Watermark Issue 22.23: Domestic Partnerships

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Your lgbt life.

DOMESTIC

PARTNERSHIPS BECOMING

EXTINCT? Marriage eQuality cOuld signal the death Of dOMestic partnerships and the Benefits they BestOw

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

The boundaries just drop and I bring the dump trucks out. There is no way not to mistake it. And even in my act I’ll go over the line and think,

departments 6 // mail 7 // editor’s desk 8 // orlando news 12 // tampa bay news 16 // state 18 // nation & world news 27 // in-depth 33 // arts & entertainment 43 // community calendar 45 // tampa bay out+about 47 // orlando out+about 48 // tampa bay marketplace 49 // transitions/wedding bells 50 // orlando marketplace 54 // uprisings

PAGE

33

‘OK, I have gone too far and I know I am stepping into that place.’

—comedian LewiS bLack

on the cover

PAGE

39

PAGE Are DOMeStIC

27

PArtNerSHIPS beCOMINg eXtINCt?: Following

the quiet rollbacks of benefits for public employees who are domestic partners, there are concerns that the postmarriage-equality world could wipe out domestic partnership registries entirely.

you only hate the ones you love:

Season six RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio (also known as Roy Haylock) brings his distinct brand of distaste to and his Rolodex of Hate to Florida. Make sure to leave your vulnerable feelings at home!

watermark i ssue 22.23 //november 5 - november 18, 2015

come together

new horiZons

rolling in the deep

anger inc.

PAGE After Irene’s Lounge

PAGE St. Pete Pride is likely

Orange County Soil and Water supervisor Eric Rollings reminds us that LGBT people can sink, too, especially if we don’t mind our environment and our water consumption.

Consider your wrist slapped.

PAGE

Illustration by Jake Stevens

scan qr code For

watermarkonline.com

read it Online!

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

08

in Mount Dora was vandalized yet again, the local LGBT community leaned in to repair the damage. Pride is alive in Lake County!

12

shifting gears in the aftermath of Georgie’s Alibi closing. Executive Director Erik Skains gives Watermark the skinny on what we should know now and some clues about what to expect.

PAGE

21

Our political column Uprisings has a few choice words for the varsity and junior-varsity leagues of the Republican presidential debate club. Basically, if you can’t please the economic questions from the stock-broker network CNBC, you probably can’t run a country.

54

suBscriBe tO Our e-newsletter fOr all the latest at waterMarkOnline.cOM watermark Your lgbt life.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

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watermark Your lgbt life.

On the court ruling that current Missouri law does not contain LGBT employment protections:

“James [Pittman,] it is time for you to publish the names of your boss and co-workers. Let the LGBT community know who these people are and let them get a taste of harassment.”

—cminca

On the ACLU defending the lawsuit over the Carver Middle School Gay-Straight Alliance:

“Carver is a hugely bigoted school like most southern schools that put football first. Most of my friends (who are gay or fem) live undercover. It’s scary sometimes. Most of us walk home together, like dog packs, you know? It’s so easy to get beaten up here by the high school kids and eighth graders, mostly deadheads and jocks.

What CMS really needs is to have someone from the police or the Trevor Project speak to the students and staff together about no tolerance to bullying in school, and their responsibility to report bullying when they see it. There need to be cameras in every hallway and room. The sheriff needs to write up formal charges on bullies who beat up a kid, and not just say, ‘Boys will be boys.’

This is 2015!

It happens a lot, bullying

I mean, and too many teachers see it and pretend not to, and turn away to let the fight go on. There have been fights that the adults allow to continue, and then they say, ‘Sorry, I would have helped had I seen it.’ That’s quack. They saw it and ducked in to their classroom.

CMS needs an anti-bully interactive assembly like other schools have every three months or so. Then the word will get out. Some in my class are bullies, bad ones. But it’s the teachers allowing it by their silence and lack of action that makes it go on and on and on. I think they are as guilty, if not more, as the bully. CMS is a bad school for gay kids.

Oh, one more thing. I’m moving to Merritt Island this summer so I don’t have to deal with those CMS bigots anymore.”

—Liam Metcalf

Watermark’s Facebook: On a sneak peek at the renovations at Stonewall Orlando:

“I hope it doesn’t become all boushy and P-House like that it alienates its regular clientele.”

—Patrick Meyer

On 28 states lacking statewide LGBT protection laws:

“What we really need is an effective LGBT lobby group in Tallahassee.”

—Rand Hoch

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

On Lewis Black saying he would leave the country if Donald Trump is elected president:

“Of all the people I know who’ve threatened to leave because the politics don’t suit them, not one has left.”

—Michael Moriarty

On the Orange County Commissioners repealing domestic partner benefits:

“To be fair, it was intended to extend benefits to gay couples who at the time were unable to marry legally. Hetero couples have to be married to extend benefits.”

—Michael Davis

“Sounds like 11 employees need to go ring shopping.”

—Scottie Campbell On Chick-Fil-A saying they will sponsor an LGBT film festval:

“It sounds like it’s a local franchise sponsoring it, not the parent company.

It sounds like their owner believes the old adage ‘Never bite the hand that feeds you.’ Go interview the franchise owner!”

—Robert Hillyer

“It’s all a ploy to get lost customers back.”

—Scott ManningRedmond

Photo by RobERt bARtLEtt

editor’s

Billy Manes editOr

BIlly@WatermarkOnline.com

t

desk

here are thingS we chooSe to

remember, and there are things we can never forget along this bumpy road toward full equality for the LGBT community. A sort of monumental “Where were you when the sky turned blue—or black?” flashback syndrome of the historical variety, littered with victims and victors, footprints moving forward and sometimes back.

For me, Jan. 6, 2015, sticks out for the same-sex marriage victory in Florida, as it should; nearby, you’ll find Feb. 14, 2015, the day that I married my best friend and husband Tony at a glorious outdoor wedding, hastily assembled as if out of fear that we might be imagining things or that it could disappear within the blink of an Alito eye. Then there was June 26, 2015, the day on which we could all—for now, anyway—breathe a sigh of

watermark staFF

relief, unclench our fists, put on some rings and hold hands in matrimony in all 50 states.

On the flipside, and equally as personal, are some other benchmarks that I might rather allow to slip out of my mind and down into the gutter of humiliating and humbling truths.

There was April 8, 2012, the day my former partner Alan took his own life with a gun at our house after an 11-year relationship, unable to fight the culture war,

Founder and Senior Contributor: Tom dyer • Tom@Watermarkonline.com

his family, depression and AIDS any longer. Nearby the shrapnel of that horror (and its consequent three years of legal wrangling) sits March 12, 2013, the day I took my sob story to Tallahassee in order to fight for a statewide domestic partnership registry.

The anxiety felt like a wobbling high-speed ceiling fan in my chest as I shakily gripped my testimony, ready to speak to a committee that was clearly divided on the issue of whether LGBT individuals should have any rights at all.

When one state senator called out sick, the issue of a DPR died for the session. It was one more death than I could handle, honestly, and having to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Florida Family Policy Council president John Stemberger as he gloated about “killing the bill” only made the tragedy worse. Who are these cartoon characters? But I kept fighting, you kept fighting, hearts and minds shifted on their requisite plates and here we are today.

There are these binaries in life, but there are also loose ends. In this week’s issue, we confront the effects of marriage equality on local domestic partnership policies throughout our coverage area and Florida.

Many municipalities did as much as they could to place a Band-Aid over the obviously cruel gaping void between compassion and conservative rhetoric, offering a relative feast of scraps for rights to both their staffs and, in many cases, their communities. Lately, local governments have been rolling back domestic partner benefits for their employees quietly, which, as some have purported, is tantamount to forcing marriage upon those who either can’t afford it or just aren’t ready to take the plunge yet. It’s a curious conundrum that speaks to both same-sex and opposite-

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sex partners; moreover, it raises questions about the future of public domestic partnership registries as governments pull out the scissors and look for fiscal redundancies. It’s definitely something we’ll be keeping our eyes on, especially in a presidential election cycle that seems to be circling back toward prejudice (at least on its right side) instead of keeping its eyes on the keeping this nation together.

But sometimes our eyes wander, too! Sandwiched in the middle of this issue, you’ll find some much-needed hilarity from comedian Lewis Black and RuPaul’s Drag Race breakout star Bianca Del Rio (this one loves to hate!). We’ll smile with civic pride at the burgeoning Trans Pride celebration over in St. Pete while simultaneously figuring out the whats and wherefores of a

I kept fighting, you kept fighting, hearts and minds shifted on their requisite plates and here we are today.

seemingly displaced St. Pete Pride in a world without Georgie’s Alibi. We’ll dip into viewpoints about environmental progress and hidden bigotry (even within the LGBT community). We’ll do what we have always tried to do: keep you informed and keep you entertained.

We probably won’t make history here, but we will forever honor it. We’re certainly not about to forget.

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

contributors kriSta DItuCCI

is a freelance writer and family advocate for Manatee Children’s Services. She lives in Sarasota with her husband and children. Page 12

Dr. SteVe yacoveLLi

is Owner & Principal of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a learning and development consulting firm based in Orlando that provides guidance and solutions in diversity and inclusion. Page 23

AArON aLPer is a

photographer and writer in St. Petersburg.

He holds a Masters in English Education from the University of South Florida. Page 33 aaron alper, scottie campbell, susan clary, krista ditucci, kirk hartlage, joseph kissel, jason leclerc, mary meeks, stephen miller, david moran, gregg shipiro, greg stemm, dr. steve yacovelli, , michael wanZie

photography brian becnel, nick cardello, angie Folks, bruce hardin, julie milFord, travis moore, chris stephenson, lee vandergriFt, tinkerFluFF

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7

central florida news

tHe MAIN eVeNt: laura “lady ram” ramsey is training for the biggest match of her career against Martha “The Shadow” Salazar. PHoTo BY coUrTeSY raMSeY

SAVINg face:

lesbian boxer looks to become Female heavyweight champion

Volunteers show off their handiwork after they clean up the mess made by anti-gay vandals at Irene’s Lounge.

Kimberly Slitcher

PHoTo BY Joe gerTiS

O

rLando | By night one way, by day another. So is the life of Laura Ramsey.

When she’s not teaching middle school kids how to solve math problems, Ramsey spends her time training for upcoming boxing matches, the most important of which takes place on Nov. 7.

The fight will have the 46-year-old flying to California with the hopes of defeating Martha “The Shadow” Salazar and becoming the World Boxing Council’s female heavyweight champion.

Participating in sports was the norm for Ramsey growing up. She delved into volleyball, basketball, softball and a slew of others, moving from one to the other with ease.

Ironically, boxing was one of the last sports Ramsey started practicing, having only started in 1996. The realm of gloved hands and ring corners was foreign to her until she attended a party in Jacksonville, at which many attendees were watching a Mike Tyson fight.

“All of the people that were watching the fight, they were like, ‘We know someone that looks like a boxer, walks like a boxer, talks like a boxer, acts like a boxer,’ and they pointed to me,” Ramsey says. “I never looked back after that time.”

She’s even gained a boxing nickname along the way— Lady Ram. The original version came from power lifter James “Hollywood” Henderson nicknaming her The Ram, stemming from her last name and inspired by her strength.

Wanting to express her femininity, Ramsey upgraded it to her current title.

The sport hasn’t come easy to her either, unlike her previous physical endeavors.

“All of the other sports, I didn’t have to practice,” Ramsey says. “With boxing, it’s almost like you can’t perfect it, no matter what. It’s just a matter of trying to be better.”

Ramsey is a woman of determination. During an unintentional five-year hiatus, sparked by health issues and not being able to land a fight, she never thought about

cOntinued On pg. 10 | uu |

8

Community service Volunteers rehab bar after anti-gay vandalism Jamie Hyman

t

AVAreS | A group of community members teamed up to help a bar owner get back on his feet after his establishment was vandalized with an anti-gay slur.

Joe Gertis, 31, has owned Irene’s Lounge for about five months.

Irene’s is not a gay bar, he says, but he is openly gay, and this latest act of vandalism marks the third time he’s been harassed.

“The first time, there was a note left in the mailbox saying, ‘We don’t want fags in our town,’” Gertis says.

The second time, someone threw paint on Irene’s walkway, plus painted penises and the word “fag.” Gertis says he caught that vandalism and repainted it before anyone else saw.

