Watermark Issue 25.14: Say Her Name

What is BIKTARVY®?

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults.

It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about BIKTARVY? BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects: } Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking BIKTARVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take BIKTARVY? Do not take BIKTARVY if you take: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

What are the other possible side effects of BIKTARVY? Serious side effects of BIKTARVY may also include: } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%). Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking BIKTARVY? } All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. } All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements. BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all of your other medicines. } If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby.

Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. } If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

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

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the following page.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at MyDailyCharge.com

KEEP EMPOWERING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment for adults who are either new to treatment or whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with BIKTARVY.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

BIKTARVY.COM

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

BIKTARVY can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

• Changes in your immune system.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

• Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

• The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (5%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: • dofetilide • rifampin • any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider all your medical conditions, including if you: • Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

• Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

• If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

Version date: February 2018 © 2018 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0024 05/18

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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departments 7 // pUBlisher’s desK

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8 // Central FlOrida news 10 // tampa Bay news

since February, four transgender women of color have been gunned down in Jacksonville... Three of those victims died and the fourth was shot five times and survived... with the similarities of the murders, the transgender community fears this could be a serial killer or orchestrated violence targeting the community. They do not feel safe on their own streets.

—eqUALIty fLORIDA’S DIRectOR Of tRANSGeNDeR eqUALIty GINA DUNcAN

12 // state news 13// natiOn & wOrld news 17 // talKinG pOints 35 // COmmUnity Calendar 37 // tampa Bay OUt + aBOUt 39 // OrlandO OUt + aBOUt 40 // tampa Bay marKetplaCe 42 // OrlandO marKetplaCe 45 // weddinG Bells/ annOUnCements On the COver

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PAGE SAY HER NAME:

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With 2018’s third transgender murder in Jacksonville, advocates seek justice and solidarity Photo illustration by Jake Stevens

sCan Qr COde FOr

watermarKOnline.COm

Openly gay figure skater Scott Smith joins Cirque du Soleil for its first ever show on ice “Crystal,” coming to the Amway Center in Orlando.

watermarK issUe 25.14 // jUly 12 - jUly 25, 2018

yOUnG vOlUnteer

On the rise

stUdent BOard

100 men

PAGE Central Florida candidates describe the differing enthusiasm levels among young volunteers.

PAGE Metro Wellness & Community Centers is seeing a surge in Hormone Replacement Therapy patients.

Florida high school student Adam York comes out while running for Citrus County School Board position.

St. Pete author Richard Randall shares tragedy and triumph in his new book, “One Hundred Little Men.”

read it online!

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

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foLLoW uS on tWitter And inStAgrAm At @WAtermArKonLine And LiKe uS on fACeBooK. watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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Let us introduce you to Bainbridge Ybor City, the newest luxury apartment homes located just northeast of downtown Tampa!

Designed with a real live and play balance in mind our atmosphere in one vibrant history and diverse charm! Just like Ybor itself!

Bike or walk over to 7th Street and be in the center of Ybor City’s bar and restaurant scene! Hop on the nearby TECO Line Streetcar and explore the rich history and local attractions of Tampa, Harbour Island, The Channel District, and Ybor City!

We are also a short trip to the Florida Aquarium, IKEA, Downtown Tampa, and Ybor City State Museum.

Our community blends in with the historic beauty and charm of the surrounding area and stands out with amenities and features that make it truly unique!

Luxury Downtown Living in the Heart of Ybor City

LiveYborCity.com • 1512 East 12th Avenue, Tampa 1-888-997-6617 6

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

COntriBUtOrs

puBLiSHer’S

Rick Claggett PUBLISHER

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

I

desK

’M NOt A veRy ReLIGIOUS PeRSON.

Actually, I’m not religious in the traditional sense at all. Organized religion and I have not seen eye to eye for some time. That’s not a secret to those who know me well, but sometimes I find it harder to admit that to people than to say that I am a gay man.

In a previous article of mine, I described in detail a story of how I felt manipulated by “the church,” which was the beginning of the end for me. I then attended a very religious college, which to a young and outspoken liberal just seemed like a propaganda machine and torture device.

However, life took a turn for me when I turned 40, a hard turn with no blinker. That’s the year I discovered I am an alcoholic and the year I began to slowly open up spiritually. Programs

watermarK staFF Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer tom@Watermarkonline.com Owner & Publisher: Rick Claggett • Ext. 110 Rick@Watermarkonline.com Business Manager: Kathleen Harper • Ext. 101 kathleen@Watermarkonline.com

designed to help alcoholics are riddled in religious verbiage. It’s really a turn off for people like me.

Luckily, I was able to find a group of people who not only thought like me, but who had years of experience and could guide me through the principles that could help by opening up spiritually, not religiously.

