Watermark Issue 19.25: The End Is Queer

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • SARASOTA • ISSUE 19.25 • DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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I believed that by marrying,

DEPARTMENTS

I was fulfilling God’s will and I thought

6 // MAIL 8 // ORLANDO NEWS 12 // TAMPA BAY NEWS 17 // STATE 18 // NATION & WORLD 27 // ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 33 // EVENT PLANNER 35 // TAMPA BAY OVERHEARD 37 // ORLANDO OVERHEARD 44 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 45 // TRANSITIONS 46 // ADVICE 47 // ORLANDO MARKETPLACE 52 // CLASSIFIEDS 53 // SPORTS

PAGE

my same-sex attraction would

18 simply go away.

—REP. MIKE FLECK (R) OF HUNTINGDON, PA.

ON THE COVER

PAGE If the Mayans were right

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and the world is really ending on Dec. 21, then who better than the LGBT community to take the Earth out in style?

Preview

PAGE

EBENEZER MAKEOVER:

27

What would it have been like if Ebenezer Scrooge was actually just a bitter old queen? Well, that’s exactly what he is in Scrooge & Marley, a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale with an LGBT bent.

WATERMARK ISSUE 19.25 // DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012

ORLANDO NEWS

TAMPA BAY NEWS

PAGE State Representative

PAGE When it comes to pro-

THE END IS QUEER

GALLERY W

Illustration by Jake Stevens

Read it online!

SCAN QR CODE FOR

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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

08

Joe Saunders has undergone his orientation in Tallahassee, and had his partner of seven years beside him the whole time; Orlando is ranked as the most equalityfriendly city in the state; more.

12

equality, Tampa is further along than St. Petersburg, according to a study released by the HRC; Two dozen people remember those we’ve lost during Transgender Day of Remembrance at St. Petersburg’s City Hall; more.

PAGE As we race toward the

39

end of the world (if you don’t believe us, rent 2012) we ask some of our favorite people what signs of the end times they spotted and how, exactly, they plan on spending their last days on the planet.

PAGE The communities of

and Tampa Bay 54 Orlando commemorated World

AIDS Day with a variety of events, ranging from HIV testing and lectures on prevention to an outdoor concert featuring local rock bands. We offer a glimpse at some of those events.

D O Y O U H A V E A H O L I D AY E V E N T Y O U W A N T T O P R O M O T E ? S U B M I T I T F O R F R E E A T W A T E R M A R K O N L I N E . C O M DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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It’s About Finding EVERYONE A Place To Call Home!

T IS AN HONOR TO BE ONE OF THE “EDITOR’S PICKS,” [ISSUE 19.23] BUT THE PROBLEM IS I AM NOT A STRAIGHT ALLY of the LGBT community.

When I started my practice back in 1982, I was the �irst openly lesbian therapist in the Tampa Bay area, a distinction of which I am very proud. Twentyseven years ago, I began to serve the transgender population—and we are not simply the T hanging onto the GLB—remember the men (primarily) and women who broke down the stone wall, the beginning of bias change in the U.S. My belief is that most of us are on the gender continuum, not absolute female or absolute male. And I embrace my gender middle place, while society keeps trying to squeeze me (and you) into a binary box that most of us don’t �it into.

As a group, women in the middle of the binary fought for the vote, the choice of what to wear (skirts or jeans in pink or blue, Spanx® as desired, make-up or not), and for reproductive freedom (an ongoing struggle) to ensure that we have the right to our bodies ourselves.

Men (especially those in the middle of the binary) need to stand up for the entitlement to wear a tie or not, put on a skirt (not

“It will be a day of glee when respecting all human dignity means there is no need for allies.”

—DR. KATHLEEN FARRELL

just a kilt), shave or have permanent hair removal, and nurse your child if you want to show nurturing in that way.

So, while it’s an honor to be an Editor’s Pick, I am not an ally as per the literal de�inition and have this one �inal thought that I hear echoed throughout the community: it will be a day of glee when respecting all human dignity means there is no need for allies.

KATHLEEN L. FARRELL, PH.D. ST. PETERSBURG

WHAT ABOUT PALM BEACH?

I

WOULD LIKE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF HOW THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN COULD POSSIBLY HAVE LEFT OUT WEST PALM BEACH, LAKE WORTH and other municipalities in Palm Beach County, Florida from its Municipal Equality Index and Scorecard. HRC included Oakland Park (Population 42,000). and Miami Shores (population 10,000) The population of West Palm

wave For 6 Years-In-a-Row, You Have Voted ® 2012 DAVID DORMAN FAVORITE ORLANDO REALTOR watermark’s

A W A R D

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

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Beach is over 100,000 and Lake Worth is over 32,000.

JUDGE RAND HOCH (RETIRED) PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER PALM BEACH COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

NO LONGER A DEBATE

T

HIS YEAR PROVED TO BE A PIVOTAL TURNING POINT IN THE MOVEMENT FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY and now we press onward with renewed vigor and public opinion squarely on our side. As we continue the march toward full equality in legislatures and the courts, it is crystal clear that the prospect of an equal future is no longer up for debate; the question now is how soon it will arrive. While we celebrate today, we will keep �ighting until full equality has reached every single person in every corner of this vast country.

CHAD GRIFFIN HRC PRESIDENT

editor’s

Steve Blanchard EDITOR

SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com

T

Desk

HE END OF THE WORLD IS HERE,

and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Mayans placed Doomsday right smack in the middle of the holiday season.

As the tick tock of the clock that is the Mayan Calendar approaches Dec. 21, Doomsday “experts” predict a myriad of ways in which the Earth is going to return to its dusty origins in the galaxy. Rogue planet anyone? Magnetic Pole Hokey Pokey? Marriage Equality?

Even though most of us believe we will be around to see Dec. 22 and beyond, a surprising number of earthlings are prepared to watch the apocalypse just days before the rest of us unwrap Christmas presents. A recent Ipsos poll actually found that 10% of people think some kind of horrible event will unfold on Dec. 21—and they’re talking

WATERMARK STAFF

about things much worse than the awkward moments in the family when the golden child brings his or her same-sex partner to the traditional gatherings of the holidays.

True, polling hasn’t exactly had a banner year: Remember how close those ‘virtual tied’ projections were for the presidential election?

It may not be the end of the world, but gathering with the family over the holidays can feel like impending doom. For members of our community it’s more so, especially when we’re biting our tongues when our own “drunk uncle” drops a

homophobic joke or two.

Thankfully for me, a recent visit to my husband’s childhood home over Thanksgiving didn’t present any challenges quite so obvious.

Overall it was a comfortable, enjoyable experience offering a chance to stay connected with other members of the family.

I have met my in-laws before.

Over the years I have become an expected addition to any major family gathering, which is incredibly rewarding. A majority of them welcomed me into the family with few questions. Other than the obvious uncomfortable feelings one particular brotherin-law displays when either my husband or I walk into the room, I feel relaxed and welcome.

This year there was a new challenge. My father-in-law has remarried and Thanksgiving marked the �irst time I was to meet not only his new wife, but her three adult children and their families, all of which live in a conservative area of North Louisiana.

I watched as the new stepsiblings were introduced by their biological parents and the way in which their respective spouses were included. Several times I heard phrases like “this is the oldest son and his wife,” or “this is my youngest daughter and her children.” Of course, when the introduction made it around to where I was standing there was a slight pause before I was

introduced as my husband’s “good friend.”

That’s one way of putting it.

I have a running joke with one of my husband’s sisters. When their mother was in her last days at the hospital, I was referred to as a “friend of the family” whenever extended family or members of the church arrived to show support. It didn’t bother me. There’s a time and a place to assert yourself and your sexuality.

A hospital waiting room is not one of those places unless it directly involves your partner.

But the holidays are a different story. After the initial introduction I made sure to clarify with the new step-siblings that I was more than a friend. I shook hands and said something to the effect of, “I’m his husband” or “we’re partners.”

It’s something I never would have thought about saying just a few years ago. Rocking the proverbial boat wasn’t something I did often nor very well. My relationships with my own family are still strained because of the silliness that surrounded my own coming out, but I wouldn’t change a thing with regards to how I decided on honesty rather than secrecy.

As we take collective sighs in order to prepare ourselves for the stresses of family on the holidays, we here at Watermark thought it would be a great time to look at the mythology surrounding the predicted—but incredibly unlikely—apocalypse as only the LGBT community can.

And if I’m wrong and the Mayans prove to be right, at least we’ll avoid another kind of pending doom all together. |  |

It may not be the end of the world, but gathering with the family over the holidays can feel like impending doom.

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TAMPA BAY OFFICE TEL: 813-655-9890 FAX: 813-849-2986

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

CONTRIBUTORS KEN KUNDIS

is a Florida native and a longtime contributor to Watermark.

He lives in New York City. Page 23

KIRK HARTLAGE

is an Orlandobased journalist an DJ and a former full time employee of Watermark. He specializes in celebrity interviews. Page 41

MATTHEW McGEE is a St.

Petersburg-based comedian and actor who also serves as community outreach coordinator for freeFall Theatre. You can learn more by visiting HeresMatthew.com. Page 42

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, Angie Folks, Tom Eckert, Julie Milford, Travis Moore, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift

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orlando NEWS

REASON TO CELEBRATE: UCF students celebrate in

the student union atrium after the SGA Senate approved a Pride Coalition Nov. 29.

UCF Student Senate approves Pride Coalition Staff report

O

RLANDO | After narrowly voting it down by four votes during its second reading on Nov. 8, the UCF Student Government Association (SGA) Senate passed a bill on Nov. 29 to create a new SGA-af�iliated agency dedicated to LGBTQ+ programming, education and advocacy called the Pride Coalition. The vote count for the third and �inal reading of the Pride Coalition bill was 26-14-0.

The Pride Coalition will be the �irst LGBTQ+ organization in UCF’s 50 year history to function as such an entity of the Student Government Association. With SGA agency status, the Pride Coalition will be eligible to receive direct funding from the University’s Activity & Service fee budget.

A full-time staff position dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues at UCF will also be created for the to advise the Pride Coalition and support LGBT and allied student resources and services.

Pride Coalition will not be the �irst LGBT organization at UCF. The Gay Student Association was the �irst of�icial organization founded at the University in 1976. Its current name is “Equal” and it continues to operate as a registered student organization focused on LGBT social programming.

However, it competes with over 400 other registered organizations for access to funds from the Student Senate each year.

As an SGA agency, the entire UCF community will bene�it from more programming and resources geared towards LGBT awareness and overall campus inclusion, according to OUTreach Advocacy Board Student Director Nicholas Simons.

Simons led the initiative to create the Pride Coalition, arguing that LGBT and questioning students are one of the most underserved student Continued on page 10 |  |

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

GETTING COMFORTABLE: On his first day on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives, State representative Joe Saunders was joined by his partner, Donald Rupe. PHOTO BY CARMEN TORRES

The new normal With family by their sides, Florida’s �irst openly gay legislators sworn in Jamie Hyman

JAMIE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

ALLAHASSEE | Nov. 20 was a historic day in Tallahassee for newlyelected state representative Joe Saunders.

Saunders became the �irst openly gay legislator sworn into the Florida legislature. He was the second openly gay candidate voted into the legislature—beat to the punch by Democrat David Richardson, a CPA from Miami Beach, who secured his seat in the August primary elections.

Saunders won his bid during the November general elections. By luck of how the speaker called the legislators up, Saunders was sworn in �irst.

“I was the �irst openly gay person to take the oath of

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

of�ice in the state house of representatives,” he said.

The entire weekend was an organizational session, to train legislators, place them onto committees and give the legislators keys to their of�ices.

Saunders will serve on

Donald Rupe, was by his side.

“It’s very exciting to have us both up there [in Tallahassee],” Saunders said. “It’s going to change a lot of things.”

Saunders said those changes are “subtle” and he’s referencing how that legislators are asked to bring their spouses and partners along to various places and occasions.

“There are all these different ways the families of legislators are recognized. Now, when they’re talking about family, they’re talking about me and Donald,” Saunders said. “That’s going to happen, over and over again. There are going to be all these different moments when people are going to be introduced to my partner and just have this ah-ha moment.”

