Watermark Issue 19.26: Remarkable People of the Year/Year in Review

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • SARASOTA • ISSUE 19.26 • DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM

YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Y E N R U JO E L B A K R A M E R A

OUR

YEAR IN RESVUIEEW

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2

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DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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DEPARTMENTS 6 // MAIL 8 // ORLANDO NEWS 12 // TAMPA BAY NEWS 17 // STATE 19 // NATION & WORLD 27 // ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 39 // EVENT PLANNER 41 // TAMPA BAY OVERHEARD 43 // ORLANDO OVERHEARD 44 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 45 // TRANSITIONS 46 // ADVICE 47 // ORLANDO MARKETPLACE 52 // CLASSIFIEDS 53 // SPORTS

PAGE

53

I don’t know if I’m supposed to cry or scream or beat them up.’

— GABRIELLE LUDWIG, TRANSGENDER BASKETBALL PLAYER AT MISSION COLLEGE

ON THE COVER

PAGE In late 2011, Bill Kanouff

Tampa lost his leg 12 offollowing a motorcycle

accident. A year later he’s not only walking again, but motivating others within and outside of the LGBT community. That’s why we recognize him as Tampa Bay’s Most Remarkable Person of 2012.

Preview

PAGE

27

LIKE BUTTAH:

The iconic Barbra Streisand returns to a leading film role in Guilt Trip, which co-stars Seth Rogan. Streisand said her decision to take the role came directly from her gay son’s opinion of the script.

WATERMARK ISSUE 19.26 // DEC. 20, 2012 - J AN. 2, 2013

ORLANDO NEWS

TAMPA BAY NEWS

PAGE Bob Poe is Orlando’s Most

PAGE Bill Kanouff is Tampa Bay’s

NEW YEAR’S EVE

GALLERY W

Photo by Jake Stevens

Read it online!

SCAN QR CODE FOR

WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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

Remarkable Person of 2012, thanks to his detailed efforts in fundraising this election year; after 8-hour meeting, Orange County Schools vote to add gender identity and sexual orientation to its protections; 2012’s Top 5 stories; more.

12

Most Remarkable Person of 2012; Pinellas County set to discuss a countywide partnership registry; 2012’s Top 5 stories; more.

PAGE If the Mayans are wrong and

32

we do indeed see life past Dec. 21, then you’ll want to usher in 2013 in style. We speak with dance queen Amber, who is headlining at Parliament House in Orlando as well as list a few notable events happening throughout the area..

PAGE Only in Florida can you

beautiful 54 incorporate weather into a charitable

fun run. Ybor City was home to the Third Annual Santa Speedo Run and we were sure to have photographers ready to catch the hot bodies and outrageous outfits.

BOYCOTT THE SALVATION ARMY! FIND OUT WHY AND HOW ATWATERMARKONLINE.COM. DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A BIG THANK YOU

W

ORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW GRATEFUL OUR CONGREGATION IS FOR THE WORK OF MISS ARICA LOVE to make the “Life’s a Drag” event such an amazing success.

More than $1,000 was raised to support our ministries in Sarasota and Manatee counties and beyond. I want to thank her for her leadership in the community and partnership in this important effort.

REV. CHARLES TIGARD SENIOR PASTOR TRINITY MCC, SARASOTA

W NOT O UP

% 0 6

WE END AS ONE

W

OFF!

E’VE BEEN WATCHING THE NEW SERIES COUNTDOWN TO APOCALYPSE ON H2 CHANNEL. It’s interesting that Sir Isaac Newton thought the Church, namely the Pope, was the anti-Christ. Logically, somebody who acted in a manner opposite of Christ’s teachings or exploited Christ’s teachings for their own personal gain in power or wealth could qualify for that title.

Yes. The history of the church has been pretty bloody. And within the church, there have been many exceptions,

“The gays just kept coming and

coming and coming. It was great!”

—DIXIE LONGATE

including denominations and individual clergy who have acted according to Jesus’s teachings. LGBT people have been a lesson incarnate for humanity, demonstrating in so many different ways that we are all related, we are all family, we are all of the same Divine source.

DON CHAPMAN GULFPORT

SUPPORT MOVES US FORWARD

T

HANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SHOWED UP AT THE PINELLAS COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING EARLIER THIS MONTH. With a majority of support, Pinellas County Commissioners voted to move forward with creating the �irst countywide Domestic Partnership Registry in the Tampa Bay area. The registry would provide essential legal protections for all unmarried couples, gay and straight.

GOING ON NOW! TILE

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WOOD

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STONE

Orlando - 407.427.1979 2628 Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32803

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D E C O R AT I V E S

Clearwater - 727.483.5732

21760 US Highway 19 Clearwater, FL 33765

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FLOORS

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WA L L S

Brandon - 813.413.1262

10059 E. Adamo Drive Tampa, FL 33619

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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Mark your calendar for January 15, 2013, and join us in making an even bigger show of support for commissioners as they hear from the public and vote to pass the registry.

TODD RICHARDSON EQUALITY FLORIDA DEVELOPMENT OFFICER ST. PETERSBURG

A FLOOD OF GAYS

T

HANKS SO MUCH TO WATERMARK FOR ALL THE HELP PROMOTING DIXIE’S TUPPERWARE PARTY [ISSUE 19.24]. The gays just kept coming and coming and coming. It was great! I wish I was able to be there for more than a week, but they have already been in touch with us about bringing us back for a longer run maybe as early as this summer. The most important thing is that everyone had some fun.

Thank you!

DIXIE LONGATE DIXIE’S TUPPERWARE PARTY

editor’s

Steve Blanchard EDITOR

SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com

M

Desk

Y JOB OFFERS ME A UNIQUE

perspective on life, especially when it comes to this time of the year. The past 12 months of my experiences and conversations are quite literally �iled away neatly on a computer server.

If I need to recall what I was doing in March, I simply double click the appropriate icon and a �lood of �iles handily reminds me of my actions and activities during that particular month. It’s a pretty handy and an incredible way for me to track my progress—and failures— each calendar year.

Back in January, I used this very space to excitedly introduce the new layout, format and look of Watermark. Our ambitious redesign served multiple purposes, but it’s overall goal was to put a brighter spotlight on local and national news directly affecting the LGBT

WATERMARK STAFF

community. At the dawn of an election year, the timing seemed right to �ine-tune our focus and to better link the newspaper with our online edition.

As we slipped into our new skin, we discovered some aspects of the new Watermark worked—and others didn’t. Our Talking Points page, for example, had a much wordier title in January and we learned that with LGBTs making news around the globe, con�ining World, Nation and State news to one page was impossible.

But overall, the evolution of the paper was successful and we

produced 26 solid issues—featuring 28 different covers since two issues had region-speci�ic photos out front.

Our covers ranged in subject matter and a majority of them focused locally rather than nationally. That’s not to say we didn’t have a few celebrities staring at you from the news stand. In all, 19 of those 28 covers featured original photos from our contributing photographers or original, conceptual drawings from our art director, Jake Stevens.

That’s quite a feat, especially considering the size of our staff here at Watermark, the quick turn-around time we utilize for each biweekly issue and the number of specialty publications we produce—the St. Pete Pride guide, the Come Out With Pride Guide, the Holiday Gift Guide, etc.

In short, I dub 2012 a success professionally.

Of course, success always comes with its bumps and bruises. Taking a harder line on news meant writing stories that didn’t always shine favorably on the LGBT community—or at least portions of it. All news is not necessarily good news, as they say, and some intense phone calls and heated email exchanges with members of the community expressing disappointment in our reporting kept me busy part of the year.

Our new focus also meant that, in an election year, we sometimes presented coverage of events and

issues with which a majority of our readers disagreed.

The Republican National Convention gave us a chance to interview the national leaders of the Log Cabin Republicans and the GOProud organization, both of which endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, despite his stance opposing marriage equality. This year we delved deeper into local elections and learned what candidates really thought about LGBT issues and our rights; and on election night, we were able to cover local and national races live through our Facebook page.

This past August marked three years for me as editor of this publication, and each and every issue provides a learning opportunity to improve our coverage, our reputation in the community and our ability to report the news.

I’m excited for 2013 and admittedly, a little anxious. As we approached 2012, we knew election news would keep us occupied in each and every issue. With those ballots counted, we look forward to a year of countless possibilities, news stories, celebrations and interviews.

My goal throughout the next 12 months is to ensure Watermark remains a voice in the LGBT community—and the community at large—while maintaining the journalistic integrity we’ve worked so hard to maintain for 18 years.

Happy Holidays to you and to your family—both biologically and independently selected. Here’s hoping that your 2012 was as enjoyable as it was for us and that 2013 will bring great things for you, yours and LGBTs the world over. |  |

Taking a harder line on news in 2012 meant writing stories that didn’t always shine favorably on the LGBT community— or at least portions of it.

Art Director: Jake Stevens • Ext. 109 • Jake@WatermarkOnline.com

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Nat’l Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. • 212-242-6863

Publisher: Tom Dyer • Ext. 305 • Tom@WatermarkOnline.com Chief Financial Officer: Rick Claggett • Ext. 108 • Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Administrative Assistant: Erik Caban • Ext. 100 • Erik@WatermarkOnline.com Editor-in-Chief: Steve Blanchard • 813-470-0899 • SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com Online Media Director: Jamie Hyman • Ext. 106 • Jamie@WatermarkOnline.com Proofreading: Ed Blaisdell

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

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

CONTRIBUTORS ZACH CARUSO

is a musician and journalist from New Jersey who now lives in St. Petersburg. He has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and an MA in writing. Page 12

JIM WALKER

is a former anchor/ reporter with more than 20 years of experience in television news and two Emmy nominations.

He recently began his own news/commentary at Blog.

JWLooseCannon.com. Page 21

MARY MEEKS

is an Orlandobased attorney who is also an LGBT activist.

She is a long-time contributor to Watermark. Page 23

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

DISTRIBUTION Debbie Oliver, Phil Garris, Ken Caraway CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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

WATERMARK is published every second Thursday.

Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail).

The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication.

WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

Watermark Media Inc. est. 1994

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7

orlando NEWS

TOP

5

STORIES OF

THE YEAR

BIG TREND: DOMESTIC PARTNER REGISTRIES Central Florida led the way withdomestic partner registries this year. In January, the city of Orlando officially registered its first couples. and LGBT activists put pressure on Orange County mayor Theresa Jacobs to follow suit. Jacobs would not commit but in February, a plan came before the County Commissioners and they moved forward. The HELP Ordinance, which opened domestic partnership opportunities, moved forward in May and couples began registering in July. That same month,couples registered in Volusia County,

Joe Saunders wasn’t the first openly gay person elected to the Florida Legislature—after a victory in the August primaries, that honor goes to David Richardson (D-Miami Beach). However, thanks to a little luck when the speaker called the legislators up to take the oath of office, Saunders did become the first openly gay person to be sworn into the Florida Legislature. After a decisive win in the primaries and a strong campaign across the board, the former Equality Florida staffer made history with his partner by his side. Saunders wasn’t the only history-making candidate this year. Though her bid was not successful, Gina Duncan was the first transgender candidate to run for Orange County Commissioner.

ZEBRA HOUSE OPENS DOORS Orlando’s LGBT youth have new headquarters. On Dec. 5, Zebra Coalition leaders and Commissioner Patty Sheehan cut the ribbon on the Zebra House, which will serve as the Coalition’s office space and emergency shelter for at-risk LGBT youth. Centrally located in Mills Ave., the building is equipped with computer stations, a library and even a custom zebra-striped Xbox.

ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOLS VOTES DOWN DISCRIMINATION Once the Florida Family Association got involved, a proposed addition of sexual identity and gender expression to the Orange County School Board’s nondiscrimination policy went from touchy to downright contentious. But after an 8-hour hearing in front of a packed room, the school board stood strong and opted to approve the inclusive policy with a 6-2 vote.

BIGGEST GAY DAYS YET Gay Days is big every year, but 2012 was huge.

Organizers reported the 1,000-room host hotel, the Doubletree by Hilton, was sold out earlier than ever before while local bars hosted weekend events with record attendance. Not even a rainy start could dampen the fun, with revelers simply opting to pack into the sold-out Gay Days Expo while they waited for the storms to pass.

GayDays.com organizers expanded this year, adding another Gay Days weekend in Vegas. GayDays.com coowner Chris Manley reports they’ve renewed their contract with the Doubletree for another three years.

