please join me for a free webinar at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 25.

It will be a great opportunity for

Sometimes, it may be a year before the scars are no longer visible.

you to privately get answers to all of your questions, and to see video

You’ll need to avoid strenuous activity and wear a compression garment for the first 4 to 6 weeks.

of two gynecomastia procedures I recently performed.

To register, go to my web site,

4. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO PREPARE FOR SURGERY? It is absolutely necessary to quit smoking at least 2 weeks before and continuing until four weeks after your surgery.

www.orlandoplasticsurgerycenter.com.

I hope you can join us.

Do not take any aspirin-containing products, such as Advil/ibuprofen or any other drugs that promote excessive bleeding. Herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort, Ginkgo Biloba, Fish Oil, Flax Seed Oil and excessive amounts of Vitamin E can cause excessive bleeding. Bottom line is it is best to avoid all medications/vitamins/supplements such as these for two weeks prior and two weeks after your procedure.

5. WHAT DO I TELL MY EMPLOYER, FAMILY AND FRIENDS? All medical conditions and patient records are confidential. We will provide the paperwork necessary to excuse you from work without giving any details to your employer. Your medical information is between YOU and your DOCTOR and nobody else!

Gynecomastia is a very common procedure, and yet, we understand many patients don’t want to tell anyone. It is completely normal to not want to share the details of your surgery with anyone, and it is absolutely your decision.

6. WHAT IS THE COST OF THE SURGERY? At Orlando Plastic Surgery Center, the typical surgery performed on most patients costs approximately $6240 which includes the surgeon’s fee, the operating room charges, anesthesia, the compression garment, and follow-up care. It also includes the cost of Cosmetassure, an insurance policy that covers the costs of most unexpected complications.

7. IS FINANCING AVAILABLE? Yes. Many of our patients take advantage of CareCredit’s no-interest or low-interest plans available through our practice. You can explore the options and apply online.

8. WHAT IS THE COST OF A CONSULTATION WITH DR. POPE? Dr. Pope typically charges $100 for a private consultation, which is applied to the cost of the surgery if booked within six months.

But, for Watermark readers who mention this article, the consultation fee will be waived through May 31, 2012.

407.857.6261 orlandoplasticsurgerycenter.com

George H. Pope, MD, FACS

26

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

3872 Oakwater Circle • Orlando, Florida info@orlandoplasticsurgerycenter.com

watermarkonline.com

blessings

ABUNDANT

Value is not always monetary

Rev. Phyllis Hunt PASTOR@MCCTAMPA.COM

D

O YOU THINK MUCH

about your values? Too often we value material things over the relationships in our lives.

There may be many reasons for this as these items may possess personal, sentimental or monetary value.

I wonder what life would be like if important relationships possessed monetary value? How then would we live? How then would we treat ourselves, our relationships, our passions? Where would our focus be, and what might we need and live without?

In so many ways we are a product of a capitalist society. The gift of this system offers us many choices that other governmental systems do not allow.

The challenge of this system is the promise that owning material items will bring you peace, joy and happiness.

Companies go to great lengths to entice you to buy a product that is not only the best, but one you cannot live without.

Unfortunately for many, the focus and drive becomes more about the valuables and less about what is valued. We can buy convenience and comfort, but peace, joy and happiness are moments to enjoy, not moments you can own.

Trevor Schulte wrote, “Where you place your heart, your values do follow whether your treasure is sincere or completely hollow. Your values will cling to the foremost intention not to what you make it to be or what you attempt to mention.

If you evaluate your heart’s true affection, you will discover your spiritual re�lection. It is up to you to discover what is your love in life. Whether it be a time of joy or a lifetime of strife could only hope that you would put relationships �irst, because the material things you hold will not quench your thirst.”

Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck, allowing material things to consume our attention, seduce our desires and preoccupy our time. Think about news stories that describe the rami�ications of tornadoes, �loods, hurricanes, or �ires. The news teams work feverishly to provide the viewers with interviews of people standing in the rumble of a cherished home, re�lecting on the massive loss they have just experienced. They often say, “While we are devastated by the loss of our home, our family is safe.

In the end that is all that matters— the rest is just stuff and whether we can replace it or not, our family is safe and that is priceless.”

As I have witnessed the passing of people’s lives, I have shared tender moments with mourners in deep grief. In those moments, relationships and the loss of a loved one are the most important treasures, not a lifestyle of collecting material things at the expense of the relationships we cherish.

Take a few moments and make a list of what you value. That list will, more than likely, reveal for you your affections and your affections will re�lect your spiritual well-being.

Dedicating some time to think what owns your actions may serve to reveal your heart’s true affection.

With this information you may begin to realize that the affections of your heart can teach you a lot about your spiritual wellbeing, how you love and care for the world you touch and beyond that which you cannot see. If you like what you have discovered, continue to live in the fullness of your life, if not, make the necessary changes to love the life you live as you value and treasure those whom you hold as priceless. |  |

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For many, the focus and drive becomes more about the valuables and less about what is valued.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

27

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LGBT LIFE. APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermarkonline.com

11/28/11 5:35:35 PM

guestcolumn

Anti-bullying drumbeat barely heard in Sarasota and Manatee

Sue Westcott EXECUTIVE.DIRECTOR@ALSOYOUTH.ORG

S

LOWLY BUT SURELY, THE

drumbeat of zero tolerance for bullying against children in general and LGBTQ kids in particular is getting louder. It is being heard more widely across the country, but in Sarasota and Manatee counties it is still, at best, muf�led to the point of being almost inaudible.

The loudest and clearest message yet that the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender kids as well as those who are questioning, came last month in New Jersey. There prosecutors prevailed in a case against a college student who spied on his freshman roommate as he had a romantic encounter with another man and encouraged others to do the same. Not only did a jury �ind the defendant guilty of invasion or privacy, but it also found him guilty of bias intimidation. That is, the jury believed that the victim was targeted because of his sexual orientation.

The jurors resoundingly rejected his defense that he was just a kid not fully aware of what he was doing.

Tragically, three days after the young man discovered

his roommate tried to make him the butt of jokes, he took his own life.

According to news reports, the father of the young man who jumped off a bridge to his death delivered a message to middle and high school students: “You’re going to meet a lot of people in your lifetime. Some of these people you may not like. Just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean you have to work against them. When you see somebody doing something wrong, tell them: ‘That’s not right. Stop it.’ The change you see in the world begins with you.”