The principle I found the most helpful: The Serenity Prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And

CFL Bureau Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@Watermarkonline.com Tampa Bay Bureau Chief: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@Watermarkonline.com Art Director: Jake Stevens • Ext. 109 Jake@Watermarkonline.com Creative Assistant/Photographer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 102 dylan@Watermarkonline.com

wisdom to know the difference.”

The first time this was presented to me I rolled my eyes. But then it was explained to me that believers say God because they are talking directly to God; some alcoholics use God as an acronym for Group of Drunks because they are looking to their peers for strength; and non-believers will change God to “good” as if speaking to the power of all that is good. That was something I could get behind.

Whether speaking to God, friends or good, we are all just trying to do what is right. That’s the place where the religious meets the spiritual and the agnostic. As long as we are all working for the power of good, then we are all alright by me.

The Serenity Prayer is what gets me through the day. We live in a time when families are torn apart at our borders, our allies are being bashed by our leadership and the Axis of Evil is readying our seat at the table. The latest hit, the Supreme Court looks to swing conservative and potentially change the course of social issues.

As a community we could sit back and play the blame game.

We can yell at Bernie supporters and Jill Stein voters. We can blame Hillary’s email server or Jim Comey. We can sit in an endless pit of What Ifs. What if Trump ran against Bernie?

Would it have mattered? What if marriage equality is reversed?

What if being gay is made illegal?

What if all media is shut down except state-run news? What if Trump appoints himself as a lifetime president?

We should all have the wisdom to know that we can’t change the past. We should all have the wisdom to know that we can’t do good by dwelling on a “what if.” More importantly, we should all have the courage to change

what we can. We can change the course of the political climate. We can have the courage to knock on doors and to make phone calls for brave leaders emerging in our local and state governments.

We can’t just sit back and complain on Facebook and write articles and expect the world will change for us. We need to have the courage to do it ourselves. We need to vote. We need to make good happen. Maybe then we will all be able to sit down with our spiritual creator or savior and have a drink. Although, don’t touch my water, Jesus. I’m not allowed to have wine.

We should all have the wisdom to know that we can’t do good by dwelling on a ‘what if.’

In this issue we talk about the courageous leaders in Jacksonville who are shedding light on a series of murders targeting the transgender community. In Tampa Bay, we check in on the increase in HRT at Metro Wellness and introduce you to the mother of a transgender child. In Central Florida, sheds light on a new LGBTQ Asian group and highlights the need for participation in three local elections. Our Arts & Entertainment section spotlights the latest touring show of Cirque Du Soleil and a local Tampa Bay author’s book “One Hundred Little Men.” We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

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National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media inc.

212-242-6863

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

ScOttIe cAMPBeLL

is a longtime activist as a member the LGBT community. His work has resulted in a thriving community in the Lake Ivanhoe region and his wit has melted at least a few Orlando candles. Page 15

AARON DRAke

is a contributor to Creative Loafing, South Florida Gay News and ManAboutWorld. He loves getting lost in other countries and his German Shepherd. Page 45 saBrina amBra, nathan BrUemmer, sCOttie CampBell, miGUel FUller, divine GraCe, samUel jOhnsOn, jasOn leClerC, melOdy maia mOnet, david mOran, GreG stemm, raChel stevensOn, dr. steve yaCOvelli, miChael wanZie

phOtOGraphy Brian BeCnel, niCK CardellO, BrUCe hardin, jUlie milFOrd, travis mOOre, jamarQUs mOsley, Chris stephensOn, lee vanderGriFt

distriBUtiOn lvnliF2 distriBUtinG, lisa jOrdan, jill Bates, Ken Carraway

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

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

WATERMARK is published every second Thursday. Subscription rate is $55 (1st class) and $26 (standard mail).

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central florida news

UCF alum creates Orlando’s first space for LGBTQ Asians Kathy Ruiz

O

RLANDO | University of Central Florida (UCF) alum Rikki Ocampos founded the Orlando Queer and Trans Asian Association, or OQTAA (pronounced “octa”), in April. OQTAA looks to bring together LGBTQ individuals of Asian descent in the Central Florida area. The organization officially launched July 8.

OQTAA focuses on empowering Asian-Americans who identify as queer and transgender through culture and community. “There have always been spaces for queer people and for Asians in Orlando, but none have been designed specifically for the intersection of those identities,” Ocampos says.

Ocampos founded the organization in her final semester at UCF. “I came to Orlando and UCF seeking a sense of community and pride in my Filipino and Chinese heritage,” she says. “To an extent, I did find it, but I still felt homophobia in the communities even among the student population. My experience in those communities would have been more enjoyable had there been a space for LGBTQ people.”

OQTAA’s vision is to provide the community a platform in which to share and celebrate their experiences and intersectionality, while simultaneously finding resources and affirmation relating to the queer and transgender Asian identity. One of OQTAA’s first projects will be to host a series of coffee shop talks that encourage open dialogue and discussion for the community.