To read more on these stories, visit watermarkonline.com.

8

MOST REMARKABLE PERSON OF 2012

SAUNDERS SWORN IN

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

PRESIDENTIAL PUSH: Bob Poe (2nd from right) with partner Ken Brown, daughter Virginia Poe,

and President Barack Obama. Poe was Central Florida Finance Chair for the Obama re-election campaign.

ORLANDO

Magic Carpet Ride When Bob Poe returned to Orlando, he changed the LGBT political landscape.

Tom Dyer

TOM@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

O

RLANDO | During the 2012 election year, everyone in Central Florida heard the name Bob Poe. His name was used so much, in fact, that for many he acquired an almost mythic quality.

Poe is a former chair of the Florida Democratic Party. He’d been successful in business, moved to California, and recently returned to Orlando as an out gay man where he shared a penthouse condo at The Vue with his handsome African-American partner, Ken Brown. And most impressively, he was the Central Florida Finance Chair for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Throughout the year, Poe hosted fundraisers for Obama,

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, Florida U.S. House candidate Alan Grayson and Florida House candidate Joe Saunders. They all won, and Poe and Brown celebrated these victories with the President and First Lady at the White House Christmas Party last week.

Poe connected Orlando’s LGBT community to political machinery in ways previously unattainable.

Poe’s success is evident, but the story of how he arrived at the point in his life is full of highs and lows.

“My life has always had this appearance of being a magic carpet ride,” he said. “But there are other elements… I’ve seen depths. What amazes me is that my story is not uncommon.”

POLITICAL CHARACTER Poe was born in Long Island, but his family moved to Sarasota

watermarkonline.com

when he was just eight. He spent time at his father’s convenience store, but quickly gravitated to the local Democratic Party headquarters across the street.

“I was going to Young Democrats meetings before I was old enough to be a Young Democrat,” Poe laughed.

In 1969 the family moved to Orlando, where his father had been recruited by Coca Cola to help build a plant that would serve the huge theme park under construction to the south. The summer before his senior year of high school, Poe was hired as part of the original character group at Disney World. He played Geppetto, Br’er Fox and Pluto, but mostly Tigger, the mischievous playmate of Winnie the Pooh.

“It was a great experience,” he said.

And it was Poe’s �irst exposure to openly gay people.

“It was shocking to me, but also intriguing,” Poe recalled. “I’d been told that being gay was wrong—

Continued on page 10 |  |

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DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

9

orlando NEWS

MBA, COWP select new board members Staff report

O

RLANDO | The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) has an updated Board of Directors, after electing or re-electing members to various board positions at their annual board member retreat.

The 2013 MBA Board of Directors is as follows: President Mikael Audebert, Vice President of Development Robert Carnes, Vice President of Operations and Treasurer Fredrik Eriksson, Secretary Nayte Carrick, Membership Director Eric Rollings, Programs Director Don Williams, Small Business Initiative Director Dawn Kallio, Marketing Director Brad Partridge, Directors at Large Michael Wallman, Chris Stephenson and Michael Von Berg, and Staff Jason Holstein.

Additionally, several board members were appointed to the Come Out With Pride (COWP) Board of Directors.

The MBA president appoints one—Audebert appointed Andrew Gillette to the role of Executive Producer of Operations. The MBA vice president appoints a member as well, and Carnes appointed Jamey Harper to the position of Executive Producer of Development.

According to Audebert, that board of four will meet Jan. 14 to choose the remaining three board members.

“I am staying on board as Executive Director for one more year so I can work on a transition team and make sure our processes and production manual are perfect for the next executive director,” Audebert said. |  |

IN OTHER NEWS ORLANDO TO HOST NATIONAL BULLYING CONFERENCE The 2013 School Safety Advocacy Council Conference on Bullying will be held in Orlando Feb. 27- March 1. Several of the breakout sessions focus on LGBT bullying issues.

The conference is hosted at the Rosen Centre Hotel. For more information visit SchoolSafety911.org.

MORE THAN 250 ATTEND DAYTONA REUNION More than 250 LGBTs gathered at The Streamline Hotel and Lodge Nov. 30- Dec. 1 for the Daytona Reunion 2012 weekend. The highlight was The Billie Boots Memorial Benefit, which raised more than $1,300 for the Outreach Community Care Network, a non-profit HIV/AIDS agency.

Some of the reunion’s attendees had not seen each other for 30 years.

MAN DROWNS IN ROCK LAKE An Orlando man drowned after a canoe he was in capsized in Rock Lake Dec. 7. Danny Diaz, 21, and six other people launched the canoe from a private boat ramp between 3-4 a.m. and crossed the lake to a beach behind Parliament House, said police. The boat flipped and Diaz, who did not know how to swim, sank. His body was found about 1,500 feet from shore.

10

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

|  | Bob Poe from pg.12 on all sorts of levels—and here were these great people.”

Until that time Poe had dated only women, to whom he was very much attracted. In fact, in high school he dated one of only four African-American girls enrolled.

But volunteering at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami, Poe met a Hubert Humphrey campaign of�icial—a “Marlboro Man type”—and fell in love.

“It was a �ling for him,” he said. “It was my �irst real experience with a man, and he broke my heart.”

Humphrey lost. Nixon won. And back at Disney, in one of those “magic carpet” moments that dot his life, Poe shuttled a Nixon administration of�icial to the airport. They got into a political discussion, the impressed of�icial wrote a �lattering letter to a Disney VP, and Poe was yanked from his Tigger costume to host visiting VIPs. It was comedian Mimi

Hines who gave him his next opportunity. After a riotous ride from airport in a suitcase-�illed Lincoln Town Car, Hines offered Poe a job as her tour manager.

In 1973 he moved to California.

But he returned to Orlando in 1976 when his mother developed cancer. He soon landed a job with radio talk show host Gene Burns.

HIGHS AND LOWS

In 12 years at WKIS, Poe rose from producing to station manager. He nurtured talents like Clive Thomas, and convinced Jim Philips to move from news to

When his wife got pregnant, Poe recommitted to his marriage.

“I didn’t want a child coming into the world without two parents and a healthy environment,” he said.

His daughter was born in 1988, but sobriety eluded Poe until he sought out Alcoholics Anonymous in 1994.

In 2000, Poe was hand-picked to chair a Florida Democratic Party in disarray. He helped the party back on its feet through two election cycles, and then in 2003 he founded a company that provides “reverse 911” communications systems for city and county governments. Poe sold his share of the business last year and is now comfortably retired.

But before retirement, it was necessary for Poe to spend much of his time in California. On the other side of the continent, he felt free to experiment and got swept up in the heady gay party culture in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

He describes the period as “a horrible, guilt-ridden dual existence,” with one life as a father and businessman, and

“I needed to do something about the tornado that was my life.”

—BOB POE talk. He also met and fell in love with the striking blonde to whom he remained married for more than 30 years.

In the early 80s Poe engaged in occasional out-of-town samesex encounters, which created guilt and fueled a growing problem with alcohol.

Orange County School Board Stuff approves inclusive nondiscrimination policy Jamie Hyman JAMIE@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

O

RLANDO | After nearly seven hours of debate, the Orange County School Board voted to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the district’s nondiscrimination policy. More than 200 people packed into the Board’s headquarters Dec. 11, about evenly split between supporters of the inclusive policy wearing red and the opposition wearing blue.

The discussion was heated because in the past few weeks, anti-gay group Florida Family Council (FFC) got wind of the proposed changes and launched an attack. In an action alert, the FFC called the changes a “dangerous and outrageous proposal creating special rights for homosexuals, transsexuals” and urged their supporters to contact school board

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

members asking them to vote against the inclusive policy.

In the meantime, LGBTs and allies encouraged supporters of the inclusive policy to contact board members and request they vote in favor.

The school board members voted twice. A proposed amendment to remove gender identity or expression failed on a 5-3 vote, with Christine Moore, Bill Sublette and Pam Gould voting to remove the gender-related language. The �inal, inclusive nondiscrimination policy was approved with a 6-2 vote, with Gould and Moore opposed.

“Policy takes effect immediately,” said Kathy Marsh, the district’s senior manager for media relations.

“It’s already on the website.”

So how did the whole issue get started?

Clinton McCracken, an art teacher at Howard Middle School, said he got this ball rolling two years ago. On Sept. 20, he urged the

watermarkonline.com

Board to include gender identity, as they initially were just going to include sexual orientation. Board member Daryl Flynn made the motion to include both protections, and board member Nancy Robbinson seconded.

The issue went from touchy to contentious with the involvement of Florida Family Council, including some questionable media coverage

by Fox 35 and WKMG Local 6 that framed the issue in the context of “cross-dressing teachers,” inciting fear that young students would have to deal with their teachers changing their gender mid-school year.

In reality, this type of protection is quite common.

Schools in 11 Florida counties already have similarly inclusive nondiscrimination policies including Osceola, Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Orange County and the city of Orlando also have similar protections. |  |

HOME, BUT NOT ALONE

orlando

“I wasn’t looking for a relationship,” Poe said. “But when I met Ken the attraction was immediate and it very quickly became something more. I realized that if I wanted to have a relationship with this remarkable man, I needed to do something about the tornado that was my life.”

Their backgrounds were different, but like Poe, Brown was in recovery—21 years. He’d helped raise a daughter, now 17. And both were drawn to a spiritual side.

Poe asked his wife for the divorce they’d postponed inde�initely; a dif�icult but mutually supportive process that was completed last year.

He came out to his surprised business partner, who said, “That sure connects a lot of dots!” And he shared his truth with his daughter.

Poe also decided to return to Orlando, where Obama campaign manager Jim Messina felt he could make a real difference fundraising in both the LGBT and mainstream community.

Poe embraced the move as an opportunity to make his transformation complete. He also knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“I thought to myself, ‘This is going to be interesting,’” Poe said.

“Not only am I coming back to Orlando as a gay man, I’m coming back with a black man.”

It seems to have been the right move.

“Hiding was destructive for me, and for the people around me.,” he said. “Now I know I can be totally out, totally authentic.”

With the 2012 campaign over, Poe says he and Brown are mulling options. They’ll likely divide their time between Orlando and a home in Los Angeles. They’re considering tapping into Brown’s background to create a children’s theater in Central Florida. And of course, Poe will remain active in politics “The next gubernatorial race is of interest to me,” he says with a grin. |  |

NEWS

another immersed in a party scene he characterizes as “exhilarating but not joyful, and ultimately depressing.”

All that changed in 2008, when he met Brown.

WELCOME HOME:

Zebra Coalition board member Scott Bowman, City Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Zebra Coalition executive director Dexter Foxworth cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Zebra House, the LGBT youth support coalition’s new headquarters on Mills Ave. PHOTO BY ANDRES DUPUTEL

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

11

tampa bay

TOP

5

STORIES OF

THE YEAR

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRIES Way back in February, Tampa City Councilwoman Yvonne Capin planted the seeds for a domestic partnership registry that soon spread across the bay and into Pinellas County. Capin asked for a registry to recognize unmarried couples in the City of Tampa in late February, and by late March Mayor Bob Buckhorn signed the ordinance.

By the time St. Pete Pride rolled around in June, the City of St. Petersburg approved its own domestic partnership ordinance, as did the cities of Gulfport and Clearwater.

NEWS

GAYBOR TURF WAR Social Media lit up in February when two Ybor City promoters aired their dissatisfaction with each other on Facebook. In short, promoters of the El Gancho Circuit Party felt wronged by Florida Entertainment Group. On the flip side, FEG felt the party was promoted using unethical practices. The cover story in Watermark elicited responses from both sides, but the GaYbor Coalition soon mended fences and things returned to normal in the entertainment hotspot of Tampa.

ST. PETE PRIDE The last Saturday in June brought out the biggest crowd to date for the St. Pete Pride Street Festival. Low crowd estimates put the numbers at just over 100,000, while some media outlets reported upwards of 115,000.

Regardless of the numbers, the 10th Anniversary of the state’s largest Pride celebration and its headliner Deborah Cox brought out Carnivale-themed floats and costumes.

It also marked the last festival for Chris Rudisill, who resigned his post as executive director in July to work for Metro Wellness and Community Centers.

GOP CONVENTION INVADES TAMPA August saw an upheaval in Tampa traffic and everyday life when the Republican National Convention took over the Tampa Bay Times Forum and most of downtown Tampa.