The drumbeat of zero tolerance for bullying is getting louder because of a documentary �ilm that will be released this month, Bully. In it, the �ilmmakers follow a seventh-grade boy, Alex, and shoot scenes of him being both physically and verbally abused on the school bus. The �ilm’s director, Lee Hirsch, said he was initially quite surprised that the bullying would take place in front of a camera. He then said, “That particular world, that world of Alex’s school, was a world where kids had become quite used to being able to bully Alex. I think the sense of consequence was quite low.”

In another scene in the movie, the assistant principal of a school brings together a boy, Cole, who was being bullied, and the classmate who bullied him. After she dismisses the boy accused of bullying, she says to the child who was bullied that he is no better than the perpetrator because he didn’t accept the other’s apology.

Cole, the target of the bullying, replied, “Except I don’t hurt people,” and the assistant principal replied, “By not shaking his hand, you’re just like him.” Once again, the target of the bullying replies, “Like someone who pushes you into a wall, threatens to break your arm? Threatens to stab you and kill you? Shoot you with a gun?”

In response to this scene, the �ilm’s director said, “[W]hat we hear over and over again from teachers and administrators is they don’t have suf�icient training and tools to handle many of these situations.”

Which brings us back to Sarasota and Manatee counties.

In January, ALSO Out Youth, a Sarasota-based not-for-pro�it that includes antibullying against LGBTQ children as one of its primary missions, offered to bring Hudson Taylor—a former All-American wrestler and current wrestling coach at Columbia University—and his wife

Sarasota needs to do more much more to guarantee that all local youth go to school in a safe environment that allows them to flourish as individuals.

to the area to speak to local athletes and students about the importance of respecting all individuals involved in sports.

ALSO believes that Taylor’s message and the work of his organization, “Athlete Ally” is especially important because of the leadership role high school athletes frequently play in their schools. ALSO’s offer was made to principals, guidance counselors, selected teachers, athletic directors and some district of�icials.

Sadly, out of all the individuals and institutions contacted by ALSO, only Booker High School has responded to the offer. Letters and emails have gone

unanswered and phone calls have gone unreturned.

At the same time, a growing percentage of the young people who come to the after-school center that ALSO operates in Sarasota report that they have been the victims of bullying.

The message is clear: Sarasota needs to do more much more to guarantee that all local youth, LGBTQ as well as straight, go to school in a safe environment that allows them to �lourish as individuals and teaches all students to be open-minded, accepting and tolerant. We don’t want the drumbeat of anti-bullying to be muf�led here any longer. |  |

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TALKING POINTS

What right does the Miss Universe pageant have to violate this lady’s right to be a woman?

It doesn’t sound right to me.

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MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PIECE

A

THREE-YEAR-OLD BOOK IS GETTING NEW RECOGNITION thanks to bloggers throughout the world of the internet. How to Live with a Huge Penis ($12.95, Quirk Publishing) credits itself as the

PEOPLE ARE TALKING AT WATERMARKONLINE.COM ON SAWMILL CAMPGROUND’S FIRST YEAR AS A CO-OP:

Any criticism of Sawmill is met with threat or banishment.

Steve, this is one of the best from you I have read! I have been saying for some time now that the reason we are not further in our fight for equality is because we cannot seem to accept each difference among ourselves let alone want others to accept our community!

As a Sawmill renter and owner for the last 8 years, I know for a fact the previous owners offered to sell the property to a homeowners group; they were not approached by a group of Sawmill members. The statement that they did not invest in the infrastructure of the resort is again BS.

—CHERRY CHERNOBYL

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ON STEVE BLANCHARD’S COLUMN ABOUT WHY TRAYVON MARTIN MATTERS TO LGBTS:

ON NORTH CAROLINA’S GAY MARRIAGE DEBATE: The difference between NC and the rest of the south is simple: The Research Triangle. In RaleighDurham it’s perfectly normal to live on a block where every home owner has a PhD. Education distinguishes this state.

—TOM STOVALL

�irst self-help book for men with OMG, or Oversized Male Genitalia, which it describes as a genetic birth defect that grows the penis to absurd proportions.

The easy-to-read book has some intriguing chapter titles like “Unzipping: Coming Out to Your Friends and Family” and “Sharing Your Pain: Sexual Intercourse with a Huge Penis.”

The authors claim to be doctors with personal knowledge of the OMG af�liction and can relate to those “banished to the fringes of society, victims of their own freakish length and girth.” The book even has a measuring table for readers to determine how serious their OMG is.

And ladies, you even have a role in the book, when the authors mention OMFG, or Oversized Mammaries and Female Genitalia in the �irst chapter.

The book is available on Amazon.com. |  |

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A LESBIAN! F

OR THE FIRST TIME, LATE NIGHT JUGGERNAUT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE has its �irst openly lesbian cast member. Kate McKinnon, who made a name for herself on Logo’s The Big Gay Sketch Show, auditioned live for a full time gig during the April 7 broadcast of the NBC sketch comedy show hosted by Sophia Vergara.

McKinnon spent three years on The Big Gay Sketch Show and is best remembered for her portrayal of Fitzwilliam, a young British boy who yearns to be female. |  |

WATERMARKONLINE.COM POLL

GAY SOLDIERS

Two men were recently arrested for having sex on a gay cruise in Dominica, where gay sex is illegal.

SIMS 3

YES, I don’t have an issue with that.

T MAY HAVE BEEN AWHILE SINCE YOU’VE PLAYED THE SIMS—the video game that lets you build the life you want in a virtual world—and the creators realize that. That could be the reason behind the upgrades in The Sims 3 video game, debuting on consoles this month.

In a preview trailer, vampires, a singing competition a-la American Idol and a kiss between two male soldiers show that the updated version of the classic reality game is diving into pop culture and current events. |  |

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it’s a country I really, really, really want to visit.

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APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

33

BEGINS TUESDAY!

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermarkonline.com

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OUT FROM UNDER

ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT

Bully director and lesbian teen talk controversial documentary

L

Chris Azzopardi CHRISAZZOPARDI@PRIDESOURCE.COM

EE HIRSCH WILL NEVER FORGET THE

brutality of his middle-school years, when he was the victim of what, in recent years, has become a tragic epidemic—bullying. The punches, taunts and name-calling were all wielded his way. And the bullshit justi�ication for all the above: that it’s just part of being a kid.

But, as Hirsch’s controversial documentary Bully argues, it shouldn’t be.

“The driving force behind the �ilm was to give a voice to that experience for myself and for others,” says the Long Island-raised writer/director, who sensitively spotlights the national issue in the �ilm. “I made it for all of us ex-bullied and once-bullied—the coalition.”

