Watermark Issue 21.07: Good From Evil

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • SARASOTA • ISSUE 21.07 • MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 • WATERMARKONLINE.COM

GOOD EVIL FROM

LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY, HOMOPHOBES ARE CATALYSTS FOR LGBT EQUALITY ON GLEE’ S GAY LEGACY

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PAGE

— DANIEL TILLEY, LGBT RIGHTS ATTORNEY FOR THE ACLU OF FLORIDA

ON THE COVER

PAGE

PAGE (Clockwise from left) Terry

Anita Bryant, John 27 Kemple, Stemberger, Ronda Storms,

David Caton, Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and Fred Phelps have all fought LGBT equality, and in the process, motivated change and progress.

Preview

31 WON’T STOP BELIEVIN’:

Glee made her a household name, but Lea Michele is no stranger to performing. The star talks about her Broadway experience, her debut album and her memoir, to be released in May.

WATERMARK ISSUE 21.07 //MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014

ORLANDO NEWS

TAMPA BAY NEWS

PAGE Orlando’s Out in Business

PAGE Nearly 1,500 people attend

SEXXX DREAMS

GALLERY W

Illustration by Jake Stevens

Read it online!

SCAN QR CODE FOR

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

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Symposium brought out movers and shakers, but perhaps none as big as Disney World president George Kalogridis; City preps for transgender day of visibility; Mt. Dora fundraiser brings in support for marriage battle.

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the first Manatee Pride, making it a huge success; Margaret Murray returns to the helm of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for its 25th anniversary; Push for a Manatee County HRO gains momentum.

PAGE Performance artists Coco

34

and Homo plan to mix theater, art, video and music in Sexxx Dreams, a new fundraiser show benefiting Equality Florida. The St. Petersburg event runs March 28-29 and is expected to push boundaries, they tell us.

PAGE The annual Taste of Pride

returned to 54 celebration the Dali Museum in St.

Petersburg, bringing out 600 supporters and raising more than $25,000 for Pride’s Community Grants program.

We, along with help from Rainbow411. com, captured some of the festivites.

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN READ A VIRTUAL VERSION OF WATERMARK ONLINE? VISIT WATERMARKONLINE.COM AND READ THE PDF FORMAT! MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EDITORIAL CARTOON

TOP WEB COMMENTS

I

T’S NO SURPRISE THAT THE DEATH OF WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH FOUNDER FRED PHELPS sparked strong reactions from Watermark readers. Here’s a round-up of what you had to say about the notoriously anti-gay hate group leader.

VIA WATERMARKONLINE.COM

“They say that you should only say good things of the dead. Fred Phelps is dead. GOOD!”

—GREG H. “‘The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights nonprofit group, has called Westboro Baptist Church a hate group.’ Ironically, the SPLC opened for business in 1971 but didn’t get around to labeling the WBC a “hate group” until 2011. Forty years of nothing.”

—RKEEFE

VIA FACEBOOK “I understand the anger towards Fred Phelps and his ilk. They caused a great deal of pain for many people, but I hope we, as a community, conduct ourselves with dignity.

Protesting his funeral only lowers us to their level. His judgment day has come. Let God deal with him accordingly.”

—SHANE PAGANO “Celebrating any death is disgusting, irrespective of their views. We should rather rise above, and be better than he ever could have dreamed to be; celebrating and taking joy in his death puts us beneath them.”

—ADAM PROCTOR “May he find the peace that eluded him in this life. Let’s all stay above the fray here. Thinking ill of him only lowers us to the same level that he lived at.”

—MARK CADY “I just wonder how much this will affect his church. Will his hating flock lose their motivation or just carry on?”

—DANA MCELVY “He was despicable.”

—FRANK O’BRIEN Join the conversation at WatermarkOnline.com!

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READ THE FINE PRINT

I

T NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME THE LEVELS TO WHICH GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WILL STOOP in order to advance their agenda.

Your story on who’s truly behind these idiotic Religious Freedom bills [Issue 21.06] will hopefully encourage the general public to look closer at the organizations it chooses to support. Just because the word “Democratic” appears on a website doesn’t necessarily mean that group will support Democratic principles.

We have to read the �ine print, as they say, because nothing these days is as it appears.

Thank you for alerting your readers to these sneaky tactics. It shows we have a lot more work to do!

KAREN SINGLETARY ORLANDO

MANATEE PROUD

C

ONGRATULATIONS TO MANATEE COUNTY FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST PRIDE EVENT! I have lived in this county for more than 30

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

The harm Fred Phelps has done is undeniable; yet our faith teaches us that hate is a dry and bitter fruit.

—REV. DR. NANCY WILSON

years and would have never predicted that such a successful celebration of diversity could happen in our rural town.

Manatee, and Bradenton especially, have come a long way toward inclusion, and to see so many happy people at one place and celebrating the rainbow colors of our community brought me the most Pride I have ever felt.

I’ve attended Pride events nearby—St. Petersburg and Sarasota—and those are �ine events. But to have a Pride right in your hometown brings

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

a whole new meaning to the word “proud.”

Congratulations to all involved. I can’t wait for next year!

JAMES ROAN BRADENTON

CHOOSE TO LOVE

O

UR LOVE FOR ALL OF HUMANITY COMPELS US TO PRAY FOR FRED PHELPS as he faces God and to comprehend all the harm he has done in this life. According to his

watermarkonline.com

son, Phelps had been shunned from the church he founded, and so he goes to his death painfully alone.

What pain or sorrow left Fred Phelps with only hate to give to others is not known.

We can only pray for him and his family, that redemption and forgiveness becomes a reality for each of them.

We pray for healing for all those who have been harmed by his hatred for more than two decades. Many of his own family have escaped his in�luence over the years; others carry on the messages of hate. We leave them in God’s hands while knowing our mission is to speak of God’s love and inclusiveness for all people, regardless of whom we love or how we express our gender.

The harm Fred Phelps has done is undeniable. We grieve over every family member who questioned whether God loved them because of the destructive messages of Fred Phelps. Yet, our faith teaches us that hate is a dry and bitter fruit. It is only the persistent and repeated decision to love that can break the cycles of hatred. We choose love.

REV. DR. NANCY WILSON METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES

PHELPS WON’T BE MISSED

F

RED PHELPS WILL NOT BE MISSED BY THE LGBT COMMUNITY, people with HIV/AIDS and the millions of decent people across the world who found what he and his followers do deeply hurtful and offensive. Through his actions, he brought needless pain and suffering to thousands of families, including to military families, at their time of greatest pain and grieving. While it is hard to �ind anything good to say about his views or actions, we do give our condolences to his family members at what must be a painful time for them.

REV DARLENE NIPPER DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE

editor’s

Steve Blanchard EDITOR

SteveB@WatermarkOnline.com

I

Desk

’M HAPPY THAT FRED PHELPS IS DEAD.

It’s honestly the �irst time word of a death gave me a sense of peace. That doesn’t make me a bad person—just an honest one.

The Westboro Baptist Church patriarch, famous for his “God Hates Fags” signs and the reason why 40-plus states had to pass anti-picketing laws near funerals, �inally died March 18 while in hospice care. Details are unclear as to what ailed the ancient, hateful soul. But family members con�irmed his death, adding that there will be no funeral for him since in their minds, funerals are just fancy ways of worshiping the dead.

I won’t try to understand Westboro’s thinking here—it’s impossible—but of course they don’t comprehend the concept of celebrating a life. But the fact

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remains that their one-time leader and the founder of the non-denominational church is no longer among us.

Dealing with death is an awful experience. We have all felt the heartbreak of the inevitable and have supported those who lost those close to them. The deaths of some people—Osama bin Laden, Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmner, and Saddam Hussein—made the world a much better place. Fred Phelps is now among them.

Phelps knew exactly what he was doing when he made his very �irst reprehensible sign declaring God’s hatred while celebrating the death of U.S. soldiers.

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If there was a funeral for this man, you wouldn’t see me standing nearby protesting. If he’s buried, I won’t visit the cemetery to leave an ammonia-scented stain on his grave. Other than this Editor’s Desk, I truly don’t plan to give him much thought.

Some LGBTs have chosen to return the favor that Phelps and his followers bestowed upon us since the early 1990s.

“God Hates Fred” signs are popular on Facebook, political cartoons have poked fun at his afterlife, and a protesting yet loving “We’re sorry for your loss” banner has already appeared near the Topeka, Kansas-based church.

And I can’t say I blame those who want to celebrate his death. Phelps was an evil man whose in�luence has warped the minds of the easily led. His hatespeech will continue, thanks to his daughter and the generation of so-called believers who were taught early on that hate is the way to Heaven.

But there is hope. Some of his blood-relatives have escaped the cycle of hate. Hopefully others who believe the way he did can escape it as well.

Phelps wasn’t shy when he was asked about his hateful rhetoric.

He said that it was the only way to preach. To not preach about God’s hate is not to preach correctly, he said on more than one occasion.

His anti-gay tirades were so

insane and almost comical that there were even rumors that he was a “plant” by pro-gay groups to make anti-gay messages appear �lawed, reprehensible or disturbing.

Sometimes things hit painfully close to the truth. Maybe that’s the reason why, as I explore in this issue’s cover story, we’ve made such rapid gains toward equality the past 15 years. When hate has a face, fewer people want to become associated with it.

The opposite is true for love and acceptance.

Protests will happen in honor of Phelps, but what good will they do anyway? It’s not like he’s going to change his ways as he’s rotting six feet under. Or, if you’re spiritual, his afterlife has no bearing on our here-andnow anyway. So whatever you believe regarding his “surprise” when he’s on some new eternal plane is inconsequential to those of us still �irmly planted on terra �irma.

I took the news of Phelps’ fading health and eventual death with a nod of approval and acceptance, nothing more. Death should never be celebrated, but most lives should be. Most lives. His life, on the other hand, should be mourned for the waste that it was.

Phelps had no respect for LGBTs, our allies, or even his fellow “Christians.” Goodbye, Mr. Phelps. You won’t be missed, but, unfortunately, your legacy will continue. With any luck, your continued message of intolerance will only motivate the living more, and eventually, you and those of your ilk will �inally fade away all together. |  |

The deaths of some people— Osama bin Laden, Jeffrey Dahmner— made the world a much better place; Phelps is now among them.

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CONTRIBUTORS CHRIS AZZOPARDI

is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service, and has interviewed a wide range of celebrities, including Cher and Lady Gaga. He lives in Canton, Mich., and can be reached via his website at Chris-Azzopardi.com. Page 31

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 34

Greg Burton, Scottie Campbell, Zach Caruso, Susan Clary, Amy Dees, Kirk Hartlage, Rev. Phyllis Hunt, Joseph Kissel, Ken Kundis, Mary Meeks, Stephen Miller, David Moran, Gregg Shipiro, Greg Stemm, Brett Stout, Jim Walker

PHOTOGRAPHY VINNY D’IPPOLITO

is a freelance photographer and interior designer living in Dunedin, Fla., with his husband. He specializes in event coverage and male photography with a focus on physique. Page 43

Nick Cardello, Angie Folks, Tom Eckert, Julie Milford, Travis Moore, Chris Stephenson, Lee Vandergrift, Tinkerfluff, Lonnie Thompson

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.

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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.

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MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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orlando NEWS 8

City of Orlando to issue Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation Samantha Rosenthal

O

RLANDO | For the �irst time ever, the city of Orlando is issuing a proclamation in recognition of the International Transgender Day of Visibility - a day to celebrate and raise awareness about the transgender community.

City Commissioner Patty Sheehan will present the proclamation at a ceremony March 31 in the Orlando City Hall Rotunda.

Gina Duncan, a transgender diversity and inclusion trainer, looks forward to the day and hopes the entire LGBT community will recognize and support the transgender community.

“We have asked all LGBT organizations that �ly a �lag to �ly the transgender �lag that day,” Duncan said.

She said that many LGBT organizations, including MBA Orlando, the Zebra Coalition and The GLBT Center of Central Florida, will be in attendance for the city hall celebration. UCF will be celebrating transgender awareness that entire week on campus.

Sheehan said it’s important for transgender individuals to receive the visibility and respect they deserve and she feels honored to present the proclamation, knowing it takes courage to stand up and say it’s an important issue.