For Saunders, Richardson and the rest of the legislators, committee meetings are underway. |  |

“When they’re talking about family, they’re talking about me and Donald.”

—JOE SAUNDERS the Choice & Innovation Subcommittee, Education Committee, Health Quality Subcommittee and Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee.

When he walked onto the legislative �loor for the very �irst time, Saunders’ partner of 7 years,

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orlando NEWS 10

|  | UCF Student Senate from pg.8 populations at colleges and universities today. He, along with other students and staff, worked with various SGA and University of�icials to move this initiative forward over the past four months.

The OUTreach Advocacy Board is a student-run leadership initiative sponsored by UCF’s Student Development & Enrollment Services division and the LGBTQ Services of�ice. Both LGBTQ Services and the OUTreach Advocacy Board were founded in 2011. They operate on a limited budget because they receive education and grant funds from the State of Florida, a pool of state funds that continue to undergo extensive budget cuts. This year UCF faced the second largest budget cuts of any Florida public university with the Tallahassee slashing $52.6 million from its operating budget.

“As one of the largest universities in the country, UCF is very far behind [in serving its LGBT students] and we need to play catch-up,” Simons said during his presentation to the Senate. “Other universities provide the same services that we’re proposing.”

He also argued that agency status would give LGBT students more autonomy in supporting LGBT issues at UCF and in the broader community as well as safeguard LGBT student services at the University from budget cuts.

Not all LGBT students at UCF were supportive of approving the Pride Coalition. SGA senator Jacob Kahn, who is gay, adamantly spoke against the measure at both readings.

“No one minority group is more important than the next,” Kahn said. “By voting for this group, you are saying the LGBTQ community is more important than every other minority group on campus.”

Kahn thinks the Pride Coalition approval means other minority organizations will seek agency status.

Since 2002, the Multicultural Student Center has operated as an SGA agency to support multicultural programming and education. He expressed concern that the creation of the Pride Coalition would undermine the effectiveness of the Multicultural Student Center.

The Multicultural Student Center endorsed the formation of the Pride Coalition and sponsored the Senate bill.

When the bill passed, cheers �illed the room as students began to hug, laugh and cry in celebration.

“It’s the proudest moment of my life,” said Simons.

“I think it’s an amazing step forward for the LGBTQ community at UCF; I think that it was a necessary step forward for us because we’re �inally going to join our peer institutions in meeting these students’ needs.”

The Pride Coalition still has to go before the University’s Activity & Service Fee budget committee to request funding in the upcoming weeks and more than likely will not begin operating until the next �iscal year.

In the Spring of 2013, the UCF Student Union, the Student Government Association and LGBTQ Services plan to open a new communal space for LGBT students and their allies in the Ferrell Commons where Equal’s �ist Diva Invasion was held in 1996. The newly formed Pride Coalition will also be involved in this venture. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Orlando ranked #1 in LGBT protections Staff report

O

RLANDO | Orlando tops a list of Florida cities ranked by how well their gay and transgender residents are legally protected.

The Municipal Equality Index (MEI) is the �irst national rating system of LGBT inclusion in municipal law, compiled by the Human Rights Campaign in collaboration with state organizers, the Equality Federation and the Victory Fund

with analysis by Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith.

“As cities compete for jobs and talent, their commitment to equality and fairness are increasingly deciding factors,” said Smith in a media release. “This equality report card is a great way to let cities know what it takes to lead and what they risk by falling behind.”

The MEI rates cities based on 47 criteria falling under six broad categories: Non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition,

municipality employment practices, inclusiveness of city services, law enforcement and municipal leadership.

The average score for Florida cities is 52 out of 100 points.

Orlando scored 77 out of 100, with perfect scores non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition and municipality’s relationship with the LGBT community.

Rounding out the top 3 cities are Miami, which scored 72 out of 100 points, and Tampa with a score of 66. |  |

Police investigating Zebra House theft Jamie Hyman JAMIE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

O

RLANDO | On Thanksgiving morning, thieves ransacked a storage unit owned by the Zebra Coalition, stealing clothing and other items intended for LGBT youth.

Dexter Foxworth, Zebra Coalition’s executive director, said he was tipped off about the theft by construction workers who noticed the unit was partway open and the lock was broken.

“It literally looked like [the thieves] turned the place upside down,” Foxworth said. “It was a disaster.”

He said they took a lot of clothing donations “for the kids,” plus many of their survival hygiene packs, which are packages containing �irst aid kits, sunscreen, food, basic hygiene products and resource information for the LGBT community, intended to be handed out to LGBT youth who are living on the streets.

They also took electronic games and entertainment that was in storage while renovations on Zebra House were being �inished.

Foxworth �iled a police report but there are no suspects so far.

“They’re still investigating,” he said.

As far as recovery, Foxworth said the Coalition had already been planning a holiday drive called Hope for the Holidays, and now, “We just increased the list

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

TARGETED: Zebra Coalition executive director Dexter Foxworth stands outside the organization’s new location earlier this year. Thieves ransacked a nearby storage unit Thanksgiving morning, stealing clothing intended for LGBT youth. PHOTO BY JAKE STEVENS

with additional needs based on what was stolen.”

He said the biggest need currently is clothing, especially heaver clothing for cold weather, but there will be a full list of needs posted on the Zebra Coalition website and its Facebook page soon. Foxworth said monetary donations are always welcome as well, and currently possible via the website.

Collections for the donation drive will run from 1:30–6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, 11, 13, 18 and 20. The limited collection time is because of their limited staff, to ensure they can still serve their clients.

Foxworth said he’s not worried about more break-ins, because “the new property does have a great security system and

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surveillance.”

There was a ribbon-cutting Dec. 5 to celebrate the grand opening of Zebra Coalition’s new headquarters and emergency youth shelter. The ceremony was led by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and City of Orlando District 4 Commissioner, Patty Sheehan.

“I am proud to have an organization like the Zebra Coalition® in my district,” said Commissioner Sheehan in a media release. “This organization fosters hope, dignity and self-respect in LGBTQ youth and provides them with an opportunity to grow up in a safe, healthy and supportive environment.”

Visit WatermarkOnline. com to see photos of the ribbon cutting. |  |

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

11

tampa bay NEWS

TIME OF REFLECTION: St. Petersburg city councilman Steve Kornell speaks at a Transgender Day of Remembrance service on the steps of City Hall Nov. 20. Also pictured at left, is Michael Keeffe. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD

Group remembers transgender community Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

S

T. PETERSBURG | It was a candlelight vigil without the candles, since a cool breeze would have made the lighting ceremony impossible.

But that didn’t stop two dozen people from attending a Transgender Day of Remembrance service on the steps of City Hall on Nov. 20.

The short ceremony, organized by Trans*Action Florida, was held with permission from the city and featured several speakers, including Trans*Action Florida executive director Michael Keefe, mental health counselor Tristan Byrnes and St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell.

“We hear statistics all the time about violence against the transgender community,” Keefe told the crowd. “I can guarantee you those numbers and statistics are not correct. Too many incidents of transphobia are not reported and the numbers we do have are way below reality.”

The day, commemorated around the world, recognizes members of the transgender community who have died as a result of violence directed at them solely for their gender identity. It’s something that has to stop, Kornell said.

“Members of the transgender community are members of our community,” Kornell said at the ceremony. “Know that as an elected of�icial, I am �ighting for your rights and for your protections.”

Currently, neither Pinellas County nor the City of St. Petersburg offers protections for transgender individuals in their respective human rights ordinances. That’s something many in the community hope to change.

Several in attendance spoke at the vigil, expressing support for transgender neighbors or sharing their own personal stories of discrimination. The service ended with a simple message—”never forget.” |  |

12

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

PASSING GRADE: The City of Tampa ranked high on the inaugural Municipal Equality Index, rating the pro-equality measures of cities across the country.

High Marks Tampa outranks St. Pete in list of pro-equality cities Steve Blanchard

EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

AMPA BAY | According to a report released by the Human Rights Campaign Nov. 29, the City of Tampa is just a little bit more pro-equality than its neighboring city of St. Petersburg.

The Municipal Equality Index (MEI) is the �irst national rating system of LGBT inclusion in municipal law and features 11 Florida cities that have a high concentration of LGBT residents according to the 2010 census. Each city is “graded” on a 100-point scale, with a higher score signifying a more pro-equality environment.

Tampa scored a 66.

St. Petersburg landed a 46. Both cities fell behind Orlando, which topped the list with a score of 77 and Miami, which scored a 72.

Tampa was the �irst city in the region to pass a domestic partnership ordinance earlier this year and under former Mayor Pam Iorio, was one of the �irst cities in mid-Florida to offer domestic partnership bene�its to

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

city employees.

Diversity is something Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn praises often and at every LGBT event he attends.

“I feel we are recognized largely because of mayoral leadership going three administrations that recognized diversity as our strength,” Buckhorn told Watermark.

“I think Tampa has moved light years from when even before I was involved in the public process.”

The scores were determined

cities function in relation to their respective counties could have skewed the results, according to Brian Longstreth, a founder of St. Pete Pride and the owner of Gay St. Pete Guest House.

“For example, through an agreement, the City of St. Petersburg refers all human rights commission complaints to the county’s of�ice, so the city doesn’t have an of�ice for that,” Longstreth explained. “In addition, adding gender identity has been a goal for awhile, but due to Pinellas County handling the cases, the effort has been made at the county level through the recent elections of more supportive county commissioners.”

Longstreth added that a domestic partnership registry is on the county’s agenda for 2013.

“It has made sense to work at a county level vs. the 27 different municipalities that make up Pinellas County,” Longstreth said.

Hillsborough County, on the other hand, is more socially conservative and the City of Tampa has had to enact its equality policy and procedures on its own.

Admittedly, the sampling of

“I think Tampa has moved light years from when even before I was involved in the public process.”

—TAMPA MAYOR BOB BUCKHORN by looking at 47 criteria falling under six broad categories: non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition, the municipality’s employment practices, the inclusiveness of city services, law enforcement and municipal leadership.

But the way in which the two

watermarkonline.com

Continued on page 14 |  |

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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tampa bay NEWS

|  | Pro-Equality Index from pg.12 cities included in the study is small. According to Jeremy Pittman, Deputy Field Director for HRC, 137 municipalities from across the nation were included in the inaugural report: 50- state capitals, the 50 most populous cities and 25 large, 25 mid-size and 25 small cities with the highest proportion of same-sex couples.

“We anticipate evaluating additional cities in future editions,” Pittman said.

The Human Rights Campaign’s report was compiled with the help of the Equality Federation and the Victory Fund and includes analysis by Equality Florida’s Executive Director Nadine Smith on the game changing impact of local laws that include and protect LGBT equality.

“Equality Florida is happy to have worked closely with the Human Rights Campaign in putting together this valuable information about Florida’s municipal-level protections and bene�its for the LGBT community,” said Todd Richardson, development of�icer with Equality Florida. “Tampa has a well-deserved reputation as a diverse, welcoming city and Equality Florida was thrilled to work with both Tampa and St. Petersburg this year to pass Domestic Partnership Registries. Both Mayor Buckhorn and Mayor Foster attended Equality Florida’s ‘Equality Means Business’ forum in late November and both agreed that support for diversity is a key element in the future success of the entire Tampa Bay region.”

The lowest scoring Florida city on the list was Jacksonville with 15. The state’s capital, Tallahassee, tied St. Petersburg at 46. |  |

Metro Thrift gets new look, newer merchandise Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

S

T. PETERSBURG | For years, a small thrift store on Central Avenue has quietly helped community members looking for inexpensive personal items, clothing and a variety of home decor. Now, Metro Thrift & Gift has an updated look and better quality items to serve the area.

“We’ve updated the store and expanded the space,” said Metro Wellness and Community Centers CEO Lorraine Langlois. “Our newly expanded and re-stocked store gives the community a unique opportunity to give back.”

The remodeled store now has a section exclusively for new items, which helped inspire the name change to “Thrift & Gift.” The store has a more modern feel with the

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remodel and hopes to rebrand itself as a shopping resource for the entire community.