And he did it by putting a face on the ever-growing problem.

Five faces, in fact. Harrowing and heartbreaking, the documentary follows the teens—one of whom is then-16-year-old lesbian Kelby Johnson, living in Tuttle, Okla.—as they’re victimized within their own

schools, often brushing it off as just a part of growing up.

“I was looking for a way to change something,” Johnson says, “and Lee gave me that opportunity, and I was excited to take that and run with it.”

To many gay teens, Johnson’s story of being ostracized is devastatingly familiar: she’s the reject of her small-town community, which doesn’t accept that she’s a lesbian—or that she has a girlfriend. Tuttle turns against not only Johnson, but also her family.

“Kelby and I didn’t bond over a conversation about sexuality,” says

Continued on page 44 |  |

ON SCENE: The story of 12-year-old Alex Libby brought the director of Bully to Sioux City, Iowa, where powerful scenes were filmed on school grounds and on the school bus.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

35

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APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermarkonline.com

Julia Roberts in Mirror Mirror.

LGBT films have always had a place in the show.

Screened Out MOVIE REVIEWS

Festival Films and More Florida Film Festival

The Orlando-area festival runs from April 13 through 22

F

OR 21 YEARS, THE FLORIDA

Film Festival has featured LGBT �ilms among those submitted for judging.

Because this is a competition, critics agree to keep all reviews short.

Stephen Miller

STEPHEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

In the documentary competition, Jobriath A.D. is a solid �ilm about the 1970s gay glam rocker managed by superpromoter Jerry Brandt (of Rolling Stones and Carly Simon). Brandt’s career was faltering, and he wanted to create an American version of David Bowie. Jobriath was talented, and he called himself “the true fairy of rock and roll” for the notoriety. This dependable doc could use more glam glitz as it explores this gay musician and the overblown publicity stunts that truncated his career.

An Ordinary Family is a prodigal reunion

between brothers: one a Christian minister, one gay and with a partner. The dialogue feels improvised, meaning a few moments can be sloppy and unsubtle, but most scenes are beautifully honest. There is a quiet want in both brothers, and a gulf that may be too wide to breach.

Also included are a variety of short programs; many have a gay bent. What Night is This? is a feather-light short about a heart-broken man and his roommate sharing a night of debauchery and honest conversation. In the wonderful and heartbreaking narrative short Queen, a drag performer tries to move on after her plans for a family fall through.

Information about these and all the other �ilms is available at FloridaFilmFestival.com. |  |

Wrath of the Titans hero Sam Worthington.

Mirror Mirror

Wrath of the Titans

Starring Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer

Starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Feinnes, Edgar Ramirez, Rosamund Pike, Toby Kebbell

For this pretty but brainless retelling This �ilm is a probing treatise on of the Snow White myth, music video family dynamic. director Tarsem Singh teamed up with Ok, well, not really. famous composer Alan Menken. So, However, Greek mythology has why isn’t this a musical? They have always been obsessed with psychotic, great actors, fantastic costumes, and melodramatic family wars, and WOTT sumptuous art direction. However, the captures this for a modern action script is so shallow, simplistic, silly, and audience. It’s silly—and sometimes sophomoric—stuffed with slapstick uneven—but still a lot of fun. WOTT is and slightly adolescent humor—that it in�initely watchable, though it’s probably screams for song and dance.

Ten-year-old girls will love more lovable by 12-year-old this. Adults will likely feel kids. like it’s a fantasy-�illed but Ten years after the demigod forgettable night of The Wide RATINGS GUIDE Perseus (Worthington) rescues World of Disney.

Amdromeda (Pike) from the Once upon a time, the Evil dreaded Kraken, he’s a widower Overflowing Queen (Roberts) tells us this is with a son. Daddy Zeus with glittery not Snow White’s tale. It’s hers.

(Neeson) calls for help again, fabulousness Then almost nothing convinces this time to quash an unholy us. Roberts enjoys chewing alliance between Uncle Hades the scenery, even though (Feines) and half-brother Ares Pretty damn good, but it’s no her part is underwritten.

(Ramirez). Seems these naughty Sunset Boulevard Narrative-wise, if this were gods have conspired to raise the Queen’s tale, then why is Grandpa Cronos from his prison so much of it �illed with the to bring and end to the world.

An entertaining beautiful but vapid Collins as Now Andromeda is a queen, enough flick Snow? Pretty Prince Armie and she and a goofy demigod with perhaps a few holes Hammer (The Social Network) (Kebbell) join Perseus to rescue is committed to the comedy— both Olympus and Earth. and often shirtless—but even After the clunky reworking Ever so slightly he cannot rescue the goofy of Clash of the Titans, it is watchable, just thinness of it all. refreshing to see they did better for that hot actor Don’t start me on the this time. WOTT is still choppy, dwarves—they should protest but the action, effects and Two hours of the discrimination this script plot make more sense and are your life you’ll heaps on little people. often thrilling. Poseidon’s son never get back In this supposed Kebbell serves no purpose. (He reinvention of the Snow White story, is supposed to be comic relief.) However, most of this feels just barely tweaked. also excised is the previous need for Audiences are rediscovering the power senseless gore and noise. of fairy tales with movies and TV, but Thematically, this is the height of Mirror Mirror doesn’t take any risks. ridiculousness. WOTT really tells us Even television shows like Once Upon nothing about gods, ancient Greece, a Time and Grimm are doing more heroism, or family psychology. It’s just re�lective, illuminating stuff than this big, gravitas-�illed hokum for popcorn pretty, pointless version. |  | fun. |  |

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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BARE DRAMA: (L-R) Stephanie Coatney as “Ivy,” Omar Montes as “Jason” and Natale Pirrotta as ”Peter” in the new M.A.D. Theatre musical Bare: A Pop Musical. PHOTO COURTESY BREA LEFLER OF BREA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY

Fighting Back THEATER

Catholic Church laid Bare in new musical Joseph Kissel JOE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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ITH THE POPE TAKING CARE

Easter Sunday to marginalize women and contraception during his $137 million papal junket to Mexico, the Catholic Church continues to �lex its muscle on today’s social-political landscape.

On a more intimate level, two roommates in a Catholic boarding school run their own gauntlet of hate politics amid being young and unsure of their place in the world in Bare: A Pop Opera.

“We felt the political climate was good for the show,” says director Jennifer Marshall, who’s premiering the show in Tampa

38

April 19 at the Straz Center for M.A.D. Theatre.