On Oct. 22, around 3 a.m., Gertis says vandals splashed paint all over Irene’s patio furniture and spray-painted “faggit” on the side of the building.

watermark Your lgbt life.

“They didn’t even spell it correctly. That was the sad part,” he says, adding that he’s concerned the harassment seems to be escalating.

This third time, one of the directors of Mount Dora Pride noticed the vandalism and messaged Bill Sievert, board member of both Mount Dora Pride and The Triangle Connection, who emailed the Pride Board with what happened.

“Most of the board quickly said we needed to stand up against bullying and hate and help owner Joseph Gertis paint the building,” Sievert says.

In a few short hours, they recruited volunteers from the Triangle Connection, an LGBT social and service organization, and from the new Lake County’s LGBT Community/Supporters, which is made up of mostly younger adults.

“With a mention on Facebook, donations were quickly offered to cover paint and expenses,” Sievert says. “About 15 people showed up Friday and repainted the building,

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

scraped paint splatter from chairs and re-mulched where the vandals had messed everything up. All in all, it was a beautiful community response from folks gay and straight in a very short time span.”

Gertis says he was stunned by the positive response.

“I figured one or two people would come out and help me do it,” he says. “I was running late, told them to come after 2 [p.m.], and when I ended up getting there at 2:45, it was almost all done. They really did an amazing job.”

He says he wasn’t even aware an LGBT community existed in Mount Dora.

“It’s the first time that I’ve actually had someone there to back me up and help me bring it back to life,” Gertis says. “It felt pretty good. I’m not used to the community coming together to show appreciation. I feel like it shows the community in general, that [LGBTs] are here. No matter what you do, we’re going to come together as a group and fix it. We’re going to continue to do business and we’ll go on.”

Sievert agrees that this kind of community response sends a message to anti-gay people.

“We all knew that this sort of hate cannot be tolerated in our community,” he says. “When it crops up, the good people of Lake County will respond.”

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

9

central florida news

aclu deFends lawsuit over gay-straight alliance

parliament house loan deal now oFFicial

Jamie Hyman

Billy Manes

O

rLando | On Nov. 2, according to a report from the Orlando Sentinel, Parliament House made good on obtaining its projected $3.9 million refinancing loan after months of speculation. On Oct. 30, in advance of its huge Halloween celebration and brimming with excitement, owner Don Granatstein took to social media to declare that the deal was virtually done; at the same time, Parliament House attorney Scott Shuker confirmed to Watermark that the deal was close, but not quite closed yet. But confirmation of the loan from Lion Financial, a Miami firm co-owned by Ron Simkins and brother Michael Simkins— who are reportedly launching developments in Miami at present—to the Sentinel confirmed that the deal would go through on Nov. 3.

Granatstein pointed to the “craziest” financing deal from bankrupt and defunct lenders USA Capital that left the resort with 81 mortgages tied into the property. “The only way possible to get rid of these mortgages was through Ch. 11,” he says, adding, “The one thing we do have is tenacity.

You know this isn’t a business to us. This is our lives, this is our families, this is why this fight has been well worth it.”

| uu | Laura “Lady Ram” Ramsey frOM pg.8 leaving the game.

Ramsey rose up in the professional sphere, ranking eighth in her division, according to the World Boxing Council website. This ranking was originally higher until a controversial decision in a recent match led to a loss.

One of Ramsey’s most enthusiastic supporters is her girlfriend of three months Gwendolyn Blake, who admires her tenacity.

“Just watching her getting ready for a fight, her determination, it’s very inspiring,” Blake says. “Watching her drive and her energy, it’s amazing to me. I’m very proud of her.”

Blake is thrilled to watch the upcoming match with Salazar.

“I’ve never seen her fight in person, so I don’t know how I’m going to handle that,” Blake says. “I’m excited for her and excited to watch it, to be there and be part of it. I pray she wins.”

Many of her students at the Bill Duncan Opportunity Center know about her athletic endeavors, but it’s not something she discusses too much during school hours.

When she does, however, it’s to push her class to excel.

“I teach them, ‘Look, if you have an anger management issue or something, boxing has helped me,’” Ramsey says. “I try to use it as [an educational] tool for anger management or stress reduction, not to learn how to fight or to take it back to the streets or to the school.”

With the match of a lifetime approaching, her weekday training has become intense with warm-ups taking up an hour and training sometimes taking up to three hours.

It’ll be a busy few weeks until the big fight, but win or lose, Lady Ram plans to continue charging on.

10

t

AVAreS | The American Civil Liberties Union wants to continue a lawsuit fighting for a Gay-Straight Alliance at Carver Middle School in Lake County.

On Aug. 19, U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges dismissed the lawsuit. The new brief, filed Oct. 27, asks the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to review that decision, arguing that the federal Equal Access Act, which guarantees certain rights to students in secondary schools, should apply to the students who want to establish a GSA at Carver Middle School.

“In the absence of any clear statement from the legislature that middle schools do not provide

secondary education, because the Equal Access Act is a remedial statute, it must be construed broadly to embrace middle schools in Florida,” the brief reads, countering arguments that the Equal Access Act only applies to high schools.

The brief also requests oral arguments in the case.

“GSAs exist in middle schools across the country, including in Florida, and students at Carver have the right to establish one,” says Daniel Tilley, ACLU of Florida Staff for LGBT Rights, in a media release. “These young people are determined to make their school a safer and more welcoming place, and we will continue to stand by their side in that effort.”

The lawsuit was filed in

December on behalf of students trying to form the GSA. This is the second lawsuit for a GSA at Carver Middle School.

In 2012, then-14-year-old Bayli Silberstein requested permission to start a GSA at her school. After months of legal wrangling and school board meeting debates, a judge granted Silberstein permission to form the club for the remainder of her eighth grade year, which ended in the summer of 2013. That settlement has expired, Bayli has moved onto high school and now, the GSA no longer meets at Carver Middle School.

In the meantime, the Lake County School District is attempting to recoup around $7,000 in legal fees related to the case.

asana world series brings First-class women’s soFtball to central Florida Ciara Varone

A

Ltamonte SPringS | On Oct. 24, the 2015 Amateur Sports Alliance of North America’s tournament held its final games in the Seminole County Softball Complex, after five long days of softball with 59 competing teams.

In the B division, Houston Blaze defeated runner-up Kansas City Fully Loaded with a final score of 5-1. Sol Fuzion Fort Lauderdale brought this year’s host state a victory with a 5-0 score against Atlanta Laid Back for the C division.

Looking to Score San Diego won the D division championship game against Atlanta Night Riders with a final score of 3-1.

Division E’s Norfolk Jokers wrap up the winners list, pulling out the win in a close game against the South Florida Moonies, with a final score of 12-11.

“From the very beginning of this venture, it has been our focus to serve as a first class host for this exciting event, making the week an experience of a lifetime for each of our attendees,” said tournament director Bonnie Marsh in a press release.

It was a life-changing experience for at least one couple. In a surprise

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bLaze of gLory: B division champions the Houston Blaze celebrate with the Texas flag after winning the final game. PHoTo coUrTeSY aSaNa SoFTBall World SerieS FaceBook Page

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

11

tampa bay news

Tampa Bay’s second Trans Pride expands along with community awareness Krista DiTucci

I

n honor of Transgender Awareness Month, Metro Wellness is hosting the second annual Tampa Bay Trans Pride 2015 on Nov. 13-14.

The first trans pride event in November 2014 sprouted from an idea between Tristan Byrnes, licensed mental health counselor, and Chris Rudisill, Metro Wellness director of LGBT community center services. Byrnes and Rudisill wanted to organize a reception honoring Dr. Kathleen Farrell’s retirement while recognizing Transgender Awareness Month. The reception unexpectedly became Metro Wellness’ first Trans Pride.

“Immediately after we did the event, people were asking, ‘What’s the date for next year?’” Rudisill says.

“We’re really excited to host this event again this year for the community.”

Trans Pride 2015 weekend will precede the Trans Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, dedicated to the remembrance of transgender community members who have been murdered this year. So far, 21 transgender individuals have been murdered in 2015.

“I like it when we can get together for a more positive reason, not to advocate for something or because someone was murdered,” Byrnes says. “I think now and again we need to celebrate ourselves as a community.”

The weekend will kick off at Metro Wellness on Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. with a performance of “Changing the World One Story at a Time” by Scott Turner Schofield.

Schofield began his entertainment career in 2002 with a full production of his one-man show, “Underground Transit.” He says people knew very little about transgender issues at that time, so he also had to raise awareness and conduct workshops.

“I’ve always wanted to be an actor,” Schofield says. “But my gender expression was too fluid. I wasn’t masculine or feminine enough and I couldn’t get any roles. My mentor took me aside and told me, ‘You can’t wait for a role to be written for you. You have to write your own.’ So I did.”

Schofield went on to perform “Underground Transit” for seven years, wrote two additional shows and became the first transgender recipient of the Princess Grace Award. In March 2015, he landed a role on The Bold and the Beautiful, becoming the first transgender actor in daytime television.

During Friday night’s performance, Schofield will compile his stories in an interactive framework and allow audience members to choose which stories they want him to tell. Schofield says he believes what happens in the audience is as important as what happens on stage.

Schofield is also planning to introduce the “Changing the World One Story at a Time” course he’s developing, which he says includes a layer of social activism.

“A lot of people walk away from my events thinking, ‘I didn’t know it was going to be so funny!’” Schofield says.

Continued on pg. 14 | uu |

12

Citizen Skains:

Erik Skains

St. Pete Pride is the largest Pride event in the state of Florida, drawing crowds exceeding 100,000 people each year.

Photo by Nick Cardello

Full exposure Executive Director Eric Skains talks about transparency, relevancy and the future direction of St. Pete Pride Jeremy Williams

S

t. Petersburg | St. Petersburg’s LGBT community has been overrun by questions, concerns and rumors ever since it was announced that Georgie’s Alibi was closing its doors. For 15 years, Georgie’s was a tent pole for the community, whether it involved charities and fundraisers or celebrations and events.

One such event that utilized Georgie’s Alibi and the surrounding areas was St. Pete Pride. St. Pete Pride is the largest Pride event in the state of Florida and routinely has more than 100,000 supporters line the streets for the parade, concerts and a street festival the last weekend of June.

With the uncertainty of where St. Pete Pride will be held now that the previous staging area is no longer an option—Georgie’s closed on Sept. 19 [see “There goes the gayborhood,” Oct. 8]—comments have popped up on social media

watermark Your lgbt life.

asking for answers and calling the transparency of St. Pete Pride into question. That’s something St. Pete Pride executive director Eric Skains says is not and has never been an issue.

“Everything we talk about from our meetings is available on our website, where and when our meetings are,” Skains says. “We have really good relationships with all of our sponsors and the city officials. They are all aware of what is going on with St. Pete Pride and how things are functioning, so I think we have done a pretty good job as far as our transparency.”

Skains says that he does all he can to make sure information about Pride is made available as soon as decisions are made, and he is proud of the image St. Pete Pride carries.

“We do the best that we can with the tools that we have,” Skains says.

“There is a very small percentage of non-profit organizations that receive a gold-star rating with [nonprofit ratings resource] Guidestar, and we are one of them.”

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

Skains says since they do not have access to the staging area that they used in the past, they have narrowed the future location down to two options.

“One location is in the traditional Kenwood neighborhood and Grand Central. The other is in downtown St. Petersburg,” Skains says. “Each has its pros and their cons. It’s what best fits as far as the line-up and the staging area is concerned. Parking is also a huge concern, and that will weigh in heavily.”

Downtown has a lot to offer with 25,000 parking spaces, more streets available to view the parade and abundant shade.

Watermark reached out to Grand Central about the potential of losing St. Pete Pride to the downtown district. As of press time, no comment was received.

Skains says they will be discussing those options with the city, and he hopes to have an answer to where St. Pete Pride will be by mid-December.

Skains went on to say that there are pros and cons to both locations but that money and sponsors are not going to be the deciding factor.

Regardless of where they are in 2016, they will still be one of the most affordable Pride events for those local businesses wanting to be a part of it.

“For lack of a better term, I take a lot of pride in the fact we are the largest Pride in Florida and we are Continued on pg. 14 | uu |

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13

tampa bay news | uu | Trans Pride from pg.12 “I’ve been to so many that were so serious and thought, ‘I’m never going to do that to people.’”

Byrnes describes Schofield’s style as “sophisticated standup.” Schofield says he is hoping to create an “uplifting, honoring and enlightening” mood by discussing deep issues, laughing at the realness in the room, and talking about how to change the world.