“I think it’s always critically important for any minority to have this kind of visibility,” she said.

Sheehan knew Duncan personally both before and after her transition and called Duncan’s journey “inspiring.” She said when people actually meet and know transgender individuals, it helps break stereotypes.

Duncan recently returned from 2014 Lobby Days in Tallahassee and said a majority of the Florida Legislature had never met a transgender individual before. She hopes the visibility of more transgender individuals helps create change and get legislature passed for LGBT rights.

“Until people know transgender people and take the fear of the unknown away, we won’t see any progress,” Duncan said.

Sheehan spoke of the growing importance in this day and for visibility everyday of transgender individuals, saying they “need to feel comfort in their own skin and live their own truth.”

The Transgender Day of Visibility began as a Facebook event in 2009, created by Michigan transgender activist Rachel Crandall. It has grown to become an international day of celebration and dedication to transgender individuals globally. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

BUSINESS MINDS: (L-R) MBA president Mikael Audebert, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts president George Kalogridis, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at the “Out in Business” symposium at City Hall. PHOTO BY TOM DYER

Good for Business Disney’s George Kalogridis highlights Out in Biz symposium Tom Dyer

O

RLANDO | Coming out stories are about as personal as it gets. So Orlando City Hall seemed an unlikely place for LGBT executives from major corporations—including Walt Disney World’s George Kalogridis— to share the intimacies of their professional journey.

But after Mayor Buddy Dyer’s warm welcome, the huge lobby rotunda felt like a living room.

“Thank you for holding your event in your City Hall,” Dyer said before listing the many ways Orlando has embraced its LGBT community during his ten years as mayor. “This is a city that is committed to being inclusive. And we don’t just talk about it, we do it.”

At the “Out in Business” symposium presented by the Metropolitan Business Association and Out & Equal Workplace Advocates on Thursday, March 20, more than 300 local LGBT-andfriendly business leaders were

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

Out & Equal, “the organization I wish had been there for me when I was ready to come out at work.”

More than 3,000 people representing 300 nations attended treated to advice on how to move the 2013 Out & Equal Workplace “from the closet to the corner of�ice.”

Summit in Minneapolis. And a recent “More and more members of Global Summit in India attracted the LGBT community now sit at the corporate support from the likes of helm of Fortune 500 companies,” Google and IBM in a nation that is Dyer said. “We want them to know retreating on human rights. they’re welcome here.”

“Once again, corporations are Out & Equal founder Selise Berry leading the way when it comes to LGBT equality,” Berry said.

She also disclosed an exciting “secret” at City Hall. “The 2016 Summit will be held right here, in Orlando,” Berry announced to enthusiastic applause.

—GEORGE KALOGRIDIS, PRESIDENT, Berry introduced Kalogridis WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESORTS by revealing her “fantasy that every CEO who wants to come set the tone for self-disclosure, out and is afraid could meet George.” sharing that as an adult she “dated Kalogridis was making his �irst men but fell in love with their public appearance as the highest sisters.” At a Presbyterian seminary pro�ile member of Orlando’s in San Francisco she discovered a LGBT community. His soft-spoken passion for activism—and a sense of nature belied his powerful position humor—when she started Seminary supervising more than 70,000 Lesbians Under Theological Stress employees as president of Walt (SLUTS).

Disney Parks & Resorts.

After earning several degrees Indeed, Berry noted that Berry forged a career as a non-pro�it Continued on page 11 |  | administrator. In 1997 she formed

“Why wouldn’t we– or anyone!–go for this demographic?”

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orlando

IN OTHER NEWS

from pg.8

THOUSANDS RAISED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER More than 400 men and women donned high heels for the second Walk A Mile In Her Shoes held March 13 in downtown Orlando. The event, founded and co-chaired

by Randy Ross and Mary Tiffany, raised $24,000 for Harbor House of Central Florida, Orange County’s domestic violence shelter. This year, 250 walkers participated and funds will pay for 352 nights at the shelter ($125/night).

FRINGE PREVIEWS—ONE CLEAN AND ONE DIRTY

NEWS

|  | Out in Business

The 23rd Annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival isn’t for another few months, but organizers want to whet your appetite for alternative theater.

Fringe fans can attend a preview at 7 p.m. April 14 at the Lowndes Shakespeare Theater’s Margeson Theatre. A “mature audience,” preview, highlighting different shows, will be at 9 p.m. Doors will open 30 minutes before each show. “It is one of my favorite events and always sells out,” said Fringe General Manager George Wallace. Each of the local acts have two minutes to present a preview of his/her upcoming show. Patrons are required to purchase a $9 button to attend the festival. Tickets are $15 per segment. For details, call 407-648-0077.

someone in his position should have a bigger ego. Kalogridis’ humble response: “I don’t have time.”

Kalogridis shared that he had a dif�icult time growing up gay, but that changed after he got a job as a busboy when Walt Disney World opened in 1971.

“I got to Disney and suddenly realized who I was,” he said. “It was like growing up speaking a second language, and then coming to a place where everyone is using the language you were born to speak.”

“I discovered all of you,” Kalogridis said looking out into the rotunda, “and for the �irst time in my life I felt a sense of community.”

But as he moved up the corporate ladder at Disney, it wasn’t always easy. In the late 1990s a fellow cast member outed Kalogridis to a Christian group planning to protest the annual—and unsanctioned— Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom. They told people how to access Kalogridis’ of�ice, and Disney was forced to station police of�icers outside.

And when Kalogridis opened Disney’s “It Gets Better” video offering support to depressed and

suicidal LGBT teens, he was moved to see how many fellow employees once shared those feelings. After it was broadcast, hundreds more emailed him to say they now felt safe enough to come out at work.

Kalogridis noted that Disney has a perfect 100 rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index, with good reason. He shared statistics indicating that the LGBT community earns more, takes more vacations, and spends more on those vacations.

“Why wouldn’t we—or anyone!—go for this demographic?”

Kalogridis said.

And like Mayor Dyer, he noted that inclusion is good for the bottom line.

“When a business depends on creativity and innovation, like we do, you can’t close any doors,” he added. “At Disney, our guests—and our cast—come from every belief system, every experience. We love kids and we love families. My fantasy is that [our society] will broaden the de�inition of family to be fully inclusive.”

Kaligrodos’ sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion moderated by MBA board member Andrea Hays, who also

works at Disney.

Maria Ruiz Margenot, a senior VP at Wyndham Resorts, discussed the “drip, drip, drip of authenticity” in the workplace, and noted that LGBT allies had driven most of the progress at her company. New York Life VP Angela Daniels talked about the timeliness of LGBT rights, and noted that her advocacy offered the chance to carry on the work of women’s and civil rights activists.

NBC/Universal marketing director Keven Callahan talked about forming StudiOut, the company’s largest LGBT employee group with more than 1,000 members. And Motorola VP Sonia Sullivan shared that “if you’re industrious, you’ll �ind support.”

MBA president Mikael Audebert opened the event by observing that, “No one should have to choose between the person they love and the job they love.”

The “Out in Business” symposium discussed strategies for coming out, but Disney’s Kalogridis threw at least some of the responsibility back on corporations and elected of�icials.

“The absence of fear is the best thing a community can give its citizens,” he said. |  |

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tampa bay NEWS

BACK IN CHARGE: Margaret Murray will serve as executive director of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival throughout 2014. PHOTO COURTESY TIGLFF

Murray returns to helm of Film Festival in its 25th year Steve Blanchard

T

AMPA BAY | Describing Margaret Murray as the “new” executive director of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival isn’t exactly right. But she has stepped into the role for the 2014 season—TIGLFF’s 25th anniversary.

Murray, who was raised in St. Petersburg, returns to the post after serving as executive director in the early 2000s.

“I was executive director in 1999-2001 and served as program director in 2007-2009,” she said, adding that she’s not good at remembering the exact dates of her previous positions. “I was also the executive director of the �ilm festival in D.C.” So Murray isn’t lacking in �ilm experience, and she added that she remembers going to TIGLFF back when there were protestors, negative media coverage and a lot of drama associated with being part of the LGBT community.

Things have changed a lot over the last two decades.

More political leaders participate in the festival than ever before, and some of those elected of�icials are even part of the LGBT community.

“The political and social landscape has de�initely improved,” Murray said. “But there is still such a need for events like TIGLFF. Surprisingly, the younger generation wants a separate outlet, despite LGBT issues mainstreaming.”

To reach out to a larger youth contingent in 2014, the festival will give free access to anyone under the age of 18, as long as the �ilm is age-appropriate, Murray said.

She said the idea is to bring a new generation of �ilm lovers into the TIGLFF fold, and help secure its future.

Enticing youth to enjoy the festival is one way to ensure the festival’s survival. Another way is to boost the festival’s bottom line.

The board has approved a special fundraising campaign this year, encouraging 1,000 people to donate $25, either through the website or in person. The $25, Continued on page 14 |  |

12

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

MANATEE PROUD: An estimated 1,500 people attended the inaugural Manatee Pride at Bradenton Riverwalk on March 22.

The crowds surged to the point that vendors and food trucks ran out of supplies by the end of the day. PHOTO BY JAKE STEVENS

Making a mark Manatee Pride makes big debut with 1,500 in attendance Steve Blanchard

B

RADENTON | Jack Newton looked around Bradenton Riverwalk March 22 and was amazed. Not only by the size of the inaugural Manatee Pride, but the age range of those attending.

“I never knew there was such a community here,” Newton said as he browsed vendor booths.

“I’m stunned, really. I would have never imagined all of this could happen here.”

But it did, and an estimated 1,500 people made their way through the 50-plus vendors, collecting giveaways and learning about organizations and groups.

Many, like Newton, were surprised at the impressive turnout, even Manatee Pride president Shannon Summers, who also operates Prism Youth, the bene�iciary of the event.

“We exceeded expectations on attendance,” she said. “There was a smile on everybody’s face. Sponsors and vendors did very well and were happy with their placement and the turnout. It was almost perfect.”

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

two,” Summers said. “There were no incidents reported, no protests and no one imbibed too much. It was a fantastic day.”

Turnout was so strong that The weather cooperated, food trucks ran low on provisions providing temperatures in the low and many vendors handed out 80s and clear skies throughout everything they brought. One the four-hour event, which closed attendee, Jessica Crawley of down at 4 p.m. Crowds stayed up Bradenton, had two bags of swag she until the very last song was played collected throughout the afternoon. from the stage.

“I had no idea there were so “I think the community will many queer-inclusive groups be more galvanized here now,” out there,” the 24-year-old said.

Summers said. “Everyone had a “Manatee County has this reputation of being a wasteland between Sarasota and Tampa Bay. But that’s obviously not the case.

There is a lot happening here and a lot more that will happen now.”

—JACK NEWTON, WHO ATTENDED THE Summers had the INAUGURAL MANATEE PRIDE opportunity to speak with several groups good time. They weren’t harassed of youths, which were prevalent by anyone and enjoyed what it was throughout the day. Those groups, like to actually have a community she said, expressed interest in in Bradenton.” participating in PrismYouth and Throngs of festival attendees danced she expects to see many fresh faces to the music and Summers believe at the organization in the very they will want more of that at near future. next year’s Manatee Pride festival, “We did quite well in fundraising,” which is tentatively slated for Summers said. “Now that we have March 21, 2015. some money, we can do more than “We still have to get approval, but I think it will be easier for year Continued on page 14 |  |

“I’m stunned, really. I would have never imagined all of this could happen here.”

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tampa bay NEWS 14

Movement pushes for Manatee County Human Rights Ordinance |  | Margaret Murray from pg.12 of course, is symbolic of the 25th anniversary of the festival, which will again reach across both sides of Tampa Bay in October.

“The Tampa Theatre is our home again this year, and it looks like we’ll show some �ilms at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg as well,” Murray said. “We’ve shown some of our monthly �ilm series there and the experience has been wonderful. It’s just such a perfect �it.”

Murray isn’t discounting the Muvico theater at the former Baywalk complex, soon to be reopened as Sundial.

But with new management, Murray said it’s too early to know if that theater will come back on board.

“The LGBT community really shows us a lot of love during the festival in October,” Murray said. “The rest of the year it’s a little tough. One of my goals is to raise our visibility throughout the rest of the year, which I think we can do.”