The three-day convention, which battled for headlines with Tropical Storm Isaac, also brought two LGBT GOP groups to town. The Log Cabin Republicans held workshops on both sides of the bay and GOProud held its annual “Homocon” at The Honey Pot in Ybor City the week of the convention.

KENWOOD HOUSE FIRE FAILS TO COVER UP MURDERS Two men—one a well known local gay man—were murdered inside a Kenwood neighborhood home in St. Petersburg in September. The bodies of Bruce Johnson, 51, and Arthur Regula, 36, were discovered after firefighters doused an intentionally set blaze Sept. 30.

Police eventually arrested Michal Norris, who reportedly walked away from a work release program that same day, obtained a gun and made his way to Kenwood, where he robbed and shot the two men. He then stole Regula’s pickup truck, which he abandoned in Tampa. Mitch Harrison, the owner of the home, plans to rebuild.

To read more on these stories, visit watermarkonline.com.

12

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

MOST REMARKABLE PERSON OF 2012 REMARKABLE JOURNEY: Bill Kanouff spent 2012 learning how to operate a prosthetic leg after he lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident in November 2011. PHOTO BY JAKE STEVENS

TAMPA BAY

Striding forward After losing his leg, Bill Kanouff spent 2012 learning how to walk while remaining a positive in�luence in the LGBT community Zach Caruso

CARUSO@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

AMPA | For decades, Bill Kanouff has been a staple in the Tampa Bay LGBT community. The business owner, volunteer, former Pride organizer and activist has always been at the forefront of change in Tampa Bay’s march forward.

He’s always been fascinating and inspiring, but in 2012 Kanouff faced the unthinkable. He literally had to learn how to walk again— and he did so with the same determination he’s always had.

That’s why Watermark selected him as Tampa Bay’s most remarkable person of 2012.

Kanouff’s life changed the night of Nov. 11, 2011. That’s

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

the night the activist, volunteer, business owner and Tampa Bay staple fought for his life, survived, but lost a leg following a motorcycle accident.

“I was coming home on my motorcycle that night,” Kanouff remembers. “And a car made a sudden left hand turn and ran me over, trapping my right leg between his vehicle and my motorcycle.”

Kanouff was thrown from his motorcycle, over the vehicle, and he tried to brace himself for his impact with the hard pavement.

“I put my arms out, and ended up shattering both of them,” he said. “Broke multiple ribs, cracked my sternum, and punctured both my lungs with one of the broken ribs.”

The Tampa resident and former

watermarkonline.com

owner of Tomes and Treasures bookstore was immediately rushed to Tampa General Hospital’s trauma unit where doctors worked to save his life. In the end, they were able to repair most of his injuries. However, his right leg had been so badly damaged that it could not be saved, and was amputated.

“The circulatory system that was feeding the tissues in my leg just couldn’t be rebuilt,” said Kanouff.

FACING REALITY

When Kanouff awoke and was faced with the truths of his situation, he took a breath and immediately began to move forward.

“I’m a very factual person, so I immediately started gathering information as to what my situation was exactly,” he recalled.

“I called a friend of mine who works at the School of Prosthetics to �ind out information as to what replacements were available.”

Continued on page 14 |  |

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tampa bay NEWS

Pinellas begins DPR process Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

C

LEARWATER | Pinellas County is on track to introduce and approve a domestic partnership registry sometime in early 2013. During a Dec. 6 meeting, commissioners set a date of Jan. 15 on whether to establish a registry that would incorporate those already existing in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Gulfport. The registry already has the support of the majority of the board.

There had long been talk of a registry for the county in workshops throughout 2011, but this is the �irst substantial move toward an ordinance that would let unmarried couples in the county—gay or straight— register for a handful of certain rights that are typically reserved for married couples. If the registry is approved—which is expected—unmarried couples could visit each other in emergency rooms and make healthcare decisions for each other.

The board will meet at 9 a.m. Jan. 15. |  |

Trainer does push-up campaign for charity Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

ST. PETERSBURG | Typically, Chip Wright is the one telling people to “drop and give me 20.” But throughout the month of December, roles have reversed for the �itness trainer. Wright hopes to raise $5,000 this month by doing 20,000 push-ups.

Wright’s motivation to raise money for the American Cancer Society is personal.

“I lost a close friend to breast cancer on Aug. 12,” Wright said. “I didn’t know what to do or how I could help. Then I came up with the pledge to do 20,000 push-ups this month for $5,000 in memory of her.”

Those who donate to his cause can ask him to pump out as many push-ups as they’d like. His meticulous record-keeping has him on track to hit his goal by midnight, Dec. 31.

“I started on Dec. 1 and I average 645 push-ups a day,” said Wright, the founder of Kal-El Fitness.

Donations range in size—from $10 to as much as $100. Every penny helps the cause, Wright said, and 100% of what he raises goes to the ACS, even if he doesn’t hit his $5,000 goal.

Wright came up with the Give Me 20 plan and when he approached the American Cancer Society about his efforts, the organization helped him set up a donation page. While the format of the fundraiser is based on charity marathons and runs, Wright said he chose pushups as his activity because he is such a believer in their bene�its when it comes to maintaining health.

To help Wright reach his fundraising goal, visit his donation page at MainACSEvents.org or �ind him on Facebook. |  |

14

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

|  | Bill Kanouff from pg.12

He immediately began working towards getting healthy and stronger, and making his way out of the hospital.

“I dealt with it very intellectually when it �irst happened,” he says. “I made sure I had an elastic exercise strap so I could work-out my remaining leg and get it back to normal.”

Kanouff felt in his heart that giving up or letting the accident defeat him would be overlooking and disregarding the most important fact in the aftermath—he was alive.

“The �irst responding of�icer to arrive on the scene of my accident called the coroner �irst, and the ambulance second,” says Kanouff. “The facts are, in my mind, if I were meant to go, I would have been gone. Since I wasn’t gone, I was still meant to be here, so I had to get my act together and go forward.”

A GENEROUS SPIRIT

Kanouff has spent his life looking ahead, giving back to

the community, helping others, and maintaining a consistently positive outlook on life. For these things alone, Kanouff is an inspiring role model.

The 54-year-old was born and raised in the small farm town of Cambria, N.Y., situated between Buffalo and Toronto. It was here that Kanouff �irst learned about the importance of giving back to one’s community, and began

Kanouff hasn’t stopped volunteering and giving back. In college, he once again volunteered at a retirement home. In 1979, he volunteered for New York City Pride at the 10th anniversary of Stonewall. In 1984, he was part of the march on the Republican National Party in San Francisco.

“I’ve been an activist all my life,” says Kanouff. “It’s part of giving back to the community, the giving of yourself.”

In December 1986, Kanouff moved to Tampa, where he experienced a culture shock.

“I left the farm at 17 years old and went into the city, and from there moved to San Francisco, then back to New York, then Tampa,” Kanouff explains. “I was tainted by having lived in those two progressive cities, and I felt there were a lot of things lacking in this area, like a positive healthy intellectual atmosphere for the gay community.”

One of his biggest steps in establishing this was his purchase of Tomes and Treasures bookstore in Hyde Park, a

“If I were meant to go, I would have been gone.

Since I wasn’t gone...

I had to get my act together and go forward.”

—BILL KANOUFF to understand the sense of accomplishment it brings.

“Community-giving-back, for me, dates all the way back to when I was a kid,” says Kanouff.

“My mother used to take us to retirement homes to bring gifts and to sing. The years there wasn’t much money, we would bring apple pies and Christmas carols.”

Geller eyes Gay Guru Title Steve Blanchard EDITOR@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

AMPA | For the past six months, Robert Geller has had a speci�ic goal in mind—to become GayTravel.com’s next Gay Travel Guru. And to attain that title, he needs the help of his local community.

Geller operates Outings and Adventures in Tampa Bay, and submitted a video to GayTravel. com. To advance to the �inal round, he needs to collect votes.

“I had to create a three minute video and I went with the concept of ‘My Favorite Thing,’” said Geller.

“There is just so much to do in Tampa Bay and I highlighted just about every single thing I wanted.”

Geller took a swim with the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs, visited the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, stopped by a few locations in Ybor City, rode the

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

TECO Streetcars and even danced the Flemenco with performers at the Columbia Restaurant.

He and his photographer, Jorge Alvarado, spent six days shooting footage for the �ilm, which Alvarado then edited down into the allotted three-minute post.

“Now it’s a popularity contest,” he said, “and if I get enough votes, I’ll make it into the top �ive to face the �inal challenge.”

Geller describes the experience as a reality show without the show.

However, it’s all web-based, and his �ight to win the Season 2 has been successful, overall.

“A vacation for me is biking, waterfall repelling, rock climbing or paddle boarding,” Geller said.

“Tampa Bay offers so much of that and as Travel Guru, I’d get a chance to do that around the globe.”

The winner of GayTravel.com’s second Travel Guru contest will win $20,000 and the opportunity to travel around the world to blog and experience hot destinations.

watermarkonline.com

GAY GURU: Robert Geller swims with

a Weeki Wachee Mermaid in his video vying for the title of GayTravel.com’s Travel Guru. PHOTO COURTESY ROBERT GELLER

A person’s on-camera persona is important for the role, as is his or her potential to bring in visitors to the website.

“I see this as a large springboard for me and for Tampa Bay,” said Geller, who features 14 locations in his short video. “Now I need votes to make it happen.”

To vote for Geller and to view all of the contestants’ videos, visit GayTravel.com and click on Travel Guru link. |  |

become much more progressive and much more welcoming.”

TAKING NEW STEPS

FESTIVE FUN RUN:

Participants in the 3rd Annual Santa Speedo Run took to the streets of Ybor City Dec. 9, where they raised nearly $31,000 for ASAP’s Brighter Seasons for Children charity. For the full story, visit Watermarkonline.com. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO

tampa bay

For many, the passing of a calendar year is a routine event.

But for Kanouff, 2012, will always be one of his most challenging, even if he won’t admit it.

While he found minor frustrations in re-learning how to do certain things, like walk on an electronic, prosthetic leg that continuously learns his motions and habits, the strong-willed and independent Kanouff also had to learn that it was ok to ask for help.

“It was a complete shift for me to have to ask people for help,” he said. “But it was really good in my own personal growth to have to do that because no one is an island.”

With his positive attitude pushing him forward, and with the help of his friends and family, Kanouff dove right back into life. Within two weeks of being released from the hospital, he was back in the gym on a new leg. |  |

NEWS

business he operated for nearly two decades.

“The store was getting ready to close, and they just couldn’t �ind a buyer,” Kanouff said. “I realized the importance of a gay bookstore, so I ended up taking it over, expanding it, growing it, and making it cost-effective.”

In addition to his business ventures, Kanouff was involved in the founding of Equality Florida as well as being on the board of Pride Tampa Bay and the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. He was a founding fundraiser for the Ybor Youth Clinic in 2011.

In his 26 years in the Tampa Bay area, Kanouff has been an integral part in the growth of the LGBT community, and he now looks on the progression with pride and happiness.

“When I was chair of the Gay Pride Parade in Tampa, Jane Castor used to walk a beat and she would help coordinate all the lesbian of�icers to help with the gay pride march. Now she’s the chief of police,” Kanouff said. “I mean, as a community we have progressed leaps and bounds in the last 20 years, and the city has

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DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

15

sarasota

THE TOP

5

STORIES

OF THE YEAR SARASOTA SECURES DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRY Very little controversy surrounded the City of Sarasota’s Domestic Partnership Registry, which went into effect in early November.

GOLDEN APPLE CLOSES DOORS, REOPENS FOR NEW YEAR’S The Golden Apple Dinner Theater was forced to close this fall due to financial woes, but reopened in December.

NEWS

SARASOTA TOPS LIST OF LGBT YOUTH-FRIENDLY CITIES America’s Promise Alliance named Sarasota as one of the 11 best communities for LGBT young people in September.

STAND UP SARASOTA FOCUSES ON BULLYING Hudson Taylor headlined Stand Up Sarasota Week, speaking to 1,500 students.

SARASOTA PRIDE ATTRACTS 5,000 The 2012 Sarasota Pride festival attracted 5,000 people to downtown Sarasota Oct. 20, making it the largest one to date.

To read more on these stories, visit watermarkonline.com.