Since its conception, the thrift store has been instrumental in providing free household goods, clothing and other merchandise to anyone living with HIV/AIDS through donated merchandise and sales to the general community.

It is also a revenue generator for Metro Centers since 100% of store pro�its are used to support ongoing HIV/AIDS programs and services.

“It’s not unusual for a notfor-pro�it agency to have a retail operation. In these times of shrinking government grants and private donations, program and operations budgets rely on creative fundraising efforts,” Langlois said. “The social entrepreneurial model is expected to raise another 20%25% unrestricted income for the

agency. This in turn will free up restricted grant funds for program and operations costs.”

With the new look and new items, Langlois is hopeful that the community will shop at the store and continue to donate gently used items to keep the shelves and racks stocked.

Of course, donations are always accepted and those wishing to donate gently used items can do so at the store on Central, at the St. Petersburg Metro Wellness and Community Center on 3rd Ave. N., across from Georgie’s Alibi, or at it’s location on 7th Avenue in Ybor City.

Metro Thrift & Gift is at 2235 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg.

For more information on the Thrift & Gift store or for information on the services provided by Metro, visit MetroTampaBay.org or call 727-321-7212. |  |

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermarkonline.com

HydeParkVillage.net

EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

S

ARASOTA | Even before the Dec. 1 Sarasota/Manatee AIDS Walk began on Dec. 1, it was set to raise more money than it did last year.

And this year’s walk did exactly that.

According to Trinity Charities, nearly 26,500 was raised at the event, well above last year’s $17,000.

“The walk is Trinity Charities most important and largest fundraising event of the year,” said Bruce Fournier, Trinity Charities’ Program Coordinator.

Money raised from the walk funds the organization’s Healthy People With AIDS health and wellness class and an emergency fund that working clients can use once a year if they miss work due to illness. It will also help the food bank, which is available to clients the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.

According to Fournier, Trinity Charities gave out more than 36,000 pounds

of food.

As in previous years, the 7th Annual Walk at New College had a large contingent of college and high school youth participating.

Having so many young people participate is not only a welcome sight, but a way to share the story of HIV/AIDS with a new generation and to educate them about prevention, according to Fournier.

Free HIV testing, educational programming, and additional health screenings were available at the walk, provided by Community AIDS Network (CAN) and Hedges Pharmacy’s CARES Outreach.

The event began at 8 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 1—World AIDS Day—with food, raf�les, music and prizes. Walkers took to the route at approximately 9 a.m.

This year’s walk was co-chaired jointly by Trinity Charities and New College and the planning committee included the Manatee County Health Department and Temple Sinai. |  |

sarasota

Steve Blanchard

NEWS

AIDS Walk returns to benefit Trinity Charities

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermarkonline.com

Staff Report

Initially, AlAndChuck. travel supported the rule because it was about safety, not discrimination.

“Carnival’s ‘no costumes rule’ is not meant to be an insult to the gay community,” said Ferguson. “It is in response to the post-911 world we live in. It is meant to protect passengers and guests—not to marginalize a few.”

Several would-be passengers within the LGBT community were upset with the Sarasotabased travel company’s support of the ban, but once the ban was reversed, the controversy surrounding it died down.

Ferguson did not immediately return calls for comment.

The Drag Stars at Sea cruise aboard the Carnival “Glory” was scheduled to stop in Nassau, St. John, St. Thomas, San Juan and Turks and Caicos. |  |

Jamie Hyman JAMIE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

M

IAMI | In its 9th year, SMART Ride has raised more than $860,000 that will be divided among seven HIV/AIDS support agencies across Florida.

According to SMART Ride founder Glen Weinzimer, the two-day, 165-mile bicycle ride from Miami to Key West attracted more than 400 riders. In their �irst year, they raised $169,000 and the event has grown every year since. The 2011 ride raised $685,000.

“I think a lot of the success has to do with that we guarantee that 100% goes back to the bene�iting agencies,” Weinzimer said. “We’ve gained a reputation for the event and the experience.”

This year’s ride attracted 181% more out-ofstate riders, including two teams that traveled from California to participate.

“For us, the biggest growth has been the healthy competition between teams,” Weinzimer said. “ Participants are committed to raising $1,250 each.

Weinzimer said the top 3 teams this year raised more than $250,000. |  |

state

J

ust days before one of its ships was set to leave Miami for a Caribbean cruise featuring a cast of drag performers, Carnival Cruise Lines reversed a decision that had banned guests from dressing in drag outside of the ship’s theater. The cruise leader also offered to provide full refunds to anyone who wanted to cancel their cruise.

The cruise line said that the original ban resulted from a “miscommunication” with cruise organizers Al Ferguson and Chuck Scott, owners of AlAndChuck.travel, the LGBT travel agency that booked the “Drag Cruise.”

“When the group was presented to us we were advised that only the performers would be dressed in drag during the private events,” Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill said in a letter.

“We sincerely apologize for the miscommunication and for any unintended offense we have caused.”

He added, “anyone who wishes to dress in drag may do so.”

The Drag Stars at Sea cruise features performances by more than 30 drag queens from Logo’s RuPaul’s Drag Race. Just a week before the departure date of the cruise, Vicky Ray, Carnival’s vice president of guest services, sent an email to passengers of the cruise ship “Glory” informing them that, unless they were performing on stage in the main theater, they would not be permitted to dress in drag on the ship in order to “present a family-friendly atmosphere.”

“Although we realize this group consists solely of adults, we nonetheless expect all guests to recognize that minors are onboard and refrain from engaging in inappropriate conduct in public areas,” the email said.

SMART Ride 2012 raises more than $860,000

NEWS

Carnival cancels drag ban on cruise

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DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

17

nation+world NEWS

Judge temporarily blocks California gay therapy law

IN OTHER NEWS MAINE MARRIAGES BEGIN DEC. 29 Gay marriage advocacy groups say Maine’s new same-sex marriage law is going into effect Dec. 29. EqualityMaine says Gov. Paul LePage signed off on the certified election results on Nov. 29. The new law goes into effect 30 days from that date.

DABAKIS WINS UTAH SENATE SEAT Openly gay Utah Democratic Party Chairman Jim Dabakis has emerged from a crowded field to win the state Senate seat vacated by Ben McAdams. Dabakis defeated Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon by a 67-61 vote of party delegates on Dec. 1. In July 2011, Dabakis became the first openly gay person to lead a state party in Utah.

WEST POINT CHAPEL HOSTS ITS FIRST SAME-SEX WEDDING Cadet Chapel, the landmark Gothic church that is a center for spiritual life at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, hosted its first same-sex wedding on Dec.1. Penelope Gnesin and Brenda Sue Fulton, a West Point graduate, exchanged vows in the regal church in an afternoon ceremony conducted by a senior Army chaplain. A week earlier, a young lieutenant and her partner were the first same-sex couple to marry at West Point in the small Old Cadet Chapel in West Point’s cemetery.

APPEAL VOWED IN NEVADA SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RULING The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund has vowed to appeal a Nov. 29 ruling by U.S. District Chief Judge Robert Jones upholding Nevada’s ban on same-sex marriage. “We think this decision is not only out of step with where the country is headed, but also completely wrong on the law,’’ said Lambda attorney Tara Borelli. A challenge will be filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

UGANDA’S ANTI-GAY BILL WON’T CONTAIN DEATH PENALTY Parliamentarian David Bahati, the Ugandan lawmaker who originally authored an anti-gay bill proposing death for some homosexual acts, said Nov. 30 that a new version of the proposed legislation doesn’t contain the death penalty.

Bahati said the bill now focuses on protecting children from gay pornography, banning gay marriage, counseling gays, as well as punishing those who promote gay culture.

SINGAPORE COUPLE CHALLENGE LAW ON GAY SEX A gay couple filed a constitutional challenge in Singapore’s High Court on Nov. 30 aimed at repealing a long-standing law that criminalizes gay sex. Under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed “an act of gross indecency,’’ punishable by a maximum of two years in jail.

NY GAYS ACCUSE NJ THERAPY GROUP OF FALSE PROMISES Four gay men are accusing the Jersey City, N.J.-based nonprofit Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing of fraud for selling “conversion therapy’’ that falsely promised to make them straight. In a lawsuit filed Nov. 27. the men allege they were subjected to humiliations that included stripping naked and taking a baseball bat to effigies of their mothers. The men claim that the methods do not work and violate New Jersey’s consumer protection laws.

18

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Wire Report

S

AN FRANCISCO, CALIF. | A federal judge on Dec. 3 temporarily blocked California from enforcing a �irstof-its-kind law that bars licensed psychotherapists from working to change the sexual orientations of gay minors, but he limited the scope of his order to just the three providers who have appealed to him to overturn the measure.

U.S. District Court Judge William Shubb made a decision just hours after a hearing on the issue, ruling that the First Amendment rights of psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals who engage in “reparative” or “conversion” therapy outweigh

concern that the practice poses a danger to young people.

“Even if SB 1172 is characterized as primarily aimed at regulating conduct, it also extends to forms of (conversion therapy) that utilize speech and, at a minimum, regulates conduct that has an incidental effect on speech,” Shubb wrote.

The judge also disputed the California Legislature›s �inding that trying to change young people›s sexual orientation puts them at risk for suicide or depression, saying it was based on «questionable and scienti�ically incomplete studies.»

The law, which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October, states that therapists and counselors who use «sexual orientation change efforts» on clients under 18 would be

engaging in unprofessional conduct and subject to discipline by state licensing boards. It is set to take effect on Jan. 1.

Although the ruling is a setback for the law›s supporters, the judge softened the impact of his decision by saying that it applies only to three people—psychiatrist Anthony Duk, marriage and family therapist Donald Welch, and Aaron Bitzer, a former patient who is studying to become a counselor who specializes in clients who are unhappy being gay.

Lawyers for the state argue that outlawing reparative therapy is appropriate because it would protect young people from a practice that has been rejected as unproven and potentially harmful by all the mainstream mental health associations. |  |

with appeals by House Republicans defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that denies spousal bene�its to same-sex couples legally married under their state laws. The court has not yet taken action on either matter.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled in February that Prop. 8, the 2008 initiative that amended the state Constitution to de�ine marriage as the union of a man and a woman, was unconstitutional.

Prop. 8 has remained in force,

however, while its backers appeal to the Supreme Court. If the court denies review, it would clear the way for same-sex couples to marry in California.

Several federal courts have also declared DOMA unconstitutional.

The 1996 law withholds joint tax �iling, Social Security survivor payments and other bene�its from married same-sex couples.

The Supreme Court is likely to grant a hearing in at least one of those cases for the term that ends next June. |  |

founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Fleck said he was always taught homosexuality was a choice and he got married in 2002.

“I wanted to live a normal life and raise a family,’’ he said. ``I also believed that by marrying, I was ful�illing God’s will and I thought my same-sex attraction would simply go away.’’

He said he didn’t discuss his struggles with anyone, including his wife, for many years. The couple split last year, but he said his wife is still his best friend.

He said his greatest dif�iculty has been reconciling his faith with his sexuality.

“I sought out treatment from a

Christian counselor, but when that didn’t work out, I engaged a secular therapist who told me point-blank that I was gay and that I was too caught up in being the perfect Christian rather than actually being authentic and honest,’’ Fleck said.

He said he met many gay Christians during his years of counseling “who have tried hard to change their God-given sexual orientation, but at the end of the day, I know of none who’ve been successful,’’ he said.

Fleck is the �irst legislator currently in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly who is openly gay. He will be joined by Brian Sims, an openly gay Democrat from Philadelphia. |  |

Supreme Court quiet on gay marriage Wire Report WASHINGTON, D.C. | The U.S. Supreme Court again remained silent Dec. 3 on the fate of same-sex marriage cases in California and nationwide. The court put the cases over until Friday, Dec. 7, when the justices hold their next conference to consider pending appeals.

An appeal by sponsors of California’s Proposition 8 had originally been on the agenda for the court’s Nov. 30 conference, along

Rural Pennsylvania GOP lawmaker comes out Wire Report HUNTINGDON, PA. | A state lawmaker from central Pennsylvania shared he is gay in a Dec. 1 interview with his local newspaper.