This year, expect a few surprises to celebrate 25 years of TIGLFF. Murray anticipates a street party on opening night, complete with wet zones for anyone wanting an adult beverage before or after �ilms. She also hopes to attract a larger portion of Tampa’s straight, allied community.

“This is a party for the city,” she said. “Yes, we’re a gay and lesbian �ilm festival, but Tampa as a whole should be proud of what this festival does.”

The 25th Annual TIGLFF will be Oct. 3-11.

For more information on the festival, and for a schedule of monthly screenings, visit TIGLFF.com. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Staff Report

B

RADENTON | The same day that Manatee County celebrated its �irst LGBT Pride, the county’s Human Rights Ordinance committee drafted a petition on Change.com to encourage commissioners to protect LGBTs from discrimination.

The ordinance, posted March 22, encourages the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners

|  | Manatee Pride from pg.12 just be open on Saturdays. We can do outings and make it more inviting for these kids. We’re no longer just a respite for a few hours where they can hang out with their friends. We are up for a really exciting future.”

Of course, the money raised from Manatee Pride is not endless, and anyone interested in supporting the initiative can do so through PrismYouth.org. Summers said

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

to create an HRO to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The group wants at least 200 signatures to present to the commission.

The HRO would establish civil rights that would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations in all of Manatee County, for gays, lesbians and transgender residents.

“Currently, neither Manatee County nor any of the six municipalities

in Manatee County provide basic civil rights anti-discrimination legal protections in employment, housing, or public accommodations for LGBT people, active duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel, or veterans of the armed forces,” the petition reads.

The HRO that the Manatee HRO Committee is requesting is similar to ones that have been established in other Florida counties, like Pinellas, Orange and Volusia. |  |

she is also looking for more board members.

“We need new blood and new talents on our board,” she said. “We need that to take the organization to the next level. It’s time for that.”

Summers said seeing so many happy people made every struggle presenting the festival worth it, she said.

In 2015, expect more entertainment and a six-hour festival. Summers also hopes to extend the festival area toward

the river to accommodate even more vendors.

“We identi�ied some of the larger sponsors and vendors we want to have next year that we didn’t get this year,” Summers said. “People didn’t know what to expect and we couldn’t give them an exact number to expect in regards to turnout. We have that now. I don’t think we’re going to have an issue attracting sponsors for the second celebration.” |  |

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state NEWS

IN OTHER NEWS ATLANTIC BEACH CONSIDERS HRO The Atlantic Beach City Commission is mulling over a Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) following a workshop March 12. The HRO has been up for consideration since its first public hearing in November and would protect LGBTs against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

PUNTA GORDA MOVES TOWARD A DPR The City of Punta Gorda could have a domestic partnership registry as early as April 2.

The City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on a first reading March 19. Forty people attended the meeting to discuss the proposed registry, but no one spoke against it. The council opened up registration to anyone in Punta Gorda, not just residents.

ACLU files suit against Florida seeking recognition of out-of-state marriages Staff Report

M

IAMI | Committed, married same-sex couples shouldn’t have to choose between equality and living in their home state. At least that’s how one of eight same-sex couples who �iled a lawsuit in federal court along with support from the ACLU feels.

The suit, �iled March 12, challenges the State of Florida’s refusal to recognize each of the couples’ marriages, which were all legally conducted in states with marriage equality. With the fall of DOMA last summer, each one is now also recognized on a federal level.

“Each of these couples has their own story of how the state’s discriminatory refusal to recognize their marriages has impacted their lives,” said

Daniel Tilley, LGBT rights attorney for the ACLU of Florida.

“These eight couples have all the rights and responsibilities of marriage in the states where they exchanged vows, and the federal government recognizes their marriages as well. It’s time for Florida to stop the harmful practice of treating committed couples as if they are strangers.”

Among the couples present for the announcement of the lawsuit were Sandra Jean Newson and Denise Hueso.

“Our wedding day was the happiest day of our lives, knowing that we were not only committing ourselves to one another but to protecting each other’s future, and yet, here in our home state, the law treats us as strangers,” stated Newson. “When we moved back to Florida we knew we would be sacri�icing some of the rights

that we’d enjoyed when we lived in Massachusetts. Most families don’t have to choose between being in the place they call home and having equal treatment under the law, and they shouldn’t have to. If Florida would recognize our marriage, we wouldn’t have to either.”

Newson is the a vice president at an agency that works to provide housing for formerlyhomeless individuals, and Hueso is a clinical care coordinator at the Alliance for GLBTQ Youth.

The couple has a 15-year-old adopted child.

Besides Newsom and Hueso, the seven other married couples represented in the case inlcude: Lindsay Myers, a radio digital content producer, and her wife Sarah Humlie, the Executive Director of the Pensacola Humane Society; Chuck Hunziger and Bob Collier, both

military veterans, who have been together for more than 50 years and live in Fort Lauderdale; Juan Del Hierro, the Director of Ministry Empowerment for Unity on the Bay, and Thomas Gantt, Jr., a teacher, who live in Miami and have a 14 monthold son; Christian Ulvert, a political consultant, and Carlos Andrade, a media director, who married in Washington, DC in 2013 and are interested in raising a family; Richard Milstein, a family law attorney, and Eric Hankin, a Miami public school teacher, who have been together 12 years; Robert Loupo, a Miami-Dade Public Schools counselor, and John Fitzgerald, retired, who have been together 12 years; Sloan Grimsley, a �ire�ighter from Palm Beach Gardens, and her wife Joyce Albu, a consultant assisting parents of children living with developmental disorders.

“All around the country, loving couples enjoy the rights and responsibilities that come with a marriage fully recognized by their state, and it’s time Florida couples enjoyed that as well,” said Tony Lima, Executive Director of SAVE. Dade. |  |

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ruled that a 2004 voter-approved amendment to the Michigan Constitution that limited marriage to opposite-sex couples violated the U.S. Constitution’s right of equal protection.

The next day, clerks in Ingham, Oakland, Muskegon and Washtenaw counties opened their doors and began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But later that day, the 6th Circuit froze the decision, saying the time-out would ``allow a more reasoned consideration’’ of the state’s request to stop samesex marriages.

Michigan has spent about $40,000 so far on experts whose testimony at a trial over samesex marriage was panned as a ``fringe viewpoint’’ and “entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration’’ by the judge. |  |

because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. ``Imagine 20 years from now as America looked back and say, `How in the hell can that ever been allowed?’ The country’s moved on, the American people have moved on,’’ he said.

Biden said it was time for Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act–known as ENDA–which would bar employers with 15 or more workers from using a person’s sexual

orientation or gender identity as the basis for making employment decisions, including hiring, �iring, compensation or promotion.

Religious institutions and the military would be exempted.

On March 21, 220 members of Congress signed a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to use executive authority to ban workplace discrimination against LGBT employees of federal contractors. No Republicans signed the letter. |  |

Biden calls on Congress to pass gay rights bill Wire Report LOS ANGELES | U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass a measure to outlaw workplace discrimination against LGBTs, saying it’s outrageous that the country is even debating the subject.

Speaking to supporters of the gay advocacy group Human Rights Campaign on March 22, Biden said it’s ``close to barbaric’’ that in some states, employees can be �ired

Panel urges end to U.S. ban on transgender troops Wire Report SAN FRANCISCO | An independent commission led by a former U.S. surgeon general has concluded there ``is no compelling medical reason’’ for the U.S. armed forces to prohibit transgender Americans from serving and that President Barack Obama could lift the decades-old ban without approval from Congress, according to a report released March 13.

The report said Department of Defense regulations designed to keep transgender people from joining or remaining in the military

on the grounds of psychological and physical un�itness are based on outdated beliefs that require thousands of current service members either to leave the service or to forego the medical procedures and other changes that could align their bodies and gender identities.

“We determined not only that there is no compelling medical reason for the ban, but also that the ban itself is an expensive, damaging and unfair barrier to health care access for the approximately 15,450 transgender personnel who serve currently in the active, Guard and reserve components,’’ said the commission led by Dr. Joycelyn

Elders, who served as Bill Clinton’s surgeon general.

The commission rejected the assumption that providing hormone treatment and sex reassignment surgeries would be too dif�icult, disruptive and expensive. ``I hope their takeaway will be we should evaluate every one of our people on the basis of their ability and what they can do, and if they have a condition we can treat we would treat it like we would treat anyone else,’’ Elders said.

At least a dozen nations, including Australia, Canada, England and Israel, allow military service by transgender individuals. |  |

KANSAS SPERM DONOR WANTS SUPREME COURT TO BLOCK TESTING A Topeka man who provided sperm to a lesbian couple asked the Kansas Supreme Court on March 21 to direct a district court judge to block his genetic testing. The Kansas Department for Children and Families filed the case to have William Marotta declared the child’s father so he can be held responsible for public assistance and future child support.

Marotta says he signed a contract waiving his parental rights and responsibilities.

OKLAHOMA COURT: NAME CHANGE AFTER SEX CHANGE OK The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ruled March 21 that a woman who became female through gender-reassignment surgery has the right to change her name from James Dean Ingram to Angela Renee Ingram. The unanimous ruling reversed a decision by Oklahoma County District Judge Bill Graves, who denied the application in a November 2012 ruling that said sex change surgery “is a counterfeit’’ and “the DNA code shows God meant for them to stay male and female.”

ILLINOIS: COOK COUNTY ISSUES 575 SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LICENSES The Cook County clerk’s office says it has issued 575 marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the month since it was allowed by a court ruling. Cook County Clerk David Orr in Chicago said March 21 that couples have come from 17 other states and 11 Illinois counties. A federal judge ruled Feb. 21 that Illinois’ same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.

nation+world

D

ETROIT | Michigan state agencies won’t immediately recognize hundreds of samesex marriages that were performed in the hours before an appeals court put on hold a judge’s ruling that tossed out a state ban on same-sex marriage, the governor’s of�ice said March 23.

About 300 couples wed March 22 in four Michigan counties before a federal appeals court placed a stay on a Detroit federal judge’s March 21decision that overturned the state’s 2004 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. ``We are extremely sensitive to feelings on this issue and are hoping for a swift resolution for all involved,’’ said Sara Wurfel, spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Snyder.

The decision blocks Michigan’s county clerks from issuing new same-sex marriage licenses until the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules whether to extend the stay.

Asked if that would prevent, for example, a newlywed gay couple from applying for adoption of children in the interim, Wurfel said that Snyder and his administration consider everything to be on hold for now. ``We are not saying that we aren’t or won’t recognize the marriages that happened on March 22, but that we’re awaiting further court or legal direction on this complex, unusual situation,’’ Wurfel said. ``Either way, this can’t be construed one way or another as not recognizing the validity of the same sex marriages.’’

On Friday, March 21, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman

IN OTHER NEWS

NEWS

Michigan governor puts marriages on hold

UGANDAN OFFICIAL: U.S. CUTS UP TO $6 MILLION IN AID Uganda’s health minister says the government has lost up to $6 million in annual U.S. government support over the East African country’s new anti-gay law. Ruhakana Rugunda said March 21 that the U.S. had not renewed a contract that helped pay the salaries of Ugandan doctors and nurses involved in mostly AIDS programs. He said that under the contract that expired earlier this year, the U.S. gave between $4 and $6 million each year over the last 10 years.

COURT: TENN. MUST RECOGNIZE 3 SAME-SEX MARRIAGES U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger on March 14 ordered the state of Tennessee to recognize the out-of-state marriages of three same-sex couples while their lawsuit against the state works its way through the court system. ``It’s the first nail in the coffin of discriminating against same-sex married couples in Tennessee,’’ said attorney Abby Rubenfeld. Samesex marriage is prohibited by Tennessee state law and by a constitutional amendment approved in 2006.

KY. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RECOGNITION PUT ON HOLD U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II on March 18 issued a stay of his order requiring Kentucky to officially recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries until the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati either rules on the merits of the case or orders the stay lifted. Heyburn’s ruling came just two days before same-sex couples would have been allowed to change their names on official identifications and documents and obtain the benefits of any other married couple in Kentucky.