“One of the most important things is that our stories be told,” Rudisill says. “One of the biggest lessons I get from Scott is that the experience of storytelling and changing the world is essential for forward action.”

Tickets to “Changing the World One Story at a Time” are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at www.metrotampabay.org/ event/sts or in person at Metro Wellness Center or the LGBT Welcome Center. A cash bar (by donation) will be included. Funds will benefit Metro Wellness’ transgender programming and miscellaneous funds for entertainment, events, support groups and town hall meetings.

Trans Pride 2015 will continue on Saturday, Nov. 14, through a free community conversation with Schofield at the LGBT Welcome Center from 1-3 p.m. Byrnes says the conversation will be more issue-oriented. The day will end with a free reception at Metro Wellness Center from 7-10 p.m., including entertainment from the transgender community, a recap of the trans community’s wins and struggles throughout the year, light appetizers, a DJ and a cash bar by donation. Schofield will act as emcee for the evening.

“I’m always excited to participate in trans pride events because they’re so vital right now,” Schofield says. “We’re at more than 20 trans people who have been murdered in 2015 alone. We can spend a lot of time focusing on the tragedy of that, or we can focus on our pride and ourselves.”

Byrnes and Rudisill are encouraging all walks of life to celebrate Trans Pride 2015, especially transgender allies. Byrnes says he is expecting about 100 people this year and is hoping the event will continue to grow. In just one year, it has turned from a simple evening reception to a weekend-long celebration. He says when Trans Pride becomes larger, he would like to do a march in the future.

“It’s a great opportunity for the community to come together,” Rudisill says. “We have several trans events throughout the week and month. We offer counseling and health care, but this is a chance for the community to come together, to get to know each other, to network, communicate and have a good time.”

Another way community members can support Trans Pride 2015 is through sponsorships. Sponsorship levels are as follows: $100, which includes company logo promotion at Saturday’s event; $250, which includes logo promotion, marketing materials display, and two tickets to “Changing the World One Story at a Time;” and $500, which includes logo promotion, a table at Saturday’s event, and four tickets to “Changing the World One Story at a Time.” To sign up for a sponsorship, please email Tristan Byrnes at twbyrnes@gmail.com or Toli Gentoli, Metro Wellness’ LGBT program manager, at tolig@ metrotampabay.org.

“I encourage the Tampa Bay community to really take pride in ourselves,” Schofield says. “Get healthy, get strong, take no crap and be the incredibly world-changing people that we are.”

14

North Port adopts Human Rights Ordinance Jeremy WIlliams

N

orth Port, Fla. | The North Port City Commission voted 3-1 to approve a citywide Human Rights Ordinance Oct. 27.

The HRO bans discrimination against employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The only “no” vote came from Commissioner Linda Yates, who stated that she voted no because the city ordinance did not include all protected classes under the state and federal law.

“I fully support what this ordinance is doing, but I cannot support this ordinance without respecting, honoring those that are protected because we at the local level, we are making a statement in including classes that deserve

| uu | St. Pete Pride from pg.12

also the most affordable for the size that we are,” Skains says.

A non-profit can participate in St. Pete Pride’s festival for $100 and local artists pay $50 to showcase their art. That’s a policy Skains says he has always held on to.

“This is something we do: making sure our community comes first,” Skains says. “Small businesses, that’s who we cater to. Yeah, a lot of corporate dollars help offset that. If you look what it costs us, it’s approximately $350 per booth space. That’s what it costs us, and we are selling them for $200, so we have to make that up somehow.”

Pride events in general are experiencing an evolution. Some long-time supporters feel they are getting a mixed message that they aren’t really a part of this process anymore, and the young blood is moving in. Skains says he is aware of those messages with regard to St. Pete Pride, but that Pride is not alone in the public scrutiny.

“I don’t think that is just a Pride

watermark Your lgbt life.

to be protected, and I cannot omit those. So I cannot support this ordinance,” Yates said.

More than a dozen supporters, all dressed in red shirts, attended the special session of the city commission to watch the vote.

Commissioner Cheryl Cook was absent from the meeting. She left earlier in the day, saying she was not feeling well.

The HRO vote, originally scheduled for Oct. 26 during the city commission’s usual meeting, was given a special session to allow ample time for the city to advertise the HRO vote in the local newspaper, according to the county clerk’s office.

“This is all about human rights and treating people with respect and honor. This was about protecting all rights and including those who are not included already,” North Port Mayor Rhonda DiFranco said.

DiFranco dedicated the ordinance to Reverend Dr. Sherry Kennedy calling her “a pioneer in our community.” DiFranco continued saying Kennedy was instrumental in fighting for human rights in North Port. Kennedy passed away earlier this year.

North Port joins nearly 60 percent of the population of Florida who are now covered by an HRO. Florida is one of 27 states in the U.S. to not have a statewide HRO. “Since we have had difficulty in the Congress and in the Florida Legislature we have been going to cities and counties in Florida to get them to pass Human Rights Ordinances,” said Equality Florida’s Ken Shelin.

Shelin, who is also a former vice-mayor of Sarasota, brought the issue of an HRO to DiFranco, who then brought it before the City Commission.

thing, I think that is just the reality of the world we live in,” he says.

“You look at each generation and each one is vastly different how they like to receive information, how they want things to run and how they see these events. The largest part of the population right now is the millennials, and this generation is our future, so that’s something we have to keep in mind. At the same time, we don’t forget about those who got us to where we are. But everyone needs to understand that not everyone accepts things the same way, and you can’t make everyone happy.

“I think everyone needs to evolve; organizations, non-profits and even, I think, events as far as how they deliver a message. I think we try our best to deliver that message to everybody.”

So, in a post same-sex marriage society, what is the message Pride is trying to send now, and what role do Prides play?

“Every LGBT organization is now facing that question,” Skains says. “There are still a lot of issues that we still face beyond marriage.

It was definitely the biggest talking point of the LGBT community and the biggest source of funding for a lot. You see this with chambers to

film festivals to bars and clubs and even Pride events.

“I think it comes down to who we’re celebrating. Our tagline is ‘Come celebrate the power and beauty of diversity, regardless of what that is to you.’ We aren’t a political organization; we don’t fight for legislation. We fight for equality on the street level, but we’re also a platform for people to share what’s going on in their communities.”

So what is it that Pride can bring to the format that would make it more relevant to today?

“Prides all over the world kind of have a shared mission and that’s [to] commemorate, liberate and celebrate,” Skains says. “I think over the next several years we will see a lot more of the focus on the commemorate part. I think we have got the celebration part down, and we provide the platform for the liberation aspect, but how it evolves only time will tell.

“Some people say Pride events all over the world are becoming much more mainstream, but I think mainstream is the turning of the tide for our community, because lot of LGBT people say it’s time for us to be mainstream.”

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

15

state news

Transgender issues finally gain traction in Florida schools Billy Manes

O

n Oct. 13, an eighth-grade student from Fairview Middle School in Leon County who wore a dress to class finally gave in to the pressure and left the school for good. According to USA Today, school administrators called the student’s parents and requested a change of clothes because the gender confusion had the “potential” to cause a distraction. The principal, Scott Hansen, told the paper that, “Unfortunately, in middle school there is not as much freedom for expression.”

Leon County School Board superintendent Jackie Pons expressed “concern,” according to the report: not so much for the fact the student challenged gender barriers so much as for the reality that the culture of the school board district failed to address such bullying and the LGBT issues that

often precede it.

That’s about to change, according to Equality Florida transgender inclusion director Gina Duncan.

Taking its cue from a national guidebook titled Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools, compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, among others – and a successful training model derived from Broward County Public Schools – Duncan and EQFL are hoping to break through the bullying and misunderstanding that shadows (and sometimes kicks) transitioning youth.

“We’re seeing now that school boards are engaging,” Duncan says.

“But we’re finding that they’re ill-prepared to support young transgender people,” something she calls “discouraging.”

At the center of the trans-

in-schools debate is the use of gender-specific restrooms, she says.

Opponents of LGBT rights have often waved the flag of the threats to gender normative students if they are exposed to transitioning students in such intimate settings, but, Duncan says, “While that argument is certainly inflammatory, there is no cause to worry about public safety.”

In January 2014, proponents of equality for trans students crafted a lengthy presentation for Volusia County officials. On the issue of appearance as a means of entry into the bathrooms of either gender, proponents argued, “There is no rule that a person must look a certain way to use a certain restroom. This kind of ‘gender policing’ is harmful to everyone, whether a transgender person, a butch female, an effeminate male or anyone else dressed or groomed in a way that doesn’t conform to someone else’s gender standards.”

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Even after a public vetting of the issue over two Volusia students – one in middle school, the other from Deltona High School – being refused proper entrance to the restroom with which they physically identified, Volusia Superintendent Margaret Smith remained silent, allowing any progress to die. Smith retired earlier this year, which has left an open window for equality groups to polish their message and fight again. In fact, Duncan says, many school boards are engaging, including that of Hillsborough County, which, Duncan says, is eager to implement changes to its policies regarding transitioning youth. She hopes they have their messaging on point by November.

There will likely remain a significant amount of misinformation on the matter, Duncan says, along with the requisite red herrings parried by those in opposition. It’s clearly not fair to play the usual scare tactics

(that boys will see girls naked and vice versa) in the education realm, especially when the outcome of those politics hinders the development of kids already facing tough choices. It can push kids like the one in Leon County, or those throughout the state, into homeschooling or online education.

It can isolate them completely.

“How hateful and marginalizing this argument is,” Duncan says. “I guess we have to have the dialogue to finally get it done. It truly is baseless. We’re finding that it’s sending such mixed messages to people: supported at home in their family, they go to school and people in authority are then dismissing what they understand to be acceptable at home.”

“When you think about it, it’s segregation, pure and simple,” she says. “All gender nonconforming kids, let’s send them home to go to school in front of a computer.”

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17

nation+world news

in other news ACLU urges supportive transgender policy for nebraska school sports The ACLU of Nebraska has written letters to the Nebraska School Activities Association encouraging the organization to draft a policy that respects transgender students’ participation in sports. The association’s board met in executive sessions to discuss a proposed policy on transgender students, but executive director Jim Tenopir says a vote on a policy is unlikely to happen in November. Tenopir has met with more than 20 groups, including school administrators, to gather input. Former conference executive director Rhonda Blanford-Green introduced a transgender policy two years ago, but it was never enacted. Those who opposed the policy at the time threatened litigation, Tenopir said.

Court rules current Missouri law does not contain LGBT employment protections A Missouri appeals court has ruled that a man who claims he was fired because he’s gay can’t sue his former employer for discrimination. The 2-1 decision by the Western District Missouri Court of Appeals says the state law barring discrimination based on sex only covers gender-based actions. Missouri law bars employment discrimination based on age, ancestry, color, disability, national origin, race, religion or sex. James Pittman’s lawsuit in Jackson County against Cook Paper Recycling Corp. accused the company’s president of harassment. Cook Paper fired Pittman in 2011. The lawsuit was dismissed in February 2013, and Pittman appealed that decision.

Same-sex couples celebrate first civil unions in Chile Dozens of same-sex couples in Chile began celebrating civil unions on Oct. 22, taking advantage of a new law that gay advocates say is a clear sign of change in a country long regarded as one of Latin America’s most socially conservative. The civil union law was debated in Congress for over a decade until it was passed and signed into law by the president in April. As it went into effect, couples began arriving at civil registry offices early to officially validate their unions. Chile decriminalized gay sex in 1999.

Law punishing gay sex with caning takes effect in Indonesia A law that makes gay sex punishable by public caning has taken effect in a conservative Indonesian province. The law took effect in Aceh province on Oct. 23. It says anyone caught having homosexual sex can face up to 100 strokes of a cane, a fine of up to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold (about $37,400) and imprisonment of up to 100 months.

Adulterers are also subject to 100 lashes of a cane, but not to the fine or imprisonment. Indonesia’s national criminal code doesn’t regulate homosexuality, and the central government doesn’t have the power to strike down provincial laws. Human rights groups have criticized the law, which applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims.

18

majority of Americans think clerks should be required to issue same-sex marriage licenses, poll says Wire Report

W

ASHINGTON | Linda Massey opposes gay marriage.

But she was incensed last summer to see that Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.

“If the government says you have to give out those marriage licenses, and you get paid to do it, you do it,” says the 64-year-old retiree from Lewiston, Michigan. “That woman,” she said of Davis, “should be out of a job.”