“This space is so important because I have always felt forced to choose between being gay and being Asian. It always seemed like I was expected to choose one identity that was ‘more important’ to me, when it was never supposed to be a battle between the two,” Ocampos says. “I know that there are other individuals who have similar experiences, and I hope that we can prevent these situations in the future because they can be alienating and damaging to how we view ourselves. These identities aren’t mutually exclusive.”

While LGBTQ representation has been on the rise, it has tended to focus on gay, cisgender white males, says Ocampos. OQTAA is looking to change the narrative.

“Queer Asian identities are definitely being given visibility, especially in mainstream media,” she says. “We have figures like Eugene Lee Yang of BuzzFeed, Jeanna Han who was briefly in ‘Scream Queens,’ and George Takei. But we certainly aren’t the forefront of the queer community. “ OQTAA works in conjunction with the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), which seeks to build the organizational capacity of local LGBTQ AAPI groups, as well as develop leadership, promote visibility, educate the community, enhance grassroots organizing, expand collaborations and challenge homophobia and racism.

To learn more about OQTAA, visit OQTAA.com or Facebook.com/OQTAAFL.

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the canDIDATES:

(L-R) Eric Rollings, Susan Makowski and Anna Eskamani at Pride & Allies.

Photo by colton adkins

Get Out The Volunteer Central Florida candidates describe differing enthusiasm levels among young volunteers Layla Ferris

O

RLANDO | A push for stricter gun laws, among other prominent issues, has politically mobilized Florida’s youth; however, Central Florida candidates say they have conflicting experiences with the enthusiasm levels of young volunteers and voters.

Three Central Florida candidates—Eric Rollings, Susan Makowski and Anna Eskamani — discussed how national enthusiasm has translated at the local level during a June 27 Pride & Allies Meeting held at the Orange County Administration Building in downtown Orlando.

Rollings, who is openly gay, is running for Orange County commissioner in District 3.

Makowski, who is openly lesbian, is running for Orange County commissioner in District 4. Anna Eskamani, a vocal LGBTQ ally, is running for the Florida House of Representatives in District 47.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Eskamani says the majority of her volunteers are young and the enthusiasm has been “palpable.”

After a year of campaigning, her volunteer network has amassed more than 1,000 people, 256 of those having served one full volunteer shift.

“We have people of every age who contribute,” Eskamani says.

Eskamani thinks some young people relate to her age and see themselves in her, which leads them to join her team. She also says she prioritizes youth outreach.

Even though many high school students are too young to vote, Eskamani energizes them with buttons that read “If I was 18, I’d vote for Anna.”

Conversely, Rollings says he’d like to see more college-aged people turn out to volunteer.

“I would have expected that we would have been inundated [with young volunteers] with all the issues that are coming out right now and after [the Parkland shooting],” he says.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

Rollings says that most of his volunteer network consists of “loyal” and “vigilant” people who stayed with him since his 2014 election as chair of the Soil and Water Conservation District.

But he says the age group of his volunteers is still diverse. Volunteers who canvass with him on the weekends range from teenagers to around 70 years old.

Rollings says voter turnout in the younger community is paramount because it can sway an election, though he adds that the voting process can be “so confusing” in regard to when voters have to register with a political party to vote and when they do not.

Rollings says his lack of new volunteers could be attributed to people focusing on specific issues instead of rallying behind candidates.

Makowski says she has been contacted by several young people who want to be politically active.

Makowski says she has a 19-year-old supporter from Taft, Florida, as well as a UCF grad who’s bringing his friend along to join her campaign.

While Makowski says she likes the energy the youth bring to her campaign, she thinks her own energy is what attracts them in the first place. “I have action,” Makowski says. “I show action. They know the passion; I think they can sense that.

That’s bringing them to me.”

All three candidates mentioned equal rights, fixing the affordable housing crisis and helping the environment as main platform points.

Additional reporting by Colton Adkins.

In adults with HIV on ART who have diarrhea not caused by an infection IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION This is only a summary. See complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or by calling 1-844-722-8256. This does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

What Is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine used to improve symptoms of noninfectious diarrhea (diarrhea not caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on ART. Do Not Take Mytesi if you have diarrhea caused by an infection. Before you start Mytesi, your doctor and you should make sure your diarrhea is not caused by an infection (such as bacteria, virus, or parasite).

Possible Side Effects of Mytesi Include:

Tired of planning your life around diarrhea?

Enough is Enough Get relief. Pure and simple. Ask your doctor about Mytesi.

Mytesi (crofelemer): • Is the only medicine FDA-approved to relieve diarrhea in people with HIV • Treats diarrhea differently by normalizing the flow of water in the GI tract • Has the same or fewer side effects as placebo in clinical studies • Comes from a tree sustainably harvested in the Amazon Rainforest

• Upper respiratory tract infection (sinus, nose, and throat infection) • Bronchitis (swelling in the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs) • Cough • Flatulence (gas) • Increased bilirubin (a waste product when red blood cells break down) For a full list of side effects, please talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

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

Should I Take Mytesi If I Am: Pregnant or Planning to Become Pregnant?