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Abby Dees ABBY@WATERMARKONLINE.COM

HEN I SAT DOWN TO

write a column in the summer of 2012, I didn’t think I had much to say about anything. So, stumped for fresh ideas, I revived the topic of my previous column—Chick-�il-A—for a status update. It wasn’t one of the most tepid pieces I’ve written.

Imagine my surprise when within hours of its publication my column had stirred the ire of dozens of right-wingers in the comments section, and even ended up on a far-right website. God knows what happened this week that never happened any other week to put me in the cross-hairs of the culture warriors, but my editor emailed me kudos: “You’re a hit!” she wrote to a very rattled me.

Let me share some highlights: “We know how vicious, angry and intolerant you are, Abby. You won’t really be able to hide it. Deviant sex is the center of your world.” Or, “Abby Dees. This is your LIFE? Wow, what a waste.” Or, “Pathetic mewling of a pervert.”

These more personal attacks don’t bother me too much. They don’t know me.

Much more maddening were the comments that

tried to argue actual points that weren’t responsive to my column at all. Most accused me of trying to quash free speech rights.To mangle an old quote, I’ll �ight to the death for your right to say stupid things.

I was also chastised for not discussing things completely unrelated to the subject of my short column, as if by neglecting to, for example, psychically predict that a nutcase was going to open �ire at the Family Research Council, I revealed the hypocrisy of the entire LGBT movement and our disdain for humanity, especially if it’s registered Republican.

I must wonder what the point is of having sharing our thoughts and opinions, if we are utterly unable to hear what anyone else has to say.

I know—I shouldn’t give it a moment’s thought. A conservative friend was amused that I’d pissed off a bunch of “skin heads.” A gay friend dismissed it all as the wounded howls of scared nitwits facing the reality that the LGBT train has left the station. most everyone I know chuckled about the number of morons there are.

I’d like to believe that my column magnetically attracted an errant pod of swastika-tattooed mouth breathers—I refer to them as “far-right” out of respect for my conservative friends and family whose politics don’t always line up with mine, but with whom my disagreements are always respectful and cause us both to think with a little more subtlety. My critics can’t be “nice” people like that. One even called me out for suggesting that his ilk were “far-right” when they represent so much of America.

I know in my gut he’s right (about this). Many are indeed nice people, and damn scared about things they don’t understand.

And they too can’t imagine that I am the easy-going person that I am, that my relationship is lovely and ordinary, and that I really don’t have an agenda beyond fairness and respect for difference, nor do my friends, gay or otherwise.

So please tell me, how do we keep this rift from getting even wider? |  |

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I refer to them as “far-right” out of respect for my conservative friends and family whose politics don’t always line up with mine.

Abby Dees i a civil rights attorney-turned-author whohas been in the LGBT rights trenches for 25-plus years. She can be reached at QueerQuestionsStraightTalk.com.

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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search proves it! tPOP is considered her fans. So there you dy Gaga also seems to gave them strength or were the focus of pating in the study llowers to embrace n differences and hers found that o follow the kward” feel more al media presence Y OF MISSOURITUDY FROM THE

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guestcolumn

The universe in us

Richard Rosendall

C

ARL SAGAN, HOST OF THE

original 1980 Cosmos series, said we are made of star stuff, because our atoms were created billions of years ago inside a star.

Sagan’s words are echoed by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of New York’s Hayden Planetarium who hosts the new Cosmos, which airs on FOX and several National Geographic-af�iliated networks each week.

Tyson’s enthusiasm for science is infectious. And he holds his ground. When creationists demanded equal time on Cosmos, he said, “You don’t talk about the spherical Earth with NASA, and then say let’s give equal time to the �lat Earthers. Plus, science is not there for you to cherry pick.”

The creation/evolution dispute is one of the fake controversies stoked by fundamentalists who are threatened by intellectual freedom and know nothing about the scienti�ic method. Ignoring the fact that the overwhelming consensus of scientists is against them, they press school boards to “teach the controversy.”

They perversely regard science as weak because it lacks their dogmatic and brittle certainty. Tyson counters, “My view is that if your philosophy is not unsettled daily

then you are blind to all the universe has to offer.”

Few outside the right-wingers’ hothouse are fooled by their propaganda. In his March 21 Michigan marriage ruling, U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman rejected as “not worthy of serious consideration” widely criticized testimony by junk scientist Mark Regnerus suggesting that children raised by gay parents suffer as a result. Our coming nationwide victory on marriage equality will be another milestone in a long struggle against religious coercion and obscurantism.

The frontier spirit is part of America’s soul. We were born, after all, in revolution. In the long run, fear of change is no match for the power and possibility of discovery. Americans lately have been witnessing gay families’ joy on the steps of courthouses, and they are warming to it.

Years ago, I stood in the Manassas Battle�ield on a wintry night to view a comet with my friend and fellow activist Barrett Brick, who died last September. The comet’s tail stretched across half the sky, and the Pleiades star cluster rose behind the bare branches of a tree.

Words fail at such a moment, as when sitting alone in a cathedral, awed by its commanding silence. It reminds us that we are small and the universe is great. The vault of heaven, and its exploration, provokes not emptiness but wonder.

Religious bullies often equate lack of religion with nihilism. Tyson pokes them when he says, “The more I learn about the universe, the less convinced I am that there’s any sort of benevolent force that has anything to do with it, at all.” Barrett, by contrast, often led services at Congregation Bet Mishpachah. But he was no bully.

His drashim (Torah lessons) were invariably graceful, erudite, and persuasively connected to current challenges.

Faith can be used to inspire rather than control, just as American Exceptionalism can be seen as an obligation to lead and not merely an entitlement to boss.

You may prefer neither. Religiosity, like patriotism, lends itself to misuse. But given its gravitational pull, one gains greater leverage by guiding it in a more benign direction than trying to stop it.

Tyson celebrates the crosspollination of the sciences, and the

The creation/ evolution dispute is one of the fake controversies stoked by fundamentalists who are threatened by intellectual freedom.

way discoveries lead to unforeseen bene�its decades later. The inventor of the laser, for example, was not thinking of barcode readers. In a similar fashion, the lived reality of social changes can dispel fears, as our fellow citizens at long last recognize the love that makes gay families.

With or without faith, all of us on this “pale blue dot,” as Sagan called Earth, can be uplifted by a recognition that, as Tyson puts it, “We are in the universe and the universe is in us.” |  | Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at rrosendall@starpower.net.

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YOUR LGBT LIFE. WatermarkOnline.com MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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TALKING POINTS

Out of respect for all people and our desire to erase hate, we’ve decided not to comment further.

A STAGGERING

43% OF PEOPLE CLAIM THEY WOULD

GIVE UP SEX

FOR A YEAR

RATHER THAN

—JUDITH SHEPARD, MOTHER OF MATTHEW SHEPARD, ON THE DEATH OF FRED PHELPS

CHICK-FIL-A CEO REGRETS HIS OUTSPOKEN ANTI-GAY RHETORIC

I

N A SURPRISING TURNAROUND, CHICKFIL-A CEO S. TRUETT CATHY has expressed regret for his in-your-face condemnation of marriage equality two years ago. In a rare interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cathy said it wasn’t a wise

GIVE UP THE INTERNET — ACCORDING TO A NATIONAL STUDY CONDUCTED BY ANSELL, THE MAKERS OF LIFESTYLES SKYN CONDOMS

business decision to “make the company a symbol in the marriage debate.

Every leader goes through different phases of maturity, growth and development and it helps by (recognizing) the mistakes that you make,” Cathy said. “And you learn from those mistakes. If not,

MEDIA MAGNATE CLAIMS GAY RIGHTS GROUP BULLIED BREWERY

ANDERSON COOPER THOUGHT SETH MYERS WAS GAY

G

AY NEWS REPORTER ANDERSON COOPER GENERALLY HAS A NOSE FOR NEWS, but it appears his smell was off when it came to Late Night host Seth Myers. Cooper saw Myers at “the gayest gym on the planet,” and was sure the former SNL head writer was gay. “I assumed you were gay, because there weren’t a lot of other reasons to be there,” Cooper told Myers on the March 18 episode of Late Night. Myers �ired back “I felt like there was the gay-friendly, and then there was a gay-curious, and then the bottom level was just full gay. ” When Anderson urged Myers to become the �irst openly gay light night host, Myers replied “Give it a year, I have to talk to my wife.” |  |

R

UPERT MURDOCH CALLED ON IRISH PEOPLE TO BOYCOTT GUINNESS BEER. In a tweet, he suggested the brewery pulled out of the New York parade because gay rights groups bullied it. “Where will this end?” asked the News Corp CEO. “Guinness pulls out of religious parade bullied by gay orgs who try to take it over. Hope all Irish boycott the stuff.”

Guinness dropped sponsorship of the parade after organizers refused to allow LGBT groups to march carrying pro-gay rights signs. Heineken also boycotted the New York event and Sam Adams backed out of the St Patrick’s Day parade in Boston. Both New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh avoided their city’s parades. |  |

you’re just a fool.” Cathy’s comments set off a wave of protests with LGBT kiss-ins at Chick-�il-A restaurants and a much-downloaded video of drag queens skewering the franchise.

Cathy admits his stance on same-sex marriage hasn’t changed, but says in the

HERE COME THE GROOMS!

T DINING OUT FOR LIFE AIRS A NEW SUPERHERO PSA

D

INING OUT FOR LIFE, the annual night restaurants around the country donate proceeds to the �ight against HIV/AIDS, is April 24. Organizers will unveil a new animated, superhero, public service announcement featuring Designer Mondo Guerra (Under the Gunn), Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s popular show Chopped, Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown) and chef Daisy Martinez from Food Network’s ¡Viva Daisy! The “fearless foursome” encourages diners to “take action and be a hero by eating out at participating restaurants. To �ind a list of participating restaurants in Tampa and Orlando, visit DiningOutForLife.com. |  |

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

HE CAST OF MODERN FAMILY CAME TOGETHER MARCH 19 in L.A. to shoot the wedding of gay characters Mitchell and Cam, played by actors Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet. Pepper, played by actor Nathan Lane, has been planning the big shindig all season. The couple will walk down the aisle in just a few weeks. Elizabeth Banks is expected to return in a cameo appearance as the couple’s friend Sal, who is pregnant and acting as their minister. Photogs snapped photos of Cam and Mitchell sharing their �irst married kiss under an ivy-covered trestle.

Although the exact date of the wedding episode hasn’t released, it’s a good bet it will be the season �inale airing May 21. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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IN DEPTH ACCIDENTAL ADVOCATES

ACCIDENTAL

ADVOCATES N

Steve Blanchard

OTORIOUS PASTOR FRED

Phelps Sr. died on March 18, sparking mixed reactions from LGBTs and the community at large. His Westboro Baptist Church and his so-called congregation made national news often with its protest of the funerals of AIDS patients, Matthew Shepard and fallen U.S. soldiers.

Phelps and his Topekabased church had the same message at each appearance: The country was doomed because of its tolerance of homosexuality.

While Phelps may have been the most extreme—and most likely to make it onto the national news networks—he isn’t the �irst to constantly attack the LGBT community. In

WITH HATEFUL, ANTI-GAY MESSAGES, FAR-RIGHT LEADERS HAVE ACTUALLY HELPED PROPEL EQUALITY IN FLORIDA AND NATIONWIDE fact, there are countless others who regularly talk about the “sins” of homosexuality and transgender people by using false information, bulleted talking points and extreme displays of intolerance.

Despite their commitment to �ighting LGBT equality, many of these people— including 1970s beauty queen Anita Bryant, David Caton of the Florida Family Association, Orlando attorney John Stemberger, former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms and Terry Kemple of Hillsborough’s Community Issues Council—may have

inadvertently helped LGBTs make gains in equality during their campaigns to legalize discrimination against us.

“I don’t want to thank people like that,” says Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida. “I want to acknowledge that they have been a catalyst for some very brave work that has been transformative. They have sparked brave people like [Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin] Beckner to put himself forward for public service. They’ve helped people come out.”

Todd Simmons, the original chair of the Human Rights Task

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

Force of Hillsborough County, the precursor to Equality Florida, agrees with Smith, and adds that the organizations pushing for equality have reacted appropriately to the hatred hurled at the gay community.

“I think there’s something to [anti-gay voices helping equality progress],” he says.