Republican Rep. Mike Fleck, 39, told The Daily News of Huntingdon County that his personal journey has been a long and dif�icult process.

Fleck won his House seat in 2006 and ran unopposed for a fourth term in the Nov. 6 election. He represents a conservative district that includes rural Appalachian and Amish communities, located between the cities of Altoona and State College. A devout Christian, he attended Liberty University, the evangelical school

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermarkonline.com

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

19

Christmas Celebration Join us in the

at Trinity Metropolitan Community Church of Gainesville december 2 december 5 december 9 december 13 december 16

december 20 december 23 december 24

Rev. Dr. Jim Merritt Senior Pastor

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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First Sunday of Advent and World AIDS Day Observance Advent Prayers and Worship Second Sunday of Advent and Potluck Luncheon Advent Around the World Third Sunday of Advent Trinity Christmas Program: The Promise of Light Holiday Sweet Treats Reception Christmas Carol Sing Along Fourth Sunday of Advent Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Holiday Savory Treats Reception

Trinity Metropolitan Community Church of Gainesville

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DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermarkonline.com

onlineoffline

Watermark tradition: boycotting the bell-ringers

Jamie Hyman ONLINE MEDIA DIR. JAMIE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

I

T’S THAT TIME OF YEAR

again, when we’re greeted by the Salvation Army bell-ringers outside of every neighborhood store, and Watermark readers quietly take a stand against the charitable organization’s anti-gay history, practices and attitude.

Due to their overwhelming popularity last holiday season, we are once again offering a mini-�lyer stating your opposition to The Salvation Army’s anti-gay practices. If you are participating in the boycott but would like to let The Salvation Army know why, please cut out the “money” graphics on this page and when you encounter a bell-ringer, slip a �lyer into their shiny red bucket in lieu of cash. If three are not enough, a downloadable �ile of additional �lyers is also available at WatermarkOnline.com. That download would also come in handy should you wish to spread the movement to someone who does not have access to a print edition of Watermark.

Here’s a roundup of some of the Salvation Army’s anti-gay actions: In 2012, a Salvation Army media relations director stated that it is part of the group’s “belief system” that gay people deserve to die.

In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to close its New York City soup kitchens after the city decided to require all charities to adhere to civil rights laws.

In 2001, it tried to get the Bush administration not to give grant monies to cities and states with nondiscrimination laws and that same year, The Salvation Army tried to get an exemption that would allow them to ignore laws protecting LGBTs from discrimination.

The Salvation Army’s Position Statement on Homosexuality, which has been deleted from the organization’s web site (SalvationArmyUSA.org) sometime in the past year, was very, very carefully worded, calling sexual attraction “a matter of profound complexity.”

Regardless of the tactful phrasing, the message is clear: The Salvation Army does not support LGBT rights.

“Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage,” the statement reads.

It denounces abuse against individuals based on their sexual orientation and says the Salvation Army’s services are available to all who qualify, regardless of sexual orientation.

The upshot is that The Salvation Army apparently does not discriminate against gay individuals when it comes to direct services, but holds a longstanding, organization-wide contempt for regulations that require charities to adhere to policies that �ight anti-gay discrimination. That stance arguably is more problematic than blatantly homophobic groups because it allows The Salvation Army to publicly announce, “We help anyone!” while collecting money from unsuspecting generous folks which it can then privately, quietly use to advance anti-LGBT efforts.

If you do not agree with the boycott, that is �ine.

If you agree, and you wish to do more than simply withhold your change from the shiny red buckets, then cut out the �lyer on this page or go to WatermarkOnline.com and print out your bell-ringer “donations” stating why you do not support The Salvation Army. |  |

When you encounter a bell-ringer, slip a flyer into their shiny red bucket in lieu of cash.

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Salvation Army—Go Army— Go Beyond the Boycott The Salvation Army has consistently taken an anti-gay stance

i do

T O N support

THE SALVATION ARMY

on LGBT issues, specifically those shielding gays and lesbians from discrimination, dating back to 1986.

The Salvation Army’s official policy statement is homophobic, stating that gays and lesbians should be celibate and are not entitled to marriage equality.

That is why I do not support The Salvation Army’s donation drive.

N

s

watermark

TH

watermarkonline.com

The Salvation Army has consistently taken an anti-gay stance

i do

T O N support

THE SALVATION ARMY

on LGBT issues, specifically those shielding gays and lesbians from discrimination, dating back to 1986.

The Salvation Army’s official policy statement is homophobic, stating that gays and lesbians should be celibate and are not entitled to marriage equality.

That is why I do not support The Salvation Army’s donation drive.

N

s

watermark

TH

watermarkonline.com

The Salvation Army has consistently taken an anti-gay stance

i do

T O N support

THE SALVATION ARMY

on LGBT issues, specifically those shielding gays and lesbians from discrimination, dating back to 1986.

The Salvation Army’s official policy statement is homophobic, stating that gays and lesbians should be celibate and are not entitled to marriage equality.

That is why I do not support The Salvation Army’s donation drive.

s

watermark

TH

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21

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I Am Not the Next MasterChef

Ken Kundis KEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

I

N OCTOBER 2010, I LOST MY

job of 13 years with the employer that moved me from Orlando to New York City in 2009. The economy was still reeling, so I was lucky to �ind a marketing job with a �inancial services company based near my apartment in Jersey City.

But they soon informed me I would be moved to the company’s Lake Mary of�ice. Either that, or look for another job.

So I moved back into my Audubon Park home, but my heart remained in love—with the city and a certain guy.

Even as I drove down I-95 to return to the place I still considered ‘home,’ I knew I would look for a way to get back to the city and to Phil.

In the meantime, I was bored and lonely.

Enter MasterChef.

The second season of the American version of the show became my must-watch moment. Here were home cooks with no experience in professional kitchens competing for cash, prizes and the kind of prestige that four-star Michelin chefs crave.

Each week contained a new challenge: �illet a �ish; make a cake from scratch; produce a souf�lé in 40 minutes. I recorded each show, tried to replicate the

challenges, and began to enjoy cooking in ways previously unknown to me.

Fast forward to the present: I’m back in Manhattan, Phil and I live together in a high rise on the Hudson River, and I’m still a huge fan of MasterChef. So when a New York casting call was announced at the end of Season Three, I signed up.

I expected a crowd at the trendy Flatotel on 52nd Street, but nothing like the one I encountered last month. More than 300 hopefuls were waving hand-made signs or cut-outs of Gordon Ramsey and chanting “MasterChef! MasterChef!”

Over-the-top enthusiasm is not in my repertoire, so I felt out of place… until the editor yelled “Cut!” and everyone went silent. The producers, who had made the signs in the �irst place, stepped in to rearrange them.

This wasn’t enthusiasm or ambition, it was marketing; something I could understand.

In line, an unexpected Orlando connection materialized. Directly in front of me, a forlorn exhippie grandmother from nearby Christmas radiated bitterness and disappointment.

“I tried out in Miami, but I didn’t make it past the �irst round,” May hissed. “They picked the blonde bitch.”

So she packed her Christmas cookies—yes, her audition ‘dish’ was a collection of Christmas cookies—and �lew to New York to take another shot.

The young, good-looking African American man behind me seemed more suited for reality television.

Jay resembled comedian David Chapelle—in looks and personality— and seemed to know his food. If his dish was as accessible and interesting as his personality, I �igured he was a shoe-in.

And so we waited. An hour went by, and then another. Once we �inally got in and plated our food, I felt a little better. We had been told that there would be no way to heat up our dishes but not to worry; the judges would focus on presentation and taste.

May’s spread— mini blueberry pies, banana bread and the aforementioned cookies—shouted “Christmas in Christmas, Florida.”

But it would be �ine (or not) at any temperature. Jay plated a dish with pasta, shrimp and salmon. I felt for him; it didn’t look appetizing cold.

My pan-seared lamb chops and parsley pesto would be better hot, but paired with a fennel and Mache salad with grapefruit segments it made for

an attractive plate.

A beautiful and very-LA production assistant came around with a cameraman and asked questions. At the end of each interview we were told to hold up our plates, look straight into the camera and ask, “Am I the next MasterChef?”

Turns out, I’m not. But I felt victory in making it through the tough ‘food’ round, with compliments from the food editor. My inability to manufacture that over-the-top enthusiasm (or “fandemonium” as the production assistant had called it) was my undoing. Incidentally, Jay’s salmon brick and bland pasta failed to impress

the food judge. May’s Christmas cookies must have been tasty, but she blew the interview by acting like an unpleasant schoolteacher.

My audition to be MasterChef was exactly what it was supposed to be: a lark. Even if I’d made it, I’m not sure I could have taken the required nineweek leave of absence from work.

(Who can?!) But I got to see the inner workings of one of my favorite shows, meet chef/judge Joe Bastianich (my least favorite), and get feedback on my cooking.

Not a bad way to spend a free afternoon back in Manhattan. |  |

A forlorn ex-hippie grandmother from nearby radiated bitterness and disappointment.

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DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermarkonline.com

TALKING POINTS I got in line and walked across (the stage) and they just thought I was some little short gay guy...

but I got the least applause.

33% OF THE OAHU, HAWAII, LAYSAN ALBATROSS POPULATION is raised by two-female parents

1,000+ SPECIES have displayed pairing by same-sex couples

—According to a recent study by Dr. Nathan Bailey, an evolutionary biologist at California University

O

N THE BACK OF SEVERAL MARRIAGE EQUALITY SUCCESSES IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTION, THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN is airing ads on Sunday morning news shows to continue the momentum. And

AP AXES ‘HOMOPHOBIA’

E

VERY MAJOR NEWSPAPER AND NEWS ORGANIZATION THAT USES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STYLEBOOK will have to make an adjustment in 2013. The 2013 edition explicitly says to not use “-phobia” in political or social contexts.

So words like “homophobia,” “Islamaphobia” and “transphobia” will be replaced with words like “antigay,” “anti-Islam” and “anti-transgender.”

The move is a way to discourage violence and focus on more accurate, although neutral-sounding, language. Dr. George Weinberg, who coined the term “homophobia” in 1972, isn’t thrilled with the change, saying that the word has helped educate government entities and motivate change. |  |

MORGAN FREEMAN NARRATES OUR LIFE epic narrator and actor Morgan Freeman is the voice behind the ads.

“Now, across our country, we’re standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person

“That will fail. They’re country as hell in Indiana.”

—MIKE HALTERMAN

—KIM ARMSTRONG

they love,” Freeman says in one ad. “And with historic victories for marriage, we’ve delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back, but our journey has just begun.” |  |

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? I hate it!

October is for Halloween, November is for Thanksgiving and it makes me grinchy when Christmas/Hannukah stuff starts any earlier than Black Friday.

10% I like seeing some holiday stuff

“Funny comment, but an ugly story. I hope that girl gets some help and I hope her stepfather gets what’s coming to him. Some people are so small minded.”

—C. RANDY GAMBLE

L

GBTS APPLAUDED A WIDE RANGE OF VICTORIES ON ELECTION NIGHT, including the election of Stacie Laughton to the New Hampshire State House.

Her win meant she is the only openly transgender person to be elected to public of�ice this year.

Unfortunately, the Rep-elect won’t be able to actually serve her state. The Democrat submitted her resignation after it was learned she served four months in prison in 2008 for credit card fraud. In New Hampshire, convicted criminals are ineligible for of�ice for 10 years, meaning Laughlin has another six years before she can serve public of�ice. |  |

EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS CREEP—HOW THE DECEMBER HOLIDAYS SEEM TO START EARLIER AND EARLIER EACH YEAR.

ON DEERFIELD BEACH PARENTS CLAIMING THEIR DAUGHTER’S TEACHER TURNED THE DAUGHTER INTO A LESBIAN: “Funny. I had straight teachers my whole life. I turned out gay. Perhaps they just looked straight, like Jennifer Carroll.”