• Studies in animals show that Mytesi could harm an unborn baby or affect the ability to become pregnant • There are no studies in pregnant women taking Mytesi • This drug should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed A Nursing Mother?

• It is not known whether Mytesi is passed through human breast milk • If you are nursing, you should tell your doctor before starting Mytesi • Your doctor will help you to decide whether to stop nursing or to stop taking Mytesi Under 18 or Over 65 Years of Age? • Mytesi has not been studied in children under 18 years of age • Mytesi studies did not include many people over the age of 65. So it is not clear if this age group will respond differently. Talk to your doctor to find out if Mytesi is right for you

What is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine that helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea not caused by an infection (noninfectious) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

What Should I Know About Taking Mytesi With Other Medicines?

Important Safety Information Mytesi is not approved to treat infectious diarrhea (diarrhea caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite). Before starting you on Mytesi, your healthcare provider will first be sure that you do not have infectious diarrhea. Otherwise, there is a risk you would not receive the right medicine and your infection could get worse. In clinical studies, the most common side effects that occurred more often than with placebo were upper respiratory tract (sinus, nose, and throat) infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

What If I Have More Questions About Mytesi?

For Copay Savings Card and Patient Assistance, see Mytesi.com

If you are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicine, herbal supplements, or vitamins, tell your doctor before starting Mytesi.

For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

To report side effects or make a product complaint or for additional information, call 1-844-722-8256.

Rx Only Manufactured by Patheon, Inc. for Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. San Francisco, CA 94105 Copyright © Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mytesi comes from the Croton lechleri tree harvested in South America.

Please see complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com.

NP-390-33

RELIEF, PURE AND SIMPLE

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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tampa bay news

Tampa Bay mother shares journey of raising transgender son

SHARING IS CARING: Trans

Ryan Williams-Jent

B

RANDON | Community advocate Sylvie Griffiths and the non-profit Turnaround Life have begun publishing a blog series detailing Griffiths’ journey raising her eight-year-old transgender son.

Turnaround Life exists to provide diverse, inclusive systems of care through development, evaluation, education and capacity building. Griffiths was approached to write a blog for their website after she began working as a consultant for the organization.

“It was initially a blog about my family,” Griffiths recalls.

“I didn’t know at that point that it would revolve around Jake. It was a fluid process; I write about all of my children but there’s obviously a little more detail with what’s been going on in Jake’s life.”

Griffiths says Jake came out as transgender at six years old, something she was familiar with from her time working in social services with agencies like Metro Wellness and Community Centers and Empath Partners in Care. “It was kind of right in front of our face and we didn’t see it,” she says.

“There was a day that stands out where we went to the beach,” Griffiths recalls. “The only swimsuit I could find for Jake, who at least to us was still identifying with his birth name, was a bikini… he was furious with me and so upset.

I couldn’t understand what was going on.”

It was that day that Jake shared with a family friend that he didn’t want to develop a feminine body as he aged, Griffiths says the friend advised her. “At six years old I know enough to realize that is not the average response,” she says.

Griffiths sought the advice of friends at Metro as Jake and an older sibling researched being transgender online. “A couple of weeks later my child said to me, ‘I am transgender.’ It was crazy. I know it’s not the normal pathway. I was still finding out who I was in my twenties and thirties, so to be six and say this is who I really am, we were amazed.”

One point of frustration was the lack of information available to Griffiths as she and Jake began their journey, prompting her to share their story with the world.

“I looked for resources, I looked for parents’ blogs, I looked for books, and initially I didn’t find a lot out there,” she says. “I feel like having that connection with people can be such a resource.”

Her one concern was the exposure it may bring to her youngest child, but Griffiths says Jake loved the idea. “He’s the baby so he likes attention,” she laughs. “To me, he loves being transgender. I couldn’t be happier, so I really wanted to make sure that this was okay with him. He wasn’t just happy, he was excited.”

To read about Jake’s journey, visit turnaroundlife.org/news.

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Care Coordinator Lucas Wehle and LGBTQ+ Youth/Transgender Program Coordinator Cole Foust share Metro’s offerings at St Pete Pride’s TransPride pre-party June 22.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

On the Rise Metro Wellness sees surge in Hormone Replacement Therapy patients Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | Metro Wellness and Community Centers, which currently provides Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to 584 patients throughout Tampa Bay, has announced that nearly half of those patients have begun receiving care within the last year.

“We’ve had 275 new HRT patients and that’s without counting the 76 who are in another program that we offer,” Metro’s Trans Care Coordinator Lucas Wehle says. “Almost half of our patients have started HRT care with us within the last year… that’s huge.”