“But I don’t think it happens on its own. If the Human Rights Task Force and others hadn’t been there in the early 1990s, doing the very necessary educational work in the community, then we wouldn’t

Continued on page 28 |  |

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|  | Accidental

Advocates from pg. 27

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

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ADVOCATING INEQUALITY 01

FLORIDA

JOHN STEMBERGER is an attorney based in Orlando, who is a staunch anti-gay rights supporter. He is the leader of the “On My Honor,” which was formed to fight against allowing for boys to be openly gay and in Boy Scouts. He also is the head of Florida Family Policy Council.

After the inclusive policy was passed for BSA, he formed Trail Life USA, the Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts, which has showcased photos of its members using a salute alarmingly similar to the one used by the Third Reich.

02

BILL MCCOLLUM, the former Florida Attorney General from 2007-2011, was criticized for spending state funds in defense of the same-sex adoption ban. In December 2009, he hired psychologist, George Rekers, to testify as an expert witness.

The ban was struck down, where the judge stated that Rekers testimony was biased and not neutral. Many say the controversy that followed his judgment on the spending and hiring of Rekers is what cost him to lose the Republican primary when he ran for governor in 2010.

03

DAVID CATON is the executive director of Florida Family Association, which is categorized as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Since 1998, FFA has promoted a campaign against same-sex rights and issues.

Through FFA, he has led many unsuccessful campaigns against Florida policies and

28

ordinances that ranged from job and housing protections for gays to opposing an anti-bullying bill that included bullying based on a student’s sexual orientation. Last year, his organization funded the “warning” effectively announcing and highlighting Gay Day.

04

successful children. He research was discredited the same year he was discovered with a male escort in Miami.

07

ANITA BRYANT is a former Florida Citrus spokeswoman, beauty queen who rose to frame as an anti-gay activist of the 70s and 80s. She successfully pushed for an ban on gays and lesbians adopting children in Florida, which was finally overturned in 2010.

Many credit her with the rise of Florida’s LGBT rights movement.

RONDA STORMS is a former Florida Senator and also held an eight-year tenure on the Hillsborough County Commission. After seeing a book display in Town ‘n’ Country honoring LGBT Pride Month she began a movement to prohibit the county from recognizing Pride in any way.

The Commission voted on the policy, which passed with a super majority. Her actions prompted Kevin Beckner to run for office and eventually become the county’s first openly gay commissioner. He is currently in his second term and helped overturn Storms’ controversial policy in 2013.

08

05

09

TERRY KEMPLE, president of the Community Issues Council consistently speaks out against equality measures benefiting the LGBT community. He has advocated a policy that would require children to receive permission for their parents to join gay-straight alliance clubs at Hillsborough County schools.

He successfully argued against a domestic partner registry in Hillsborough.

06

GEORGE REKERS, a psychologist and Baptist minister has issued studies, later discovered to be inaccurate, painting same-sex parents as unable to raise

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

NATIONAL

JERRY FALWELL was a respected religious leader when he founded Liberty University.

However, after claiming that a Teletubby was gay and blaming the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on homosexuals and abortionists, to name a few, he lost major credibility. He died in 2007.

PAT ROBERTSON, media mogul, former minister and host of the 700 Club, is reliable for outrageous claims against LGBTs. Recently, he said gay men wear rings that are used to inject HIV/ AIDS into straight people.

He also blamed 9-11 on homosexuality.

10

FRED PHELPS was the founder of Westboro Baptist Church that is notorious for it’s hateful signage and protests at the funerals of US soldiers. His extreme tactics were frowned upon by both sides of the equality debate and many rightleaning organizations distanced themselves from him.

11

MAGGIE GALLAGHER, co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage, has conceded that marriage equality is an inevitability in the country, but is now focused on religious freedom bills like the one recently vetoed in Arizona that would allow individuals to decline service to others based on religious beliefs. As those bills fall, so does her credibility.

12

TONY PERKINS, president of the Family Research Council, used to be a respected Louisiana legislator. But now he’s a mouthpiece for discrimination, claiming that President Obama is the anti-Christ and gay rights will crash the US economy. He is also against protections for LGBTs in the workplace, claiming gays want to “put the bedroom in the workplace.”

13

DAN CATHY, the Chick-Fil A president who spoke out against marriage equality, has since admitted he shouldn’t have addressed such a volatile political issue. While support of the chain surged after his announcement, it has since waned as boycotts continue and college campuses reject the corporation’s restaurants.

14

DON WILDMON, founder of the American Family Association, publishes lists of television and films to boycott because of their gay characters or messages, which has developed into a guide of sorts for those looking for that exact programming.

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

have been able to put the light on some of these people’s claims.”

Speci�ically, Simmons refers to David Caton. He and Simmons were consistently on opposing sides of equality arguments in the early 1990s.

TIME ON OUR SIDE

Caton and his supporters, Simmons says, were never shy about saying exactly what they thought about the gay and lesbian community.

“I think one of the more maddening things about Caton, especially in the early days, was that he had carte blanche to say whatever he wanted in the media,” recalls Simmons, who now lives in Hawaii with his husband and their two sons. “Reporters and producers would allow him to repeat whatever outrageous claptrap of the moment he was peddling.”

At �irst, that media coverage helped the case of the likes of Caton, who argued in the 1990s that a human rights ordinance in Hillsborough County would lead to gay men having public sex. But today, as more people come out of the closet and more are educated on LGBT issues, those words ring not only untrue, but irresponsible.

“Caton, Phelps, Maggie Gallagher (of the National Organization for Marriage) are all in the same category,” Simmons says. “They can only go to that well of talking points so many times before they’re proven wrong. Caton’s arc on the HRO in Tampa was to say a lot of scary things to scare a lot of people. It passed, and when he tried to repeal it, he was confronted with the truth that none of the awful things he predicted had come to pass.”

Caton lost credibility, Simmons says, and “no one would line up for him.”

While his credibility has faded, his �ight against equality has not.

Caton’s Florida Family Association funded the notorious 2013 banner �lown over Kissimmee and Orlando “warning” visitors of Gay Days at the Magic Kingdom. That act was mostly seen as a waste of money, even among conservatives, who believed the several thousands of dollars could have been put to much better use.

In Florida, Stemberger led a successful campaign in 2008 to ban

watermarkonline.com

FINANCIAL FLOP: The Florida Family Assoc that was flown around Orlando during Gay Day at th marriage equality with the passage of Amendment 2. While the ban is still in place, public opinion on samesex marriage has shifted. Today, 57% of Floridians now support marriage equality and, nationwide, 52% of people support marriage for same-sex couples.

“In the aftermath of 2008 we saw an immediate support for marriage equality in our state,” Smith explains. “We sort of had a hate hangover—buyers’ remorse.

That election forced a lot of people to look at themselves and ask, ‘What did we just do?’”

In essence, six out of every 10 people who went to the polls that year expressed that gay families were less valuable than straight ones, Smith says. Children challenged their parents who voted in favor of the amendment and Equality Florida saw a surge in straight allies in early 2009.

“The generation that is out of college is turning the tide,” Smith believes. “I would say the under 50 crowd is overwhelmingly on our side. Older people are shifting too.”

In 2013, Stemberger was a loud voice encouraging the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to continue its ban on gay scouts and gay scoutmasters.

When the BSA announced it would continue to prohibit gay scoutmasters, but allow young gay men into the organization as scouts, Stemberger launched “Trail Life,” a BSA alternative.

Mainstream media covered the launch of the new organization, complete with photos of members giving a salute ominously similar to the salute used by the Third Reich in

ciation spent thousands of dollars on a barely-readable banner he Magic Kingdom last June.

the 1930s and 1940s.

Stemberger has made anti-gay headlines in the 21st century, but LGBT rights in Florida have been under attack for decades—at least publicly. Many look to singer, beauty queen and former Florida Citrus spokeswoman Anita Bryant as the reason why LGBTs are now more welcome in the Sunshine State.

“In a completely unintended way, Anita Bryant was about the best thing to happen to the gay rights movement,” John Coppola, exhibit curator and former head of exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., told the SunSentinel in 2007. “She and her cohorts were so over the top that it just completely galvanized the gay rights movement.”

Smith stops short of saying Bryant was the beginning of the LGBT rights movement, but recognizes that her hysteria was in reaction to the progress of the day.

“I think it would be an oversimpli�ication to say people like Bryant did us a favor,” Smith says.

“They hurt a lot of people and I don’t want to minimize the injuries that they have caused. But having said that, they do call into question things people suddenly had to answer.

They had to ask themselves if they were okay with what was happening to their neighbors, coworkers and family members.”

Fairness, Smith believes, is human nature. And every time something unfair makes headlines— whether it be pending legislation, or acts by groups or individuals to block services to a speci�ic segment of society—it reignites the spark to

A NEW MESSAGE: A counter-protestor greets Westboro Baptist Church members March 22 at a Lorde concert in Kansas City with a message of condolences on the passing of Fred Phelps Sr.

�ight inequality.

“Fundamentally, people believe in fairness and to get them to not follow that instinct, you have to muddy the water,” Smith says. “This becomes a moment of clari�ication.

Extremists create that moment, where others think, ‘I don’t want to be that.’”

Phelps is a shining example of that—a cautionary tale of where hate takes people, and what it looks like as a living, breathing entity walking among society.

love, compassion, and championing equality in the face of adversity led by the Westboro Baptist Church,” Stephens said. “Their actions caused many to look inside their own hearts and reevaluate their own attitudes toward the LGBT Community. So, in a strange way, Mr. Phelps ‘legacy’ will actually be one of encouraging acceptance of the gay community.”

And that surprising legacy will have a long-lasting, national impact, according to an Associated Press interview with Cathy Renna, a

FULL CIRCLE: Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner was motivated to seek office after Ronda Storms enacted a so-called “pride ban” in the county. In 2013, Beckner led a successful—and eventually unanimous—charge to repeal it.

PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO

relationships. At the 2003 annual Southern Baptist Convention, leaders spent a session drawing a distinction between their opposition to same-sex unions and Phelps’ protests.

Phelps called his church Baptist but had no ties with the Southern Baptist Convention or any other mainstream Baptist group. ``Westboro Baptist is to Baptist Christianity what the Book of Mormon Broadway play was to the Latter-Day Saints,’’ said the

Extremists create that moment, where others think,

‘I don’t want to be that.’

—NADINE SMITH OF EQUALITY FLORIDA

NOT A LEGACY HE INTENDED

While Topeka, Kan., is more than 1,300 miles away from the City of Orlando, Phelps’ legacy will leave a positive impact on the city, or at least for The Center, which cultivates and maintains a variety of LGBT services and programs.

According to executive director Randy Stephens, a donation was made through the organization’s website in honor of Phelps.

“One of our Board members con�irmed that a donation was made with the notation that the donor wanted us to know they respect our mission and vision in the community is demonstrating

longtime consultant to LGBT groups.

“The world lost someone who did a whole lot more for the LGBT community than we realize or understand,’’ said Renna. ``He has brought along allies who are horri�ied by the hate. So his legacy will be exactly the opposite of what he dreamed.’’

Religious leaders who oppose gay marriage also said the pastor’s tactics clouded the debate over such issues and put them on the defensive in discussing both policy and faith.

Conservative religious leaders regularly denounced Phelps, worried that his relentless attacks would be perceived as representing the Christian case against same-sex

Rev. Russell Moore, who leads the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission.

“They were kind of a performance art of vitriolic hatred rather than any kind of religious organization.’’

The Rev. Terry Fox, a Southern Baptist minister who’s pastor of Wichita’s non-denominationalleaning Summit Church, once felt compelled to apologize for Phelps’ shocking behavior on television.

Fox called Phelps ``a false prophet’’ and said Satan ``greatly used him.’’

Fox added that Phelps ``was an embarrassment’’ but had ``become the face of Christian work in Kansas.’’

Wayne Benson, executive director of Truth Wins Out, believes that

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

news of Phelps passing will soon evaporate. But he will always be remembered as a major in�luence in creating allies in favor of LGBT rights.

“Fred was a net positive for the LGBT community,” says Besen, who once referred to Phelps as a “walking hate crime.”

“The organized Religious Right despised him,” he says. “They would spend big money to concoct elaborate schemes that tried to make raw hate appear to be love.