Shelin takes DPR fight to county Staff Report

S

ARASOTA | Momentum is building in Sarasota County. After a recent decision by the City of Sarasota Commission to create a domestic partnership registry, community leaders are hoping for a victory on a countywide level.

Former commissioner Ken Shelin, who led the �ight for the city’s DPR, told the Herald Tribune that he would meet with County Commissioners to get the cy to recognize the partnerships of unmarried couples—both straight and gay. A number of cities in Florida, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Gulfport and Clearwater already have similar domestic partnership registries.

“I’ve had no opposition when I’ve made presentations,” Shelin said. “There’s been enthusiastic support. I haven’t had to sit there and explain things in detail or plead.”

Shelin said that though Sarasota Memorial Hospital has been “very good” about working with domestic partners, there are many surgery centers that do not honor power-of-attorney agreements. Many seniors are in committed relationships but do not get married for tax reasons, he said.

The Sarasota City Commission unanimously adopted its Domestic Partnership Registry Program during its Oct. 15 meeting.

Couples were able to register at City Hall on election day, Nov. 6. Many credit Shelin’s efforts with the city’s registry, and he’s hoping that momentum will carry Sarasota County forward.

Though Florida does not allow civil unions or gay marriage, an attorney general’s opinion approved the registries, inspiring a half-dozen counties and a dozen cities across the state to adopt them. Pinellas County is scheduled to debate the creation of a registry on Jan. 15. Orange County created

a registry in mid-2012.

Shelin cited U.S. census data showing that 90% of domestic partners are in heterosexual relationships to make the case that the ordinance is “gender neutral.”

In Sarasota, couples must show up to City Hall together, sign an af�idavit testifying they are not married to other people, and pay a $30 fee.

The domestic partner ordinance in Sarasota has the ability to merge with a similar ordinance that could be created

by Sarasota County in the future.

If the county does ever move forward with such a registry, those who have already registered in the city limits would also be recognized in the city.

The cities of Venice and North Port have expressed interest in their own registries, but a countywide ordinance would negate that need. |  |

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boss is the people of Florida.”

A new private poll of 1,000 Democratic voters gives Crist an overwhelming lead over all other Democrats in a hypothetical primary for governor, including a 21-point advantage in a test matchup with Alex Sink, the party’s 2010 nominee.

The poll found that Crist is much better known than Sink and that 75 percent of Democrats believe he has the best chance of beating Scott in 2014.

According to the poll, 79 percent of Democrats have a somewhat or very favorable view of Crist compared to 58 percent for Sink.

Sink, who lost to Scott by slightly more than 1 percent in 2010, said Crist “has a lot of explaining to do” about his past as a Republican. “I still think that for Democrats, Charlie Crist needs to get out and explain himself,” Sink said. “There needs to be a vetting process. He needs to convince Democrats he’s one of them.” |  |

THE TOP

5

STORIES OF THE YEAR

LT. GOV. CARROLL INSULTS LESBIANS Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll made headlines in July when she claimed “women who engage in those relationships don’t look like me,” when discussing her sexuality. She later apologized.

JACKSONVILLE VOTES DOWN PROTECTIONS After months of meetings, the City of Jacksonville failed to approve a proposal adding sexuality and gender identity to its Human Rights Ordinance in August.

LESBIAN CUSTODY BATTLE LANDS IN SUPREME COURT Two Brevard County women landed in the Supreme Court when they split and one woman took their daughter out of the country.

FLORIDA ELECTS FIRST OPENLY GAY STATE LEGISLATOR David Richardson became Florida’s first openly gay legislator when he won the Miami Beach District 113 primary in August.

state news

S

T. PETERSBURG | Former Gov. Charlie Crist completed his conversion to the Democratic Party this month at a camera-ready media event at which he revised his views on yet another issue: same-sex marriage.

Nearly a week after posing with a party switch form at a White House reception, Crist milked the decision for more publicity by inviting the media to cover him handing in the form at a Pinellas County elections of�ice.

More than a dozen reporters watched as the former Republican governor who ran as an independent Senate candidate in 2010 posed for photos with three county elections clerks, calling them “Charlie’s Angels.”

The scene was classic Crist, and looked like the �irst step in a 2014 bid for governor, but he said he has no timeline for a decision. He said people in President Barack Obama’s

administration, though not the president himself, want him to run.

He also spoke of his displeasure with Gov. Rick Scott, his ultimate rival if he were to become the Democratic nominee.

“I am disappointed. It started with rejecting the high-speed rail,” Crist said. “We were successful, I think, in proving that Florida needed it, wanted it and was ready for it. So I think that was disappointing.”

Asked whether he regretted decisions or positions he took as a Republican over more than two decades, Crist discussed his 2006 decision to sign a petition to enshrine a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution.

“Would I do it today? No,” Crist said. “I think the best way to judge where my heart is, is to look at the deeds that I have done, whether as attorney general, governor — restoration of rights, civil rights cases, things of that nature, that I think show a compassionate heart and hopefully someone who cares and knows who the boss is—and the

NEWS

Crist regrets anti-marriage equality stance

SOUTHERN COUNTIES EMBRACE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS The counties of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach all embraced domestic partnership registries in 2012.

To read more on these stories, visit watermarkonline.com.

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DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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Wire Report

at midnight to accommodate eager couples.

In November, Washington, Maine and Maryland became the �irst states to pass same-sex marriage by popular vote. They joined six other states—New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont—and the District of Columbia that had already enacted laws or issued court rulings permitting same-sex marriage.

Couples in Maryland also started picking up marriage licenses Dec. 6, though their licenses won’t take effect until Jan. 1. Maine’s law takes effect on Dec. 29. There’s no waiting period in Maine, and couples can start marrying just after midnight. |  |

state should not stand in their way,’’ Miller said. “For me, extending marriage to same-sex couples will strengthen, not weaken, this vital institution.’’

Some religious groups, such as Quakers and liberal Jews, say they want to conduct same-sex ceremonies. But others, including the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, oppose gay marriage.

Miller said the legislation would make it unlawful for the Church of England—the country’s of�icial church—and the Anglican Church in Wales to conduct gay weddings. The government hopes that the ban for

the Church of England will reassure religious opponents of same-sex marriage that they will not be forced to take part.

It also will ensure that religious organizations or ministers who refuse to marry a same-sex couple can’t be sued for discrimination.

“No religious organization will ever be forced to conduct marriages for same-sex couples,’’ Miller told lawmakers.

Since 2005, gay couples in Britain have been able to form civil partnerships, which gives them the same legal protections as heterosexual married partners. |  |

the federal Defense of Marriage Act that denies to legally married gay Americans a range of federal tax , health and pension bene�its given to heterosexual couples.

The high court’s decision to hear the federal bene�it question was a virtual certainty because several lower courts struck down the provision of the 1996 law and the justices almost always step in when lower courts invalidate a federal law.

There is nothing that compelled a similar response from the court in the case over California’s Proposition 8, the state constitutional ban on gay marriage that voters adopted in 2008 after the state Supreme Court ruled that gay

Californians could marry. Indeed, the gay marriage supporters who prevailed in the lower courts urged the Supreme Court to stay out of the case and allow same-sex unions to resume in the nation’s largest state.

Opponents of gay marriage say they are heartened by the Supreme Court’s action. ``We believe that it is signi�icant that the Supreme Court has taken the Prop 8 case. We believe it is a strong signal that the court will reverse the lower courts and uphold Proposition 8,’’ said John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage.

Same-sex marriage is banned by constitution in 30 states. |  |

British government to legalize same-sex marriage Wire Report LONDON, ENGLAND | The British government announced Dec. 11 that it will introduce a bill next year legalizing gay marriage—but banning the Church of England from conducting same-sex ceremonies.

Equalities minister Maria Miller said the legislation would authorize same-sex civil marriages, as well as religious ceremonies if religions decide to ``opt in.’’ ``I feel strongly that, if a couple wishes to show their love and commitment to each other, the

Supreme Court will hear same-sex marriage cases Wire Report WASHINGTON, D.C. | The U.S. Supreme Court plunged into the contentious issue of gay marriage Dec. 7 when it agreed to take up California’s ban on same-sex unions and a separate dispute about federal bene�its for legally married gay couples.

The court’s action gives the justices the chance to say by late June whether gay Americans have the same constitutional right to marry as heterosexuals. Several narrower paths also are open to the justices as they consider both California’s voter-approved Proposition 8 and the provision of

TOP

5

STORIES OF

THE YEAR

MARRIAGE EQUALITY WINS! For the first time in history, marriage equality won on ballots in four states. Voters in Washington, Maine and Maryland passed same-sex marriage initiatives and Minnesota voters rejected a ballot measure that would have created a constitutional ban on marriage equality in the state. The wins bolstered the marriage equality movement and set up similar initiatives in other states for 2013. Nine states and the District of Columbia now recognize marriage equality and the Defense of Marriage Act is facing several lawsuits claiming it is unconstitutional.

BALDWIN BECOMES FIRST OUT LESBIAN CONGRESSWOMAN In Wisconsin, voters elected Democratic House member Tammy Baldwin to the United States Senate, making her the first openly gay person ever elected to the chamber. The seven-term Democratic congresswoman edged past former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson in a win that advocacy groups hailed as a significant stride toward bringing diversity to the Senate. Baldwin said she ran “to make a difference” and not to make history, but added that she hopes the Senate will be more reflective of America and the “life experience” of women.

nation+world

S

EATTLE, WASH. | Same-sex couples in Washington state began reciting wedding vows at events across the state Dec. 9, the �irst day they could marry after the state’s gay marriage law took effect on Dec 6.

About 140 couples registered to marry at Seattle City Hall, which had set up �ive separate chapels to accommodate the revelers.

Mayor Mike McGinn, who greeted couples at they arrived, called it a ``great day, a joyous day.’’

“It’s really wonderful,’’ he said. ``A new civil right is going to be recognized in this great civil

institution.’’

Keith Bacon and Corianton Hale of Seattle, hugged and kissed to loud cheers and camera �lashes as they took their vows before one of the 16 local judges who volunteered to of�iciate the weddings. ``We’re totally thrilled,’’ Bacon said. The couple had a commitment ceremony in August but said this day was particularly special.

Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples picked up their marriage licenses on Dec. 6 as early as 12:01 a.m., but because of the state’s threeday waiting period, the earliest weddings could take place was just after midnight on Dec 9. Some courthouses, including in King and Thurston Counties, opened right

NEWS

Same-sex couples in Washington take wedding vows

CONVERSION THERAPY OUTLAWED IN CALIFORNIA This fall, California enacted legislation that outlawed the practice of so-called “conversion therapy,” used to “treat” homosexual men and women who want to suppress their sexuality. While the medical community and LGBT advocates cheered the law, a small contingent of right-wing therapists continue to challenge the ruling, saying it limits the options available to patients wishing to change their sexual orientation.

OBAMA ENDORSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY Saying his views had “evolved,” President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to openly support marriage equality. He expressed his views on ABC News, just a week after Vice President Joe Biden offered his support for same-sex couples getting a chance to wed.

The endorsement by the president is credited with shifting popular opinion on marriage equality, which now has a slim majority in public polls. Political experts also suggest that his endorsement energized the LGBT community in November, and helped re-elect Obama to the presidency.

CHICK-FIL-A IGNITES CONTROVERSY Never before has chicken made such a statement.

But thanks to remarks made by Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy that the company is “guilty as charged” for supporting the “biblical definition” of family, the fast-food chain became a political lightening rod. LGBT activists, who have long boycotted the chain for its anti-marriageequality stance and its donations to anti-gay groups, called for a boycott of the Atlanta-based chain. FOX News commentator and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee countered, asking for a Chick-fil-A appreciation day in August, which created long lines at the restaurants throughout the country. Eventually the company said it would no longer voice an opinion on social issues.

To read more on these stories, visit watermarkonline.com.

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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loosecanon

Reconnecting with Dad

Jim Walker WALKER@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

M

ANY OF US GO THROUGH

it every Christmas. Despite all the gains the LGBT community has made, especially in the last �ive years, many of us still face pain and isolation from our families during the holidays.

The reasons behind our estrangement from family are many, but the feeling is the same. As the calendar �lips to 2013, I’ll celebrate the end of my isolation from my dad.

Earlier this month, I saw him for the �irst time in more than 22 years.

Dad was a drinker long before I was born. My brother, 10 years older than I, was into drugs. The two of them often physically fought, bringing my mother to tears.