That climate includes not only continued advances in marriage equality and greater and more positive media exposure, but also push backs from the religious right and their political machines.

Mix in exuberant musical numbers and heart-wrenching

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

performances, and you have Bare, which originally premiered at L.A.’s Hudson Theater in Oct. 2000.

“This show is such a rarity in that it hasn’t been overexposed,” Marshall says.

But that hasn’t stopped critics from heaping praise on the music, the book and its chops as a piece of musical theater.

The story’s core centers on the school golden boy, Jason, and his secret lover, altar boy Peter.

“This is a situation a lot of males and females are going through,” said Omar Montes, who plays “Jason.”

“You have to keep this secret and it’s better not to be yourself so society accepts you,” said Montes, who said he came out under similar

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

circumstances in his own life.

New York City.

Raised in a fervently “I was fried,” Pirrotta recalls. conservative Pentecostal church, “But I’d like to be the glimmer Montes was 14 and dating a girl he of hope here and say that our said he loved emotionally but not generation can shape and mold physically. future generations and “It was unfair to none of this will be as her,” he says. prevalent as in today’s Unfair is written society. It’s already all over Bare as the not as prevalent as in story winds its way generations past.” to its all-too-real Marshall is from ending. conservative Polk Peter wants to County, though. go public with their “It’s still dif�icult relationship, but to scream it out from when Matt and Ivy the mountaintops,” make it four, things Marshall adds. “But start to spin wildly we are talking to —DIRECTOR out of control. people and we are JENNIFER MARSHALL changing people.

“I wanted to show these people Social media is a way as people,” says Marshall. “Not as to do that as well.” objects for political candidates.”

Bare: A Pop Opera opens Bullying—through outright Thursday, April 19 and runs threats or violence or the power through April 29 at the Simberg of religion—affects gay youth Playhouse, housed within the Straz disproportionately. Unfortunately, Center complex. For tickets, visit Montes sees new badlands in StrazCenter.org. |  | social media.

“I don’t see it going away any MORE INFORMATION time soon as now there’s more ways than ever to do it,” he says.

WHAT: Bare: A Pop Opera “I don’t know how we are going to WHO: M.A.D. Theatre exorcise hate from this planet.”

WHEN: April 19-29 Playing Peter is Natale Pirrotta, WHERE: Straz Center, Tampa who arrived at his audition for TICKETS: StrazCenter.org Bare after a nonstop road trip from

“I wanted to show these people as people, not as objects for political candidates.”

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PLASTIC CAST: The “cast” of Desperate Plastic may look familiar, but this isn’t your mother’s Barbie collection.

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meets Dynasty in this satirical sitcom based on favorite iconic soaps like Falcon Crest, Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives. Desperate Plastic, the hysterical online comedy mini-series created by Daytona Beach resident writer/director Rodger Helt, chronicles the outrageous adventures of the Caratsworthington family and their empire.

Twelve-inch plastic dolls comprise the cast of this “Error in Spelling Production.” Former spouses Blaine Caratsworthington and Chanel Caratsworthington battle for control of the family business and Morethanafarthington

Manor while their son Hunter has gone missing—or has he? It’s Miami like you’ve never seen it, literally. Mountains, vineyards and lighthouses adorn the background.

“Growing up, I was a huge fan of shows like Dallas, Dynasty and

she played “Betty Meeks” in The Foreigner at the Winter Garden Theater. She says she became a part of this project thanks to Helt and Cadwallader.

In addition to Desperate Plastic, Murff splits her time between Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner Theater and Universal Studios as the Seuss “Reader.”

The rest of the Desperate Plastic cast hails from all over the U.S., including Oklahoma City and Los Angeles. The challenges of having actors on both coasts and some in between have not been bad, says Helt. All of the actors have the entire script, so they know what their lines Hunter and trainer, Cliff, be rescued lead into and what the responses from that deserted island? What are. The voiceovers are recorded in will happen to Blaine’s assistant and their respective locations and then Natasha’s daughter Veronica? sent to Florida where they are edited Helt says the series came about into the video. after a party he held at his home. “[It’s] the miracle of technology,” “Guests were asked to bring their says Murff. “Rodger emails scripts Barbies, Kens and action �igures,” he out and I record on an iPhone. He says. “I supplied miniature sets for then edits it all together. So, seeing the guests to play with their dolls the �inished product is a surprise!” in and a professional photographer Desperate Plastic seasons are �ilmed chronicled the whole thing.” simultaneously and edited into After the success of the party, individual episodes, with each nineHelt created a video invitation to minute episode representing at least the next event. Guests urged him to a month of work. While this may create a series from the invitation. seem daunting, Helt has a larger goal In addition to writing and directing in sight for the series.

Desperate Plastic, Helt is also a “It would be great to be picked up by freelance artist a network so that all of the talented and utilizes actors working on this could his own reach even more exposure,” paintings as he says. the background Stay tuned for scenery for another season �illed the series. He with a lot more also designs crazy antics. homes for a “For instance, southwestern Chanel will enter U.S. builder. a country-singer —RODGER HELT So, where talent search to try does the funny and buy back the come from? family’s mansion, which was craftily Although he is not an actor by trade, stolen by Aubergine VonSterlington he worked previously as a humor Worthmorethantrump,” Helt reveals. columnist for a monthly publication.

“The murder trial for Blaine’s former “As a child, I did have a small role wife Natasha is being held on an on a radio soap-opera comedy called abandoned game-show set, which The Secret Search for the Edge of the has all of the zany elements intact Turning World,” he explains. from the original game-show.”

The familiar voices of local Expect more characters and thespians Elizabeth Murff, George even more high-camp drama. Judge Gayman and Gary Cadwallader give Anne Jury, Phil A. Buster and Shelly, life to Aubergine VonSterlington Aquatic Mammal join the shtick.

Worthmorethantrump, Viewers can catch up on the Pierce Jugular and Hunter series at DesperatePlastic.com. |  | Caratsworthington.

Originally from Memphis, Tenn., MORE INFORMATION Murff is a veteran actor in Orlando who has appeared in a proli�ic WHAT: Desperate Plastic amount of theater productions WHERE: DesperatePlastic.com throughout her career. Most recently

Falcon Crest,” says Helt. “I noticed how many shows which were supposed to take place in other cities were obviously �ilmed in California.

“That’s why, despite Desperate Plastic taking place in Miami, the backgrounds are purposely paintings I did of California.”

Desperate Plastic just celebrated its one year anniversary this month and has 10 episodes reaching more than 5,000 views in more than 80 countries.