Then Fred would come along and foil their careful plans with a ‘God Hates Fags’ sign.”

A larger contingent sees people like Phelps as “loathsome,” which, in effect, is a positive thing for allies of equality.

“I’ll say one nice thing about him,” Benson says. “He’s the only honest person on the Religious Right I’ve ever met. He says what many of them truly believe but are too careful to say publicly.”

Gay-rights advocates, meanwhile, are assessing Phelps’ place in the history of their movement.

James Esseks, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, acknowledged that he eventually saw Phelps’ protests as helping his own movement. ``He would show up with his extreme anti-gay views, and a bunch of people in the middle would think, `If that’s what it means to be anti-gay, I want no part of it,’’’ Esseks said. |  |

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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watermarkonline.com

ARTS &

ENTERTAINMENT

Heart Spoken LEA MICHELE TALKS LESBIAN ROLE ON LOOKING, BEING CALLED A DIVA AND GLEE LEGACY

“N

Chris Azzopardi

O PERSONAL QUESTIONS”

is the caveat before getting on the phone with Lea Michele, TV’s Rachel Berry. It’s an acceptable exception given the Glee star’s painfully tragic last year: Her on- and off-screen boyfriend, Cory Monteith, died suddenly on July 13, 2013, from a drug overdose.

Recorded around the time of Monteith’s passing, those feelings of loss are still raw on Louder, Michele’s debut album. The singer dedicated “You’re Mine” to Monteith, and the crushingly beautiful “If You Say So” was inspired by his last words to her. “I can’t believe it’s true,” she laments on the latter. “I keep looking for you.”

WATERMARK: HOW MUCH

OF LOUDER IS A REFLECTION

OF YOUR LIFE AND YOUR OWN HEARTBREAKS?

LEA MICHELE: I did not sing one word on the record that I could not incorporate into some experience in my life. Whether it be current or past, every single song that I recorded is about me. It’s a peek into my life, past and present. Maybe it’s coming from my theater and performance background, but

Continued on page 38 |  |

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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31

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MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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Van Wezel Premiere PHOTO BY LYNN GOLDSMITH

Sarasota

WITH

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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– The Boston Globe

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MAR 27 • 8PM

941-953-3368 VANWEZEL.ORG 800-826-9303 COMPLETE SCHEDULE ONLINE

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

Performers, Prices, Dates & Times are subject to change without notice.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

33

ENVELOPE PUSHERS: Colleen Cheery and Zachary Hines are CoCo and Homo, respectively, and are also co-creators of Sexxx Dreams, debuting March 28-29.

Voyeuristic Dreams PERFORMANCE ART

Sexuality gets juxtaposed with gallery art in ‘Sexxx Dreams’

S

Zach Caruso

T. PETERSBURG | WHAT IS SEXXX DREAMS?

That seems to be the question around Tampa Bay. Organizers are tight-lipped and most just know it’s a performance art event dubbed an ‘immersive experience and exhibition. It all happens March 28 and 29 at the Station Number Three Art Gallery in downtown St. Petersburg.

However, the �iner details which remain a mystery weren’t planned to be presented that way.

34

“We had the same problem trying to explain it to people because of how expansive it is,”

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

says co-creator and performer Zachary Hines. “We are turning it into a pop-up cabaret club, and inside we have over 40 visual artists’ artwork on the walls, we have a create-your-own-adventure dance theater piece. They’re basically the ‘creatures of the club’ and they’ll be doing spontaneous dance pieces, and you can follow them throughout the evening to learn more about their narrative and their story and get the voyeuristic experience.

“Outside we’ll have food trucks, our main-stage tent which is

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where Coco and Homo are hosting their cabaret which will have burlesque, sword-swallowing, nail-bed performers, �ire eaters, and that kind of fun fringy sideshow atmosphere.”

In other words, expect the unexpected.

“I think this is going to set the tone for a new way of thinking creatively and exploring how to bring other aspects of our creative environment together,” says co-creator and performer Colleen Cherry.

Together, Cherry and Hines are better known as Coco and Homo, respectively. A farcical pair of characters have performed in the Tampa Bay area for several years, even winning a Best Of The Bay award from Creative Loa�ing for their �irst cabaret Coco and Homo’s Super Fierce Slumber Party.

“Coco and Homo are kind of these trash-tastic clowns who think very highly of themselves and think they are far more important than they are,” says Hines with a laugh.

“That’s part of their comedy, and they’re very much cutie-pie miscreants.”

The pair are joined by friend,

watermarkonline.com

artist, and frequent collaborator Laura Spencer, who is a cocreator and visual arts curator for the event.

“We’ve been collaborating for many years together,” says Spencer. “With Zach and Colleen performing as Coco and Homo doing small cabarets, and I’d be onstage with them live-painting and things like that.”

But Sexxx Dreams is different.

It’s more comprehensive, and seeks to push the envelope. The trio was ready to push themselves to the next level, and after some late night discussions, they put their heads together and came up with a plan.

“We sat down and brainstormed for this event, and as we kept talking and developing ideas, it just grew and grew into this monster,” says Spencer. “We’ve made some deep connections in Tampa Bay, speci�ically in the theater and dance communities, and for me I work at a local art supply store in town and so I’m connected with artists and galleries, and with all that backing us it seemed like an inevitable conclusion to develop an event like this.”

The timing and location seemed right.

“What we picked up on was the strength of the art community in this area and how diverse it is,” says Cherry. “It excited us that such a variety of art forms can come together and create that singular experience for the viewer. The visual art is affected by the performance, and the performance is affected by the visuals, so it becomes a cohesive thing. The hot thing in St Pete right now seems to be these big art parties, so we said ‘Let’s throw one,’ and took it to the next level and made it a more immersive experience. We wanted to introduce audiences from different mediums to each other.”

Hines, Cherry, and Spencer were drawn to the idea of taking a subject like sexuality and juxtaposing it with a formal gallery setting.

“I think sexuality is something that really excites the creative mind, and it’s not readily available or accepted in a gallery setting,” says Spencer. “We want to elevate that low-brow idea into a high-brow gallery experience, so you almost feel like you’re walking into more of a museum.

Continued on page 36 |  |

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CREATIVE FLAIR: Franki Markstone is just one of many performers bringing their unique style to Sexxx Dreams March 28-29.

scare us at least a little,” says Hines. “It scares me a lot. It’s a huge risk to put on such a large event, but I think it’s the There’s something more re�ined about perfect next step. That’s the idea, keep it. Sexuality seems to be shoved down pushing yourself, keep taking risks.” our throats in our culture today, but Spencer agrees. there is still an element of taboo to it.

“Needless to say after this, I might We’re giving people a place to feel free be writing children’s books under a with their sexuality. We want to open pseudonym,” adds Spencer with a laugh. people’s eyes and minds and make “You think about that, about how will them see that sex is ok; it’s something doing an event like this re�lect on your beautiful that we name, and how will all experience.” your personal body So the theme of work be viewed of Sexxx Dreams, in relation to it. according We’ve reached an to Cherry, is era though where “voyeurism.” if you don’t have a “It’s really large body of work kind of testing behind you and you —COLLEEN CHERRY what your can’t touch on all comfort level is, these different things, then really as an where is the boundary?” Cherry says. artist you’re playing it safe.”

“What is too far, for you personally?

And as excited as Hines, Cherry, and We have one-on-one performances, Spencer are for Sexxx Dreams to debut, guests can touch props, and it’s all about they insist there is plenty more where how much more can you see through this came from. the keyhole.”

“I’m guilty of always thinking ahead, The trio admits that the experience but we de�initely have some plans for of planning and committing to such an the future,” says Hines. “This is really event brought with it a degree of fear just the beginning for us, it’s the tip of and anxiety, but that just meant they the iceberg.” |  | were on the right track.

“We don’t do anything that doesn’t |  | Sexxx Dreams from pg.34

“Guests can touch props, and it’s all about how much more can you see through the keyhole?”

36

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SINCE THE BEGINNING, GLEE HAS BEEN SUCH A FRIEND TO THE GAY COMMUNITY. HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING PART OF A SHOW THAT’S SO BOLD IN HOW IT ADDRESSES ISSUES REGARDING THE GAY COMMUNITY?

|  | Lea Michelle from pg.31

nothing felt right unless I could relate to it. I think it comes from being an actor too. It had to be real for me.

And not every song is about a current relationship or a current moment—I have songs on the album that I wrote about past relationships and past memories—but they all mean something to me.

THE ALBUM IS A THROWBACK TO AN ERA WHEN IT WAS JUST ABOUT THE VOICE, WHEN CELINE, MARIAH AND WHITNEY RULED THE WORLD. WERE YOU INSPIRED BY ANY OF THESE WOMEN WHILE RECORDING IT?

I don’t think I’ve gone a day in my life without being inspired by Celine Dion. If you would’ve seen me at her concert in Las Vegas—like, I’m surprised I didn’t get kicked out. I was literally sitting at the edge of my seat like the happiest girl in the entire universe. But no—I’ve always been inspired by female performers and artists who really surround who they are around their voice. For me, it’s always been about the voice. I want to hear someone just sit by a piano, on a stool, and just sing—and that’s it! It’s never been about anything other than that for me. I always really wanted to make an album, and it was so important to me that I could be current and relevant and still fun, but at the same time show that I’m a singer—that’s what I pride myself on �irst and foremost.

SOME OF YOUR CLOSEST RELATIONSHIPS ARE WITH GAY MEN. YOU WORK WITH CHRIS COLFER AND RYAN MURPHY ON GLEE, AND JONATHAN GROFF, WHO’S ALSO STARRED ON GLEE, IS ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS. WHAT IS IT ABOUT GAY MEN THAT REALLY JIBES WITH YOU?

I don’t see anyone as being different than anyone else, whether you’re gay or straight or whatever—everyone’s the same. That’s how I was raised.

I lived in New York my entire life. I worked in theater and I was exposed to tons of different types of people, and from a very young age there was never anything that was black and white for me. Everyone was always accepted and always around me ever since I was a little girl.

I’ve just been really blessed to have great people in my life, and among them just happen to be people like Jonathan and Ryan—but not because they’re gay—just because they’re amazing people.

WHAT DOES THE SUPPORT OF THE GAY COMMUNITY MEAN TO YOU?

38

ABOUT THE VOICE: For Lea Michele, music is about the voice, and that’s what she showcases on her new album.

What I’ve always loved about Glee the most is that while we’re making people laugh—and while we’re singing and entertaining people— we are delivering a very important message and opening up people’s minds, even though they might not know it’s happening. I get letters from fans, parents and kids. Glee has really helped a lot of people, and I’m not just saying that. It really has.

I’m so honored to be a part of a show that has made a big movement not only for the gay community but also for kids who just love music and have a passion for doing that. It’s opened so many doors for girls and boys that don’t look like everybody else—to make them feel beautiful in their skin no matter what they look like or where they’re from. There are so many aspects of the show that have been really amazing, and I’ll forever be grateful to have been a

I’ve just been really blessed to have great people in my life–but not because they’re gay–just because they’re amazing people.

—LEA MICHELE

It means so much. I was working for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS since I was a little girl. I’ve always been in theater, and so the gay community—that was my world.

That’s where I come from, and so it just feels like a part of who I am. To be where I am right now, and to still have that support and to still have that safety net, it really just means a lot to me.

RIGHT—HE SAID YOU WATCHED IT WITH YOUR MOTHER.

(Laughs) Uh, I mean, I don’t know about that!

CAN WE GET YOU ON THERE AS A LESBIAN?

SO BROADWAY REALLY IS AS GAY AS PEOPLE SAY IT IS?

JONATHAN SAID HE WANTS TO GET YOU ON HIS HBO SHOW LOOKING. WOULD YOU BE UP FOR IT?

Oh my god! First of all, I went to San Francisco when they were �ilming the show and I ate dinner with all the guys and with Andrew [Haigh], their director, and before anything I said to them, “You guys, let’s get me on the show,” and then I watched the entire series because Jonathan gave me all the episodes.