Americans like Massey are at the heart of a shift in public opinion, an Associated Press-GfK poll has found.

For the first time, most Americans expect government officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, even over religious objections.

It’s partly a matter of expecting public servants to do their jobs. But more broadly, the issue touches on a familiar dispute over which constitutional value trumps which: religious freedom or equality under the law?

The question in recent months has entangled leaders with political sway, among them Pope Francis and the 2016 presidential contenders. But it’s not a new conflict for a nation that has

long wrestled with the separation of church and state.

Where Davis’s answer was the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom—and she served jail time to back it up—a majority of respondents don’t buy that argument when it comes to public officials issuing marriage licenses. That’s a shift since an AP-GfK survey in July, when Americans were about evenly split.

Then, 49 percent said officials with religious objections should be exempt from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and 47 percent said they should be required to issue them.

Now, just 41 percent favor an exemption and 56 percent think they should be required to issue the licenses.

Public opinion has favored samesex marriage in recent years and some politicians—President Barack Obama, 2016 presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton and some members of Congress among them—have come around to that view. In June, the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.

The cultural change has influenced the governing bodies of some of the most conservative religions, including the Catholic Church under Pope Francis and the Mormon

gay porn star sentenced to prison time for extorting wealthy California man Wire Report LOS ANGELES | A gay porn actor convicted of blackmailing a wealthy California man by threatening to reveal details of his personal life has been sentenced to nearly six years in

federal prison.

The Los Angeles Times reports Teofil Brank was also ordered Oct. 27 to pay about $500,000 in restitution to telecom executive Donald Burns.

Prosecutors said Brank— who uses the stage name Jarec Wentworth—forced Burns to turn

Church, which last week called for compromises between protecting religious liberties and prohibiting discrimination. Both institutions are trying to accommodate society’s shifting views while keeping a firm grip internally on their own doctrines against gay marriage and homosexual activity. And both churches steered clear of the appearance of backing Davis. The Vatican said the pope’s brief meeting with her in Washington should not be construed as a sign of support.

Davis, a Democrat, Apostolic Christian and clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, became the face of religious Americans who bristle at government requirements that conflict with their beliefs, whether those mandates cover gay marriage, contraception or abortion referrals. On June 27—the day after the high court ruling—Davis refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. In September she spent five days in jail for defying a court order to issue the licenses. Affixing her name to the certificate, she wrote in a statement, “would violate my conscience.” After serving her jail sentence, Davis returned to work— but her name no longer appears on marriage licenses for gay couples. over the money and title to an Audi sports car after the two had a falling out.

Court documents said Brank threatened to expose Burns’ paid sexual trysts.

Burns wired Brank the money and handed over his car in a bid to end the threats. He went to authorities after Brank demanded another $1 million.

Brank was later arrested in an FBI sting.

Transgender woman loses appeal over jail time in men’s prison Wire Report LONDON | A transgender British woman convicted of assault who has been jailed in a men’s prison has lost an appeal against her sentence.

Tara Hudson, who has lived as a woman all her adult life, was

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sentenced last week to 12 weeks imprisonment for head-butting a bar manager.

The 26-year-old was sent to HMP Bristol, a men’s prison in southwest England, where her lawyer, Nicholas Wragg, said she was “locked in a cell 23 hours a day.”

Wragg argued she should be released to do community service.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

Three judges at Bristol Crown Court rejected Hudson’s appeal against the sentence Oct. 30 and said it was “for the prison service and not the court” to decide where it should be served.

But the judges urged “sensitive consideration” of where Hudson should be held.

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

viewpoint

Eric Rollings

mr. blue sky Rolling in the deep

T

en inches is a lot!

This is one estimate on how much the sea level will rise in the next 15 years. Our coastal neighbors will be feeling the brunt of this first; in fact, Miami Beach and surrounding lower areas were seriously flooded this week. The summer of 2015 worldwide was the hottest ever on record and I could guess Central Florida added to this both in temperature and rainfall.

Climate change is here – it’s not what is coming, it is what has arrived, and its threats have become promises.

Some years back a friend of mine asked, “Why do you care about the environment? You’re gay; it’s not like you’re going to have kids?” The fact is the LGBT community is concerned about the environment and we have more and more couples creating families with children. The scary part is that we can’t leave it to our next generation to figure things out. We need to address the issues today, and we can do it sensibly. The LGBT community has proven itself time and again: When we come together, things change for the better. Our environment, which affects all of us, needs to be at the top of our list of goals, and here’s why: property values. Areas that are more prone to flooding are required to carry expensive flood insurance and, as the frequency of flooding increases, it will be more difficult to sell homes in those areas. As we experienced in Tampa and Orlando

this summer, you don’t have to live on the beach to feel the effects of what a more severe climate can bring to our neighborhoods. Water is life. Clean water is as important for the LGBT community as the AfricanAmerican community as the Latin community – you get the point … everyone without exception.

As sea levels rise, the saltwater is intruding on our drinking water making the water we are using today unfit for consumption.

Broward County has closed two well fields because of saltwater intrusion; Deerfield Beach closed its Eastern wells; Hallandale closed six of its eight wells. It will just be a matter of time before areas that don’t have water look to places that do.

So here is what you can do. Fifty-two percent of our drinking water is used for our lawns. Stop that! Plant native species instead of water gobbling Saint Augustine turf. The best thing you can do is install a moisture sensor for about $150. A little pricey, but Orlando Utilities Commission will reimburse you the cost of the sensor, so it’s basically free, and you just saved money on water and sewer charges and saved thousands of gallons of water a year (check with your local utility company to see what they offer for water saving devices). Today’s easy fix: shut the water off while you brush your teeth and while shaving, and turn the water off while you soap up in the shower.

The LGBT community loves to travel, and in many areas we’ve chosen the destination because of the location’s beauty. Some of the very places we have beach homes or other such getaways have been challenged with fish die-offs, algae blooms and red tides.

Many of the causes are from human activity, including runoff of pesticides and fertilizers. We cannot expect for us to do something here that won’t affect our

watermark Your lgbt life.

neighbors somewhere else, and that somewhere else could be the place we choose to visit.

There’s a huge difference between not caring and not knowing. Educating people of all ages and demographics is the best part of being elected to

Important local issues such as banning polystyrene products in the City of Orlando (nofoamzone.org) or statewide initiatives to stop fracking in Florida are part of the puzzle. I’m more than happy to speak at your event, homeowners association meeting,

right now to help take the lead in making significant changes in our world.

We need to protect our investments, our quality of life and recreation.

Enhancing our awareness and implementing practices that protect our environment is great for

the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District. It’s rare that someone will admit to me that they just can’t be bothered. Most people react by saying, “I didn’t know that?” Followed often by, “How can I help?” Learn!

Learn as much as you can about how living everyday impacts our earth and your neighborhood.

Girl/Boy Scout troop, or organization. Soil and water supervisors are all across the state of Florida, elected by you to help you conserve what makes Florida special.

Our materials and topics are broad and suitable for everyone and geared to your concerns.

The LGBT community has an excellent opportunity

the earth but also for our economy and how we enjoy our life in a time where we have so much to celebrate.

The LGBT community has proven itself time and again: When we come together, things change for the better. Our environment, which affects all of us, needs to be at the top of our list of goals.

Eric Rollings is Chair of the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District and Deputy Vice President of area 3B that includes all of Brevard, Osceola, Polk and Orange Counties.

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B

viewpoint

steve Yacovelli

hOMO e r ec tus:

the evolution oF us On Being Racist, Sexist, and Having Gay Cave People’s Brains

I

have a confeSSion to

make: I’m a racist. For those who know me, that might come as a shock, since I’m a diversity and inclusion consultant. But yes; I’m racist. But you know what? To some extent you are, too.

If you’ve ever seen the musical Avenue Q (winner of the 2004 Tony for Best Broadway Musical, FYI), you might be familiar with the song, “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” In this song several of the characters sing (joyously!) about how they’re racist. They sing not about overt or explicit racism but more subversive, unconscious bias that we humans all have. It was that moment when I first heard that song that the concept of hidden or unconscious bias hit my, well, consciousness.

What’s hidden or unconscious bias? It’s the preference for or against a person, thing, or group held at an unconscious level. This means we don’t even realize our minds are holding onto this bias towards, say, that person on the phone who is speaking English as a second language, or that effeminate man in front of us at the restaurant who isn’t what we were taught to understand as “masculine.” In contrast, an overt – or explicit – bias is an attitude or prejudice that one endorses at a conscious level; it’s obvious and blatant.

Research on hidden bias shows that, regardless of the best intentions, most people hold deep-seated resistance to the “difference” of others, whether that difference is defined by evident factors as race, gender, ethnicity, age or physical characteristics, or more subtle

ones such as background, personality type, experiences, or even sexual orientation.

But bias can also exist in a positive sense: We may favor our family, our community and people with whom we feel a connection based on shared characteristics or experiences (maybe even other LGBTQ people simply because they’re LGBTQ peeps). These hidden biases aren’t purposely or consciously created; they are products of our brain’s self-generated definition of normal, acceptable or positive. They are shaped by many factors: from past experiences to our local or cultural environment, to the influence of social community and the impressions from media.

Why do we have them?

Well, we can blame it on our cave ancestors. Back in the day, a cave person had to quickly decide if the bigfurry-sharp-toothed-animal at the cave door was friend or foe; and those quick ascertainments of safety were processed in our cave-brains.

Science has shown that we receive 11 million bits of information every moment, but we can only consciously process 40 bits of data at any time. How do we manage with that 99.9999996 percent gap? Through our unconscious bias. So, as humans it is perfectly natural for us to create these “cognitive shortcuts” to help us be safe and survive and manage all this data input.

But in 2015, we aren’t cave folk; and that wiring sometimes goes against how we want our “auto systems” to work for the most part.

Think about you at work: Do you want your cavewiring impulsively taking over who you should work with, the feelings you have toward hiring someone, or defining how you act towards a new co-workers?

Most of us don’t. We want to have our conscious brains be prevalent, and that’s not always easy to do.

So what do we do about managing our unconscious

watermark Your lgbt life.

cave-selves? Well, the first step is accepting that we do have unconscious bias. I was running a workshop on unconscious bias the other week and asked the question, “Who’s racist?” I raised my hand, and out of the 60-plus people in the audience, about

is vital to help make change and manage our behaviors and not succumb to our hidden unconscious.

Next, it’s educating others about their own hidden biases. “But I’m not homophobic,” you might hear. “I’ve many gay

start to challenge them.

Why does your company hire white dudes? Are you marketing messages pretty non-inclusive? Do you tend to have friends whose demographic make-up is very similar (all lesbian friends, all gay friends)? Think

four others acknowledged they’re racist. As my cofacilitator noted, what was interesting wasn’t those of us who raised our hands, but that the rest of the workshop participants didn’t also raise theirs. We all have a skewed view of the world through our respective lenses, but it’s having that awareness that we do have these skewed views of the world

friends!” These types of statements are coming from the consciousness, and not necessarily from our true unconscious (or hidden bias) selves. So helping people – respectfully – understand that their hidden biases are showing is important.

Finally, it’s looking at the bigger picture: the institutional biases that exist, and how we can

about these and decide if your unconscious biases are determining your actions.

So we’re all racist, or sexist, or homophobic, or any other “–ist.” And that’s OK; that means we’re human.

It how we managing these feelings and manage our actions that is the most important thing to “unbias” ourselves.

research on hidden bias shows that, regardless of the best intentions, most people hold deep-seated resistance to the “difference” of others.