HRT is utilized within the transgender and gender nonconforming communities to allow individuals to more closely align their sexual characteristics with their gender identity. It includes both feminizing hormone therapy, typically utilized by transgender women or transfeminine people, and masculinizing hormone therapy, typically utilized by transgender men or transmasculine people.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Wehle credits the surge with Metro’s expanded health offerings, as well as a national spotlight on the transgender community. “The media has been talking more about the trans community and the topic as a whole,” he says, “so more people have been coming out as trans. The shift over the last two or three years has seen more people get to the point where they’re getting into care.”

“It’s very important that people have decided to take this route,” Metro’s Director of LGBTQ+ Programs Nate Taylor adds. “Some in the community were going through the black market to get HRT and it’s very dangerous. This way it’s safe, it’s monitored and there are trained physicians to help them.”

“I am extremely grateful and encouraged that Metro Wellness now has transgender care,” Tampa Bay’s 56-year old Laura Watson says, having transitioned in her late teens. She says there were virtually no resources available at the time, adding that as a result she saw people die.

“They died from depression, and they died from engaging in dangerous behavior in order to

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

afford what sketchy treatment was available at that time,” Watson says.

“Metro Wellness’ transgender care will save lives.”

Metro also offers a program known as “HRT UP,” which stands for uninsured program and currently assists 76 patients. It allows those who are under or uninsured, have a low income or cannot afford self-pay rates to receive care.

“Nine of those 76 were able to access care through a provider to monitor their hormones for the first time,” Wehle says, “instead of getting them from a black market or a friend or overseas. For all of our patients, we have wraparound services we can also connect them with. People can come here and get a slew of resources that they can benefit from.”

“It branches off to our transgender support groups and we try to make everything come full circle,” Taylor adds. “If they’re affected by one thing then they’re affected by ten other things.”

Above all, Wehle stresses the importance for those in the community interested in HRT to contact the organization for help.

“We would love to get more people into care,” he says. “We aim to make sure we’re as strategic as possible so that we don’t have to turn people away.”

For more information about Metro Wellness and Community Centers, HRT or the organization’s programs and services, visit metrotampabay.org/ transgender/ or call 727-321-3854.

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11

state news

hiGh sChOOl stUdent COmes OUt while rUnninG FOr CitrUs COUnty sChOOl BOard pOsitiOn Colton Adkins

c

ItRUS cOUNty, fla. | 18-year-old high school student Adam York, who is running for the District 5 seat on the Citrus County School Board, came out as gay during a public forum June 29.

York expressed that coming out in such a public way was never intentional, as the county is predominantly conservative, but a question during a forum motivated him.

“It was a question about bullying in our schools, and I personally had a big problem with this in middle school,” remembers York. “Students were going through a bunch of changes with a different time for puberty for everyone, and we didn’t understand each other.”

Fear of the community’s reaction, York says, did not hold him back. “I wanted to be honest with the community, and instead of having this be a scandal, I wanted to be honest and talk to people. Because of that, people stood behind me.”

Although not out to the community previously, York had come out to and received support from his close friends and family before running for school board. His drive and motivation to run for the school board started his freshman year of high school in ROTC. “Towards the end of the semester my freshman year, they had an ROTC military ball.

My partner and I had gone to the dance and the school had an unspoken rule that same-sex couples cannot dance together.

I had no idea about this,” says

York. “So, we were asked to leave because we made other people uncomfortable.”

Outrage sparked according to York, and he spent the next three years getting involved in school and fighting cases for defense of teachers’ rights, providing due process to teachers, defending students’ rights, protecting teachers’ unions and keeping guns out of schools.

York has always been close with his community, however, and has been involved in small business associations, agricultural associations and school programs such as the National Junior Honor Society and Future Farmers of America.

This involvement helped push York to run, he says.

“With politics, as soon as I got into it, I realized how much was going on in our county and how

much progress we don’t have and how much we’re holding back; how much we want to just give to stability and not grow and change with the growing world,” says York. “I realized that as the world changes, we can’t have five incumbents that are 80 years old that haven’t been in school for 40 years. We need change.”

One policy that York actively fought against – and says he “was the only one to speak out against” – was the “Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program,” a bill Gov. Rick Scott signed allowing teachers to voluntarily carry firearms at school in March following the Parkland shooting.

“It was absolutely insane that all of them were just so willing to jump on board… like, ‘yeah, we need to give our teachers these guns,’” says York. “It

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

scared me as a student. It scared my fellow classmates, and it scared our teachers to think that it would happen this fast.”

Against two former teachers and another high school student, York insists he is still the best choice for the school board position due to his honesty and the transparency he will maintain in the position.

“I always tell people that I’m not scripted. Every time you see us at a forum, the other three candidates will step up with their papers and they will read stuff off,” says York. “When you see me speak, I speak from the heart. I speak from experience, and I speak the truth.”

York wants to be the voice for all students, including those who are unable to come out as their true selves in Citrus County. “I deserve to be on the school board to represent the students and teachers of this county,” he says.