Amidst the cast of the ersatz ensemble is a cross-dressing detective lurking about trying to get to the bottom of some accidental deaths that may be connected to a sexy vampire and a long-lost twin. In typical soap opera fashion, treachery and questions abound. Who killed Natasha Caratsworthington? Will

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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43

TELLING HER STORY: Kelby Johnson, who is featured in Bully, says the film gave her a voice and inspired her to become more active in anti-bullying organizations.

44

school, an experience that inspired him to film his documentary, Bully.

I made it for all of us

|  | Bully from pg.35 Hirsch, who didn’t want to discuss his own orientation with us. “We bonded over the experience of being bullied, and that was really the same as it was with all the kids.

I feel like our relationship began with a real conversation about what I experienced, what I wanted to set out to achieve with this �ilm, why her story mattered and why what was happening wasn’t okay.”

They met via The Ellen DeGeneres Show, after Johnson’s mom, desperate to help her daughter, reached out to the outspoken talk-show host through a message board because she was afraid her daughter would succumb to the same fate of the many gay teens who’ve killed themselves in the last few years.

Johnson not only didn’t, but she’s now helping others get through those hard years.

“I know that being gay, you can feel very alone,” she says, “and I hope that when they watch the movie, that goes away and they realize there is someone standing with them who has gone through that. The world is going to change and people are going to get more accustomed to (LGBT people), and they should be here to see it.”

Hirsch began �ilming in 2009, before the rush of LGBT-related suicides was met with national attention: Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who

IT’S PERSONAL: Director Lee Hirsch said he was bullied in middle

ex-bullied and once-bullied— jumped off the George Washington Bridge; 13-year-old Seth Walsh, who hanged himself; and Asher Brown, who shot himself after being bullied for coming out.

“They didn’t inspire the �ilm, but it informed the early stages,” Hirsch says of the suicides. “You’re just overwhelmed by how much tragedy there is. The suicides were deeply moving, and people were writing in response to them—and it seemed that people everywhere were really struggling with this issue.”

Youth selected for the �ilm were all, coincidentally, from rural communities and not vast urban cities.

“It wasn’t intentional. It was the way it fell together, and the stories we found were most compelling there,” Hirsch says. “ A lot of it had to do with getting that access in Sioux City (the home of then-12year-old lead Alex Libby) which kind of landed us in the Midwest to begin with.”

Some footage was �ilmed in New York and Minneapolis, but none as powerful as what made the �inal

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

the coalition.

—BULLY DIRECTOR LEE HIRSCH

cut, Hirsch says.

“There was something about the landscape of small-town America, the quiet and incredible heroism of the families, that I was really drawn to,” he says. “There are so few outlets there. In big cities, there’s more for kids who don’t �it in or are different, so I think bullying in a small town can be more acute. It can be a harder world.”

Once he had his subjects, shooting was another challenge.

Johnson’s school, unlike that of Alex, denied them access to �ilm inside the premises. And the scenes involving bird’s-eye-views of bus rides and principal of�ice sitdowns were “incredibly dif�icult” to capture.

One scene, on the bus, involves coarse language that the MPAA deemed too obscene for anything less than a hard R rating. Disappointed that the �ilm’s

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

message wouldn’t reach those it intended to, the studio fought the decision with Michigan teen Katy Butler leading a movement that rallied nearly a half-million supporters, including Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp. Just days before its release date, Weinstein Co. decided to go the unrated route, snubbing the MPAA and leaving the decision to screen the �ilm up to individual theaters.

“We were just shocked,” Hirsch says of the MPAA’s decision. “I guess I wasn’t as shocked at the initial R, because technically we knew that might happen, but the appeal was really devastating because we had such a strong, compelling argument and other �ilms had been overturned and had much worse profanity. We really thought they’d understand and recognize the value and the merit and the hope that this �ilm offers to so many.”

watermarkonline.com

Johnson, now 19, just got her GED and is living in Oklahoma City—a much more open-minded city than Tuttle, she mentions— with her girlfriend. Her plan involves becoming a gay activist and working with LGBT groups, like “Do Something,” to continue blasting the bullying issue.

“There’s always going to be something, but (the bullying) has calmed down a little bit for me after the �ilm, and there are a lot of things I can brush off now,” she says. “The �ilm has helped me grow stronger and be more aware of others around me. It’s de�initely been a positive experience, and I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.” |  |

MORE INFORMATION

Bully is expected to open April 13 in select theaters. To find a nearby theater, visit TheBullyProject.com.

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For the past decade, Jon Stewart has delivered his take on social developments from behind the “news” desk at The Daily Show with John Stewart. His takes on everything from climate change and the economy to same-sex marriage and health care have made him a favorite of liberal audiences and viewers under the age of 35.

Now, the sometime actor and comedian will bring his views to Ruth Eckerd Hall for two rare live performances on Saturday, April 21. At press time, the Clearwater appearance was Stewart’s only Florida date.

Stewart and The Daily Show have received a combined 40 Emmy Award nominations and won 16—including Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program six times.

His satire has also transcended other media, thanks to his two books: America (The Book) and Earth (The Book), both of which debuted at #1 on The New York Times’ Best Seller List.

For tickets and details, visit RuthEckerdHall.com. |  |

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is only $10 and will showcase some of the incredible, international acts coming to Orlando in late May for the annual celebration of theater and artistry. While you’re enjoying the preview April 16, you can also purchase tickets to Orlando Fringe events, since tickets become available online that very day.

For details, a full show schedule or to purchase tickets, visit OrlandoFringe.org. |  |

On April 19, Out @ Asolo Rep in Sarasota will present Cloud Nine, a comedy set in 19th-century Africa that deals with sexuality in ways that are unexpected for the time period.

In it, British colonists struggle to keep their sexuality hidden under the veneer of upper-crust decorum, but by Act Two, those same people discard their shackles of repression and embrace freewheeling sexuality. Male actors

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play women, and several female actors play men—and there are even a few adults playing children.

The Caryl Churchill comedy is directed by Greg Leaming, and runs through April 22.

However, the April 19 show is dedicated to the LGBT community and offers an inclusive environment for LGBT singles and partners alike.

For details and more information, visit Asolo.org. |  |

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

APRIL 16 Van Wezel VanWezel.org 941-953-3368

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

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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Please join us for this wonderful event with drinks, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and an exciting program – including a State of the State Address by our Executive Director, Nadine Smith.

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SPONSORS ($1,200-$2,499)

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Longtime philanthropist, restaurateur and green business pioneer, Robert provided heroic early funding that was a catalyst in building a truly statewide network for equality. He believed in equality when we were just beginning to believe in ourselves and launched us on our statewide path.