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

60 South Ivanhoe Boulevard | Orlando, FL 32804

10/10/14 3:45 PM

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10/10/14 3:45

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

talking points

Goodbye (for now) Grindr!

children OF SAME-SEX COUPLES

It was fun for ‘group’ get-togethers, but, what really excites me is my work!

received

3.5 HOURS A DAY

—deSigner marc JacobS on inStagram, reSPonding to aLLegationS that he hoSted a drUg-fUeLed, 10-PerSon orgy made UP of gUyS he met on the gay hook-UP aPP grindr.

sally field calls fOr eQual rights IN hOustOn

t

wo-time oScar winning actreSS SaLLy fieLd was in Houston Oct. 29 asking voters to vote “Yes” on the city’s Equal Right’s Ordinance, or Proposition 1. “Why here, why Houston, why me? Because everyone in this country is watching this. This is incredibly important. Eyes are on Houston. This is Texas,” Field said at a press conference held in Houston. Field has said this fight is very personal to her because her mother and grandmother were both born in Houston and Field is the mother of a gay son. “There are 15 different categories of people it protects. I fit into many of those categories,” she said. “This is my country; this is our fight to bring about equality as a right for everyone.”

new filM TOMBOY, A REVENGER’S TALE has glaad upset

OF FOCUSED TIME, M as OppOsed tO different-seX cOuples whO spent

2.5 HOURS daily with their children.

—Study from child and Family Blog website

icheLLe rodrigUez and SigoUrney weaver HAVe SIgNeD ON to star in Tomboy, A Revenger’s Tale. The plot revolves around a male assassin played

by Rodriguez who is captured by Weaver’s character, only known as “The Doctor,” and is forced to have gender reassignment surgery. Now a woman, Rodriguez’s assassin enlists the help of a nurse to seek revenge against Weaver. Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of programs for transgender media, told the Hollywood Reporter that while they have not read the script, they are disappointed to see “filmmakers turning a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device.” Filming on Tomboy begins November 9.

watermark Your lgbt life.

laverne cOX plays frank-n-furter in fOX’s ROCKY HORROR reMake

f

ox iS remaking ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and has cast Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox to play the sexually ambiguous lead of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The two-hour special, which is being called a reimagining of the original cult classic, was announced in April and will be directed and choreographed by High School Musical’s Kenny Ortega. The original film premiered 40 years ago and is credited with launching the careers of Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon. Rocky Horror Picture Show will air fall 2016,. You can also watch a live adaption of the musical classic Grease on FOX this January starring Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit and Vanessa Hudgens.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

gay filMMaker directs adele in videO fOr new single “hellO”

A

deLe retUrned with a new SingLe and mUSic VIDeO OCt. 23, three years after the release of the James Bond theme “Skyfall,” the last time we heard the powerhouse belt out her amazing sound. The new single, “Hello,” is a heartbreaking song with a beautifully shot six-minute video directed by openly gay filmmaker Xavier Dolan. Adele contacted the French-Canadian director herself to direct. “It’s Adele who reached out in the first place,” Dolan said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I wasn’t sure how she could actually know who I was. We operate in different scales and I was very humbled and flattered that she thought of me.”

25

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watermark Your lgbt life.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

in-depth: dOMestic partnerships

ARE

DOMESTIC

PARTNERSHIPS BECOMING

EXTINCT? MARRIAGE EQUALITY COULD SIGNAL THE DEATH OF DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS AND THE BENEFITS THEY BESTOW

I

Jamie Hyman

t SeemS SimPLe enoUgh. when

same-sex couples couldn’t legally get married, cities and counties created domestic partnerships so that those couples could receive some of the benefits and protections marriage provides. Now that same-sex couples can legally marry, domestic partnerships are redundant and can be eliminated, right? Not so fast .

watermark Your lgbt life.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

As cities and counties are repealing domestic partner benefits for their employees in the wake of marriage equality, a faction of activists are urging them to reconsider, arguing that there is still a place and a need for domestic partnerships.

The fear is that the move to roll back rights could translate into a larger scaling down of rights for members of the public

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| uu | Domestic Partnerships frOM pg.27

on domestic partnership registries. The tide, some say, could be turning in the wrong direction.

the rOllBacks

Once, a long, long time ago, this dinosaur was the only way for your daddies to legitimize our relationship in the eyes of the law.

Why didn’t you two just get married?

Great question!

Let’s go to “The Wrong Side of History” exhibit and ask Pam Bondi.

30

She’ll be the one with 3 failed marriages and a vacant look in her eyes.

I’m obviously still bitter.

The discussion began Oct. 20, when Orange County Commissioners quietly voted to repeal domestic partner benefits for county employees.

The eleven employees enrolled in the program will have until the end of 2016 to make other arrangements.

“When the program was put in place in 2011, the intent was to ensure parity for all Orange County employees,” said Patrick Peters, Orange County Benefits and Wellness Administrator, in an email to Watermark. “Today, same-sex couples have the same legal right to marry in the state of Florida that opposite-sex couples have always had; therefore, the program is no longer needed.”

The city of Orlando canceled domestic partner benefits via a decision by the city’s human resources director, who made the call ahead of the city’s open enrollment period that began Oct. 21. According to city spokeswoman Cassandra Lafser, the change was made in consultation with the city’s legal department.

“The goal of this was to provide benefits for those couples who could not legally marry and were denied benefits based on state law,” Lafser says. “Now that the law no longer discriminates against same-sex couples, the city explored amending our eligibility requirements to reflect that.”

She says that before making the decision, they spoke to the 13 city employees who were receiving the benefits. Of those, Lafser says, nine of the couples have gotten married and “the remaining four expressed no concerns over a possible change to the city’s benefit eligibility.”

The city of St. Petersburg also plans to rescind their domestic partner benefits, starting at the beginning of their next open enrollment on Apr. 1, according to human resources director Chris Guella. Seventeen employees will be affected, and the decision was made in consultation with the mayor and city manager.

Not all areas are repealing their benefits, though, and the common

watermark Your lgbt life.

factor seems to be that if the benefits are also offered to opposite-sex domestic partners, they remain.

Dave Blasewitz, Pinellas County director of HR services, says there are “not any immediate plans” to repeal their domestic partner benefits. About 75 of their total 3,000 county employees take advantage of the domestic partner benefits, although he predicts that number will shrink.

“It’s changed a little this year because of same-sex marriages,” he says. “As we move forward, some of the folks that would normally apply for domestic partner benefits will marry and will take coverage as a spouse rather than a domestic partner.”

Blasewitz says Pinellas County doesn’t “feel any compelling need” to roll back the benefits.

“We look to try to support the family structure, whatever it may be,” he says.

Annette Spina, Hillsborough County spokeswoman, says as far as she knows, there are no plans to repeal benefits for county employees.

cOnsistency and cOst

When asked about why they decided to cancel domestic partner benefits, nearly all city and county officials cited two factors: consistency and cost.

None of the managers Watermark spoke with were able to provide exact costs saved by repealing the benefits.

Guella, the St. Pete HR director, says the cost of providing the benefits is “negligible.” Lafser, with the city of Orlando, cited “financial prudence” as a reason for the rollback but could not say exactly how much money the city stands to save.

“This is really a savings for the employee, because they are currently paying for domestic partner benefits with post-tax dollars,” says Orange County’s Peters, when asked whether repealing the benefits will save the county money. “With same-sex marriage come the full benefits offered to all legally married couples.

This includes paying for dependent coverage with pre-tax dollars; availing themselves of the use of Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts for their spouse’s and spouse’s children’s out-of-pocket medical, dental and vision expenses.”

While it seems the exact savings numbers are muddy, they all agree that consistency is a major impetus behind the decision.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

“[Keeping domestic partner benefits] would be somewhat unfair to opposite-sex domestic partners who would also like to have that kind of coverage,” Guella says. “That could represent a significantly larger group; we don’t know. We just want to keep it a level playing field for all of our employees.”

“Our focus has always been—and remains—to provide consistent benefits for all employees across the board,” Peters says.

“The financial prudence mentioned refers to opening the policy up to all unmarried couples, as we must ensure our policy does not discriminate and treat all employees fairly,” Lasfer says, adding that Orlando has never covered unmarried couples as a rule. “The previous HR policy providing domestic partner benefits was an exception because the law discriminated against same-sex couples, which is no longer the case now that they can marry.”

the resistance

Not everyone thinks achieving consistency through removing domestic partner benefits is a step forward, or the right move for municipalities.

Congressman Alan Grayson wrote a letter to the Orange County mayor and commissioners “strongly” urging them to reconsider, stating that the vote is “a significant step backwards in achieving full equality for the LGBT community.”

“Many couples choose not to marry, for reasons that should remain between them and not their employer,” Grayson’s letter reads.

“Specifically, gay and transgender couples still face powerful forms of discrimination, often times from within their very own families, that simply do not make the act of getting married a simple legal option.”

Grayson argues that domestic partners deserve benefits as much as gay couples do, the benefits improve worker morale and keeping the benefits would make Orange County competitive when trying to attract employers. His letter warns that repealing the benefits would cause Orange County to “fall behind” other Florida counties.

“Broward County even took steps to expand their domestic partnership program just last week,” the letter reads.

Grayson also plans to send a letter to Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer encouraging the city to expand benefits to opposite-sex domestic partners, rather than removing the option for unmarried samesex couples.

I believe domestic partnership registries are still relevant and important in recognizing the diversity of families in our community.

—kevin beckner, hiLLSboroUgh coUnty commiSSioner

Equality Florida also reacted to the Orange County commissioners’ decision, arguing that all domestic partners, whether in a same-sex or heterosexual relationship, should be covered by benefits.

“Some couples do not marry for both personal and practical reasons, but these families are just as deserving of health insurance and other protections,” reads a statement by Stratton Pollitzer, deputy director of Equality Florida.

“It’s only fair that two employees doing the same job receive the same benefits for their families.”

Grayson tells Watermark he hasn’t received a response to his letter. He says if couples have chosen domestic partnership, they’ve probably done so for a good reason, and there’s “no reason to deny them a status they’ve chosen consciously.”

He says he’s not surprised by the rollbacks because there’s a misconception that marriage is a substitute for domestic partnership and that it’s only used by samesex couples.

“That is objectively not true,” Grayson says. “I do understand that

there’s a misconception but that doesn’t change the fact that there’s a misconception.”

Additionally, Grayson argues domestic partnership is still needed by same-sex couples, as there continue to be conflicts over the implementation of full marriage equality with regard to federal benefits, hospital visits and other issues.

“That war is not over,” Grayson says. “We are engaged in that, whether through legislation, amendments or letters on a regular basis. Every couple of weeks, I have to sign onto some bill or some letter or initiate some kind of amendment to ensure same-sex couples are treated the same as everyone else.”

He says he’ll continue to fight against the repeal of domestic partner benefits, possibly by testifying in open hearings, holding individual discussions with commissioners or “there’s also the possibility I might introduce some legislation here in Washington, D.C.” “[Fighting to keep domestic partner benefits] could take many different forms, but in general, it

would allow people who have an existing status to keep that status, or existing legal rights to keep those legal rights,” Grayson says.

the registries

The rollback decisions on domestic partner benefits sparks questions about the larger, municipality-sponsored domestic partner program: domestic partner registries. While repealing benefits for government employees would affect only a handful of people, Florida’s thousands of registered domestic partners would be affected if the registries were eliminated.

Because the registries were implemented by a council or a commission, a council or commission vote is what it would take to remove a domestic partner registry. That means that right now, it’s tough to say what is in store for the registries, as it’s possible a council or commission member could bring forward a motion to repeal at any time.

However, Watermark was able to gain limited insight.

According to at least one commissioner, Hillsborough County’s domestic partner registry is staying put.

“Our county-wide registry supports both same-sex and opposite sex couples who are in long-term committed relationships,” says Kevin Beckner, Hillsborough County Commissioner. “I believe domestic partnership registries are still relevant and important in recognizing the diversity of families in our community.”

Same for Orlando.

“The domestic partner registry is still offered at the city and there is no discussion at this time of changing that,” says Orlando’s Lafser.

Doreen Overstreet, Orange County public information officer, says of the domestic partner benefits and domestic partner registry, “one has nothing to do with the other” and there is currently no discussion of eliminating the registry in Orange County.

At press time, the only legislator working to repeal a domestic partner registry is Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), out of Wisconsin, who released a statement pushing for the statewide registry’s appeal back in June.

Theisfeldt’s suggestion didn’t gain any traction.

As for Florida, while samesex couples head down the aisle, it looks like couples who don’t want to tie the knot will keep domestic partnership registries as an option.

watermark Your lgbt life.

DOMESTIC PARNER BENEFITS TIMELINE Here is a snapshot of some of the highlights as Central Florida governments moved to establish various benefits for domestic partners.