Additional reporting by Jeremy Williams.

nation+world news

Wisconsin high court sides with fired conservative professor Wire Report

M

ILWAUKEE, Wis. | A former Marquette University professor who wrote a blog post criticizing a student instructor he believed shut down debate against gay marriage shouldn’t have lost his job because of what he published, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on July 6.

The 120-page decision concluded that the private Catholic school breached its contract with professor John McAdams that guaranteed academic freedom and that he should be immediately reinstated.

The university said it would comply with the ruling.

The court’s 4-2 decision came down on ideological lines, with the conservative majority siding with McAdams. Those justices said the faculty panel that recommended his discipline had an “unacceptable bias” because one member had

publicly expressed support for the graduate instructor.

The liberal justices called the decision “far reaching” and said academic freedom “does not protect McAdams from discipline” if his peers concluded he acted unprofessionally.

One justice didn’t participate in the ruling.

McAdams sued the university in 2016, arguing that he lost his job for exercising freedom of speech.

Marquette said McAdams wasn’t fired for the content of his 2014 post, but because he named the student instructor and linked to her personal website that had personal identifying information.

“That’s not academic freedom.

That’s cyber bullying,” Ralph Weber, Marquette’s attorney, said.

The instructor, a graduate student, later received a flood of hateful messages and threats, and at one point needed a security guard stationed outside her class.

She eventually moved to another

university where she had to repeat three semesters and revise her Ph.D. thesis.

In the November 2014 blog post, McAdams described an interaction between a conservative student and a graduate student instructor of philosophy. The student claimed the instructor refused to allow discussion about opposition to gay marriage during a class and provided McAdams with a recording he secretly made of a conversation with the teacher.

That formed the basis for McAdams’ post, in which he argued that the students’ experience was another example of liberals silencing people whose opinions they disagree with or find offensive. The post included the student-teacher’s name, a link to her personal website and her email address.

In its Friday ruling, the court’s conservative majority said McAdams’ blog post can’t be blamed for the harassment against the instructor.

Liberal justices who dissented said conservatives ignored the fact that McAdams promoted his post to national media outlets knowing the backlash the student could receive.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

in other news Maine Gov. LePage vetoes ‘conversion therapy’ bill Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed a bill that would’ve banned state-licensed therapists from engaging in conversion therapy aimed at changing someone’s sexual orientation. LePage said July 7 the bill is unnecessary for professionals who already have a defined scope of practice and said he has concerns that it could harm parental rights and the work of faith-based counselors.

The group GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, known as GLAD, criticized the governor’s veto. The American Medical Association says conversion therapy may cause long-term psychological harm.

More remains found near home used by Canadian serial killer More human remains have been discovered in the Toronto ravine behind a home that alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur used as storage for his landscaping business.

Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga told reporters July 5 that the remains were found with the help of K-9 units and have been sent to forensic authorities. The 66-year-old McArthur is accused of killing eight men and disposing of their bodies on the home’s property. Police have also searched more than 100 sites around the city. McArthur is believed to have targeted older and large men he met on gay dating apps.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

viewpoint

PHOTO BY JESS REgAN

scottie Campbell

tHe tender

ACtiViSt How gay is The Great American Read?

I

ReceNtLy BOUGht

someone a book as a present. I remembered them reading the genre of book, detective mystery, in the past. I had stumbled upon the book and found myself enjoying a genre I normally wouldn’t gravitate toward. I thought by gifting the book we would share something.

To my surprise, the recipient thanked me for the book then said they hadn’t read a book in a long time. There was tired weight given to the word long. What to me is a common habit was being expressed as nearly alien to them. Caught on the judgment barometer somewhere between a mindful well-that’s-okay and an arrogant what-the-fuck, I told them they didn’t need to feel obligated to read it. They said they would give it a try.

Ostensibly, The Great American Read is about getting our country reading. PBS conducted a survey of Americans to compile this list of 100 top novels—PBS is careful to note they are not endorsing the titles—which we can vote on between now and Oct. 18. There will be a total of eight shows, hosted by Meredith Vieira, on which notables will discuss the books. America’s “best-loved novel” will then be announced in a “Grand Finale” on Oct. 23. It’s a booklover’s orgasm and maybe it will inspire the rare book readers like my friend trudging through the first in Hodge’s trilogy.

As I was checking off the books I’ve read on the printable list of the 100, I got curious as to how queers

fared in The Great American Read. A few jump out like Oscar Wilde, whose “The Picture of Dorian Gray” made the list, and James Baldwin with “Another Country.” Of course, “Tales of the City”

by Armistead Maupin who, with a jolting lack of humility, states he knew he was writing a groundbreaking book during the series launch special in May. My nana and I had two different takes on “A Separate Peace.” I saw it as a story about a unique friendship, but she picked up—as did legions of readers—on the books’ gay undertones, gently telling me it wasn’t for her. John Knowles, the book’s author, was gay and was quoted as saying, “If there had been homoeroticism between Phineas and Gene, I would have put it in the book, I assure you. It simply wasn’t there.” Books, like other forms of art, are partly what their creator intends and what they become in the mind of the receiver, so it’s doubtful Knowles’ revelations changed many perceptions of this layered piece of writing.