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Equality Florida Institute is tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are deductible for income-tax purposes to the full extent of the law.

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

RSVP at www.eqfl.org or (813) 870-3735 watermarkonline.com

4 1

ShotonSite

Tampa Bay 1- FRILLY FROCKS: Friends donned their best Easter outfits to participate in Ybor City’s Bunny Hop bar crawl on April 1. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST 2- MAMBO ITALIANO: The streets of Ybor City were packed for Festa Italiana on April 3. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST

2

3

5

3- SOME GIN, BUT NO REGRET: Actor Leslie Jordan gets a hug from an enthusiastic fan after his performance at the Straz Center in Tampa on April 5. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO 4- HOLIDAY HAPPINESS: (L-R) P.J. DeBoy and Paul Dawson spent part of their Easter at a St. Petersburg brunch hosted by Chuck Henson and Tom Young. PHOTO COURTESY CHUCK HENSON 5- BE MY ASSOCIATE? Leslie Jordan signs a souvenir shirt— with a popular saying from Leslie’s Will & Grace character—for a fan before his show at the Straz Center. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO 6- LGBT LIVE!: Hostess Arica Love, right, introduces the contestants for RuPaul’s Drag Race Live at Sawmill Campground March 31. PHOTO BY CHRIS STEPHENSON 7- BUNNY BAND: The Double M Band celebrated Easter with an outdoor concert at the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg April 8.

8- GREEK EXPERIENCE: More than 70 women attended a First Thursday mingle at Mythos Greek Taverna in Clearwater on April 5. PHOTO COURTESY PROSUZY.COM

6

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OVERHEARD RUPAUL INVASION Sawmill Campground in Dade City was packed as expected for RuPaul’s one and only U.S. performance for the year. The Glamazonian took to the outdoor stage of the 120acre Pasco County facility to help it celebrate its �irst year anniversary as a co-op. Of course, RuPaul didn’t disappoint and wowed the crowd with several numbers, some fabulous dresses and comments about her hit Drag Race show on Logo.

The March 31 performance was coupled with a Drag Race Live competition, featuring contestants from throughout the Southeast and hosted by LGBT Live’s Arica Love, who

got a chance to spend some one-on-one time with RuPaul backstage. “She was fabulous and so kind,” Love told us. “It was humbling to meet her and to work with her.” Watermark photographer and Sawmill �irst-timer Chris Stevenson also had kind things to say about the event and Sawmill itself.

“Seriously, that place is the friendliest gay place I’ve ever seen,” he told us afterward.

The festivities continued when celebrity photographer and A-List New York-er Mike Ruiz appeared the following weekend along with several of his castmates. Check out our online photo gallery of the bash at WatermarkOnline.com.

WE THOUGHT WE SMELLED GIN AND REGRET… Funnyman Leslie Jordan invaded Florida the �irst week of April and packed the Straz Center with a crowd made up of a high percentage of homosexuals. The former Will & Grace guest star stopped in Tampa April 5 for his Stories I Can’t Tell Mama tour. The star not only entertained from the stage, but from his dressing room and the lobby. Jordan invited several guests to visit him in his dressing room prior to his performance for autographs and photo-ops.

After the concert he hung out in the lobby, greeting a

long line of well-wishers.

According to long-time fan and St. Petersburg resident Chip Wright, Jordan was as funny as ever and kind to every single fan who wanted an autograph.

As far as those stories that he can’t tell mama go…we have a feeling she’s already heard many of them.

OBAMA TO MAKE STOP IN TAMPA— SOMEWHERE

The President of the United States will make a stop in Tampa this Friday, April 13, but no one seems to know where he’ll appear or what he’ll discuss. If they do know details, they’re not sharing

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

them yet. The White House sent media alerts to outlets throughout the state on April 9 announcing that Barack Obama will travel to Tampa on Friday before heading to Colombia for the Summit of the Americas.

Details, the release said, would be released later.

It’s Obama’s second tour of Florida in a week. He appeared at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton to discuss a proposal requiring the wealthy to pay at least 30% of their income in taxes. Obama has begun actively campaigning for the 2012 election and recently released attack ads against Mitt Romney, his likely Republican opponent. |  |

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ShotonSite 1

2

3

ORLANDO

1– BLACK TIE AFFAIR: (L to R) Van Dean, Kenny Howard, Jhett Tolentino and Barry Miller donned their black tie attire for the Evita opening night party at Marriott Marquis, NYC, April 5.

PHOTO BY MELISSA VAN DER SCHYFF

2– STAR POWER: Michael Wanzie gave some love to Leslie Jordan at the comedian’s Parliament House show April 6. PHOTO BY TOM DYER 3– PHYSICALITY: (L-R) Brian Conant, David Schillhammer and Jason Grooms got “Physical” April 1 at Parliament House, during the 3rd Annual Mr. & Ms. CFSL pageant. PHOTO BY ERIK CABAN

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4– TV MOMS UNITE: Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman encountered another famous TV housewife—Marge Simpson—at Universal Orlando Resort on April 1. PHOTO BY JAMES DENTON 5– LABOR PAINS: (L-R) Christopher Clai, Jason Fox Holstein, Eddy Santiago and Ryan Fowler met with Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis (center) at a White House Community Partnership Summit in March. PHOTO COURTESY THE MBA

4

6– ROUGHIN’ IT: (L-R) Doug Ba’aser and Todd J. Davis celebrate Doug’s birthday at Sawmill March 31. PHOTO COURTESY JODY GOOSTREE

7– SOUTHERN BELLES: Richard Kuntz and Darby Ballard star in For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls, playing at Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre. PHOTO COURTESY WANZIE PRESENTS 8– GLAM GROUP: Former Watermark art director Charlie Carballo (far right) and Desiree Bates rubbed glittery shoulders with Adam Lambert at promotional event in California.

PHOTO COURTESY CHARLIE CARBALLO

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OVERHEARD THE GAY EASTER PARADE

Saturday April 7, marked the resurrection of the Thornton Park Easter Bonnet party made famous by former Orlando mover and shaker Russ Crumley, who was also one of the originators of the Central Florida Softball League.

Brian Mathis and partner Andy Summers welcomed more than 50 elaborate bonnet adorned guests into their home Saturday evening.

Guests, made up of mostly gay men, were judged, awarded prizes, and even paraded thru Thornton Park. Cars halted, people waved from balconies and porches and businesses in the Thornton Park area welcomed the gaggle to strut through to the delight of their patrons. Judy would’ve been proud.