Dad was verbally abusive to us. He used to tell me repeatedly how worthless I was, and how I’d never amount to anything. I think Mom feared he might get physical at some point. Many nights, we went to bed dressed just in case we’d have to leave in the middle of the night.

After 20 years of marriage, Mom �inally gave up on him ever getting sober. They divorced when I was 10. He drank during his second marriage and accrued multiple DUIs. The second wife was an alcoholic, too. I can remember the two of them �ighting and knocking over the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. After running over

and critically injuring a motorcyclist, Dad went into an alcohol treatment program, followed by AA for years.

I came out to my dad in 1990. I was 20 at the time. He said he “accepted” me, but didn’t want to hear about my “sex partners” or friends. I decided that I was not going to edit my life for him and that if he didn’t like it, he could “go to hell”—my exact words.

The last time I saw my grandfather was in 2002. I had “come out” to him as well in 1990, but he had long since decided to let his personal judgment about that go, and to focus on trying to “know” his adult grandson before it was too late.

Grandpa died last summer. He was 97. The obit mentioned family, friends—virtually every detail of his life—but my name was left out.

I assumed my dad, my dad’s wife, or my grandpa’s widow was responsible for the omission. But my brother explained my grandpa’s widow had been in a home suffering from Alzheimer’s for many years. My dad’s third wife had died just a few months before my grandpa—and she had died after a long, painful and debilitating battle with diabetes.

My anger transformed into a feeling of sadness and compassion for my dad. So I found my dad on Facebook and sent a note saying I’d like to talk to him. Within a week, I worked up the courage to dial his number and speak the �irst words in more than two decades. Eight months of weekly phone conversations lead to my visit in early December.

When I saw him, I realized both of us are different people than we were two decades ago. Dad actually apologizes for things and thinks of other people before himself. I’m not all consumed with having to be right about everything.

One night after dinner I stood in the kitchen, watching him do dishes. I was astounded. I never once saw him offer to help Mom. When we went to dinner out the next night, his new wife drove. My dad of 20 years ago would never think of letting a woman drive if he was in the car.

His new wife is wonderful. She, like my mom, is a retired teacher. She has traveled all over the world and experienced things I can only imagine. She, like me, and like Dad, is a severe liberal. We had many great discussions together. I think I talked more with her than with my dad. I’m very happy that at age 76, Dad so quickly found someone who is kind, adventurous and open-minded.

I got to see my brother, John, as well

during my trip. We went to dinner with my brother and his wife. It would be the �irst time my dad, my brother and I had been together since 1989. My dad didn’t say much. He seemed to just take it all in as conversation �lowed around the table—vacations, kids, pets and who we are today. I think Dad was, as I certainly was, amazed at the moment and that things were �inally on the right track again between all of us.

The time with Dad went by much too quickly. I promised to return for another visit within the next year.

Driving back to the airport in Sacramento, I called Dad to thank him for his hospitality. The last and most

profound thing he said to me was “I hope you can come visit again soon, and bring your partner with you.”

In many ways, I had been waiting 20 years to hear those words—an indicator that he fully accepts who I am and who I love.

I said “I love you both.” And while he couldn’t get the words out to say “I love you, too,” what he said just before that told me all I needed.

Long ago, God gave me the grace to free myself from the bondage of my painful past, and to forgive this man. Now, God has given us the chance to �inally know each other as father and son. |  |

As the calendar flips to 2013, I’ll celebrate the end of my isolation from my dad.

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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watermarkonline.com

livingloud

No LGBT Student (or Teacher) Left Behind

Mary Meeks MEEKS@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

T

HIS MONTH WE WON

another major victory in the �ight for equality and dignity for our LGBT family.

Orange County Public Schools (“OCPS”), the 10th largest school district in the nation, passed discrimination protections for our LGBT students and teachers.

It should not have been controversial.

But it was because anti-LGBT extremists targeted the transgender protections, and our School Board Chair, Bill Sublette, listened and obeyed, apparently thinking the gay community would accept “half a loaf” and abandon our transgender friends.

He was wrong.

Fighting for equality is not the same as debating tax rates, or mediating a business dispute. We are talking about human lives, and there is no 50% or 90% “compromise,” and it is never acceptable to leave anybody behind.

Here’s what happened, because you should know: LGBT teachers, led by Clinton McCracken, worked with local advocates to encourage the School Board to implement non-discrimination policies for LGBT students and teachers. We secured suf�icient support

to proceed with an adoption of policies to protect gay students and employees, but continued to advocate for inclusion of transgender students and employees. Chair Sublette advised us that he would support adding transgender individuals to the policies if there was suf�icient support on the Board. At a School Board workshop on Sept. 20, all School Board members present except for Christine Moore expressed support for adding transgender protections to the policies. Chair Sublette not only voted to support this addition, he spoke very powerfully about the importance of these protections for gays and transgender people, and stated “this will say a lot about who we are as a community.” The �inal hearing to adopt these policies was set for Dec. 11.

A week before the hearing, anti-LGBT activist John Stemberger rallied his knuckle-dragging troops with ridiculous allegations that these policies would lead to unisex bathrooms, rampant cross-dressing, and protections for pedophiles. The School Board members were deluged with hysterical complaints. Sublette responded to the crazy parade by calling �ive of us to his of�ice the night before the vote to say he was caving to the pressure and would remove transgender individuals from the proposed policies. He broached no discussion—it was a �irm announcement. He had invited �ive gays to accept and join his betrayal of our transgender brothers and sisters, notably neglecting to invite our transgender colleague. We declined.

The School Board meeting was packed: red shirts to support the proposed policies, blue shirts against.

Numerous elected of�icials attended, each one of them in support of the proposed policies. The meeting lasted eight hours, ending at 1:30 a.m.

It was ugly. Sublette supported an amendment to strip out the transgender protections, arguing forcefully for his colleagues to support him.

Fortunately, �ive of them did not; the repulsive amendment was defeated and the policies were passed as proposed.

Give special thanks to School Board members Daryl Flynn and Nancy Robbinson, who led the charge to stand up to the anti-LGBT extremists and to Chair Sublette; and to Joie Cadle and Rick Roach who each gave impassioned comments of support.

The courage and compassion of these four leaders was inspiring and will indelibly improve the lives of countless students and teachers. We are thankful that Kat Gordon ultimately voted for the protections, but dismayed that she inexplicably directed a homophobic diatribe at my wife for commenting that she was born gay, disrespecting Vicki and denigrating all of us—including the middle and high school LGBT students who were there to speak publicly for the �irst time.

Bill Sublette deserves our strongest condemnation. He will argue in his defense that he supported domestic partner bene�its for OCPS personnel,

and the discrimination protections for gays. But that is no excuse for his cowardly betrayal of transgender students and teachers.

He knew protecting them was the right thing to do, and instead he knelt at the altar of John Stemberger and failed his transgender students and teachers when they desperately needed his leadership and support.

I think we all know that the path to equality is unyielding and inevitable.

Those who opposed equality, or stood idly by, or tried to bargain for half measures, will look back with regret and shame. There is only one right path, and we leave no one behind. |  |

Bill Sublette knew protecting them was the right thing to do, and instead he knelt at the altar of John Stemberger.

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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Our dealers are offering a variety of after Christmas & Winter Specials Hot & Cold Beverages & snacks are always available to our customers.

Pleasant 1950’s music played throughout the mall.

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Make Downtown Oviedo Your All Day Antique Destination!

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Rev. Dr. Jim Merritt Senior Pastor

24

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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$2 Million

TALKING POINTS

I’m not saying Jesus was gay,

BUT let’s be careful to not rope this guy in for a —BISHOP GENE husband, wife and 2.2 children model for family.

ROBINSON

will now be spent defending the Defense of Marriage Act, thanks to a second, Republican-approved

$500,000

INCREASE to a contract with a private law firm, which was originally capped at $1 Million.

—According to a Dec. 13 story in Roll Call

NOT GENETICS, BUT EPIGENETICS

S

CIENTISTS THINK THEY MAY HAVE SOLVED THE QUESTION OF WHAT MAKES A PERSON GAY. A study suggests that the homosexual trait it is passed to children by their opposite-sex parent.

A lesbian will almost always get the trait from her father, while a gay man will get the trait from his mother, according to the new study published in The Quarterly Review of Biology.

In short, we will probably never �ind a ‘gay gene.’

Sexual orientation is not about genetics, say the researchers, it’s about epigenetics. This is the process where DNA expression is in�luenced by any number of external factors in the environment. And in the case of homosexuality, the researchers argue, the environment is the womb itself. |  |

WHAT WOULD “QUEEN JAMES” SAY?

A

NEW, LGBT-FRIENDLY VERSION OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE IS OUT JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS—and dubbed the “Queen James Bible.”

The text updates several passages that have long been used to vilify homosexual activity with more accurate statements put in context.

For example, Leviticus 18.22,

which states, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is an abomination.” Now reads, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind in the temple of Molech; it is an abomination.”

According to a few editor’s notes at QueenJamesBible.com, King James was known for his many male lovers and was often

ON BARNEY FRANK’S IMPENDING RETIREMENT:

I

T SEEMS THAT LESBIANS ARE TAKING OVER AT LEAST ONE CATEGORY OF THE GRAMMY AWARDS THIS YEAR. It should be no surprise that it’s in The Best Spoken Word Album category.

Janis Ian, Rachel Maddow and Ellen DeGeneres are all nominated for the award. Ian’s audio version of her autobiography, Society’s Child, brings her a ninth nomination. Maddow ‘s The Unmooring of American Military Power offers a serious, political tone while DeGeneres, of course, brings comedy to the audio version of her book, Seriously…I’m Kidding.

The Grammy Awards air on CBS Sunday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m. |  |

WATERMARKONLINE.COM POLL IN THE TRAGIC AFTERMATH OF THE SHOOTINGS IN CONNECTICUT, WE WONDER: called “Queen James” because of those escapades.

“Most English Bible translations that actively condemn homosexuality have erroneously adapted its words to support their own agenda,” the editors write. |  |

PEOPLE ARE TALKING AT WATERMARKONLINE.COM ON BOYCOTTING THE SALVATION ARMY BELL-RINGERS:

LESBIAN UPRISING AT GRAMMYS

ON THE ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD APPROVING A NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY THAT COVERS SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY:

“Not that it’s not implied in the article but the money that folks would have given to the Salvation Army bigots should be given ELSEWHERE this season. Also, the bell ringers are probably just looking to earn some money to actually buy food for themselves so it does no good to be nasty to them! Ok off my soap box.”

“He should consider running for the senate in John Kerry’s spot— he is a champion for equal rights!”

“I’m glad the local TV media stopped calling it a “Crossdressing” initiative. Those news whores will do anything to get people to watch.”

—DOUG BOWSER

—KEVIN BRIAN

—JEFFREY CHAGNON

WHERE DO WATERMARK READERS STAND ON GUN CONTROL?

There should be minor restrictions on gun ownership,

but stronger control over what types of guns are permitted for personal use (e.g., no assault weapons).

22% There should be major restrictions on gun ownership.

Potential gun owners should be closely screened and personal gun ownership should be rare.

14% There should be little or no restrictions on gun

ownership. I stand behind the Second Amendment.

7% All guns should be illegal for everyone except for police and military.

7% There should not be minor restrictions on gun ownership—the current level of

screening and permitting seems about right to me.

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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watermarkonline.com

ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT

The ‘Funny Girl’

RETURNS

LEGEND TALKS SCREEN COMEBACK, BEING A GAY ICON AND HER OWN GUILT TRIP Chris Azzopardi CHRISAZZOPARDI@PRIDESOURCE.COM

B

ARBRA STREISAND TAKES

center stage, but she’s not busting out “The Way We Were.” Not today, anyway.

The legend is promoting her �irst major �ilm in 16 years at the Four Seasons Los Angeles. Her hair is perfectly coiffed and— dressed in her usual all-black attire—she’s got the off-theshoulder look going on.

Hello, gorgeous, indeed.

Not long into the interview, a makeup artist waiting in the wings

pats any remnants of forehead sweat. You don’t let a legend perspire—and Barbra Streisand is the epitome of an American treasure: a consummate singer with a timeless mezzo-soprano; an Emmy, Oscar and Grammy award winner; and the woman who stole hearts in A Star is Born. To us, a gay icon.