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

Well, �irst I watched them with Jonathan when we went on vacation and then I watched them with my mom. And she’s so obsessed, it’s crazy! Once I saw the entire series, I emailed Andrew Haigh and I was like, “Look, I loved it before, but I love it even more now. You gotta get me on the show. I’ll do anything. Anything you want me to play, even if I’m in the background, I’ll do it.”

One hundred percent!

WHAT KIND OF LESBIAN WOULD YOU BE?

I mean, I just wanna get to work with Jonathan. I love Jon. I feel like everything that we’ve gotten to do together, whether it was Spring Awakening or working on Glee together, I just love working with him.

Every time we get to play different characters together it’s so fun, so I’ll do anything that they want.

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part of Glee.

I REALLY BELIEVE THE SIGNIFICANCE IT’S HAD IN THE GAY COMMUNITY WILL BE PART OF ITS LEGACY.

I agree.

CORY, WHO PLAYED FINN, REALLY HAD A BIG PART IN THAT—HE BECAME ONE OF THE SHOW’S BIGGEST ALLIES. HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON HIM AS AN ALLY TO THE GAY COMMUNITY?

Look at the relationship between Finn and Kurt—how it grew over time, that they became brothers.

There’s a really interesting episode where Kurt and Finn move in together, and [Kurt] decorates the room and Finn says the “f” word [“faggy”]. Kurt’s father defends him and really kind of puts Finn in his place and, for me, that was such a pivotal episode for the show and just their relationship alone.

One of my favorite episodes of Glee was “Preggers”—our fourth episode—and it’s where Kurt joins the football team. The way he gets

watermarkonline.com

on the team is by doing the “Single Ladies” dance, and he ends up kicking the winning [�ield] goal—it’s such a great episode. There are lots of relationships throughout Glee that have been really big turning points, and it just makes me even more proud to have been involved in the show.

HOW MUCH PRESSURE DID YOU PUT ON YOURSELF KNOWING THAT YOU’D BE SLIPPING INTO JUDY GARLAND’S RUBY SLIPPERS TO VOICE DOROTHY IN THE UPCOMING ANIMATED FILM LEGENDS OF OZ: DOROTHY’S RETURN?

Honestly, to get to be Dorothy is so cool. I didn’t go a day in my childhood without watching The Wizard of Oz. I watched The Wizard of Oz in my house so much that my mother had to hide the videotape at one point.

I wore my ruby slippers, and I have this crazy Christmas video of me where every year for 10 years I’m still wearing my ruby slippers because I thought I was Dorothy.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CHAPTER IN YOUR UPCOMING MEMOIR, BRUNETTE AMBITION?

Oh my god. Well, the book comes out in May and I’m really proud of it. It’s a really crazy story of how I went from Broadway to being on this television show, and how I was told so much throughout my life that I wasn’t pretty enough and I wouldn’t make it to television—all of these people telling me what I could and couldn’t be. It’s about how I really overcame that and gave a big middle �inger to those people and made my way to Los Angeles onto a television show.

The book really is about harnessing your tenacity, your drive and your ambition and getting to where you want to be despite what people say you can or can’t accomplish. Also mixed in there are really fun chapters on beauty, health and �itness. I love it. I think it’s a fun book. I have some copies in my of�ice and my girlfriends will pick it up and they’ll be like, “When can I get a copy of the book? I want to make your pizza!” Because there’s recipes in it. I’m really proud of it and I think, whether or not you’re a Lea Michele fan, people can pick up the book and really get something good out of it.

DO YOU GIVE EVERYONE WHO CALLS YOU A DIVA THE FINGER TOO?

Oh no. I applaud them when they call me a diva! |  |

Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com.

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MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

watermarkonline.com

TAMPA BAY

Walk like a man

South Pacific, through April 16, The Moonlight Players, Clermont, 352-319-1116; MoonlightPlayers.com

The Broadway smash Jersey Boys, telling the story of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, runs at Tampa’s Straz Center April 8-13

DISENCHANTED! through April 13, Jaeb Theatre, Tampa, 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Jersey Boys, April 8-13, Carol Morsani Hall, Tampa, 813-2297827; StrazCenter.org 29th Annual best of Tampa Bay, April 5, Straz Riverwalk, Tampa, 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Brandford Marsalis Quartet, April 3, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, 727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com Green Day’s American Idiot, April 8, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, 727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com One Night of Queen, April 16, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, 727-893-7832; The Mahaffey.com

Event Planner

SARASOTA Philadelphia, Here I Come!, through April 12, Asolo Repretory Theatre, Sarasota, 941351-8000; asolorep.org

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ORLANDO AIDS Walk Orlando, March 29, Lake Eola, Orlando; AIDSWalkOrlando.org And Then Came Tango, April 6 & 13, Orlando Repertory Theatre, April 12, UCF Performing Arts Center, Orlando; ProjectTangoTour.com Julius Caesar Through April 20, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando, 407-477-1700; OrlandoShakes.org

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, through April 27, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando, 407-477-1700; OrlandoShakes.org Art31 Through March 31, Art & History Museums, Maitland, 407-539-2181; Art31.org Alisa Weilerstein, March 30, Tiedtke Concert Hall, Winter Park, 407-646-2182; BachFestivalFlorida.org Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, through April 20, Mad Cow Theatre, Orlando, 407-297-8788;

MadCowTheatre.com One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, through April 19, Theatre Downtown, Orlando, 407-841-0083; TheatreDowntown.net 30th Annual Winter Park All British Car Show, April 5, Mead Botanical Garden, Winter Park; AllBritishCarClub.com Dial M for Murder, April 4-13, Osceola Center for the Arts, Kissimmee, 407-846-6257; Ocfta.com

Kiss the Bride, April 4-13, The Little Theatre,New Smyrna Beach, 386-423-1246; Nsbplayers.org Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody, through April 13, The Abbey, Orlando, 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com Spring Festival of the Arts, April 12-13, around Lake Lily, Maitland; MaitlandChamber.com Fire Run,May 31, Orlando Festival Park, Orlando; BillBennettBootCamps.com

The Grapes of Wrath, through April 19, Asolo Repretory Theatre, Sarasota, 941-351-8000; asolorep.org Green Day’s American Idiot, April 7, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, 800-826-9303; VanWezel.org Bring It On: The Musical, April 2, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, 800-826-9303; VanWezel.org

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

ORLANDO

OGC Golf Tournament 1:30 P.M., SATURDAY, APRIL 5 DEER RUN COUNTRY CLUB Time is running out to register for the Orlando Gay Chorus’ annual Golf Tournament.

Registration closes Sunday, March 30. Greens fees are $75 per golfer or $300 per team, and include practice range balls before the tournament and admission to a celebration buffet after the April 5 tournament. There will also be contests, like longest drive, and closest-to-the-pin. Register with Betty Potts at 407-718-0479 OGCBetty@gmail.com.

SunRail soft openings APRIL 3-10 SunRail service will start on May 1, but before it opens there will be a series of soft openings April 3-10 and free train rides April 15-24 to test service and scheduling. The soft openings will feature tours of the train and stations and provide information about SunRail’s service, schedule and prices.

ORLANDO & TAMPA BAY Jason & deMarco

Real life couple and parents-to-twins Jason & deMarco are on the road this spring to spread their unique brand of inspiring music and make stops in Orlando and Tampa Bay. Their journey “Celebrating Diversity” stops at Orlando’s Joy MCC on Wednesday, April 9; First Unity Church of St. Petersburg on Thursday, April 10; and MCC Tampa on Friday, April 11.

The couple have said this will be their final tour.

ST. PETERSBURG Eclectic Spring

APRIL 3-18 MAHAFFEY THEATER Eclectic Spring is part of a partnership between Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center and The Mahaffey Theater, showcasing the work of professional artists who have participated in Creative Clay’s Artlink Supported Employment Program. This exhibit showcases the work of three local professional artists: Vivian Bowman Granese, Rose Marie Prins and Julie Price. All three artists bring distinctly different styles to the exhibition and have been dedicated collaborators of Creative Clay for many years. A free artist’s reception is at 8 pm., Thursday, April 3. More information is available at TheMahaffey.com.

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

MAR. 27 - APR. 9, 2014 // ISSUE 21.07

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41

Benefits Alfred T. May Food Pantry and AIDS Service Association of Pinellas

April 24, 2014 DineTB.org

Dine Out, Fight AIDS. Thursday, April 24, 2014

On April 24th, restaurants across the Tampa Bay area will come together to fight AIDS by donating 25% or more of your bill. For the current list of participating restaurants visit DineTB.org Do you, or someone you know own a restaurant?

Get involved, email events@asapservices.org

SPonSored By:

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH3696) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL - FREE 1-800-4357352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. AIDS SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF PINELLAS, INC.

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TAMPA BAY

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1- DOING GOOD: Volunteers with Bank of America help paint the Metro Wellness and Community Center’s new LGBT Welcome/Youth center on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg March 22. PHOTO COURTESY

METRO

2- GREEN PRIDE: Steve Wessels, Scott Buttelwerth and Vince Magyar display their “Irish heritage” at Bradley’s on 7th after Ybor City’s St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 15. PHOTO COURTESY CARRIE WEST

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3- REPRESENTING:(L-R) Bary Bunts, Kori Stevens and Duffy Iorio represent Georgie’s Alibi at the inaugural Manatee Pride in Bradenton on March 22. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 4- SHOW OF PRIDE: (L-R) Ashley Brundage, Eric Skains and Jay Aller enjoy cocktails during Watermark Wednesday March 19 at The Wine Studio in Tampa. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 5- NETWORK STARS: (L-R) David Verdi and CJ Tauber attend Watermark Wednesday at The Wine Studio in Tampa March 19 for a chance to win raffle prizes. PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD 6- GAY GREEN: GaYbor members represent in a big way at Ybor City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade held March 15 on 7th Avenue. PHOTO

COURTESY CARRIE WEST

7- MUSIC BREAK: A group of friends pose for a picture while listening to the DJ at Manatee Pride at the Bradenton Riverwalk on March 22.

PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHARD

8- TITLE SEARCH: (L-R) Mr. Code 2014 contestants Christian D’angelo, Daddy Mitch and Woodie Barnes smile after the March 22 contest, which Barnes won at the Flamingo Resort. PHOTO BY VINCENT

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D’IPPOLITO

OVERHEARD BARNES IS IML-BOUND

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HUGE CROWD DESCENDED UPON THE FLAMINGO RESORT for the annual Mr. Code contest held in the courtyard the weekend of March 22, and long-time boy Woodie Barnes took the title.

Three contestants, all from Tampa Bay, competed in a number of categories over the weekend contest, now in its third year.

Barnes will represent Code, the resort’s leather bar, at the 2015 International Mr. Leather Chicago. And yes, you read that right—Barnes has 14 months to prepare for the international contest, which has run for more than three decades and brings leathermen from around the

globe to downtown Chicago.

Representatives must have a knowledge of leather culture, community responsibility as well as fundraising skills to �inance the trip. Judges included former title holders from throughout the state as well as the overall community.

The contest was produced by Dan Radwanski.

GASP! OF THE GAY VARIETY

T

HE GASPARILLA FRINGE FESTIVAL, presented by the Tampa Museum of Art and Creative Loa�ing will feature a large amount of artists from the LGBT community the weekend of March 29. On the list are Matthew McGee, Santiago Echeverry, Jono Vaughan

and more. The festival will also offer a sneak peak at Sexxx Dreams (featured on page 34) during the March 28 performance. Theater, dance, comedy, art, video and even a peep show are in store for those attending the annual celebration of all things artsy. Check it out and get tickets online at Xorbia.com.

KICKBALL FOR KIDS

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ELL, OKAY, IT’S NOT A TOURNAMENT FOR KIDS, but it will help raise money for Tampa Bay’s LGBT Welcome/Youth center. The yearly kickball tournament returns to Hyde Park and is expected to be bigger and better than ever on Saturday, April 5, beginning at 10

a.m. Expect some great perks at the Hyde Park Softball Complex like catered food, special vendors and representatives of the newest charity project in Tampa Bay. The tournament is coordinated by Balance Tampa Bay, which, by the way, is a nominee to be a St. Pete Pride grand marshal in 2014. The Welcome Center is on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg and is slated to open this summer. For more information, check out the Kickball for Kids event page on Facebook or MetroTampaBay.org.