NOT SO HISTORIC

WATERMARKONLINE.COM POLL

PEOPLE ARE TALKING AT WATERMARKONLINE.COM ON WHETHER INDIANA WILL BE THE NEXT BIG MARRIAGE EQUALITY BATTLEGROUND:

—DOLLY PARTON, SHARING HER EXPERIENCE AS A CONTESTANT IN A DRAG PAGEANT WITH ABC NEWS

in November - it helps me get a head start on my gift shopping. But I think sometimes it goes to far.

10% The more the merrier The December holidays are my favorite all year and I can’t get enough. My tree is up already!

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

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watermarkonline.com

ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT

Scrooge GOES GAY A gay twist reinvents Dickens’ characters in Scrooge & Marley, screening in St. Pete.

E

Gregg Shapiro GREGSHAPIRO@AOL.COM

VER SINCE CHARLES DICKENS FIRST

published A Christmas Carol, it has been acted on stage and �ilm countless times with a variety of actors, settings and themes. But in 2012, the story is told once again—this time from an LGBT perspective.

In Scrooge & Marley, which will be screened in St. Petersburg at Muvico Baywalk on Thursday, Dec. 6, by the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festiavl, our modern day Ben Scrooge hates the holidays, but that’s where the similarities to the classic character end. This Scrooge has made it his life’s mission to make the gay community miserable, and we

learn it’s all linked back to his painful coming out as a teenager and his luckless love for a man in his past. His bitterness also stems from resentment toward his happy, lesbian niece who is expecting a baby with her partner, and the life his employee Bob Cratchit shares with his partner and �ive adopted kids—including Tiny Tim. Out actor David Pevsner plays the

updated Scrooge—his �irst leading role in a �ilm. But he may seem familiar to �ilm and Broadway buffs, especially those who saw the recent Lifetime �ilm Liz & Dick, where he played Elizabeth Taylor’s doctor, and the off-Broadway hit Howard Crabtree’s When Pigs Fly. Pevsner’s newest role is a challenge, but a challenge that took the actor back to his hometown of Chicago, where the movie was �ilmed, and gave him a chance to recreate Scrooge in a way that would have been unimaginable a decade or so ago.

WATERMARK: WHAT WAS IT

THAT DREW YOU TO THE ROLE OF SCROOGE IN SCROOGE & MARLEY?

DAVID PEVSNER: At �irst, I saw the opportunity to work in Chicago. My

family’s still here and I thought it would be great to spend time. As far as the role, I never thought of myself as the guy to play a typical Scrooge, but I loved the take on the character here, and I could really identify. He’s built this whole world for himself that has no real connection to anyone or anything except business, yet in his earlier incarnation, we see him so full of love and wonder.

How he gets back to connecting on a human level is the story here, and I found it so relatable.

I’ve had my dark void-y times and it made me see him as more than just a mean, cranky antagonist.

I love him throughout, because even at his meanest, he’s still sort of witty.

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

Continued on page 31 |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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Killing Them Softly features Brad Pitt.

Screened Out MOVIE REVIEWS

Cinema and Redemption Anna Karenina Starring Keira Knightley, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jude Law, Kelly MacDonald

T

HIS 900-PLUS-PAGE NOVEL BY

Leo Tolstoy is supposed to be a joyless, tragic slog. No one told director Joe Wright (Atonement), screenwriter Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) and the rest of this amazing crew.

Stephen Miller

STEPHEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

They took a dusty, turgid Russian love story and added life and theatricality.

They took risks and they succeeded.

In 1870s Russia, Anna (Knightley) is dutifully married to one Alexei (Law), a religious Russian politician. Another man—an aristocratic soldier also named Alexei (the younger, livelier Taylor-Johnson)— persistently woos Anna. Against her better judgment, she falls in love with the handsome soldier. In the meantime, she and her husband both lecture people on the dif�iculties of �idelity and the need for forgiveness.

30

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Killing Them Softly

Rise of the Guardians

Starring Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, Scoot McNairy, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta

Voices of Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Jude Law

W

REBOOT: Jude Law and Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina.

The �ilmmakers decided to present this all in theatrical devices, with heavily staged scenes, sets, music choreography, and secret meetings in the wings and �ly space. This makes sense, because one of the consequences of in�idelity in Imperial Russia was a loss of social standing. It’s breath-taking to watch and �ills the plot with life. I found myself thinking, “Is this really Anna Karenina?”

In fact, this �ilm is the clear front-runner for the Oscar in art direction. Expect Wright and Stoppard to also be mentioned. Jacqueline Durran’s costumes and Dario Marianelli’s sumptuous score deserve note. Finally—in a story whose dated themes may rob it of emotional impact—Jude Law gives us one of his most beautiful, nuanced performances ever. |  |

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

Jack Frost in Rise of the Guardians.

D

ID YOU KNOW THAT SANTA HY IS THIS MOVIE BEING CLAUS IS PRUSSIAN AND GUSHED OVER? It feels THAT YETIS BUILD THE TOYS, like a lauded writernot the idiot elves? How about that director got too much leeway. the Easter Bunny was Australian, he’s Andrew Dominik �irst made got a magic boomerang, and large eggThe Assassination of Jessie James shaped statues that guard his lair? Also, by the Coward Robert Ford, a Santa, Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the well-performed movie that was Sandman can kick some serious butt. more mood than substance.

Rise of the Guardians is adorable Want even more mood? This and action-packed. But there’s not violent meandering through the mob much sense to all its distraction and underbelly feels indeterminable, even action, except to occupy kids’ at 97 minutes. Also, Dominik brains for a little while. tacks on a messy comparison In the beginning, no one RATINGS GUIDE between mobsters and has ever seen Jack Frost the Wall Street bailout.

(Pine). That’s because, The plot: three idiots think even though snow days are they have the perfect crime.

Overflowing fun, Frost doesn’t do much They hold up a mob card with glittery memorable besides kill fabulousness game once knocked over by crops and create icy patches Ray Liotta, knowing Liotta to fell the unsuspecting. will get the blame the second Pretty damn However, Frost is called to time. The game’s organizer good, but it’s no be a hero when Pitch Black, (Jenkins) then hires hit-men Sunset Boulevard the boogeyman (Law), Pitt and Gandol�ini to kill lots comes out of wherever of people and put the poker An entertaining he’s been hiding to try games back in business. enough flick to take over the world.

The acting—sometimes with perhaps Dreamworks does a long-wided—is always a few holes colorful job with a multitude skilled. A couple shots are also of chase scenes. The story astounding. In fact, one slowEver so slightly is less impressive, stretched motion car crash is a brilliant watchable, just to make a children’s book feat of digital �ilm work. for that hot actor into a full-length movie. The Then there are the voices are okay, and certain problems. The editing is Two hours of elements are cute, like the distractingly “artsy.” The your life you’ll Baby Tooth fairies—small continuity people forgot never get back hummingbirds that collect to check drink levels and the teeth every night. hairstyles, which keep shifting.

“Cute” is, in fact, a word that Scenes of people confessing random sins do nothing for the razor-thin plot. Finally, could be used over and over.

However, with the focus clearly on there are a dozen unsubtle cutaways to Frost and Claus, it feels as though politicians discussing the bailout, and a Dreamworks was shooting for the �inal monologue that tries to shoehorn everything into a single, coherent picture. phrase “holiday classic.” Like any given snow day, Guardians is cool Too late; you didn’t kill anything but not entirely memorable. |  | softly, you just killed it. |  |

watermarkonline.com

|  | Scrooge from pg.27 HOW DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL REACT TO THIS TREATMENT OF THE CLASSIC DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL STORY?

I hope they take it to heart. It’s a “gay” �ilm in that a lot of the stock Dickens characters are in a gay context, but the feelings of family and inclusion and self-esteem and love are so universal. It’s sort of the family Christmas �ilm for the gays and their friends and family. There’s another fun gay Christmas �ilm that was directed by my friend Rob Williams (Role/Play), called Make the Yuletide Gay. Scrooge & Marley has an entirely different feel. Why can’t we have two perennials?

It would be so great if this could be a �ilm that people revisit every year, like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life. Shooting it, it certainly felt that way. It was shot with such heart and goodwill.

THE CAST OF SCROOGE & MARLEY FEATURES OUT ACTORS INCLUDING BRUCE VILANCH AND RICHARD GANOUNG. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH THEM ON THIS PROJECT?

What a great group. I already knew Bruce from writing Naked Boys Singing and I see him in L.A. a lot.

I only knew (director)Richard based on his work and he is a total sweetheart and a wonderful scene partner—all the gays were! That means you too, Megan Cavanaugh, and the honorary gay, Rusty Schwimmer! The whole cast was so wonderful, mostly great Chicagobased actors who really stepped up to the plate and made me keep up. I would list them here, but they were all fantastic.

songs, while Christmas is lighted trees, sugar cookies, decorated houses, and caroling. We Jews got the short end of the celebratory stick. [Laughs.]

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE HOLIDAY-THEMED MOVIE?

I love It’s a Wonderful Life but as a little boy, my fave was Shirley Temple’s Heidi. I can imitate her

play there again. Chicago has some great actors and a bunch were in the �ilm. I felt lucky to share the screen with them.

DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE FOR STAGE OR SCREEN?

I really enjoy playing a great role. Luckily, I’m getting more substantial stuff in �ilms these days, and it’s so damn fun. They say there’s no such thing as small roles, only small actors, but girl, I’ve done the small roles and still do on TV, and I like the big roles better! I was shooting a short �ilm recently that called on everything I have as an actor, including a �ight scene, and I just thought, “it doesn’t get better than this.” Oh wait, that one was unpaid; still, a ball. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the role, not the medium.

“It’s a ‘gay’ film in that a lot of the stock Dickens characters are in a gay context, but the feelings of family and inclusion and self-esteem and love are so universal.”

—DAVID PEVSNER, WHO PLAYS SCROOGE

SCROOGE & MARLEY IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE, YET YOU’RE JEWISH. HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS AS A YOUTH?

I’m Jewish and was raised as such in Skokie, Ill.—Hebrew school, Bar Mitzvah, all of it. We did go to (the) Sauganash (neighborhood) to look at the Christmas lights, but we never had a tree. Every year I campaigned for a “Chanukah Bush,” but that was never gonna happen! Face it, Chanukah is menorahs, dreidels, potato pancakes, and dirge-like

calling for her grandfather, played

by Jean Hersholt. “Grandfeather!

Grandfeather!” [Laughs]

WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU TO MAKE A MOVIE IN YOUR HOMETOWN?

So nice. The six degrees thing was working overtime—actors knowing folks I went to high school with or family members, plus I got to see my best girlfriend of almost 50 years and my high school drama teacher, besides getting to see my folks and my sister. I’d love to do a

a few years ago called To Bitter and Back. I’m working on getting that up. I’m also touring with the production of Terrence McNally’s play Corpus Christi that we’ve done all over the world, but now we’re taking it to cities that we feel really need to hear the message of the play. we will perform the show as a part of the “I Am Love” campaign to help �ight the bullying epidemic.

Film-wise, besides Scrooge & Marley, I play James Deans’ acting teacher (based on James Whitmore) in a �ilm called Joshua Tree 1951: A Portrait of James Dean that’s out on the festival circuit. Later this year I’m in a sci-�i/romance �ilm called Love and Teleportation, as well as a bunch of short �ilms for festivals, one of which, Coach, was directed by Sam Raimi’s son, Lorne (who was) so fantastic to work with. I’ve had a very busy and creative couple of years, and I’m so grateful to get to be an artist full time. |  |

MORE INFORMATION

WHAT: Scrooge & Marley

WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

WHEN: 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 6

I wrote a new one man musical called Musical Comedy Whore, a sequel of sorts to my last show that I did at the Bailiwick (in Chicago)

WHERE: Muvico Baywalk, St. Petersburg; Also available on DVD TICKETS: $10 at TIGLFF.com

“It’s Mamma Mia meets Sex and the City!

Loved it!”