THE BELL TOLLS FOR RICH KUNTZ

A program of three short pieces from the gifted and twisted gay playwright Christopher Durang, For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls, is a parody of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. However, instead of being about an awkward shy girl �ixated on her collection of blown-glass animal �igurines, this spoof centers around a mis�it gay boy, played by Rich Kuntz aka Gidget Galore, who imagines he has asthma and a limp and is �ixated on his collection of glass swizzle sticks. In place of Williams’ “Gentleman Caller,” Durang gives us a bull dyke instead. Directed and narrated by Michael Wanzie, the play will feature the talents of Darby Ballard as well as female

impersonator Addison Taylor and the Parliament House’s resident hunky, straight bartender and sometime-actor, Vinny. For tickets visit WanziePresents.com

OH, BAMA

On the second anniversary of the “Let’s Move!” initiative last week, long-time civil rights activists Nadine Smith and Andrea Hildebran Smith had the opportunity to meet the First Lady, along with their 10-month-old son, Logan. Upon meeting her, Logan jubilantly embraced Mrs. Obama. As community leaders and parents, Logan’s moms are strong supporters of President Obama.

The President and First Lady have worked tirelessly to ensure that LGBT families are treated with

the same dignity and respect as all American families. President Obama advocates for same-sex adoptive families, calling for equal treatment of same-sex adoptive parents and LGBT foster children.

The President also promotes the health of LGBT families, ensuring LGBT patients and their partners have rights to hospital visitation and medical decision-making, as well as promoting equal access to quality health care and housing regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. President Obama and the First Lady also ensure the health and safety of LGBT families through the administration’s anti-bullying efforts, working to teach kids, teens, parents, and educators how to end bullying in America’s schools.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

PRETTY IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE Jeff Jones’s kiddie pageant returns to Parliament’s Footlight Theater for a special one-night only performance. On Monday April 23, 40- to 50-year old men will once again portray 7-year old female pageant contestants as well as their respective white trash stage mothers. If you missed it the �irst time, be sure to catch this comedy spoof written and conceived by comedian Jeff Jones, who also serves as pageant emcee. The cast for this special performance will include Doug White, Doug Ba’aser, Addison Taylor, Ginger Minj and Carol Lee. For tickets, visit WanziePresents.com |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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CLUB ORLANDO COME OUT TO PLAY! Gyms come and go……

Club Orlando’s Gym has been here for 14 years and is still going strong!

We Offer Monthly and Annual Memberships. Stop in for a tour and a complimentary work out.

DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY: Patty Sheehan and Jocelynn White celebrate their 7th anniversary April 25. They are pictured with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, registering as domestic partners in Orlando.

PHOTO BY TONY WARD

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CHANGE-OF-LIFE COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Passings Alan Jordan, of Orlando, passed away April 9. He is survived by his partner, Orlando Weekly writer Billy Manes.

Anniversaries Orlando Realtor David Dorman and his partner, marketing director Scott Penyak, celebrate their seventh anniversary together on April 19.

St. Petersburg residents and former Watermark distribution heroes Claude and John Granstrand celebrate 34 years together on April 17.

Birthdays Tampa Metropolitan Community Church’s facility manager Mac Williams, Florida State Field Director and new state senate candidate Joe Saunders and handsome Orlando Log Cabin Republican Patrick Howell (April 12); Florida Hospital Altamonte social worker Stacy Pease, former OGC director Aubrey Connelly, derby girl Becca “TBex” Fisher, St. Petersburg ROTC twirler Scott Helie and Tampa performer and Hamburger Mary’s hostess Esme Russell (April 13); Flamingo Resort cast member Andromeda Strain (April 14); muscular, Ocala-based beach bum Randy Eeckhout (April 15); Orlando The Center board member Will Perry (April 16); sexy Tampa insurance specialist and community volunteer Mitchell Ryan and Serial Thriller and

swing dancer Kalyn Rushing (April 17); Orlando arts patron Jerry Baumeister, adorable former Georgie’s Alibi-St. Petersburg server John Fletcher and St. Petersburg Stonewall Democrat Beth Fountain (April 18); Olde Town Properties Realtor Patrick James and Tampa Fox 13 weatherman Andy Johnson (April 19); Publix at Colonialtown pharmacist Rob Young (April 20); Orlando Fringe event associate and director of marketing for David Dorman Inc., Scott Penyak, head honcho of The Center Randy Stephens, and handsome St. Petersburg Play 98.7 DJ Chad Pitt (April 21); young bear and former Tampa business owner Michael DiCamillo, Orlando fashion plate and aspiring reality-show contestant Jamesson Beane and Rollins College director of dance Bob Sherry (April 22); Tampa Leather Club member and Brandon Office Depot manager Joseph Mastrapasqua, Sunnyland Slammer and artist Amanda Vickers and former Tampa-based actor now residing in New York Christian Maier (April 23); St. Petersburg actor and theologian Tom Campbell, Watermark sales rep and plant whisperer Scott McCauley, brilliant Central Florida artist and set designer Paul Horan, former Tampa resident and current Fort Lauderdale actor Larry Buzzeo, O-Town textbook editor and mom Sara Lyna, former St. Pete Pride president Scott Turner and handsome Tampa daddy bear Bill Vincent (April 24); handsome Tampa music enthusiast Jeff Marcha, Bradenton sculpture and artist Alan Neal and coordinator of ASAP’s Flamingo Resort project coordinator David Karst (April 25).

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!

Try our unique $8.00 Saturday & Sunday Brunch! Plus $3.00 Mimosas!

433 W. New England Ave., Winter Park • 321-972-4881 • www.miTomatina.com APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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Do This!

SAGE ADVICE FROM ‘THE TRUTH’

Supporting a partner’s healthy lifestyle is a sign of love DEAR TRUTH,

I

am a 22-year-old gay man living in Orlando. I have a great group of friends, one of whom—Kurt—is totally my type and has expressed an interest in dating. My problem is that Kurt always talks about how much he “hates” women. Whenever he talks about girls, he uses really degrading language and nasty slang, especially among our group of gays. Kurt also makes it a point to be unfriendly to women when we go out to clubs, even going as far as pushing them out of the way on the dance �loor.

He thinks it’s funny and says they shouldn’t come to gay bars anyway. I know Kurt has female friends at work, so I think it’s just an act, but I’m not sure I want to date him if he’s really this hostile. What should I do?