If you’ve read any of John Irving’s books, you might be unsurprised to learn he has been open about his own proclivities. He says that bisexual impulses were strong growing up but he was afraid of being gay. His “A Prayer for Owen Meany” includes a character named Johnny Wheelwright, who is gossiped about by the townspeople as a “non-practicing homosexual.” In 2009, Irving told The Denver Post: “I wanted to never state that Johnny loves Owen in that way—unrequited, because Owen isn’t gay. Yet I think it’s perfectly OK if readers think of Johnny as gay, as not only loving Owen Meany but in love with him.”

There isn’t enough space on this page to fully consider the queer quotient of each tome and it’s worth considering whether or not it matters. Does it matter if there may or not have been a romantic relationship between Shug and Celie in “The Color Purple” (Alice Walker), as there is some debate among

readers? It matters when you’re part of the LGBT+ community and looking for yourself in literature. I’m reminded of Whoopi Goldberg (who, incidentally, played Celie on film and with an undeniable tryst with Shug) commenting about how important it was for her to see Uhura on the Starship Enterprise; it meant her

in “The Confederacy of Dunces.” “The Da Vinci Code” is worth mentioning for Leonardo Da Vinci himself; some scholars have insisted the ultimate Renaissance man was asexual, but, if you read his journals, his words about his male assistants indicate he was at the very least a “non-practicing homosexual.” There’s also

resonated with LGBT+ audiences because it told the story of someone having to hide their true selves, but it’s about time we have our own story told. This speaks to Maupin’s point: he knew “Tales” was groundbreaking because nobody was telling that type of story at the time.

In the end, the best books are the ones that leave you

people made it into the future.

It would be many years before the LGBT+ community would get that sort of assurance from the “Star Trek” franchise.

For posterity, here are a few—let me stress, not all—of the places where The Great American Reads touch, to varying degrees, on LGBT+ material. Relationships in “The Game of Thrones,” and a flamboyant minor character

the oft debated “hobbmance” between Samwise Gamgee and Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings” and don’t forget none other than J.K. Rowling herself proclaimed Dumbledore to be gay.

Recently Adrian Molina, the out co-director of “Coco,” made a stir by addressing the possibility of a queer-inclusive Pixar film. He noted that Miguel’s story in “Coco”

discovering a little more about yourself, no matter their gender or proclivity of the author, or the focus of the subject matter. I can say, with certainty, reading about blond-haired, blue-eyed Chris Dollanganger in V.C. Andrews’ “The Flowers in the Attic” as a preteen stirred something in the future practicing homosexual in me.

Caught on the judgment barometer somewhere between a mindful well-that’s-okay and an arrogant what-the-fuck, I told them they didn’t need to feel obligated to read it.

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OUtUBe hAS APOLOGIZeD tO the LGBtq cOMMUNIty for allowing anti-LGBTQ ads to run on videos with LGBTQ content and for monetization policies that prevented LGBTQ content creators from having ads on all of their videos. LGBTQ content creators have complained that their videos have become age or content restricted, weren’t showing up in search results or were becoming demonetized because of their content, among other issues. YouTuber Chase Ross uploaded a video discussing his transition from female to male. After uploading the video numerous times without issue, Ross uploaded the video using the word “transgender.” Ross showed in a tweet that the video became demonetized. YouTube issued an apology for the issues in a lengthy statement on Twitter. While the video platform did apologize, no specific plans of action were addressed.

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“I want everyone to have their own interpretation of it for them, but for me it’s about fucking with your own soul, agreeing to be on the ride together no matter what and discovering, remembering that magic is real if you believe it so,” Lonsdale said. Lonsdale came out as bisexual in 2017.

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ComediAn HAnnAH gAdSBY’S netfLiX SpeCiAL getS tWitter BuZZing

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eXUALIty, GeNDeR AND the ROLe Of cOMeDy headline comedian Hannah Gadsby’s comedy special “Nanette,” now streaming on Netflix. The hour-long comedy special is a departure from Gadsby’s normal comedy routines. In “Nanette,” Gadsby hits on topics about the community (lesbians tell her that her shows do not include enough lesbian content), gender-identity and why she won’t do self-deprecating humor anymore. Fans of the special took to Twitter calling it “powerful” and “brilliant.” Gadsby tweeted back, “Thanks for all the wonderful messages about ‘Nanette.’ I am a little overwhelmed, so here is a picture of [one of her dogs] Douglas expressing my gratitude through the metaphor of a nap.”

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

CoLLin mArtin BeComeS firSt openLY gAY, ACtiVe pLAYer in mLS HiStorY

M

INNeSOtA UNIteD MIDfIeLDeR cOLLIN MARtIN cAMe OUt via Twitter June 29, making history as the only openly gay, active player in Major League Soccer. “Tonight my team, @ MNUFC , is having their Pride night.