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

31

December 18, 7:30 pm. December 19, 7:30 pm Palladium Theater 253 Fifth Ave. N. St. Petersburg Mark Sforzini, Artistic Director For Ticket Information visit

www.StPeteOpera.org or call 727-823-2040

Friday, December 14th 2012 7:30 pm

SPC Clearwater Arts Auditorium

Saturday, December 15th 2012 3:00 pm &

Sunday, December 16th 2012 3:00 pm

HCC Ybor Campus Performing Arts Building, Mainstage Theatre For Tickets Visit:

www.Una-Voce.org or call (855) 862-8623 32

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

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Follow us!

uvfmc #uvfmc

ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT EVENT PLANNER

QUICK PICKS Tampa Jeffrey

DEC. 6-23 Straz Center StrazCenter.org

Re�lections

DEC. 14-16 Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale Una-Voce.org

Sister Act Y

Cirque du Noel

DEC. 12 The Lakeland Center 863-834-8100 TheLakelandCenter.com

St. Petersburg Wynonna

Sarasota Annie

DEC. 6-16 The Players Theatre 941-365-2494 ThePlayers.org For more events or to submit your upcoming show, concert or performance, visit

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OU MAY KNOW THE

story from the 1991 �ilm, but the Broadway production of Sister Act is described as an overthe-top musical comedy that puts a whole new feel to the popular story.

Lakeland

DEC. 21 Mahaffey Theater 727-898-2100 MahaffeyTheater.com

ORLANDO+TAMPA

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After a successful run on Broadway, the touring cast of Sister Act runs at the Bob Carr Center in Orlando through Dec. 9 before arriving at Tampa’s Straz Center Dec. 11-16. The play stays true to the plot of the �ilm, following aspiring performer Deloris Van Cartier from divebar diva to witness protection nun, but is paired with music

by Tony- and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken.

TAMPA Holiday Inc.

ET INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT WITH THE GAY-PENNED HOLIDAY INC., which is returning to the Jaeb Theater within the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Dec. 13-22. Tampa local Jonathan Van Dyke wrote the musical about Ivy, an elf who believes that the meaning of the holidays is getting lost because of the stress and hustle we place upon the day to make it special. An emergency meeting of the workshop is called, and she is soon greeted by the Holiday

Inc. Board of Directors. This mythical group of executives are responsible for the magic that takes place each year.

The large cast features several LGBTs and impressive costumes, effects and highenergy dance numbers. It’s Broadway without having to travel all the way to the chilly Northeast. For details and samples of the show, visit HolidayIncTheShow. com. For tickets, visit StrazCenter.org. |  |

S

The comedy isn’t necessarily gay, but with sparkling costumes, dazzling sets and roaring music, it’s hard to argue against suggesting the smash hit to friends. Plus, it offers a nice break from the slew of holidaythemed productions, television specials and concerts coming throughout the month.

For tickets, visit Orlando.Broadway.com or StrazCenter.org. |  |

ORLANDO Carrie Underwood

INCE WINNING SEASON 4 OF AMERICAN IDOL, CARRIE UNDERWOOD HAS PROVED UNSTOPPABLE. Now, the newly married country darling is on the road again with her “The Blown Away Tour,” which coincides with her new album. She brings her globetrotting tour to the Amway Center in Orlando on Dec. 21.

Underwood, who is straight, gained legions of LGBT fans this summer when she told a reporter that she believed anyone who loves another person should be able to marry.

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In effect, she said she supported same-sex marriage. Not everyone has been so supportive following that announcement, but Underwood continues to crank out the hits and constantly rivals original Idol Kelly Clarkson in album sales.

Besides enjoying her music, concert-goers can also help a good cause. One dollar from each ticket sold on the North American leg of the tour goes to support Red Cross disaster relief.

For tickets, visit CenterOrlando.com. |  |

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1- HEAVY LIFTING: Kori Stevens and Joey Brooks enjoy their “hard work” as emcees of the amateur strip contest at Bradley’s on 7th in Ybor City on Dec. 1. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST 2- MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Performer Latrice Royale and Kurt King smile after Royale’s performance Dec. 1 at Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor City. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST

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3- CROWNED!: Kamden T. Cass gets crowned Miss Flamingo 2013 at the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg on Dec. 1. PHOTO COURTESY RAINBOW411.COM 4- HOT DRINKMEISTERS: (L-R) Jeff Nicolaus and Matt Moss volunteer their time to bartend at St. Pete Pride’s Red & Green party at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg on Nov. 30. PHOTO COURTESY RAINBOW411.COM 5- DAY TO REFLECT: Michael Keeffe speaks on the City of St. Petersburg Courthouse steps during a vigil in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 6- GETTIN’ FIT: Women from throughout Tampa Bay participate in a bike ride through Clearwater on Dec. 1. PHOTO COURTESY PROSUZY.COM 7- ‘TIS THE SEASON: (L-R) Ralph Trent, Scott Turner and Christopher Tate enjoy each other’s company at Red & Green, St. Pete Pride’s holiday party at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg Nov. 30. PHOTO COURTESY RAINBOW411.COM 8- HOLIDAY DAZZLE: (L-R) Tracy A. Seago Van Osdell of The Stone Soup Company and Carla Vaughan of The Ritz Ybor show their awards for their holiday decorations in Ybor City.

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PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST

OVERHEARD FULL SPEEDO AHEAD

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F YOU HAVEN’T SEEN JAY ALLER’S VEHICLE RECENTLY, IT’S TIME TO SWING BY THE PARKING LOT OF THE ASAP OFFICES in Clearwater to catch a glimpse. The AIDS Service Association’s Resource Development Manager has been promoting the 3rd Annual Speedo Run for months. So it just made sense to convert his Scion into a SpeedoMobile! The entire vehicle is “wrapped” in Santa Speedo Run swag, complete with logos, the website and familiar sponsors—of which Watermark is proud to be among. Aller’s vehicle has been spotted throughout Tampa Bay and photographed by onlookers in Pinellas and Hillsborough

counties. Recently it stopped at the Starbucks on South Howard and at several businesses in Ybor City.

The goal in 2012 is to raise $50,000 for ASAP and its charity speci�ically geared toward children. The Dec. 9 run will begin—and end—at Centennial Park. Registration is at 1 p.m. with the run scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Speedos aren’t required but are encouraged for participants. As with previous runs, expect to see some highly elaborate holiday decor clinging to mostly-naked bodies and plenty of smiles from those watching from the sidewalk. Registration is still open at SantaSpeedoRun.org.

Participants will receive a holiday ornament and an of�icial 2012 Santa Speedo Run T-shirt.

IT’S THE HOLIDAYS, SISTERS

W

HAT WOULD THE HOLIDAYS BE WITHOUT THE TAMPA BAY SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE SPREADING THE INAPPROPRIATENESS? They would be boring, that’s what!

Fortunately for us, the sisters are back with their Holiday Ham It Up fundraiser bene�itting Metro Wellness and Community Centers, Francis House and ASAP on Friday, Dec. 14. The shenanigans will feature hostesses Sister Monica Muffdiver and Meagan Towers at The Broken Tusk (4685 28th St. N. in St. Petersburg) beginning at 9 p.m. The sisters will collect

food, toys and monetary donations throughout the evening and will hold a raf�le for a new iPad. Special entertainment scheduled to appear include Mr. and Miss St. Pete Pride Vinnie Marconi and Jasmine Skiis and Isis Renatus, Ambrosia Chanel, Kori Stevens. For details visit HolidayHamItUp.EventBrite.com.

WAITING TO ‘QUENCH’ THAT THIRST

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T LOOKS LIKE THAT PLANS TO OPEN THE NEW LGBT CLUB QUENCH IN LARGO HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY DELAYED. But don’t worry, the plan is still to have the new nightclub open by mid-January in the same strip mall that once housed Christopher

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Street Bar on Ulmerton Road at 66th Street. According to the club’s of�icial Facebook page, the staff is trying to have the bar up and running by New Year’s Eve, but even the most optimistic people have to face reality. “In reality, it will probably be the �irst or second week in January,” the announcement reads. Since the location of the new club was unveiled in September, the Facebook page has showcased pictures of demolition and construction. The bar is expected to have a huge dance �loor, a large bar and be quite large. It is reported that it will take up four units of the strip mall. For details, �ind Quench Lounge on Facebook. |  |

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ORLANDO

1– PLAY BALL: The Bitch Puddings were one of 14 Orlando teams to compete in the Hurricane Showdown, Nov. 23-26 in Fort Lauderdale, where they placed 16th out of 32 - division teams. PHOTO BY ERIK CABAN 2– SHARING THE MESSAGE: Marvelyn Brown, HIVactivist, speaks to more than 160 people—including students—at Maynard Evans High School Nov. 28. PHOTO COURTESY HOPE AND HELP OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, INC.

3– LIGHT IT UP: (L-R) Margo and Jack Dixon were sighted alongside “Joan Crawford” ala Sam Singhaus during Parliament House’s Light Up the Courtyard celebration Dec. 1. PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS SALYERS

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4– BUSINESS CLASS: (L-R) Nayte Carrick , Carlos Smith, Mikael Audebert, Tracy Ballard, Michael Barber and Jason Holstein all particpatein the CIA LGBT Networking event Dec. 3 at Orlando City Hall. PHOTO COURTESY THE MBA 5– SEASON OF GIVING: (L-R) Hope & Help Center of Central Florida Prevention Director Adrain Humphrey-Brown and Volunteer Coordinator Duane Hoyle accept a donation of Kiehl’s sales through January 2012 from Chris Salgardo, Kiehl’s USA President, Nov. 19 at the Mall at Millenia. PHOTO BY TOM HURST 8– OPERATION WARM FUZZIES: Prime Timers vice president Patrick Caraher presents Pamela Pinder of Seniors First with one of more than 50 packages containing either a new towel set or blanket throw at the Footlight Theater at the Parliament House Nov. 24. PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIME TIMERS 7– THE VOICE: Singer Jamar Rogers performs at UCF’s World AIDS Day banquet Nov. 20. PHOTO BY RANDY STEPHENS

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6– NEW HOME: Rev. Terri Steed is installed as senior pastor at Joy MCC Dec. 1. PHOTO BY MARK CADY

OVERHEARD SAUCED FOR A CAUSE

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S PART OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON, LOCAL LGBT WATERING HOLE SAVOY has teamed up with The Center.

Between now and Christmas, if you stop by and purchase a paper ornament at Savoy, 100% of the proceeds go to The Center. Each ornament purchased will display the giver’s name and will be used to �ill the trees adorning the bar.

Each Ornament is only $5. For more info visit TheCenterOrlando. org.

MEET VIRGINIA

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OWARD MIDDLE SCHOOL IN ORLANDO WAS ONE OF 100 SCHOOLS ACROSS

THE COUNTRY to receive a local grant of $1,000 from Macy’s to assist with production costs, and will welcome the holiday season with a special performance of Yes, Virginia: The Musical on Thursday, Dec. 6-7 at 7 p.m. The performance is at the Performing Arts Center, 800 East Robinson St and tickets are $7 at the door. In celebration of the �ifth anniversary of Macy’s holiday “Believe” campaign, the retailer is bringing the beloved Yes, Virginia animated special to life on school stages across the country! Yes, Virginia: The Musical is based on the true tale of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897, inquiring about the existence of Santa Claus.

For more info, visit Macys.com/ Believe.

WAVE-WINNING RESTAURANT EXPANDS

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AR|CELONA, A NEW CONCEPT FROM THE OWNERS OF MI TOMATINA, will add an additional 1,500 square feet and a new pincho and drink menu to its Winter Park restaurant. Co-owners Patricia Carvajal and Stuart Kirban recently announced the latest addition to their Hannibal Square restaurant—an intimate bar and patio that will adjoin their already successful and WAVE Award-winning local Spanish eatery. Bar|celona will feature

miniature Spanish bar appetizers, and more than 100 local and imported spirits, wine and craft beers. Positioned directly behind the current space located at 433 W. New England Ave. in Winter Park, the new space is slated to open this month. For more information visit Mitomatina.com.