March 11, 2004 Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio signs an executive order establishing domestic partner benefits for Tampa employees

sept. 3, 2010

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster extends same-sex health benefits to the city’s rank-and-file police officers

april 19, 2011 Orange County Commissioners unanimously pass domestic partner benefits

dec. 12, 2011

Orlando City Commissioners unanimously approve domestic partner registry

Jan. 1, 2012

Orlando domestic partnership benefits take effect

Jan. 12, 2012

Orlando begins registering domestic partners

feB. 1, 2012

Orange County Commission approves domestic partner registry with a 6-1 vote

april 5, 2012

Tampa City Council approves domestic partner registry

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

June 7, 2012

St. Pete City Council approves domestic partner registry

June 15, 2012

St. Pete begins registering domestic partners

July 5, 2012

Tampa begins registering domestic partners

July 6, 2012

Orange County begins registering domestic partners

aug. 1, 2012

St. Pete begins registering domestic partners

Jan. 15, 2013

Pinellas County approves domestic partner registry

april 15, 2013

Pinellas County begins registering domestic partners

June 2014

Hillsborough County extends domestic partner benefits to employees

Oct. 15, 2014

Hillsborough County unanimously approves domestic partner registry

feB. 5, 2015

Hillsborough County begins registering domestic partners

31

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watermark Your lgbt life.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

arts and entertainMent

RANTS FIRE ON -

cOMedian lewis Black MiXes the laughs and the anger

L

Aaron Alper

ewiS bLack haS made a career

out of anger. His unique brand of righteous indignation, belligerence and pointed social commentary raised him from the milieu of the 1990s comedy club circuit and turned him into one of the most recognized comics of his generation. He is also a noted author and playwright, and Black (who uses “fuck” as a form of punctuation) was cast as a character in Pixar’s box office smash Inside Out, where he played the voice of Anger.

Black is on tour once again withThe Rant is Due: Part Deux, and is coming to Florida for several shows (Sarasota on Nov. 13, Clearwater on Nov. 14 and Orlando on Nov. 15) to eviscerate the ills of modern life with a heady mixture of intelligence, empathy and a heaping helping of rage. In preparation for that raspy rhetorical rollercoaster, Black was kind enough to chat with Watermark about what rants may come once he hits the stage.

WATERMARK: sO let Me

Just say One thing. a few years agO, a date and i went tO see yOu live, and

watermark Your lgbt life.

we were actually shOcked at the aMOunt Of gay Men in yOur audience. it was On par with kathy griffin. when did yOu realiZe yOu had a gay fOllOwing?

fOr THE RANT IS DUE.

Lewis Black: It’s weird. It slowly dawned on me that I had a gay following and a military following, and then I began to notice that more and more. I mean, in my early Comedy Central specials, one of my favorite lines was “Of the things we have to worry about, gay marriage is about No. 52 after ‘Are we eating too much garlic as a people?”

dO yOu think that things seeM even MOre insane nOw than they did when yOu were cOMMenting On Bush era aMerica? i Mean, with truMp and kiM davis.

give us a Brief synOpsis

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

I am currently working on it, but I go through a list of what we’re not doing: mental health, guns, we don’t deal with these things…

I do think it’s crazier now than it was then, because before you could at least trace it; there was 9/11 and a group of people, many around my

cOntinued On pg. 36 | uu |

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

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35

| uu | Lewis Black from pg.33

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age, responding to that…but it was a response to something.

But today is just madness; it’s gibberish. Like immigration: how are you going to go around and round up how many illegal immigrants we have in the country? And as for Kim Davis…we don’t have time for this. Can we put some of this shit on hold? Do we want to argue what we’ve argued since the inception of the union that church and state are separate? It’s really pretty simple on paper.

There’s no legal argument; you don’t have one. People have tried before and there is no

Do you think this all might be a diversion thing? That this kind of stuff pops up during election time to divert people from what they should really be focusing on?

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It’s still about doing the road.

I haven’t had much time to really sit down. Last summer I mistakenly went and toured Europe, thinking it would be kind of a restful thing. Well, I’m a moron. It was great, but I didn’t want to sit down and start writing again. My hope is that this next summer I can get back to writing.

I do hope there will be another book too.

I am fooling around with something. It’s fictional, but it’s based a lot on my first few years in New York City. It was really crazy. We lived right across the street from the St.

Finally, I read that you said moving to New York City the way you did when you first started is now basically impossible without a trust fund.

What advice could you give to young writers and young comedians who are attempting to start a career in such a terrifying time?

The first thing you do is find a place where it’s cheap to live so you don’t have to work a lot and have the time to do the thing that you want to do.

For example, I went to Dayton, Ohio. Nobody wants to live in Dayton, Ohio; however, it’s a city that got economically kicked in the nuts. It’s on two rivers and it has an

“As for Kim Davis … we don’t have time for this.

Can we put some of this shit on hold? Do we want to argue what we’ve argued since the inception of the union that church and state are separate?”—Lewis Black

precedent for nonsense. Let’s do this at a quieter time, after we’ve fixed roads and health care. When we do that, we then have a quiet discussion about why you feel you’re getting screwed.

SFlax_HmscleAd_OW_HlfPgVrt_V1.indd 1

something you are going to be doing more of, or are you still a road dog?

8/3/15 1:42 PM

watermark Your lgbt life.

I think it’s part of the problem.

We have an election season that is endless, and some of the things that we are discussing, like immigration, they should just be doing it.

Do we have to wait around for four years for the next person who might do it, as opposed to getting it done?

Do you have legitimate worries that Trump may become president?

I would just leave. Seriously.

The ballgame is over. I don’t think it’s possible, but I’m never right. I think it will flame out.

You’re doing the tour now, but I also noticed you’ve been more active as a playwright? Is that

Mark’s Baths. It was like we arrived and a few seconds later there was the AIDS crisis. That was going on, I was trying to do theater, and I was working in a bar where (laughs) the mob laundered money. I always wanted to put that together and make something.

In your comedy you have said you use anger without vitriol. How does a person tell when Lewis Black is genuinely angry in, say, an interpersonal setting?

The boundaries just drop and I bring the dump trucks out.

There is no way not to mistake it. And even in my act I’ll go over the line and think “OK, I have gone too far and I know I am stepping into that place.”

When you snap, the social antennae goes down and you just let it rip.

Which plays a lot into the improv of your sets; you change them nightly.

Yeah, I do. It all evolves into one thing that I eventually put into a special. I am already finishing the CD. I don’t know what the name of it will be yet. It might be The Rant is Due, but it might be something else. By the time I get to Florida, two-thirds of that set won’t be on the CD.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

extraordinary history, as well as little pockets of places being opened by younger people. The city offers a plan that if you want to start a business; they will help do all the stuff in order to get people downtown. You have to find places like that and do what it is that you do. I lived broke for a long time, and the thing that got me through was that I wasn’t really thinking about it, because I was enjoying what I was doing so much. And that’s really what’s important.

more information Lewis Black

The Rant is Due: Part Deux Friday, Nov. 13 VanWezel Performing Arts Center Sarasota vanwezel.org $64.50-$80 Saturday, Nov. 14 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater rutheckerdhall.com $28.75-$125 Sunday, Nov. 15 Hard Rock Live Orlando hardrock.com $39.50-$65

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watermark Your lgbt life.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

drag

Hatewatching

RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio hits the Tampa stage with Rolodex of Hate

Haters Gonna Hate:

Roy Haylock, better known as the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio, is listing off all the things she hates in her show Rolodex of Hate.

R

Jeremy Williams

oy Haylock, who is better

known as the unfiltered queen of hate Bianca Del Rio, is bringing his brand of no-nonsense comedy to Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center in Tampa Nov. 15 with the show Rolodex of Hate.

“Rolodex of Hate is a collection of hateful moments from my life, hateful thoughts that I’ve had, and I put it all into a show,” Haylock says. “It is more stand-up than it is a drag show. It’s explaining where my hatred comes from, how I use my hate in my everyday life.”

Haylock started touring with Rolodex of Hate in November 2014, just five months after being named the Season 6 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and hasn’t stopped since.

RuPaul’s Drag Race made Bianca Del Rio a household name, but it was something Haylock was originally not going to do.

“It was one of those things where at first I didn’t think I wanted to do it,” Haylock says. “I thought I was too old, and I thought it was more for the younger, lip-syncing kind of queen. And

then it was this moment of, ‘why don’t I give it a shot, what do I have to lose?’ It was all kind of a whirlwind. I got my first audition in just in the nick of time, and then I got a call a few months after and I had five days to pack my shit and get to L.A. to start filming.”

Haylock became the first Hispanic winner of Drag Race and still remains the only contestant on the series to never place in the bottom of the competition, a bit of trivia that Haylock just recently found out about.

“Yeah, I heard that on Instagram, and then of course a bunch of people were like ‘well technically,’ but yeah, I guess I was never in the bottom group and apparently I was the only one but I don’t know all the loopholes in Drag Race trivia,” Haylock says.

Haylock has been doing drag as

watermark Your lgbt life.

Bianca Del Rio for 20 years now, spending 10 years in New York and doing drag for 10 years in New Orleans in his home state of Louisiana.

Haylock used his environment to form Bianca Del Rio into a storm of insult and hate, but he says it is more an extension of him rather than a character he created.

“I’ve always been a little snarky and talked back a lot,” Haylock says. “It was just a pass to get away with murder.

Things you could never say you can totally get away with in drag.

Television, more specifically RuPaul’s Drag Race, showcased Bianca Del Rio at her spiteful best, but as with any reality show, you hear talk of editing showing the contestants in an untruthful light, which Haylock shoots down.

“I think anyone who complains about the editing on any of these shows is an asshole,” he says. “That’s just part of the deal, and usually it’s the people who lose who bitch about the editing. It’s 12 to 14 hour days and they edit it down into an hour, but of course if you’re crazy, they’re gonna use this, and if you’re an asshole, they’re gonna use that. If you cry they will use it; if you have dental issues they will use it. All of that is gonna play out on the television. That’s what you signed up for.”

Haylock admits that it isn’t all fun and games when you are competing to be America’s next big drag performer.

“It’s not an easy thing, the show. It’s not for sissies,” he says. “I don’t know if I could ever do it again or would do it again, but it was definitely a good choice, and I encourage a lot of queens to do it because it changes your world if you have something to offer. There are a lot of useless queens, of course, but if you can accept the challenge and you showcase your work, then it can change your life.”

So after becoming the Season 6 winner, did Haylock tune in to see the next season of drag performers?

“I never watched it consecutively,” Haylock says. “I was traveling a lot overseas, and it was too much work to try and find the show and download it illegally. It’s on Netflix, so I might sit back and watch it now that I’ve had a chance to meet a lot of them. But while it was airing, I was kind of here and there and

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

everywhere.”

While he hasn’t had the chance to watch it in its entirety, Haylock says he was rooting for Orlando’s hometown queen, Ginger Minj.

“I got his style and his sense of humor and that kind of stuff, but it’s one of those things where you never really know,” Haylock says. “Besides the fact that it’s a competition, it’s also a TV show: They can do whatever they want.

So it wasn’t a question of whoever won is the most talented, and best of all, they pick whoever they want, but he was in good company.”

Since obtaining worldwide fame, Haylock says that he’s fascinated by the loyalty and craziness of the show’s fans.

“Everywhere, I can’t believe the people who watch the show and that they know who we are. That’s the most shocking thing to me,” he says. “I get letters from people asking me to marry them, and you have no idea who they are, and some of them are from women which are always a treat. They

“I think anyone who complains about the editing on any of these shows is an asshole.”

—Bianca Del Rio

apparently are not aware that I am gay.

I’m just fascinated, especially in these areas of the world where the show doesn’t air, and they go out of their way to find it and support us. It’s amazing.”

Something else that amazes Haylock since taking Bianca Del Rio on the road with Rolodex of Hate is the question of what is a Rolodex?

“I discuss what a Rolodex is in my show. I encourage everyone to do it. It’s pre-Google days,” Haylock says. “I have had several people on social media ask me what a Rolodex is, because people are idiots, but I am fascinated by it. It also shows how old I am, because I do remember Rolodexes, but it’s just a collection of cards with people’s information on it. For me, I have a collection of hate on my cards and I just go through them during the show.”

Between shows, Haylock is attempting to bring Bianca to the big screen, wrapping production on Hurricane Bianca.

“We filmed it in July for 18 days, and it is filled with cameos. Rachel Dratch is in the movie; Alan Cumming, Margret Cho and RuPaul are all making appearances in the film. It’s in editing, and from what I’ve heard, it will probably be out next summer after they make all the magic happen,” Haylock says.