—College Park Club Kid Dear CPC Kid, Anyone who ‘hates’ anything—unless it’s the Kardashians—is expressing an ugly side. That he spews such bile for more than half the population is downright delusional. And, again, ugly. My guess is that this is someone with lots of—let’s call them interesting—notions.

How does he feel about AfricanAmericans? Hispanics? If his bias is only focused on women, the Truth prays you never meet his mother. In any event, I’m assuming you have women in your life.

If this is someone who truly cannot stomach more than half the population of the globe, then he is severely and profoundly disabled. It’s a terrible sign, and one you should heed.

an exercise program so I could lose some weight. I wanted Luis to join me but he said he didn’t have the time and, quite frankly, he didn’t think I would follow through with it.

I’m happy to say that I stuck to the program and lost a bunch of weight, but now Luis is resentful and dismissive whenever anyone mentions my progress. In fact, he told me that I was more attractive when I was heavier! I know he has tried (and failed) to lose weight many times in the past, but I’m struggling to understand why he can’t be more supportive of my accomplishment.

How would you handle this?

—Buff Bear in North Tampa Buff Bear, There is this notion among certain members of our community who identify themselves as bears that bigger is hotter.

It’s not, and here’s why.

Life is shorter and in�initely more dif�icult when you’re carting around 40, 50, 100 lbs of extra weight. Knees give out, breathing machines are required, blood pressure and cholesterol reach life-threatening levels. Sexy, huh?

I’m not suggesting that either of you are in a dire health situation, but an association for social purposes that affects the well-being of your life has to be addressed. Losing weight and becoming healthier is never a wrong decision. It’s really quite simple: Luis doesn’t have to join you on your path to better health. But if he impedes you, he doesn’t genuinely care about you and is more concerned with his own ego than the length and health of your life.

Here comes the Truth: Despite his size, Luis is a little man. Only you can know if he’ll grow in time or if you should �ind someone who will actually support smart and healthy life decisions. |  |

If his bias is only focused on women, the Truth prays you never meet his mother.

DEAR TRUTH,

M

y boyfriend, Luis, and I met at a local bear event in 2010 and have been dating for a little over a year. About �ive months ago, I changed my eating habits and started

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watermarkonline.com

attorney

accountant

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Law Office of Michael E. Morris, P.A.

accountant Michael E. Morris Jeffrey A. Miller

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The hiring of a lawyer is an importan decision that should not be based soley upon advertisements.

Before you decide, ask us to send you information about our qualifications and experience.

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Bankruptcy Law Group

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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Before you decide to retain any individual attorney or law firm, you are strongly encouraged to ask that you be sent free written information about qualifications and experience.

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

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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407-244-1222 Peer-to-peer support group and social activities for LGBTQ youth ages 13 – 24.

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[CLASSIFIEDS]

407-481-2243 • Deadline for classifieds is April 20, at 5:00pm.

Visit WatermarkOnline.com for Brand New Listings Every Day!

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

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StanMadray.com My commitment to you! •Communicate Effectively - Answer calls, respond to emails and keep you informed. •Be Knowledgeable - Know the market place, follow the trends and track the numbers. •Have Fun - It’s not just about the destination; It’s also about the journey.

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Lakefront 2 bedroom, 2 bath. Over 1800sf located in exclusive gated community, walking distance to Sandlake Road Restaurant Row. Relaxing lake views from all windows. Incredible opportunity!

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APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

watermarkonline.com

Staff Report

O

ut Olympic diver Matthew Micham will be back to defend his 10-meter platform gold metal in London this summer. The Australian diver scored a perfect 10 from all seven judges during the Australian diving trials in early April.

The 24-year-old’s future was questionable after shredding a stomach muscle in 2011.

“It looks like everything I’m doing is starting to work and fall into place,” he said.

“All my technique is starting to sharpen up a bit and I’m starting to dive like the old me again.”

Mitcham scored 1514 in winning the 10m �inal and believes he can dive “heaps

Scrappers win, Panthers place in Easter Shootout

better”—eyeing a new personal best around 1570 to win gold in London. He won the gold medal at Beijing in the 10-meter platform, upsetting the heavily favored Chinese, and became an instant celebrity for being an openly gay athlete.

He acknowledged his longtime boyfriend in several interviews and caught the eye of diving fans around the world.

Mitcham hopes his competitors took notice of his recent showing, saying he was embracing the challenge of his status as defending Olympic champion.

“It is something that has been sitting in the back of my mind for quite some time—this pressure of expectation,” he said.

“But rather than let it bog me down, I have been doing a lot of

Staff Report

B

DEFENDING GOLD: Out diver Matthew Mitcham has qualified for Australian Olympic team. sports psychology around it, just to make sure that I am able to compete and dive unaffected by that pressure.”

Mitcham’s perfect-10 dive on April 4 was a backward 3.5 somersault—a dive he only lately threw into his routine.

“It’s not even part of my list of�icially. It was just a substitute dive,” he said.

“It doesn’t feel perfect to me yet but the judges obviously liked it.” |  |

IRMINGHAM, ALA. | Of the four area teams participating in the annual Southern Shootout softball tournament, two came home with a trophy in hand.

The Orlando Scrappers completed an unbeaten romp through the 24-team C-division to clinch the coveted championship. In a spectacular �inal, the Scrappers fought back from a seven run de�icit to beat the defending champion Knoxville Cyclones 27-24, with a two-out, walk-off home run. The New Orleans Hurricanes placed third, and the Orlando Storm �inished �ifth.

The Tampa Panters took second place in the D-division of the long-standing Easter weekend tournament. The Panthers fell to the Chattanooga Boogie, who took �irst place in that division. Third place went to the Atlanta Mighty Ducks.

In the B-division, �irst place went to the Atlanta Ambush, who edged out second-place �inisher, Atlanta Krewe. Third place was awarded to the Knoxville Cyclones. Tampa Livewire �inished sixth.

For more information, visit NewSouthSoftball.net. |  |

sports

Mitcham to return to Olympics in 2012

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PHOTOPGRAPHY

Galleryw Go see more photos and a stunning panoramic shot at watermarkonline.com

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HIS YEAR’S BABES IN BONNETS EVENT AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE RAISED MORE THAN $11,000 for the Orlando Youth Alliance, far surpassing last year’s record of $3,000. This year, 16 businesses and clubs participated in the annual fundraiser. Participants auctioned their bonnets, attraction tickets, dresses and more from the stage to help reach the record-setting total.

APRIL 12-25, 2012 // ISSUE 19.08

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by Jake Stevens JAKE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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