RAVE REVIEWS FOR WANZIE

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REELINE MEDIA’S MICHAEL FREEMAN HAS GUSHED ABOUT WHAT IS SAID TO BE THE “FOURTH AND FINAL” ANNUAL PRESENTATION of Wanzie’s Glittering Star-Studded A Christmas Carol. The concept: a producer comes up with a new

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version of Charles Dickens’ classic novella “A Christmas Carol”— casting it with well-known, larger than life celebrities like Lucille Ball, Marlee Matlin and Carol Channing.

Disastrous? No. Hilarious?

De�initely. Freeman agrees. “The sheer pleasure of [the show] is watching the so-called celebrities being unable to resist playing themselves more than Dickens’ characters—and the ingenious way Wanzie’s performers manage to crank up the comedy as successfully as the imitations. It was a funny idea to begin with, beautifully executed by comedians who know exactly what they’re doing, and do it so very well.” For tickets, visit Wanzie.com. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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watermark

IN DEPTH END OF THE WORLD

Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

HE LGBT COMMUNITY HAS BEEN

busy this year. According to the farright fanatics, we’re the reason God sent Hurricane Isaac to New Orleans and Hurricane Sandy to the Northeast. We’ve caused blizzards and earthquakes and probably the historic drought in the Midwest. (Thanks, Iowa, and your thriving same-sex wedding industry!)

For some, the country’s growing acceptance of marriage equality has put the United States directly in the path of the universe’s vengeance. But we can’t take all the credit for the Mayanscheduled end of the world Dec. 21.

As everyone knows, thanks to the Internet, the John Cusack �ilm 2012 and every tabloid in the supermarket checkout line, it’s the end of the world! We’re done!

Kaput! Scrubbed out of existence!

Instead of sulking in a corner, we should celebrate. Holiday procrastinators rejoice. This year there’s no need to buy crappy convenience store Christmas gifts because you decided to wait until the last minute—again.

The signs have been there all along! Honey Boo Boo is getting a season two. Twinkies are under attack, for God’s sake! And don’t even get us started on Logo’s remake of Steel Magnolias.

In the following pages we’ve

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asked a few friends to share their take on the end of the world. Their responses should make the end a bit less painful.

So check out their take on the approaching apocalypse, then prepare to party with friends at home or in your favorite bar.

(How nice is it that the end of the world falls on a Friday?) Because if anyone can bring the world into the afterlife with more style than John Cusack, it’s the LGBT community!

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Harbingers of the end.

Compiled by Kirk Hartlage

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KIRK@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

HIS MIGHT BE THE LAST WATERMARK

you’ll ever read. No, we’re not taking the Newsweek route and eliminating the printed editions of our publication. If followers of the Ancient Mayans are to be believed, the end of the world is scheduled for Dec.r 21, 2012, which makes our next issue—as well as everything else on Earth—moot.

There are some who say this Mayan-end-date phenomenon marks a time in which the people of Earth could undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a glorious new era. Others believe this month’s third Friday will be Earth’s last day, which might see our home planet disappearing into a black hole or colliding into another planet.

The signs of our demise may upon us. Honey Boo Boo was renewed for a second season, and—at least for now—it appears Twinkies have died.

It may be the end of the world as we know it, but we feel �ine. We asked some friends of Watermark how they felt; speci�ically, if they’ve seen proof that the Mayans were right and the end of the world is nigh.

And because we hate to miss out on a good party, we also asked how they’d plan to celebrate the end of the world. (And don’t forget: you can always join in the discussion at WatermarkOnline.com ... well, at least for a few more days anyways.)

The Democrats have �inally

grabbed the reins for Central Florida, so I’m sure that means something. I would celebrate the end with family around talking about what we all love about each other and eating ourselves sick on sweets, steak and carbs. If there was an “end party” somewhere I might go for a few hours, just to see what is going on.

—Linda Stewart, Florida House Representative, District 37 (D)

In my opinion, the political and religious divide is telltale sign of the end of times. Of course if history is any indication, we have to see the darkest times before the light. For example take the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s; all the violence and destruction caused by race riots. I’m sure many thought that was the End of Times, but it lead to something much better. I can only hope the divide we see today in politics and religion is nearing its apex and we’ll see people be able to come together soon! (If not, well... then it’s been nice knowing you!)

—Chuck Henson, Real Time Traf�ic Expert, Bay News 9, 2012 Tampa Bay WAVE Award winner

You want proof the world is coming to an end? How about my rightwing conservative father telling me, “Ya know, if I was ever to come back in another life, I would want to be a gay man. You guys have all the fun.” I’d celebrate by taking a clothing-optional cruise around the world with my closest friends: Channing Tatum, Tim Tebow, Jake Gyllenhaal, Prince Harry, JJ Redick, and the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team. Oh, and of course, my partner Mike Rogier would be on the cruise, too. It is the end of the world for Christ’s sake.

—John Paonessa, Co-Owner, Hamburger Mary’s Orlando

The fact that Barack Obama has, more than once, made references to doing it “Gangnam Style” tells me that the world is indeed coming to an end. So, if

it is, I’ll celebrate on a private Caribbean island with just my family. (Okay, and maybe a personal chef … and a masseuse … and maybe a nanny … ‘cause, come on, even when the world’s gonna end, mom and dad sometimes need a break.

—Scott Maxwell, “Taking Names” columnist for The Orlando Sentinel

It must be the end because “Gangnam Style” has become the most-watched video on YouTube,

and I’ve been dating the same guy for almost three months. So if it were the end, I’d immediately break up with the guy I’ve been dating so I can hook up with as many guys as possible, all while watching “Gangnam Style” on YouTube.

—DJ Justice, Host of Outloud Orlando: The Homo Happy Hour Radio Show on 91.5 FM

For me, the sign that the end of the world was upon us was that I won the WAVE Award for Tampa Bay’s Favorite Bartender! To celebrate I plan on trying to get �isted for my �irst time. Hey if we die, I won’t feel the pain.

—Duffy Iorio of Georgie’s Alibi, St. Petersburg

I realized it must be the end when I noticed that the skin on the back of my hands didn’t snap back quickly the other day when I did the Snap Test. After a carb-laden meal and Manhattans, all I’d want at the end is to be with my partner, Kirk, on our old couch in our comfortable living room, looking into his eyes and hugging him tight, comforting him because he’ll be trembling as the sky disappears beyond the living room window.

—Jim Crescitelli, Writer and Raconteur It must be the end because Glee

Continued on page 51 |  |

The proof is that Lindsay Lohan’s rehab didn’t seem to work (and she tried so hard). So, who better

to celebrate with than Lindsay, of course, drinking Vodka-Red Bulls. It’s the official drink to savor at the world’s end, because in the afterlife it’s all about wings and spirits.

—Thomas Hawes, Orlando resident

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The end of the world again? This concept is as misleading as a “Lindsay Lohan is going to jail” headline.

Still, if it were true, I’d settle in for a marathon of ‘The Walking Dead.’ Clearly, it’s going to be a zombie apocalypse. One can never be too prepared. Oh, and with lots of vodka.

—Nick “Scooby” Smith, Founder of Sunday Surrender at Ember

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I

Matthew McGee

MCGEE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

HATE TO BRING

this up friends, but it looks like after Dec. 21 there will be no To-Maya.

That means no more Starbucks, no more Honey Boo Boo and no more Grindr. Here are a few of my favorite party favors for an unforgettable end of the world soiree.

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watermarkonline.com

|  | Celebrate the End of

the World from pg.39

is still on the air. And because of that, I would like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.

—Jeff Jones, Orlando comedian Well in my opinion I knew it was true after Jersey Shore had several seasons on TV. And Sandy just had to come in and give ‘em one hell of a blow job! That says to me me sit down and shut da hell up! Nothing else screams end if the world like that catastrophe.. and by that I mean the show!

—Meagan Towers, Tampa Bay bingo queen and performer This year two openly gay members were elected to the Florida House of Representatives.

Tammy Baldwin became the �irst openly gay member of the U.S. Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives will have the largest caucus of openly-gay members in its history. The world many not come to a physical end on Dec. 21, but the world that many of us have lived in for decades will. The world is changing faster than we know and having representatives for our community in these places of power matters a great deal. But if the Mayans are right I’d throw a big party and invite everyone I love. I’d sit them around a table and tell them all as quickly as possible (since time is of the essence) what they each mean to me.

—Joe Saunders, Florida House Representative, District 49 (D) Signs the world is ending?

Well, I’d point to things like the Kardashians raking in millions for doing nothing while employable people lose their houses… or to the Jersey Shore cast making more money per episode in their last season than high school English teachers make in three years (who are teaching kids not to sound like idiots on The Jersey Shore.) But rewarding the worthless or near-worthless is really nothing new. Besides, if the fate of the Earth hinges on Snooki, it’s already over. So what will I do to celebrate? Win the lottery. I �ind it completely believable that the day I win millions would be the same day the world would explode.

then came the series Moonshine.

The civilized world has now hit rock bottom with the new series on Discovery called Amish Ma�ia.

Drive by shootings from a horsedrawn carriage? Bootlegging You can see the end in the chaos Diet Coke? I �irst thought this of the world and how greedy was a Saturday Night Live skit, we are, from corporations and but it’s for real. I think this is a our government raping us to sign that the apocalypse may everyone blaming the world for be upon us. Other signs that the their problems. All the world end may be near are that gay really is, is a re�lection of our legislators are actually walking behaviors. In my opinion, I don’t the hallways of the State Capital see anything getting better until of Florida. Oh wait, they have we all treat another better. That always been walking the hallways said, if the Mayans are correct in the State Capital. I meant I’ll celebrate with a big plate openly gay legislators are serving of nachos with lots of cheese, a in Tallahassee, causing one margarita and I’ll be sitting on politician in Apopka to mutter the beach with beautiful blue that, “Hell has frozen over.” water in front of me. At this point As for celebrating (as if I’m assuming the water will “celebrate” for announcing the consume me just like I’d been end of the world), I would �inish consuming my nachos. The circle maxing out my credit cards with of life. expensive chocolate confetti and —Bill Bennett, DJ/Producer bottles of Chivas Regal Royal and owner of Bill Bennett Boot Salute Scotch (50 years old), Camp Orlando along with thick Ribeye bone-in steaks for my dogs. Then, we’ll all sit outside by the pool, sipping Scotch while I smoke my last Cuban cigar while listening —DUFFY IORIO OF GEORGIE’S ALIBI, ST. PETERSBURG to Bruce Springsteen, I think the calendars are off by 12 waiting for the �ireworks. Or, as an alternative, watching years or so. The end should have Amish Ma�ia. come when Gwyneth Paltrow —Randy Stephens, Executive won an Oscar. When it is the Director of the GLBT Community end I hope to spend the �inal Center of Central Florida hours in the arms of newscaster Brian Williams.

If the world is ending, in the —Doug Bowser, Orlando Actor morning I would start by and Radio Personality apologizing to this lovely planet for our abusing it so shamelessly Here’s how I know the end (and for George Bush). In the is coming: I attended the afternoon I would swallow a Republican National Convention “bean” and throw a Pumpkin in person, which included a visit to a gay Republican soiree. There, Patch Party to enjoy a few last good whiffs while the song it was argued that the important “Unpeakable Joy” underscores the issue for gays is the economy (as event. Then, in the evening, I’d opposed to equal rights) because enjoy another “bean” and attend “nobody will want to marry a Broadway Musical; most likely you if you don’t have a job.”

The Book of Mormon, hoping Grover Norquist was there and that the end of the world might I took a picture with him. Also, perfectly coincide with the ending I personally saw love die. But in strains of that lovely production celebration of the apocalypse, number, “Hasa Diga Eebowai.”

I’ll probably �inally learn how —Michael Wanzie, Orlando to cook something. And then to Playwright and Radio eat it.

Personality |  | —Billy Manes, Senior Staff —Liz Langley, award-winning journalist and author of Crazy Little Thing: Why Love & Sex Drive Us Mad

Harbingers of the end.

It must be the end because I now know the name of the kid on ‘Two and A Half Men. ‘ When it is the end I wouldn’t celebrate. I’d run around freaking out and eating stuff. Actually the eating stuff part wouldn’t be so bad.