39

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727-455-0050 laurierossphotography.com Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

event planner

arts+entertainment

community Calendar

ORLANDO

ORLANDO

Unity Networking Mixer, Nov. 5, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6261; AbbeyOrlando.com

Equality Florida Greater Orlando Gala 2015

Orlando Philharmonic: Rimma Plays Prokofiev, Nov. 6, Bob Carr Theater, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Winter Park’s 5th Annual Veteran’s Day Celebration, Nov. 6, Winter Park Community Center, Winter Park. 407-599-3275; CityOfWinterPark.org Monifah Live in Concert, Nov. 6, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com Mary J. Blige, Nov. 7, CFE Arena, Orlando. 407-823-3070; CFEArena.com Fall Fiesta in the Park, Nov. 7 – 8, Lake Eola Park, Orlando. 407-246-2121; FiestaInThePark.com ’90s Party, Nov. 7, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-452-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Rockwell Live in Concert, Nov. 7, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com Babes Who Brunch, Nov. 8, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-452-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Miss Bible Belt Comedy Queen, Nov. 10, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com Beth Marshall Presents Beatnik 3, Nov. 13, The Venue, Orlando. bethmarshallpresents.com The Crucible, Nov. 13 – 19, Moonlight Players, Clermont. 352-243-5875; MoonlightPlayers.com 29th Annual Festival of Trees, Nov. 14 – 22, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando. 407-896-4231; OMArt.org Adore Delano, Nov. 14, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-452-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Central Florida Ballet Present The Nutcracker, Nov. 14, Orlando Public Library, Orlando.

DowntownOrlando.com

Friday, Nov. 6, 8:00- 11:00 P.M. The Mezz, Orlando

The Florida Sessions Mary J. Blige brings her unique sound to Orlando’s CFE Arena Nov. 7 and the USF Sun Dome in Tampa Nov. 8 to showcase her hits as well as selections from her new album The London Sessions. Photo courtesy MaryJBlige.com

Miss. Southern Nights & Miss. Southern Nights Plus Pageants, Nov. 16, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; SouthernNightsORL.com Trixie from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nov. 18, Pulse, Orlando. 407-649-3888; PulseOrlandoClub.com

TAMPA BAY Pavilion XXX, Nov. 7, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa. 813-421-8380; TampaMuseum.org The Florida Orchestra: The Bells & Pictures at and Exhibition, Nov. 7, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com Mary J. Blige, Nov. 8, USF Sun Dome, Tampa. 813-974-3111; SunDomeArena.com Newsies, Nov. 10 – 15, Carol Morsani Hall, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

by Chip Davis, Nov. 10, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com Chaka Khan, Nov. 13, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com Adrian Legg and David Lindley, Nov. 13, The Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg. 727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com Florida Leather Fetish n Pride, Nov. 13 – 15, Flamingo, St. Petersburg. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com Deana Carter, Nov. 13, Murray Theatre, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com Bianca Del Rio’s Rolodex of Hate Comedy Special, Nov. 15, Ferguson Hall, Straz Center, Tampa.

813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Nov. 15, The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. 727-893-7832; TheMahaffey.com

3rd Annual Employee Turnabout, Nov. 16, Quench Lounge, Largo.

727-754-5900. QuenchLounge.com Jake Shimabukuro, Nov. 17, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater. 727-791-7400; RuthEckerdHall.com Shaping Sound, Nov. 18, Carol Morsani Hall, Straz Center, Tampa.

813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

SARASOTA America’s Got Talent Live, Nov. 5, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota.

1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org West Side Story, Nov. 10 – Dec. 27, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota. 800-361-8388; AsoloRep.org Yes, Nov. 11, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota.

1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Nov. 14, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 1-800-826-9303; VanWezel.org

Come out for a fabulous evening featuring live music and unique entertainment surprises at The Mezz, as Equality Florida honors Jeff Voss for his work to establish The Zebra Coalition for LGBTQ Youth, and Pat Padilla for her years of advocacy as the president of Central Florida PFLAG. There will be hors d’oeuvres, open bar and a State of the State address by Equality Florida co-founder Nadine Smith. Tickets are $100 or $50 with a valid student ID and can be purchased at eqfl.org.

Movies Out Loud: Rhinestone Wednesday, Nov. 11, 8:00 P.M. The Abbey, Orlando Join Orlando Fringe and Watermark for the second Wednesday tradition, Movies Out Loud. This month is the 1984 Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone film Rhinestone, hosted by Jeff Jones and Blue Starr.

Come early to get your candy and popcorn available to purchase thanks to Orlando Fringe and a full bar with drink specials thanks to The Abbey. Tickets are $10 and available at OrlandoFringe.TicketLeap.com.

Tampa Bay

Gala Rouge Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:00 P.M. Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg The Third Annual Metro Tampa Bay Gala, called Gala Rouge, will be held at its new venue within the Historic Train Station in St. Pete’s vibrant Warehouse Arts District. There will be live entertainment, open bar, food, silent and live auctions, special guests and honorees.

The event is being called “a true voyeur’s delight.” Gala Rouge benefits Metro’s LGBT centers and programs, as well as the new Metro Health Centers. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at MetroTampaBay.org.

TBGLCC November Dinner Meeting Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6:30- 9:30 P.M. The Barrymore Hotel, Tampa The Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce asks you to join them for the November dinner meeting.

The program will feature a transgender panel discussion for Transgender Day of Remembrance and Visibility which is held every November 20. Networking begins at 6:30 P.M., and dinner is served at 7:30 P.M. There will be a charity raffle as well. Tickets are $25 for members and students and $35 for non-members. Reservations are required and can be made at TBGLCC.org.

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

watermark Your lgbt life.

Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

43

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Nov emb er 5 - Nov emb er 18 , 2015 // Issue 2 2. 2 3

overheard

taMpa Bay Out+aBOut

dO yOu wanna Build an internatiOnal Multi-MilliOn dOllar pOpstar?

H

aLLoween night broUght QUite tHe SurPrISe for the 57,000 attendees at Raymond James Stadium who decided to shake, shake it off with trick-or-treating and wild costume parties to attend Taylor Swif t’s concert. The reigning queen of pop (at least, rumor has it, until the end of the month, when Adele sends T Swift chasing pavements) had no bad blood for her fans as she performed her love story on the hot autumn night. In fact, it was so hot Swift decided to bring a bit of frozen style to the stage. Swift, who is no stranger to dressing up and bringing an array of celebrities on stage with her, came out on stage dressed as sexy Olaf from Frozen followed by Elsa herself Idina Menzel, and the two of them belted out “Let It Go.” The duo brought to life some of Swift fans’ wildest dreams, but this was a one-time merger, and these two are never ever getting back together. Oh, but we wish you would.

there’s a light Over at the palladiuM place

S

t. PeterSbUrg’S own heLen hanSen french and LaUren ree SLone are bringing a night of dance to the Palladium. This ain’t no Dance, Dance Revolution, but rather an evening of contemporary performance work that explores ideas of place and connectivity. Now we have no idea what that means, but that’s all the more reason to free up the evening of Nov. 14 and experience a grown-up performance. The show is called “Beacon” and will be an evening of dance, visual, literary and sound artists presenting original works made especially for the community. French is a St. Pete choreographer and Slone a local artist, and together they are producing something that they promise will cram beauty into every one of your senses. “Beacon” is expected to be an annual event, and the creators hope to expand into multiple performances throughout the year.

liOns and tigers and gardens, Oh My!

b

USch gardenS annoUnced a SLew of eventS coming UP in 2016, and if any of them tickle your fancy, you are going to have to pay more for them then you did in 2015. Busch Gardens along with Sea World Orlando, both owned by Sea World Entertainment Inc., will be bumping up the daily price of admission $2 to make it a total price of $99, effective immediately. This is the second price bump in less than a year. Both parks bumped prices up last May $2 as well. So what new additions will you get for your additional $4? Busch Gardens said they will be opening Cobra’s Curse, a spin coaster with a 70-foot vertical lift in 2016 along with the Food and Wine Festival, which will happen every weekend from March 5 to April 24.

Busch Gardens also announced the line-up for their Real Music concert series which runs from January to early March. Along with the coasters and animals, your extra $4 will let you see the musical stylings of such classics as Herman’s Hermits, The Drifters and Chubby Checker among others on select nights.

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tHeY DID tHe MONSter MASH: Mathiaos Joel (L) and Portia Weiss get photobombed by Richard Prado at the Halloween Pride Skate at United Skates in Tampa Oct. 22. Photo coUrTeSY oF JereMY Wade NeiMaN

2

DIVerSe SAINtS: ashley Brundage was the guest speaker at the Diversity Meeting at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg Oct. 28. Photo

coUrTeSY oF aSHleY BrUNdage

3

a three-hoUr toUr: (l-r) evan Sheppard, John Bussert, eric Skains, Holden kemp and alex Tripp are all aboard the Hot 101.5 Haunted Halloween Yacht Party at Yacht StarShip Dining Cruises in Tampa Oct. 30.

4

5

PHoTo coUrTeSY oF aleX TriPP

4

feeL Like we are 22: (l-r) Miguel Fuller, Bo oliver-Nelson and Wesley ryan keene join T Swift’s squad at Raymond James Stadium for Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour Oct. 31.

PHoTo coUrTeSY oF MigUel FUller

5

COMMuNItY OutreACH: Jeremy Wade Neiman (l) and Warren Holding give back to the community by helping to feed the homeless at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa Nov. 1. PHoTo coUrTeSY oF corY

JeFFrieS

6

SociaL Jam: (l-r) cam Smith, Wayne Whitney, Paul gonya and Steve Watson network at Balance Tampa Bay’s October Social at Eddie V’s in Tampa Oct. 22. PHoTo coUrTeSY oF

6

BalaNce TaMPa BaY

7

gLow in the dark: del Fugler lights up the darkened room for the inaugural GLOW Ball to benefit the SMART Ride and Red Ribbon Cyclists at Enigma in St. Petersburg Oct. 24. Photo

coUrTeSY oF del FUgler

8

HArrY POtter AND the great haLLoween bASH: Nazhoni T. Foxx was “He who must not be named” for A Harry Halloween at Club Main Street in Lakeland Oct. 31. Photo coUrTeSY oF NaZHoNi T. FoXX

8 7

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overheard

OrlandO Out+aBOut

sassy that walk

f

ASHION DeSIgNer MArCO MArCO Put on one heLL of a rUnway Show for L.A. Fashion Week on Oct. 18. The runway show even went viral thanks to the voluptuous Dexter Mayfield and the teen who gave the fierce shade, Brendan Jordan. The show featured what seemed like an endless amounts of hot boys, club kids and gender-bending performers and trans-women. One such model in the line-up was Orlando’s own Sassy Devine. This was Sassy’s second year walking for MarcoMarco. Sassy was joined by former Orlando resident and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Detox and many more!

2

Oh, Bearracuda!

C

aLLing themSeLveS a Party for bearS, cUbS, otterS, beefcakeS and other wiLdLife, Bearracuda is an international bear party with special events throughout the United States, cruises and international sites (over 40 cities). Started in San Francisco in 2006, Bearracuda has become one of the largest gay bear dance parties. Making its Orlando debut, Bearrcuda will be invading the newly remodeled Stonewall Bar Orlando on Nov. 21. The night will feature DJ Ryan Jones of L.A. and also bring in a lot of hot go-go bears. We’re already stocking up on honey for the weekend.

1

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6

the divine Miss divine

D

ivine grace recentLy fLew UP to new york city to participate in the New York Restoration Project’s “Hell Night on Hulaween Island,” which was honoring Bette Midler herself. In full Winnie Sanderson (Hocus Pocus) drag, Divine Grace won the $1,000 costume contest, which was judged by Michael Kors, and even got to meet and pose for a photo with Bette and her fellow Hocus Pocus co-star, Kathy Najimy—charming the heck out of the duo. Divine did take to Facebook, calling out everyone who trashes men for dressing up as the Sanderson sisters. As Divine noted, her costume beat out the typical half naked muscle boy!

al aBOard

N

ow that ParLiament hoUSe iS in the QUeer—we mean, the clear—with the whole bankruptcy thing, it looks like the brand is further expanding. Al Ferguson of Al and Chuck Travel mentioned they have not only partnered up with the Parliament House, but they will also be working with Wyndham Resorts in creating LGBT-centric vacation packages that will include travel and lodging.

Knowing the parties involved, it looks like it will include entertainment as well. AlandChuck. travel was best known for providing the travel for the girls on the early seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and were the ones who also offered the first Drag Race at Sea cruises. Next up, gay cruises to Cuba!