A TIGLFF STUDY OPPORTUNITY

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HE TAMPA INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL will return its

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monthly screening to freeFall Theater in St. Petersburg April 9 with a showing of Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement. The �ilm follows the relationship of the two women and the continuing federal �ight Edie Windsor faced after losing her wife of more than 40 years. Windsor sued the United States government and helped overturn the portion of the Defense of Marriage Act that prohibited recognition of samesex marriages on a federal level.

Windsor is expected to appear at Equality Florida’s St. Petersburg Gala at the Mahaffey Theater May 3, so this �ilm will give the community a chance to study up on the guest of honor. For ticket information, visit TIGLFF.com. |  |

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ORLANDO

1- MEGAFANS: Bryan Pittard (second from left) and Pat O’Rourke (second from right) have a brush with fame during a Megacon meetand-greet with Torchwood actors Gareth David-Lloyd (left) and John Barrowman (right). PHOTO PROVIDED BY PAT O’ROURKE 2- PANTS OFF DANCE OFF: Carol Lee causes a wardrobe malfunction during Who’s Drag Is It Anyway? March 15 at Ultra Lounge in Cocoa, Florida. PHOTO BY DANNY GARCIA 3- HELPING HANDS: Amy Doubleday (left) and Heather Kinkade of the Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank March. 15.

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4- SYNERGY OF EQUALITY: (L-R) Andrew Springer, Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Ron Legler participate in the Out in Business symposium at City Hall on March 20. PHOTO BY TOM DYER 5- SOCIAL SINGERS: The Orlando Gay Chorus belts out some tunes at Watermark’s Third Thursday Social, March 20 at East End Market.

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PHOTO BY PATRICK O’CONNOR

6- CELEBRATION IN THE PARK: Adam Hunter (left) and Jack Lord celebrated their Maine wedding with a few hundred friends at Lake Eola Park on March 22. PHOTO BY TOM DYER 7- KICK UP YOUR HEELS: (L-R) Carrie Duvall Davis, Randy Ross, B. White Case and Scott Kidd get ready to kick off Walk A Mile In Her Shoes, benefitting Harbor House of Central Florida, March 13.

Photo via Carrie Duvall Davis’ Facebook page.

8- BANGERZ: Watermark CFO Rick Claggett, his niece Savannah and Jennifer Kunsch prepare themselves (and their tongues) for the Miley Cyrus concert at Amway Arena March 24. PHOTO BY DANNY

GARCIA

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OVERHEARD PARTY IN THE PARK

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F YOU HAPPENED BY THE EAST SIDE OF LAKE EOLA PARK March 22 and saw some big white tents decked out with crystal chandeliers and a live band, you probably thought to yourself: “That’s gotta be gay.” If so, you were right. John and Carolyn Lord threw a big wedding celebration for their son, Jack, and his husband, Adam Hunter, who were married last year in Maine.

Several hundred attended, including both families and many of Jack’s partners and coworkers at the Foley & Lardner law �irm. There were lots of LGBT movers and shakers

present, too… mostly shaking it on the dance �loor.

VOTE FOR THE CENTER TO WIN $25K AND A GOOD SCRUBBING

S

OMEONE THINKS THE GLBT COMMUNITY CENTER DESERVES A GOOD SCRUBBING. The nonpro�it has been nominated in the “Let’s Bubble” contest, sponsored by Scrubbing Bubbles, an SC Johnson Company. Americans were urged to nominate places that, well, were greasy or dirty. Nine �inalists across the country, all worthy nonpro�its, were named

and the four top vote getters will receive a thorough cleaning and $25,000. Nominees include the Joplin Humane Society, Marker Boys and Girls Club and Latino Hispanic American Community Center.

Scrubbing Bubbles encourages web visitors to “help lower America’s grime rate.”

Incidentally, if you go to the Scrubbing Bubbles Facebook page, you will see three Scrubby cartoons with rainbow bristles boasting pride in all Olympic athletes. To vote for The Center, go to ScrubbingBubbles.com. As an added bonus, you can enter to win daily prizes, including limited edition Scrubby plush toys and coupons for

cleaning products. The contest ends April 15.

MILEY’S ACID TRIP, WITHOUT THE DRUGS

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N MARCH 24, MILEY CYRUS BARRELED INTO ORLANDO with her massively loud and colorful Bangerz tour! With what best could be described as an acid trip without actually dropping the drug, The Amway Center was packed with confused parents in a sea squealing of pre-pubescent teenage girls and boys and some adults donning their best Miley-inspired looks! The creative and chaotic

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mind of Miley visually fed the crowd images of: a little person dressed as a joint, Furries that were bumping and grinding, Amazonian women twerking, a giant in�latable wolf with lit up eyes , a giant muppet-like puppet chasing Miley around the stage and, �inally, Miley �lying overhead on a giant hot dog! While it was hard to make out what she was saying/ singing over the loud bass, the audience had no issues singing along to all her chart-topping hits. But the tone drastically changed and her actual talent shone when she did a low key intimate an acoustic set of covers from various artists. |  |

watermark YOUR LGBT LIFE.

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tampa bay marketplace

Transitions CHANGE-OF-LIFE COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Congratulations

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:

Announcer Chuckles of the Parliament House marks his 36th year working at the resort on April 10.

Jennifer Foster’s production company, Foster Productions Inc., celebrates 15 years in business on March 15. Foster is also nominated for a MBA pride in business award this year, and is a founding member of the Human Rights Campaign Orlando.

Passings Beloved member of Sarasota’s Church of the Trinity, Robert Kelly, passed quietly at home this week. Robert Kelly was a leader at Church of the Trinity for many years, serving as usher at 9:15 services and overseeing hospitality.

Robert’s much loved life partner David McWherter died in 2012. The support and prayers of the Church of the Trinity family surround Robert’s loved ones at this time of grief and loss.

REST IN PEACE: Sarasota resident Paul DiPlacido passed away March 23. He was Church of the Trinity’s Director of Administration for seven years.

Serving under four different pastors, he was the consummate professional, providing stability and leadership. Paul also served as founding staff member and Director of Trinity Charities, which he started under the leadership of Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson. After his retirement from staff at Trinity, Paul continued his service as an office volunteer at Metropolitan Community Churches and on the Board of Directors for Trinity Charities. Memorial services are pending.

Local Birthdays Orlando’s former LAVA Lounge bartender and current realtor at the Condo Store Jay Wood, St. Petersburg chef Domenica Macchia, Tampa Karaoke Jockey extraordinaire and straight ally Normie Dunn (March 27); Tampa softballer Randall Spiller, Sarasota equality advocate Jen Drake, New Church Family Inc. of Daytona Beach administrative assistant Jerry Corlis (March 28).; St. Pete gym rat and Watermark editor Steve Blanchard (March 29); Orlando trivia host and WAVEwinning actor Doug Ba’aser (March 31); Sister of Perpetual Indulgence Tampa Bay Order’s Rodger Prewitt, former St. Petersburg resident and Equality Florida supporter Elizabeth Albelo (April 1): Orlando-based flight attendant James Sparkman, former Watermark graphics artist Catherine Thompson, Tampa Bay-based Concept Bait’s Frank Clemente, Palm Beach County Human Rights Council founder and president Rand Hoch (April 2); Orlando’s former city commission candidate Chase Smith, Orlando’s Didi Panache, AKA Douglas McGeough (April 3); Hedwig actor/Shakespeare director David Lee (April 4); Sexy Tampa banker and TIGLFF donor Jeff Baker, St. Pete nurse and former editor of The Gazette, Brian Feist, Orlando Front Runner Scott Feneck, St. Petersburg entertainer

Arie Groen’s property maintenance Commercial and Residential Licensed

WELCOME ABOARD: Feet First welcomes Cindy Semonick as the new manager at their St. Petersburg store. She brings with her a friendly, customer oriented approach to business as well as years of experience in the athletic shoe industry.

Meagan Towers (Michael Jones), Tampa MCC go-to-man activist Mac McGowan (April 5); Orlando accountant Leah James (April 6); former Orlando and San Francisco-based graphic designer Jason Donnelly, Sarasota real estate e-marketing director Ken Demmons, Intrepid traveler Jon

Taylor, Rollins College costume studio manager Seth Schrager (April 7); sometime Watermark contributor Chris Crain, St. Petersburg clown and HIV/AIDS activist Joe Dobson (April 8); Halcyon co-founder Stephanie Callahan (April 9)

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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Gay advocacy groups join forces for sports equality

W

hen former University of Missouri defensive end and potential NFL draft pick Michael Sam shared that he was gay on ESPN’s Outside the Lines in February, representatives from GLAAD and You can Play Project saw a chance for a transformative moment.

GLAAD, which promotes a positive and accurate media portrayal LGBT people, helped You Can Play and its executive director, Wade Davis, craft a message on the importance of LGBT visibility and acceptance in sports.

“It was a time where GLAAD really stepped in there said, ‘Hey Wade, let us handle the media aspect of it, and we’ll really work as a team to talk about messaging,’” Davis told USA Today.

Five weeks after Sam’s announcement, the two organizations christened an of�icial partnership that will marry one of the nation’s leading gay advocacy

groups with an organization in You Can Play designed to promote equality for athletes regardless of sexual orientation.

With Sam as the latest example, it’s vital now more than ever that organizations like GLAAD and You Can Play unite to help lead the discussion on what has proven to be a controversial topic, says Davis.

“There are so many LGBT athletes who are now stepping out and announcing their sexuality,” he said. “Let’s make sure the reporting on this is done in a way where the story about sports can be told as it intersects with LGBT athletes.”

USA Today quoted Davis as saying, “I’ve always been a �irm believer that sports is a space that is accepting of people who are different, whether it’s someone of a different race, a different class, a different religion. [Our goal] is to shine a light on what effect sports can have on creating better understanding of LGBT individuals.”

For GLAAD, the collaboration with You Can Play marks the �irst full-scale foray into the world of

sports—an arena wrongly labeled as inhospitable to the gay community, says president Sarah Kate Ellis.

“The myth perception that the professional sporting world is homophobic, when in fact it’s a very inclusive world, and it has been,” Ellis said. “I think that played out with Michael Sam. But that myth perception trickles down to the local level, to the soccer �ields and the baseball �ields in our local communities. We want to make sure that we’re changing that conversation.”

In addition to helping foster a positive image of LGBT individuals in sports, both GLAAD and You Can Play hope an upcoming national campaign can also bridge the gap between sports and the LGBT community.

“It’s also an opportunity for LGBT organizations to really learn about the sports world,” Davis added.

“There’s always been this disconnect between sports and LGBT individuals, so we’re educating the sports world about LGBT individuals and vice versa.” |  |

Collins cites only one incident of anti-gay taunts Wire Report

N

EW YORK | Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins, the NBA’s �irst openly gay player, said he has been the subject of taunts from only one opponent in the month since his groundbreaking debut.

The 35-year-old US 7-footer has played in the NBA since 2001 but revealed after last season that he was gay. He remained unsigned until the Nets, with whom he twice reached the NBA Finals, signed him last month.

The Nets signed him for the remainder of the season, and while he has received standing ovations and his jersey is the top seller on the NBA’s website, the reaction to his revelation has not been unanimously supportive.

“One player. One knucklehead from another team,” Collins told the New York Daily News. “He’s a knucklehead. So I just let it go.”

Collins said he responded to the slur with a silent disregard.

“That goes back to controlling what you can control,” Collins said. “That’s how I conduct myself, just being professional. You can’t control what other people are going to do.” |  |

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Staff Report

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Photo by Rainbow411.com

Photo by Rainbow411.com

Photo by Rainbow411.com

Galleryw Go see more photos at

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PHOTOGRAPHY: TASTE OF PRIDE

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ORE THAN 600 PEOPLE PACKED THE SALVADOR DALI MUSEUM in St. Petersburg for the annual Taste of Pride celebration on March 15. Fifteen restaurants presented food tastings to curious attendees who also had an opportunity to see the new Andy Warhol exhibit in the museum’s main galleries. According to Pride executive director Eric Skains, $24,000 was raised just from ticket sales, a nearly $10,000 increase from 2013’s event. The money will help support St. Pete Pride’s Community Grants Program.

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Photography by Steve Blanchard and Rainbow411.com

watermarkonline.com

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