—Dave White, Film Critic for Movies.com, and Co- Host of the “Linoleum Knife” podcast

“The sign that the end of the world was upon us was that I won the WAVE Award for Tampa Bay’s Favorite Bartender!”

Writer Orlando Weekly First there was Honey Boo Boo,

The fact that Octomom has a single out, that Honey Boo Boo is a celebrity, and the simple fact that it seems like you really need to be a reality star these days to get any media attention tells me the end of the world is near. If it is, I’d throw a giant party for

the people that I love the most in my life... my dearest loved ones, friends and family. We’d drink and laugh until the lights went out. I’d wanna go out on a high and happy note for sure.

—Matt Zarley, Broadway star and singer; his latest album Change Begins With Me is available now

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

You know, I thought the Mayans were right until I saw proof that Cher really is coming out with a new album. I figured if Cher’s not done yet, then the Earth isn’t done yet. That’s actually a relief because

when Brittany became a judge on ‘X Factor’ and then came out with her new single I just knew we were done as a planet!

—Aaron Wilson, Clearwater resident

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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tampa bay marketplace

PUT A RING ON IT: Joy MCC Sr. Pastor Rev. Terri Steed (left) and Kim Pierce became engaged to be married on Nov. 24.

Transitions

CHANGE-OF-LIFE COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Congratulations

Local Birthdays

Congratulations to Tampa’s Mac McGowan for another year on the wagon Dec. 17.

Sarasota Trinity Charity’s Paul DiPlacido, Lucky Star St. Petersburg bartender Daniel Harris, Watermark cover model Aleesha Kerri, Funky Monkey entrepreneur Eddie Nickell (Dec. 6); Orlando Theatre goddess Beth Marshall, Orlando Weekly staff writer Deanna Morey, St. Petersburg psychiatrist Tom Young, Tampa’s Red Herring Ltd. hottie Ivan Moros (Dec. 7); Orlando comic Jeff Jones, Tampa actor Spencer Meyers, Orlando derby girl Amy Anderson, Mitzi Morris’ alter ego Kevin Kreigel (Dec. 10); Watermark sales director and proud Veteran Mark Cady, Orlando former Watermark contributor John Sullivan, Tampa Bay softballer Les Croy (Dec. 11); Orlando Ford-dealing bear Fred Berliner (Dec. 11); Tampa volunteer Ed Lally, Orlando Chorus baritone Jamie Decker, Sarasota’s realtor Jim Jablonski, St. Pete Twirler Jose Luis Perez, Altamonte Springs chiropractor Dr. Bradford Levine (Dec. 12); Orlando zebra and baby-deliverer Marie McClure, Orlando talent-seeker Mark Catlett, Orlando actor/director Ashland Thomas (Dec. 13); Paradise purveyor Dan Schwab, drag performer Hunter Holloway, Tampa MCC Pastor Rev. Phyllis Hunt, Clearwater Sweetbay stud Gregory Toth (Dec. 15); blogger and Tampa Bay lawyer David Schauer (Dec. 16); Gay-friendly NYC (former Orlando) chanteuse Becky Fisher (Dec. 17); Gay Days guru Chris Manley, Phish Phest femme fatale Jennifer Lothian (Dec. 19).

Chuck Henson and Tom Young of St. Petersburg celebrate their anniversary Dec. 16.

Orlando couple Ron Legler and Andrew Springer celebrated 9 years together on Dec. 3.

Babette Hankey, Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Drug-Free Living, has been named to the Board of Directors of The Zebra Foundation for Youth, Inc. The Rev. Terri Steed was officially installed as senior pastor of Joy MCC on Dec. 1.

Passings Edward Adams Jr., 56, passed away Nov. 13 after a long battle with diabetes. He is survived by his partner of 35 years, Franklin Christiana.

The couple lived in Orlando. A private funeral service will be held at a later date.

John Gibson, 64, of Orlando passed away Nov. 27 while undergoing treatment in an area hospital. He is survived by his partner of 32 years, Richard Gibson. Funeral arrangements were pending at press time.

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!

You can get a virus as simple as your computer can.

And you can protect yourself just as easily.

AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP) is a community resource for HIV education and prevention and for those already infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. With one in five U.S. adults or teenagers unaware of their HIV status — which may later turn to AIDS without care and treatment — it’s something you shouldn’t ignore for your own health.

Get the facts. Visit ASAPservices.org to learn more about HIV testing in our community. For those 20 and under, visit our youth site at GTECCH.org.

FOLLOW US

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Do This!

SAGE ADVICE FROM ‘THE TRUTH’

Self-satisfaction does not re�lect the health of a relationship DEAR TRUTH,

M

Y PARTNER, GENE, AND I ARE BOTH IN OUR 40S, and we’ve been together for seven years. I tend to go to bed earlier, and last night I woke up, stumbled into the kitchen for a glass of water and discovered Gene masturbating to a porn site. In theory it doesn’t bother me. I assumed it happens, and I sometimes take care of myself when we’re not together. But we talked about it and he admitted that he beats off at least a couple times a week... even when I’m in the next room. He says he’s happy and still attracted to me. Does this sound healthy to you? Should I just be glad he’s not stepping out?

—Jilted for Xtube

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DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

Jackin’ Jilt, If it doesn’t bother you ‘in theory,’ Dear Jilt, I have to wonder why you’re writing me. The reason is that—theory aside—it does bother you. Frankly, I think you need to get over yourself and grow up a little bit.

Here comes the Truth: people have different sex drives. Apparently Gene’s is a little higher than yours and there is nothing wrong with that. Masturbation is a perfectly healthy, safe expression of his sexuality. Making him feel guilty about it, or worrying that it says something about your relationship (which will make him feel guilty about it) is toxic and 100 kinds of wrong. He says he’s happy and still attracted to you.

So what’s the big whoop? Making him feel guilty won’t stop him from masturbating.

It will drive him deeper into hiding with it.

And in that hiding comes dishonesty, and in that dishonesty the groundwork has been set for more dishonesty, multiplied by sexual frustration.

You asked if you should just be glad he’s not stepping out. The answer to that question is my most emphatic “yes” and also be glad that your 40-something partner still has a healthy sex drive and is mature enough to talk about it.

There are worse things he could do.

DEAR TRUTH,

M

Y GIRLFRIEND, GINNY, AND I ARE PLANNING OUR DREAM WEDDING in Washington, D.C. this spring.

Several of our close friends from the St. Pete area will join us to for the ceremony and reception. We’re all staying in the same hotel. Our best friend and joint Maid of Honor is a wonderful gal with a heart of gold—and a real drinking problem.

She’s a sloppy, stupid drunk, not a mean one, but she’s ruined many a party and night out. Ginny and I are worried that the same will happen in D.C. Previous attempts to talk with her about her drinking have resulted in promises, but no change in behavior. Ginny and I want our friend there, but we’re afraid if we issue her an ultimatum the whole weekend will focus on her drinking and not our happiness.

Any ideas?

—Standing-up Sloppy Dear SuSie, It is a conundrum, SuSie. If she has a real drinking problem, it needs to be addressed, but not in the context of your wedding and her participation in it. It seems you’ve already spoken to her multiple times, so you shouldn’t expect a massive shift in her behavior when that has not been forthcoming. To avoid an awkward scene at your wedding, it is incumbent on you and Ginny to sit her down—ostensibly while discussing the wedding and her responsibilities—and let her know that she is a very important part of your special day. I would think it is comfortably within your rights—particularly given how much love and affection you have for your friend—to ask her to respectfully control her drinking for the duration of the event.

That might not be a happy or welcomed conversation, but an ounce of prevention . . .

Here comes the Truth: At some point your friend is going to have to address her drinking.

While you are not obligated to make that happen prior to your wedding, she is similarly obligated not to make her drinking an issue at your wedding. |  |

She is obligated not to make her drinking an issue at your wedding.

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physician

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DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

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[CLASSIFIEDS] central florida

407-481-2243 • Deadline for classifieds is December 14, at 5:00pm.

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employment offered Are you looking for a fun and exciting career? Arthur Murray Dance Studio is looking to hire and train instructors in the field of ballroom and Latin dancing!! This is an opportunity of a lifetime! If you are fun, energetic and motivated please send your resume and head shot to leaucia@ aol.com The position is full time, Mon-Fri 12:00 to 9:30. There is no flexibility in the hours. This is a fun and exciting career opportunity and you MUST have a positive attitude to qualify!! Don’t wait, send your resume today!!

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

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watermarkonline.com

Tampa Beefs take Hurricane Showdown title Staff Report

Staff Report

C

LEVELAND, OHIO | Browns linebacker Tank Carder has issued an apology after he used an anti-gay slur on Twitter.

It started on Nov. 21 when Carder, a rookie who has played in 10 games this season, came across a comment he didn’t like on Twitter and responded by writing, “youre a faggot for that.”

On Nov. 26, Carder, 23, defended himself from critics on Twitter with several tweets, including, “yea they all getting butt hurt, and they are just chiming in,” and “I don’t agree with being gay or lesbian at all, but saying faggot doesn’t make me a homophobe, it’s just a word.”

Carder has since deleted that tweet, but not before he described himself as “unapologetically strong”

F

and said he didn’t care what “haters” and “fools” said about him.

Soon after, however, Carder messaged a non-apology: “If I offended in anyway, I do apologize, thought the guy was bashing team sports, big misunderstanding.”

On Nov. 26, Carder returned to Twitter with a more direct apology, and said he was sorry and didn’t mean to offend anyone.

“I want to sincerely apologize for the word I used,” he wrote in a tweet.

“I did not in anyway [sic] mean to offend anyone! That tweet doesn’t de�ine me as a person.”

To some, Carder’s apology will not be enough. Outsports.com, a website that specializes in gay sports news and commentary, is calling on the NFL to suspend Carder for a game for using the slur.

“Major League Soccer puts the penalty at a three-game suspension

FINALLY APOLOGETIC: Browns linebacker Ricky “Tank” Carder, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, has finally apologized for a homophobic tweet. for this kind of language. The NBA puts the cost at $50k,” Cyd Ziegler of OutSports.com said. “Nothing short of a one-game suspension and that game check being donated to an LGBT sports organization will suf�ice as a punishment for this. It cannot be tolerated.” |  |

NOTABLE NOTABLE NOTABLE SEPTEMBER DECEMBER AUGUST EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS

ORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.| The Tampa Beefs walked away from the Hurricane Showdown on Thanksgiving weekend with a few new shiny pieces of hardware. The team won the C-division of the tournament after beating a team out of Chicago. Third place in the division went to the Orlando Fusion.

In the B-division, the Atlanta Ambush beat the Orlando Force to take home the top prize, meaning the Force walked away with a second place trophy. The DC Blitz took third in the B-division.

Orlando was also represented in the D-division, where the Orlando Wild Stallions took second place.

First went to the Atlanta Migrating Ducks while third place went to the Madison Big Cheese.

Two teams were given consolation titles: the Fort Lauderdale Albi Angles in the C-Division, and the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Starlets, who played in the D-Division.

More than 50 teams from around the country participated in the annual tournament, which bene�its several charities. |  |

sports

Browns linebacker apologizes for homophobic tweet

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A timeline sharing the history of AIDS greeted visitors at Rock AIDS at Lowry Park in Tampa Dec. 1.

World AIDS Day in Orlando offered a simple message.

Belvedere helped turn Orlando red with themed prizes.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor speaks to the audience at Rock AIDS at Lowry Park.

50% of proceeds from Bevledere (RED) supported AIDS programs in Orlando.

PHOTOGRAPHY: WORLD AIDS DAY, DECEMBER 1, 2012

Galleryw Go see more photos at

watermarkonline.com

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HE COMMUNITIES OF TAMPA BAY AND ORLANDO COMMEMORATED THE ANNUAL WORLD AIDS DAY with a variety of events throughout both regions. In Tampa Bay, Rock AIDS brought out several bands to entertain at Lowry Park’s band shell while Belvedere (RED) commorated the day at Kres Chophouse, Blue Martini and P-House.

DEC. 6 - DEC. 19, 2012 // ISSUE 19.25

Photography by Steve Blanchard, Adam Jahr and Hope & Help Center EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

watermarkonline.com

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