After a short stint of recent sold-out shows, Streisand returns to starring-role status in The Guilt Trip alongside goo�ball Seth Rogen—for real: Babs with the Zack and Miri Make a Porno actor—as a mother-son duo that goes road-tripping together and gets into all sorts of shenanigans.

If it weren’t for director Anne Fletcher (The Proposal), who would only do the �ilm with Babs, there’d be no movie—and, worse, no Barbra.

Streisand, along with Rogen and Fletcher, sat down to chat about the reason she �inally gave

in (thank her own gay son for that), what she thinks of being a gay icon and how she’s managed to stay successful for nearly six decades.

WATERMARK: WHAT WAS IT

LIKE MEETING EACH OTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME?

BARBRA STREISAND: Seth sussed me out. He called people.

SETH ROGAN: And she checked out. This Barbra Streisand lady checked out. So I thought I’d give her a shot. (Laughs) BS: I didn’t know who to call. I

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

don’t know any of those people from his movies, so what was I gonna do? No—I thought he was adorable.

WHAT ARE YOU TWO LIKE OFF SET?

SR: The way we talk in real life is not entirely different than our rapport in the movie. It’s a lot of me trying to explain things to her about modern times and her trying to feed me shit I don’t want to eat.

BS: I was the one with the iPhone.

Continued on page 36 |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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Featuring award-winning swing dancers, Minn Vo and Stefanie Klausman, it’s a night of dance tunes covering the Charleston, big band, boogie-woogie, blues and more with hits by Duke Ellington, Lerner and Loewe, Cole Porter, Glenn Miller, Louis Prima and other American masters. Victor Vanacore conducts.

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12/6/2012 4:43:19 PM

Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock.

Jamie Foxx is Django Unchained.

Hitchcock

Django Unchained

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy

Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson

T

HIS MOVIE SAYS THAT HITCHCOCK WAS A GENIUS, BUT IT NEVER QUITE SHOWS

RETURN TO THE SHIRE: The Hobbit Martin Freeman and his dwarves.

Screened Out MOVIE REVIEWS

Epic Characters The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Ian Holm, Richard Armitage

A

to Middle Earth? Of course, you are. Like Star Wars, we’re looping back to the prequel (which Tolkien wrote �irst and then edited later). It’s graphic, epic, and fun—but less life threatening than the Lord of the Rings series.

Stephen Miller

The Hobbit is still worth the trip. Peter Jackson has a sure hand at this grand mythological material by now.

How did a quiet hobbit procure both the famous sword Sting and “Precious,” the evil ring?

Bilbo (Holm, Freeman) is writing it down now for Frodo. (There’s a nifty reference to the beginning of the LoTR series.)

We still never quite know why Gandalf (awesome Sir McKellen) picked the Baggins family. All we know is that innocent Bilbo must STEPHEN@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

RE YOU READY TO GO BACK

go with the dwarf king Armitage and his short, swarthy, singing band of compatriots. They must �ight a dragon and recapture their once-glorious mountain city and its gold.

If you know LoTR, you have some idea of how this ends, so The Hobbit is about �illing in the detail. The �ilm mostly succeeds, but any fan with half a sense of humor will �ind plot holes to poke fun of in this meandering tale.

Jackson’s crew also seems to have more fun— there are more laughs and even musical numbers!

And, honestly, watching mountains box is cool, but goblins aren’t that threatening when you can slew dozens with one deft sword swing. |  |

N

O ONE WILL EVER ACCUSE QUENTIN TARANTINO OF BEING SUBTLE. He doesn’t

want to be; this �ilm lover wants to be wildly entertaining. innovation? This biopic about the making Django is really an updated version of Psycho and the director’s marriage to of a blacksploitation �ilm. (Tarantino Alma Reville is sadly ho-hum. did it once before with Jackie Brown.)

Anthony Hopkins—under a great This time, it’s a Western where former make-up job—plays Hitchcock. The slave Django (Foxx) exacts revenge on �ilm reveals nothing new: Hitch, as he slave owners while searching for his was called, was obsessed with blond wife. The man who trained Django in bombshells. He also was a gun slinging, lying, wheeling bit creepy and cold, even and dealing is Christoph sometimes controlling.

RATINGS GUIDE Waltz (who won an Oscar Wife Reville (wonderfully in Tarantino’s Inglorious played by Mirren) was his foil, Basterds). DiCaprio is the editor and censor. She mostly creepy slave-owning jerk. His Overflowing stood in the background, right hand man is a sycophantic with glittery but any little digging into old coot (Jackson), who helps fabulousness production history will show enslave his own kind. her work. She polished scripts, Just like in all Tarantino Pretty damn provided an opinion, and �ilms, there is the odd mix of good, but it’s no agreed to mortgage everything long, almost stagey scenes Sunset Boulevard they owned when the studios with elaborate and ridiculous refused to green-light Psycho. moments of violence. Also, An entertaining Hitch also was a master there are the cheesy titles enough flick at self-marketing—inventing and anachronous music with perhaps new styles of promotion. choices—1970s jazz as a few holes He confounded audience people ride horses through expectations about movies. He 1850s Texas. However, there Ever so slightly surprised us. is also the common message watchable, just So, why is this biopic nice of the oppressed getting for that hot actor but not at all surprising? revenge. Remember the Very few of Hitchcock’s cool Jewish girl taking on Nazis in camera tricks and story Basterds? The stuntwomen in Two hours of your life you’ll twists are utilized. Johansson Unstoppable also seek justice. never get back as Janet Leigh and James They thought they killed D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, and seem underutilized. Even the gimmicks she came back to get even. (Perhaps employed to show the inner workings of Tarantino will one day shoot a �ilm Hitchcock’s mind are lacking shock. with a rage-�illed gay?)

Hitch comes off as petulant, �laccid So, if you can stomach the absurd and boring for most of the movie (minus violence, the incongruity, the camp, the one brilliant scene at the end). That long scenes (the �ilm is nearly three wimpiness might be the �ilm’s pathetic hours), and copious use of the N-word, revelation. It also lessens the genius so Tarantino has fashioned another way many generations have enjoyed. |  | to wallow in �ilthy, fun vengeance. |  |

IT. Where are the droll humor and the

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LET’S DANCE: 1990s saucy songster Amber will bring her chart-topping hits to Parliament House on New Year’s Eve. PHOTO COURTESY MICHAEL WANZIE

‘Sexual’ healing LIVE MUSIC

’90s dance diva Amber to rock in the New Year at PH

O

Erik R. Caban ERIK@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

RLANDO | AS IN YEARS PAST,

Parliament House is bringing some popular pop-stars to its stage to ring in the New Year. Beginning Dec. 29, this year’s line-up includes “Horny” singer Inaya Day and culminates with Amber on Dec. 31.

While it may seem like the songster’s mainstream relevancy has faded since her last U.S. hit, 2006’s “Melt With the Sun,” that doesn’t mean the 42-year-old native German hasn’t been hard at work. A veritable hit-maker

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of the 1990s and 2000s, Amber is probably best known for her hits “This is Your Night,” ”Sexual,” “Above the Clouds” and “If You Could Read My Mind.”

She assures you can expect plenty of those familiar hits to

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

ring in 2013.

“Years ago, I decided to cut certain songs out of my performance,” Amber explains.

“After two shows I had enough feedback to understand that my hits will always be my hits and if I want to make it out alive from any venue, I better keep them on my repertoire.”

Many of her songs continue to remain timeless. In 2008, she even released a remix of 1995’s “This is Your Night.”

“The crowd always loses its mind and sings along when they hear the tune start,” Amber says.

“It’s just wonderful! There is no real conclusive explanation to

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

[why songs remain timeless],” Amber says. “I just feel blessed to be able to be a soundtrack to some people’s lives. I love what I do and it must be showing.”

Like a number of celebrities, Amber offers up the usual “shout out to all my fans. Without you, I would not be where I am.” While this is usually insincere chatter, she made a point to go beyond, attributing much of her success—16 years and counting as a dance �loor diva—to her gay fans.

“I feel very —AMBER blessed to have them,” she says. “They are just a very committed and loyal group of fans to have. I also believe that by coming out, many have lots of trials and issues to master and dance music gives them the uplift for a moment in their lives.”

It’s evident she appreciates the people who buy her records, attend her performances, and offer comments on her Facebook page. She even personally responds to most of the posts.

“I am very accessible to my fans and I think that they can sense the sincerity in that,” she says.

Amber is also very aware and involved with LGBT charities and organizations. She has done countless ones—many focused on equality.

“It is ridiculous in this day and age that people are discriminated against for who they naturally love and that there are actually monies pissed away by bigots and religious groups to stop what is already basically written in the constitution,” she declares.

“We have wars and crimes and environmental issues to worry about, not a group of smallminded people trying to hold up progress that is very much needed globally. Humans really need to focus on the big picture here and stop the ignorance.”

Her latest single “I Don’t Believe in Hate” is a perfect example of her support of antidiscrimination.

“The song revolves around the message to defy negativity, which we all receive at times and rise above it and not to let it bring you down,” Amber clari�ies. “As long as you are good-spirited, there is nothing you have to fear; our diversity is what makes us all special.” |  |

“It is ridiculous that people are discriminated against for who they naturally love .”

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MORE INFORMATION

WHAT: Amber WHERE: Parliament House, Orlando WHEN: Monday, Dec. 31 TICKETS: ParliamentHouse.com

NEW YEARS EVE PICKS

LEGALPERSON

Dade City

Don’t want to celebrate the New Year in a bar? Spend First Night at Sawmill Resort and experience all of this; a rose parade, guest DJs, Sawmill Social Club, porn stars, beer bust and Frenchie Davis live! For more information, visit FLSawmill.com.

Orlando

The cast of Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba bend and tumble in two special performances of Cirque New Year. These exclusive shows will offer a unique holiday finale, a gift for each guest and champagne toast at midnight.

Performances are 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. For more information and tickets, CirqueDuSoleil.com/ LaNouba Danielle Hunter & Company offers a Las Vegas-style show and an array of entertainment all night long at the Funky Monkey Wine Company Pointe. All-You-Can-Eat gourmet action stations, naked sushi, a seafood bar and complimentary champagne; all for $50 per person. For more information and reservations call 407-418-9463.

Eat, drink and be Mary at Hamburger Mary’s special New Year’s Eve cabaret and dinner show, starring Leigh Shannon. Showtime is 10 p.m. For more information and reservations, call 321-319-0600.

Enjoy a surf and turf food selection at Pulse that is hand crafted by a five star catering company. $40 advance tickets and exclusive seating with complimentary bottle service. For tickets, Pulsenye2013.eventbrite.com/

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The Flamingo Resort will host a special New Year’s Cirque du Soleil show with performances at 10 p.m. and 1a.m.

Champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight.

For more information, visit FlamingoFla.com.

The Garage on Central Avenue will host a New Year’s Eve Blowout, complete with a New Year’s Dinner at 12:30 a.m. Reservations recommended on the bar’s Facebook page.

Tampa

DJ Rannywill headline at the Honey Pot! DJ Charles Machado also takes over the third floor for a night of wild hip hop and top 40! The party kicks off at 9 p.m. with free drinks from 9-10 p.m.. Party favors, a $1,000 balloon drop, free champagne toast, live video feed from Times Square and lots of sexy dancers. $5 cover after 10 p.m.. For more information visit Facebook.com/HoneyPot. CitySide’s New Year’s Eve celebration includes a champagne toast starting after 11:30 p.m.

Party favors and great drinks all night long!

Liquid Tampa will provide go-go gods, dancing divas, glitz, glam, and a live performance by Power Infiniti, Kitty Meow, and Kevin Aviance.

Music by DJs Saeed Naz and Power Infiniti; hosted by Dallas Nielsen. For more information, visit LiquidTampa.com

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|  | Barbara Streisand from pg.27

SR: She had an iPhone before me. I was like, “I gotta get myself one of these. If Barbra can work an iPhone, it’s gotta be fun.”

BS: Yesterday he asked me if I had a Twitter account. I said, “I don’t know.”

SR: I showed her that she did! I change her clocks during daylight savings and all that stuff.

WHAT ABOUT READING IT WITH YOUR SON SEALED THE DEAL?

BARBRA, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE LABEL OF “GAY ICON”—AND DO YOU THINK YOUR OWN SON, JASON GOULD, THINKS OF YOU AS ONE?