4

1

meeting an idoL: Orlando performer The divine grace channels Hocus Pocus’ Winifred alongside Bette Midler, who played Winifred in the feature film, and kathy Najimy, while in New York City.

PHoTo coUrTeSY THe diViNe grace

2

Scream reaL LoUd: chris Pruitt plays Pee Wee Herman, and an especially clever rendition of Chairry, at private downtown house party Oct. 31. PHoTo BY daNNY garcia

3

a reaL Scary boy: Jay Westerman and Jim Shackleford flank steampunk Pinocchio during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Oct. 24.

PHoTo BY daNNY garcia

4

geNerOuS guY: Realtor david dorman works the streets to raise money for Easter Seals. Dorman and his office raised more than $4,000 via raffle tickets and auction items. PHoTo BY ScoTT PeNYak

5

LacUnta amigoS: david rice (L) and Bob Smedley, who have been dressing as the LaCunta Sisters for 29 years, bring joy to some cute boys this Halloween season. The Sisters make their own costumes with a different theme each year. PHoTo coUrTeSY SMedleY

6

Sweet tranSveStite: Orlando drag performer ginger Minj drops in on the Annual Transylvanian Convention while channeling Dr. Frank N. Furter during a performance of The Rocky Horror Show in Dallas.

7

PHoTo coUrTeSY giNger MiNJ

7

throw in the toweLS: The cast of Bathhouse: The Musical brings in actors from the original cast and various touring and international casts for a special 10 year anniversary performance at The Parliament House Nov. 1. The show runs through Nov. 22. PHoTo BY daNNY garcia

8

HOMe ruN: Looking to Score’s pitcher proposes to her girlfriend after winning the D division championship at the 2015 ASANA tournament Oct. 24 at Seminole County Softball Complex. PHoTo coUrTeSY aSaNa

8 watermark Your lgbt life.

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watermark Your lgbt life.

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announcements

wedding Bells

eddie Rodriguez, 54, and Paul Finocchiaro, 52 from Tampa, Florida

21 years in February 2016

Sarasota residents and activists Bart coyle and Jim Jablonski celebrate 46 amazing years together—one of them as legal spouses—on Nov. 15.

engagement date:

ken Terrell, GLBT Center of Central Florida community liaison and volunteer coordinator marked seven years with organization on Oct. 26

August 18, 1995.

wedding date:

Peter aguas-garcia and Frank aguas-garcia celebrate 23 years together on Nov. 17.

September 19, 2015

Orlando’s Nick Massoni and Mark Pierpont celebrate the 2nd anniversary of their commitment ceremony on Nov. 20.

wedding venue:

wedding planner:

They planned the wedding themselves.

wedding Flowers:

Their neighbors did the flowers, using hydrangeas and purple calla lilies.

wedding theme/ colors:

Since they both have different styles, they didn’t want to match but instead wanted to dress in a way that would represent who they were.

First song:

“I.O.U.” by Lee Greenwood

interesting Fact:

They met on a blind date through friends who set them up.

dJ Scott robert celebrates his two-year anniversary as the resident DJ at The Parliament House this month.

Engineer kim Pierce and Senior Pastor at Joy MCC Terri Pierce celebrated their summer Hawaii wedding with family and friends on Oct. 18 in Charleston, SC.

years together:

They had the ceremony on the veranda at Plant Hall on the University of Tampa campus.

They had their reception in the lobby of Plant Hall in the music room.

congratulations Brian Jones and Jon garcia of Orlando celebrated their 22nd anniversary together on Nov. 4.

After almost a dozen years as partners, Warren Spencer and richard Watkins of New Smyrna Beach celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary on Oct. 23. gustavo rico resigned from his position as Operations Manager for MBA Orlando. Rico will now serve as Donor Relations Coordinator at the Community Food and Outreach Center. He will remain an MBA ambassador.

Wes Hodge received the Sue Marohn Spirit of ASANA award Oct. 24 at the ASANA Softball World Series. He is the first male ever to receive this recognition.

Photo by rob-Harris Productions

“N

either one of US had been

on a blind date before, so it was a first for both of us,” Paul says. “As far as when we met, I think we were both very, very cautious; we had our defense mechanisms up. The initial date was with the couple who introduced us, so it was like a double date. The next time, we went on a lunch date and we went by ourselves to try to get to know each other.”

Before Paul Finocchiaro, who is a professor of theater at the University of Tampa, and Eddie Rodriguez, who is a hair stylist and makeup artist, were residents of the Sunshine State, they lived in Las Vegas and, for a period of time, Minnesota.

The two were performers in Las Vegas and met on a blind date set up through friends.

During that time, Paul was considering moving back to New York. He didn’t expect much to come out of the blind date with Eddie but they ended up meeting up for another date. This time it was just the two of them and they ended up

chatting and getting to know each other over lunch – for almost six hours. After several dates with Eddie, Paul decided to stay in Las Vegas because he felt that he saw something special could come out of what he and Eddie had.

Paul decided in 2001 that we wanted to go to graduate school in Las Vegas, finishing a program at UNLV with his master’s degree in theater. He then received a job offer one month before he graduated in Minnesota at a college campus, and the couple moved there and stayed in Minnesota for nine years.

As the years passed, the love they had for each other grew stronger. In 2001, they had a ceremony in Key West to celebrate their love and relationship, because they didn’t believe that there would ever come a point where they’d be able to get married. But on a December evening, while they were watching the news on TV, a banner flashed at the bottom of the screen saying same-sex marriage would become legal in Florida on January 6. And while the couple anticipated all the political backlash that they thought might stall the legalization date of same-sex marriage in Florida, when it became legal on January 6, they started planning for their big day.

“As we got up the steps, everybody started screaming and they stood up,” says Paul.

“We had to wait a little bit because of the overall response was just a lot of love and we really felt special that day because you know, it was 20 years in the making.”

local birthdays Tampa sign lanuguage interpreter Steve Hammond, St. Pete Bears founder grahame Harte, former TIGLFF programming director kelly Fry, Equality Florida’s Michael Farmer, Women In Film & Television Florida President robin Wright, TIGLFF supporter Timothy Thomas, Pinellas Park massage Therapist John Waldorf (Nov. 6); Park Avenue salon owner gary lambert (Nov. 10); Margate video gamer Scott keener, former Tampa resident and book author/activist Steven reigns, Tampa leather bear Brooks davis (Nov. 11); Orlando writer liz langley, St. Petersburg ASAP star Jonathan aller, Sarasota opera singer ron rispoli, Tampa networking guru Vincent Papaleo, Orlando performer Miss aiysia Black, DJ Joanie Stanco (Nov. 13); handsome Orlando bearbartender and animal lover christopher Torge, Ritz Ybor Marketing Director okie Tilo, paper bag mushroom artist doug rhodehamel, Tampa-based but world-renowned flutist Joseph rose, Disney application developer dan Peters (Nov. 14); Sarasota activist and GAIN member Bart coyle, Tampabased Serious Satellite’s Out Q news freelancer Mike Wells (Nov. 15); The Closing Agent main man and godfather of the Orlando International Fringe Festival, Barry Miller (Nov. 16); ray Sickles, AKA Sarasota diva Angelique Monet (Nov. 17); Lithia equestrian expert James Meeks, Orlando Gay Chorus tenor and sky hostess Todd Michael Hayes (Nov. 18).

do you have an announcement? having a birthday or anniversary? did you get a new job or promotion?

See your news in Watermark! Send your announcement to editor@Watermarkonline.com or go to Watermarkonline.com/Submit-a-Transition.

it’s that easy!

do you have an interesting wedding or engagement story you’d like to share with Watermark readers? if so, email the details to editor@Watermarkonline.com for consideration as a future feature on this page.

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49

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uprisings

devils and details The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media … ‘Donald Trump, are you a comic-book villain? ben Carson, can you do math? John Kasich, will you insult two people over here? marco rubio, why don’t you resign? Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?’

—U.S. Sen. ted crUz, r-texaS, in the oct. 28 cnbc rePUbLican PreSidentiaL debate.

f

ryan’s hOpe

rOM tANNINg bOOtHS to widow’S PeakS, so are the days of the U.S. House speakership. After a tantrum from Florida Rep. Dan Webster, R-Orlando, that appeared to argue that saying nothing and doing nothing while in the governing body was somehow a qualification for leading it, everybody’s favorite obstinate brat (of limited economic understanding; remember the Path to Prosperity?) Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., got the gig. He’s already making thinking people seethe, clinging to his delusional tax cuts, his hatred of the president on immigration reform and, of course, rolling back the Affordable Care Act. He seems nice.

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freedOM against yOu

e

ver Since we witneSSed the enormoUS bLeSSing of kim daviS and her spirit fingers to Jesus (see: too many Halloween costumes last week) as she openly refused the marriage equality law of the land because the Bible told her so, the culture war has been heating up on the issue of so-called religious freedom. As we’ve previously reported, the whole thing is nonsense, which means it will find perfect company in the Florida House of Representatives.

House Bill 101 is a necessity, says its author, Rep. Julio Gonzalez, R-Venice, according to HT Politics. “There have been various situations where there are increasing possibilities of subsections of society having their freedoms encroached on.”

You know, the butlers, the bakers and candlestick makers. Next!

e

BOndi’s Bluff

veryone’S favorite eyeroLL indUcing attorney generaL Pam bondi wasted no time climbing out from behind her Vaseline-covered lens of unreasonable acrimony last month when she came out swinging against everything environmentally sound that President Barack Obama has been ruling on, including regulations on wetlands and stormwater utilities, according to Politico. Bondi is joining hands with 23 other state attorneys general (and every anti-environmental industry she can Google) in the name of saving money for consumers, she says. It’s your best interest she has in mind, she says. Hmm. In reaction, David Guest (not that one!) of the Earthjustice law firm in Tallahassee is calling it as we all actually see it: Bondi “is acting as the government arm of polluting industries that want to degrade the Florida environment at the expense of ordinary citizens.” Maybe she’ll shoot a bear next.

watermark Your lgbt life.

I

Billy Manes

n what may be the worSt diSPLay of democracy as impressionism via splattering paint and sputtering figureheads – seriously, if you have to split your candidates up into two debates based on their polling scores, it doesn’t mean you’re on a trip to bountiful, Republicans; it just means you’re indecisive and maybe a little challenged – the conservative jamboree got its CNBC variety-show treatment on Oct. 28. The latest Republican debate, bifurcated into varsity and junior varsity leagues (we repeat this, because it’s insane), was a shambles from the get-go, as anyone should have expected it to be. There were people talking over people, “What kind of tree would you be” questions, economic quandaries, Ben Carson’s increasingly disturbing take on imaginary mushrooms of money, Marco Rubio’s stomping feet tantrums, John Kasich’s disheveled “mad as hell” barks at the moon, Donald Trump’s tanned-machismo dances and Jeb Bush’s declines and falls. Mostly, though, there was defensiveness.

The fallout from the Oct. 28 pantomime has been measurable. Republican National Committee bobblehead Reince Priebus went as far as to banish NBC Universal from the whole Republican Party primary implosion with his magical gift of scissorhanding in an Oct. 30 letter, saying, “CNBC billed the debate as one that would focus on ‘the key issues that matter to all voters – job growth, taxes, technology, retirement and the health of our national economy.’ That was not the case.

Before the debate, the candidates were promised an opening question on economic or financial matters. That was not the case. … Questions were inaccurate or downright offensive.”

And though we would like to use this space to talk about something substantive – George Pataki believes in global warming (gasp!), Trump wants guns on his resorts (gah!), FLAT TAX! – it’s all rather pointless now. What we came away with was a bucketful of musings on government that includes terms like “put me in, coach” and “warm kiss” (gross), talk of actual snake oil (or supplements) ending cancer from Ben Carson, “fantasy football” as the new gambling, “divider in chief,” and anything else you might be able to stick under your desk in the fourth grade.

Though NBC has somewhat tentatively agreed to work with the GOP on addressing its complaints of unfairness (gotta make that money!), the GOP should probably be the institution apologizing.

Your barrel of monkeys just made an ass of itself in front of the privileged electorate that keeps CNBC on in the background while day-trading.

The Republican bench is bent by its hatred of the “mainstream media” (not it!), mostly because said media is actually researching the facts. Sometimes they’re just on a candidate’s website next to said candidate’s picture! Imagine. No, the media isn’t hunting Republicans. It appears that Republicans are quite simply swallowing themselves whole.

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