BS: He doesn’t see me as an icon. He sees me as his mother who touches his hair too much. No—I love being an icon to anybody. Equal rights, you know!

SR: Yeah. Me too. (Laughs)

BARBRA, HOW MUCH CONTACT DID YOU AND JASON HAVE WHEN YOU WERE CONSIDERING THE ROLE?

BS: He actually was very important in my decision to make the movie.

He was recovering from back surgery, so he was in bed for a few days after, and I brought the script over and we read it out loud. It was

interesting, actually. His father was in the room, too. Isn’t that funny?

We were both coddling our son, so he became the audience and Jason was reading the parts with me and he said, “I think you should do it, Mom.” I really trust his integrity and his opinion. He has great taste in whatever he chooses to do. And he clinched the deal.

BS: Mothers develop guilt trips. I feel guilty as a parent that I couldn’t pick up my son every day from school and bake him cookies. I know that feeling. I know that feeling a lot.

Having a famous parent is an odd thing. I thought it was interesting to investigate trying to be my son’s friend versus a mother.

It was a true story. It’s (writer) Dan (Fogelman) and his mother. She was a fan of mine, and Dan wrote this lovely script. It just felt like it was meant to be. Meant for me to come back to work in a starring role. It was time to challenge myself again.

Of course, I made it very dif�icult for them to hire me, because I kept wanting an out: “I really don’t wanna schlep to Paramount. It’s two hours

I love being an icon to anybody.

Equal rights, you know!

—BARBRA STREISAND

each way, so would you, like, rent a warehouse and build the sets in the Valley no more than 45 minutes from my house?” They said yes.

ANNE FLETCHER: I wasn’t going to do this movie without these two.

There wasn’t backup. If Seth said no, there was no replacement; if Barbra said no, there was no replacement. It was them, or I wasn’t going to make the movie.

BS: I said to Anne, “Would you make the movie without me?” And she said no. And I felt bad! Another guilt trip, right?

SR: I was open to Shirley MacLaine.

(Laughs) No, it’s not true. I only would’ve done it if Barbra was doing it.

WHAT WAS HARDER FOR YOU, BARBRA: THE DRAMA OR THE COMEDY ELEMENTS OF THE FILM?

BS: They’re both the same. I don’t think there’s a distinction between how you play drama or comedy, if it’s based in truth.

YOU CAN SING, ACT, PRODUCE, WRITE AND DIRECT. WHAT CAN’T YOU DO WELL?

BS: I can’t cook at all. I mean, I would not know how to make coffee. I took cooking classes. I know how to make chocolate souf�lé. Just ask me if I want to make it. I’d rather have somebody else make the chocolate souf�lé—and I eat it. When I tried to cook, put it this way: It was never appetizing to eat. And the hands! So �ilthy with the stuff. And then cleaning up—no, I don’t like that part.

WHAT’S THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS?

BS: Oh my god. I don’t make that many movies and I don’t make that

many appearances so I ...

SR: ... leave them wanting more.

BS: Less is more. Maybe that keeps a little mystery or something.

WHAT DO YOU WANT AUDIENCES TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE FILM?

BS: I want them to be moved and I want them to see themselves in the movie. I want them to get closer to their children. A lot of things. It’s a transformative kind of movie. They start at one point and are both kind of tragically alone, not �inding a mate, and then at the end there are many more possibilities. Horizons open. He took me out of my shell.

It’s about love. I always say it’s a different kind of love story.

SR: Which to me sounds gross.

BS: See where your mind goes?

Always to the sexual.

SR: Right in the gutter.

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ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT EVENT PLANNER

QUICK PICKS St. Petersburg/ Sarasota Wynonna

DEC. 21 AND 23 Mahaffey Theater/Van Wezel 727-898-2100/941-953-3368 MahaffeyTheater.com/ VanWezel.org

Orlando Carrie Underwood DEC. 21 Amway Center 407-489-2020 CenterOrlando.com

Orlando Ballet Nutcracker THROUGH DEC. 23 Bob Carr Center 407-849-2577 OrlandoBallet.org

Tampa Mary Poppins DEC. 26-30 Straz Center 813-229-7827 StrazCenter.org

Dade City Frenchie Davis DEC. 30 Sawmill Campground 325-583-0664 FlSawmill.com

For more events or to submit your upcoming show, concert or performance, visit

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Jeffrey H

TAMPA

AT TRICK THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

navigates a quest for sex, love and romance in 1990s Manhattan in Paul Rudnick’s witty and wildly funny play, Jeffrey, in the Shimberg Playhouse at Straz.

Center through Dec. 23.

H

ORLANDO Inaya Day

ER VOICE IS UNMISTAKABLE AND HER NUMEROUS TOP 10s HAVE MADE HER AN INTERNATIONAL STAR. Now, Inaya Day is bringing her signature voice to the Parliament House on Saturday, Dec.29.

The singer will no doubt perform her hits “Horny,” “Hold Your Head Up High” and “Nasty Girl” as well as her newest hit, “Do The Right Thing,” a collaboration with

Quentin Harris. Her current album, Sacri�ice, is loaded with more Top 10 potential and has inspired her latest tour.

Her stop at Parliament House will bring out her legions of LGBT fans and will fuel a night of movement on resort’s notorious dance �loor.

Inaya Day is scheduled for two concerts—one at 10 p.m. and the other at midnight. For details and more information, visit ParliamentHouse.com or call 407-425-7571. |  |

The play, which spawned a movie of the same name, follows Jeffrey, a gay actor/ waiter, who has sworn off sex after too many bouts with his partners about what’s “safe” and what’s not. In gay New York City, though, sex is unavoidable. Whether at the gym, cruising at a funeral, catering a ditzy socialite’s “Hoe-down for AIDS” or in the libidinous hands of a fatherconfessor, Jeffrey �inds the pursuit of love and just plain

T

old physical grati�ication to be the number one preoccupation of his time. Suddenly, just after he’s reconciled himself to celibacy, Jeffrey’s �lamboyant friends introduce him to the man of his dreams, who also happens to be HIV-positive.

Daniel Rosenstrauch takes on the title role, alongside a cast that includes Jon Gennari, Eric Swearingen, Zackhary Myers, Gi Sung, David Barrow, Jamie Jones and Ricky Jones. Jeffrey is directed by Keith Odums.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at StrazCenter.org or by calling 813-229-7827. |  |

SARASOTA Viagara Falls

HE GOLDEN APPLE DINNER THEATER IS BACK, and it kicks off its new life with a comedy perfect for a new year!

Viagara Falls opens Dec. 29 and tells the story of two widowers who are war buddies and life-long pals.

While there’s no speci�ic LGBT angle to the story, the idea of a 77-year-old man celebrating his birthday by sowing some wild oats with his buddy (and a package of miraculous little blue pills) is reason enough to

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

check out the show.

Charley and Moe meet a crazy “lady of the evening” and not-so-prescription-issued pills and �ind themselves on a hilarious adventure to which everyone—regardless of sexual orientation—can relate.

The Golden Apple Dinner Theater—a staple when it comes to LGBT theater and fundraising—deserves our support. For tickets and information, visit TheGoldenApple.com or call 941-366-5454. |  |

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ShotonSite

Tampa Bay

1- SPREADING THE WORD: ASAP’s Jay Aller speaks with a local television station prior to the Santa Speedo Run in Ybor City on Dec. 9. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 2- PARTY TIME: Jori and Melanie of Find A Drag Show, pose at Hamburger Mary’s during the restaurant’s third anniversary celebration in Ybor City Dec. 11. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST

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3- THEATER ACT: (L-R) Mitch Harrison and Matt Moss smile in the lobby of the Straz Center before seeing Sister Act: The Musical at the Straz Center Dec. 11. PHOTO COURTESY MATT MOSS 4- CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: (L-R) Chris Tate and Dean Downing spread the Christmas cheer at the Georgie’s Alibi Toys for Tots show on Dec. 11. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 5- FOR THE CHILDREN: Kori Stevens served as emcee for her annual Toys for Tots show at Georgie’s Alibi on Dec. 11. Photo by STEVE BLANCHARD

6- DECK THE HALLS: A group of friends get into the holiday spirit in front of decorations at Bradley’s on 7th in Ybor City. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST

7- ‘TIS THE SEASON: (L-R) Ercilia Albistu and Sally Phillips celebrate Ybor City’s holiday decorating contest at Bradley’s on 7th earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST 8- WORK IT: Madisyn Michaels performs a Nicki Manaj number at Georgie’s Alibi to raise money for Toys for Tots at Georgie’s Alibi Dec. 11. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD

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OVERHEARD CON’DRAG’ULATIONS ALL AROUND

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HE MISS HEART OF FLORIDA PAGEANT WAS HELD AT THE HONEY POT IN YBOR CITY DEC. 16 and Miss Britney Moore walked away with the sash and the crown. First runner-up went to Alexis Mateo. The evening was organized and emceed by Esme Russell and the crowning achievement of the night—pun intended—was the presentation of the �irst-ever Miss Heart of Florida Lifetime Achievement award, which was given to Tiffani Middlesexx. After nearly �ive decades in the business, Middlesexx was recognized for her contributions to drag

culture and pageants and now the Lifetime Achievement Award will forever bear her name. Congrats to all involved!

TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE DEEMED A SUCCESS

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HERE’S ONE THING THAT CAN BE SAID FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY OF TAMPA BAY— it can really turn it out when it comes to charity fundraisers.

More than 30 drag queens, vocalists and performers participated in the annual Toys for Tots Holiday Drive at Georgie’s Alibi on Dec. 11, hosted once again by Kori Stevens. The annual drive

encourages the donation of new, unwrapped toys for the popular children’s charity and tips collected by performers were donated to the cause as well. In all, more than $1,000 was collected in one night and multiple vehicle-loads of toys were donated to Toys for Tots within days of the huge charity event. Initial tallies placed this year’s drive ahead of the previous two years’.

SPEEDOS ON NATIONAL TELEVISION

F

OR THE FIRST TIME, THE TAMPA BAY SANTA SPEEDO RUN RECEIVED NATIONAL ATTENTION

when CBS picked up its local af�iliate’s coverage. The annual run brought out nearly 200 runners and raised money for the AIDS Service Association’s Brighter Seasons for Children program. On the coverage, organizer Jay Aller can be hear explaining the run to a CBS cameraman and video footage showcases a lot of skin in Speedos and some festive reindeer-type runners taking to Palm Avenue. Commentators on the CBS site, however, weren’t all raving about the skimpy out�its, sparking some lively online debate between a few boisterous typists.

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METRO PARTIES WITH CLIENTS

S

EVERAL HUNDRED CLIENTS CELEBRATED THE HOLIDAYS IN THE PARKING LOT OF METRO WELLNESS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS in St. Petersburg on Dec. 15, complete with a live broadcast by Radio Disney and barbecue for everyone. The annual celebration was held under the parking structure of the non-pro�it located across from Georgie’s Alibi.

According to Chris Rudisill with Metro, clients from as far away as Pasco County attended the party. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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

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

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

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

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ShotonSite

ORLANDO

1-JOYFUL NOISE: The Orlando Gay Chorus performs their 2012 Reason for the Season concert, Dec. 15–16 at the Plaza Live. PHOTO BY

MIKAEL QUARTER PHOTOGRAPHY

2- PLAYING BACKUP: (L-R) Karen Brown and Margo Dixon back up Blue at a benefit for The Venue Dec. 12 at Revolution Nightclub. PHOTO

BY RICK CLAGGETT

3- FUNDRAISING: Dr. Robert Oritz from Orlando Immunity Center and his partner, Tomas Devia, flank Baby Blue at a benefit to raise funds for The Venue, her performing arts center located in Ivanhoe Village. PHOTO BY RICK CLAGGETT

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4- COMIC COURT: Orlando’s “queens” of comedy raise more than $300 for The Barber Fund during the First Annual Miss Comedy Queen Holiday Spectacular Dec. 10 at The Venue. PHOTO BY ERIK CABAN 5- OUTTA MY WAY: Stephanie “Bayou Basher” Hudges, center, makes her way past the Sunnyland Slammer blockers to help the Serial Thrillers earn a victory at the Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls season opener, Dec. 15 at Semoran Skateway. PHOTO COURTESY JASON CHILDS

6- DECORATING IS KEY: Orlando Commissioner Robert Stuart hands Brian DeHosse, co-owner of 1618 Something Different, a key to Ivanhoe to celebrate the furniture store’s victor in the Light Up Ivanhoe decorating contest. PHOTO BY SCOTTIE CAMPBELL 7- FA LA LA LA LA: (L-R) Ron Bush secretary of Prime Timers of Central Florida, and Prime Timers president Jerry Danese hand off a gift bag full of personal toiletry items to Duane Hoyle (right), volunteer coordinator for Hope & Help Center at Hope & Help’s office in Winter Park on Dec. 12. PHOTO COURTESY OF PRIME TIMERS

5

6

8

8- CELEBRATE: Randy Stephens (right), executive director of The Center, wishes comedian Jeff Jones a happy birthday at his party Dec. 9 at Agave Azul. PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDY STEPHENS

OVERHEARD WE’RE FAMOUS!

S

HORTLY AFTER WATERMARK’S DEC. 5 ISSUE HIT STANDS AND ONLINE DIRECTOR JAMIE HYMAN’S “BOYCOTT THE BELLRINGERS” ARTICLE BEGAN CIRCULATING, The Catholic League sent out a press release titled “Gays Condemn The Salvation Army” and they call out Watermark, stating “a gay website, WatermarkOnline. com, is asking its readers nationwide not to give to the charitable organization.”

That’s right folks; apparently Watermark is The Grinch of charitable giving—and apparently we’re THE Gays. In her regular occurring column,

Hyman talks about the slew of anti-gay rhetoric voiced by the Salvation Army of�icials over the years and recommends placing small �lyers into those familiar red kettles sharing our dislike of said rhetoric. Of course, the minute we learned we were mentioned by the group, we posted about it on Facebook and on our home page! Check out Hyman’s article over at WatermarkOnline.com.

NOH8 IN ORLANDO

M

ACBETH PHOTOGRAPHY HOSTED AN AMATEUR NOH8 SHOOT DEC. 18.

Hundreds showed up to pose with the iconic NOH8 logo

scribbled across their cheek and a strip of silver duct tape across their mouths. The look is now a common way to share a message of hope and support for equality. This shoot was the brain child of assistant Charlotte Nash. If things go according to plan, we will all start seeing our favorite social media websites like Facebook and Twitter littered with pro�ile pictures of people standing up for equal rights. Donations were accepted to bene�it the Zebra Coalition. The organization helps LGBT homeless youth. For more information on the NOH8 campaign and Zebra Coalition, visit NOH8Campaign.com or ZebraYouth.org.

THE VENUE RENEWED

A

FTER A BRIEF, UNSCHEDULED CLOSURE TO CLEAR UP SOME PERMITTING ISSUES—namely the addition of a handi-accessible bathroom, a drinking fountain and a ramp, which oddly enough leads up to the stage—The Venue is back in business with a vengeance and a gamut of new shows through the New Year. During the re-opening performance on Dec. 10, Venue owner Blue made sure to point out the new, permit-approved handy work numerous times.

Since most of these renovations were unexpected, yet necessary, costs were discovered which were not in budget. As friends of

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

Blue and the Venue, Revolution hosted a bene�it to raise funds to cover these costs. On Dec. 12, the club held a silent auction along with a show, starring performers from Revolution’s own Majestic Theatre and Blue herself. The theatre was �illed to capacity and tons of raf�le prizes were given away. Now fully up and running, The Venue will next show Southern Winds Theatre’s 15th Anniversary of its one man A Christmas Carol starring David A. McElroy on Dec. 22, followed by “Let’s Go to Church” Christmas fellowship and potluck on Dec. 23 and the return of their “Fun Friday Happy Hour.” For more information, visit TheVenueOrlando.com. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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Transitions

CHANGE-OF-LIFE COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Congratulations Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith was selected to receive the “2013 Florida Most Powerful & Influential Woman Award” from the Florida Diversity Council.

The award will be presented at the Council’s upcoming Florida Diversity & Leadership Conference.

The Zebra Foundation for Youth has named Stephanie Allen, Orlando Magic Youth Foundation administrator, to its board of directors.

Greg Weber and Rich Kennedy of Orlando celebrate their 26th anniversary Dec. 24.

Passings Carmen Ochoa Moore, 71, of Orlando passed away after a long battle with cancer on Dec. 9.

A celebration of her life was held on Dec. 15.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Matthews Hope in Winter Garden.

Local Birthdays Handsome St. Petersburg caterer Steve Gallo (Dec. 20); Tampa Bay entertainer Kathryn Nevets and Orlando’s Hamburger Mary’s cofounder Tom Schneider (Dec. 21); Brandon salesman and bear fan Walter Tart, Watermark contributor Chris Azzopardi and Gulfport photographer Amy Oatley (Dec. 24); marching band dork Jeremiah Catherwood and UCFGLBT.com webmaster Hank Lewis (Dec. 25); St. Petersburg bartender Jeff Nicolaus, puppeteer and gay rights activist Hannah Miller and sexy Parliament House bartender Jeff Munzing (Dec. 26); Clearwater realtor Keith Gill and Serial Thrillers bench coach Lisa Cason (Dec. 27) Watermark contributor Greg Stemm and Phish Phest phenom Sue-Bee Laginess (Dec. 29); Hope and Help development diva Duane Hoyle, What’s Happening magazine owner/publisher Frank Garcia (Dec. 30);Ybor hottie Carlos “Wolfy” Diaz, Tampa massage therapist Russell Fox, Fringe GM George Wallace and Orlando bear Justin Homer (Dec. 31); teacher and activist Clinton McCracken (Dec. 31).

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!

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watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Y GIRLFRIEND, JEN, IS MISS EFFICIENCY. It’s great when I’m looking for the right spice, but not so much when it comes to personal matters, like Christmas cards.

Apparently she had some time to kill during a business trip last weekend and took it upon herself to create an Christmas e-card for both of us.

Then she went “click” and sent it out to everyone we know with an email address.

I knew nothing about it until my mother forwarded it to me with the notation, “Not feeling the love.” When I asked her about it, Jen laughed and said, “It gave me something to do... you know how much I hate airports.” She also said that nothing was stopping me from sending out a paper card to anyone I want. We’ve only been together for a yearand-a-half so this is fairly new territory. But I feel like the e-card is an expression from us and should have been discussed. She says I’m making too much out of it. What do you think?

—Jingle Pissed

I

HANG OUT WITH A GREAT BUNCH OF GUYS—usually about eight of us, some coupled, some not. We go to movies, play board games, share birthdays—some weeknights, some weekends. One guy works until 7:30 or later, including weekends, so invariably we don’t get going until 8 or 9. It makes for some late dinners and late nights, especially for those of us who may have to be at work early the following morning. My group means the world to me. We all get along incredibly well. I don’t want to upset the apple cart. But I’m starting to resent the way our schedule is determined by one guy.

I’ve dropped hints, brushed off by all.

Any ideas?

—Early Bird

Dear Bye Bye Birdy, My idea, my �ine feathered friend, is to be a little more thoughtful and empathetic. You don’t say that your one friend is showing up late just because, or that he’s being thoughtless with anyone’s schedule. It’s just that he has to, you know, work. What do you propose? Defriending him because he has a different work schedule?

That says nothing good about the quality of your friendship. Honestly, the problem is quite simply solved. If you have a particularly tough or early morning the night after one of your bunch, you should excuse yourself from festivities. If no one else is bothered by this—and you didn’t indicate anyone else was bothered—it’s on you to manage your schedule as you see �it.

Here comes the Truth: If you’re feeling resentment toward someone over something that is not their fault, that’s sel�ish and unreasonable. Take a step outside yourself and you will �ind a better answer. |  |

If you’re feeling resentment toward someone over something that is not their fault, that’s selfish and unreasonable.

Dear Jingle, I think I agree—rather profoundly— with you. If she put your name on it—on anything!—you should have the right for a �inal sign-off. If she had only sent it to her contacts, it still wouldn’t have been cool, but at least you would have had the chance to communicate your holiday greetings your way to your contacts. This way, she has essentially blown off your involvement in a joint communication without even asking. I have to be honest, Jingle, I �ind it quite odd and massively presumptuous.

That she didn’t have the good sense to know she needed to check with you on this topic �irst is not good. I think you should make a fairly big deal out of this, so that she understands the next time something like this arises, it is incumbent on her to get your approval.

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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[CLASSIFIEDS] central florida

407-481-2243 • Deadline for classifieds is December 28, 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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ESPN hosts suspended for anti-transgender rant

W

ASHINGTON, D.C. | Two ESPN radio hosts have been temporarily suspended for “intolerance and insensitivity” in speaking on-air this month about transsexual basketball player Gabrielle Ludwig, sparking outrage in the LGBT community.

It is the most publicized backlash Ludwig has faced since the 50-yearold joined the Mission College women’s basketball team, but not the only one. In fact, Ludwig told a blog the criticism has led her to contemplate quitting the team and has prompted the Santa Clara, Calif., school to increase security at games.

Ludwig sparked debate across the country after news outlets shared the Desert Storm veteran may be the �irst athlete to play collegiate sports �irst as a man then as a woman. Ludwig, who stands 6 feet, 6 inches, had surgery to become a woman in July. She played in her �irst game Dec. 1.

Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin— hosts working for a Washington, D.C.-based station af�iliated with sports media giant ESPN—joked about Ludwig for three minutes during a show segment Dec. 6.

“That’s a man, baby,” yelled Chris Knoche, a guest of the show.

“Oh my God,” Knoche said. “That could be a Russian chick. ... So how does this work? You lose testicles and gain eligibility?”

The hosts continued.

“The net-net is she/he has had a lot of problems in his/her life ... “ Pollin said.

“I think ‘it’ is the politically correct term,” Czaban said.

At the beginning of their Dec. 10 show, the pair issued a 10-second apology, saying no human should be called an “it.”

By Dec. 11, ESPN980 released this statement: “We strongly believe two of our employees crossed the line when discussing a transsexual person on their program. Such intolerance and insensitivity will never be

tolerated by this company. Due to the nature of their conversation, the pair have been temporarily removed from ESPN980’s Sports Reporters program.”

The National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation have also criticized the hosts.

Ludwig spoke to Outsports. com, saying: “These two people in Washington, D.C., just tore my life apart, and they don’t even know me. They did it in respect to how I look, how I’m built, the tattoos on my body. They took great pride in humiliating me in the national public. I don’t know if I’m supposed to cry or scream or beat them up. It’s affecting my sleep; it’s affecting my con�idence.”

Ludwig considered quitting the team because of the backlash but said her coach and teammates won’t let her. She also said Mission College has hired extra security and provided her a special parking lot to help ensure her safety during games and practices. |  |

THE TOP

5

STORIES OF THE YEAR

TAMPA VENOM WINS C-DIVISION WORLD SERIES The Tampa Bay Venom won the C-division of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance World Series Aug. 19 in Minneapolis, Minn.,

NYAD FAILS FOURTH ATTEMPT AT CUBA-TO-FLORIDA SWIM Out swimmer Diana Nyad was pulled out of the water Aug. 21, ending her fourth attempt to traverse the 103-mile expanse between Florida and Cuba.

sports

Wire Report

10 OUT OLYMPIANS MEDAL IN LONDON Ten openly gay athletes took home medals from the XXX Olympiad held in London, England this summer.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY UNITES, DIVIDES SPORTS STARS Politics mixed with sports when athletes debated marriage equality in very public forums.

ATHLETES, SPORTS FIGURES COME OUT Lynx guard Seimone Augusts and former NFL cornerback Wade Davis were among many athletes to come out in 2012.

To read more on these stories, visit watermarkonline.com.

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435 E. Michigan St.,Orlando, FL 32806 www.mediterraneanblue.net 407-422-2583 DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

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PHOTOGRAPHY: SANTA SPEEDO RUN

Galleryw Go see more photos at

watermarkonline.com

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N

EARLY 200 RUNNERS PARTICIPATED IN THE THIRD ANNUAL SANTA SPEEDO RUN in Tampa Bay on Dec. 9.

Beautiful 80-degree weather in Ybor City made for a pleasant and festive event as Speedo-clad runners—some with additional holiday �lare—helped raise more than $30,000 for the AIDS Service Association of Pinellas. For the full story, see Tampa Bay News.

DEC. 20, 2012 - JAN. 2, 2013 // ISSUE 19.26

Photography by Nick Cardello NICK@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

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