It’s an important night for me—I’ll be announcing that I am an openly gay player in Major League Soccer. #soccerforall,” Martin tweeted. Martin has played for Minnesota United for the past two seasons and spent the previous four with D.C. United. In the tweet, Martin posted a picture of himself wrapped in a rainbow flag.

Martin is the second player in MLS history to come out as gay—Robbie Rogers came out in 2013—but the first to come out while still an active player.

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

Celine walKer

antash’a enGlish

Cathalina Christina james

say her name WITH

201 8 ’S THIRD TRANSGENDER MURDER IN JACK SONVILLE,

ADVOCATES SEEK

A

JUSTICE AND SOLIDARIT Y

Ryan Williams-Jent

t LeASt 28 kNOWN tRANSGeNDeR

men and women were murdered nationwide in 2017, the highest number on record. On June 24, just over 2018’s midpoint, the murders of two transgender women brought this year’s total to half that—prompting community advocates to demand justice for the 14 transgender lives lost.

One of those murders was that of Cathalina Christina James, a transgender woman of color who lived her life as more than a disturbing statistic stemming from Jacksonville, Fla. James’ death sparked outrage and stoked fear for the transgender community in Florida’s fourth most populous city, with local leaders fearing a serial killer stalked Jacksonville’s streets.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

“Since February, four transgender women of color have been gunned down in Jacksonville,” Equality Florida’s Director of Transgender Equality Gina Duncan tells Watermark.

“Three of those victims died and the fourth was shot five times and survived. At this point in time, all of those homicides remain

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

Continued on pg. 21 | uu |

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unsolved… with the similarities of the murders, the transgender community fears this could be a serial killer or orchestrated violence targeting the community.

They do not feel safe on their own streets.”

The unsolved murders began Feb. 4 with Celine Walker, who was pronounced dead at an Extended Stay America hotel near the city’s St. Johns Town Center. She was followed by Antash’a English June 1, who was found between two abandoned homes and died from her injuries at a local hospital.

A third transgender woman survived an attack June 8, though she’s not been publicly identified as of press time, and the aforementioned Cathalina Christina James was found at a Quality Inn and Suites June 24.

“The most concerning aspect of this is that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office continues to misgender the victims,” Duncan notes. “They continue to show little regard or to assure the transgender community on the ground in Jacksonville of what progress they’re making in investigating these murders.”

Duncan asserts that the department’s misgendering “breeds an environment of distrust with the community,” which she asserts impedes local investigations “because officers may be on the streets referring to the victims using their ‘deadnames.’”

A “deadname” is a name given to a transgender individual at birth which may not align with their gender identity or the authentic identity they live daily. “These victims were out transgender women,” Duncan says, “and that’s how the community knew them.”

“What’s happening right now is a case of anti-transgender violence and it’s also a case of police negligence,” Amanda Nelson, co-director of the Jacksonville Transgender Action Committee (JTAC) adds. The small organization provides charitable works, education, support, advocacy and empowerment to improve the quality of life for the area’s transgender, intersex and gender-variant individuals.

“A lot of us don’t know what to make of what’s happening,” she says. “Any murder is tragic, but so many murders specifically of black transgender women, one after another, have left us

As for the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office, they aren’t doing anything for the transgender community. There’s no relationship... they don’t care if 20 transgender girls get killed here.

—Paige Mahogany Parks, Jacksonville’s Transgender Awareness Project Director

wondering why and if it’s going to keep happening.”

Nelson says that Jacksonville has an ingrained culture of violence, particularly aimed at the city’s people of color, the working class and immigrant communities.

According to the city’s Office of Economic Development, its population rests at 926,255 people — 48.5 percent of whom

are male and 51.5 percent of whom are female.

It cites 2016’s U.S. Census to list 60.5 percent of its inhabitants as Caucasian, while 29.3 percent are listed as African-American and 9.2 percent are listed as Hispanic.

“People have become desensitized to seeing death and to seeing murder, and that’s something that has really come apparent,” she says.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

JTAC has existed since 2013, but Nelson believes what’s been “really eye opening” has been discussing the recent transgender homicides with Jacksonville’s city council.

The council is the legislative body that the city’s website advises is responsible for “making the laws that govern our way of life.”

The 19 council members, who are elected to four-year terms and

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

serve as part-time legislators, “have almost unlimited power to enact legislation in order to provide for the needs of [the] community,” it also notes.

“I sense there’s still a great deal of marginalization surrounding the transgender community and acceptance there is slow moving,” Duncan says. “In speaking at a city council meeting it became evident that, with law enforcement in Jacksonville, there’s not only a disconnect with the transgender community, but also with most marginalized or underserved communities in the area.”

“We’ve called on them to speak up on behalf of their constituents,” Nelson says, “but there’s been a deafening silence from the city council, from the mayor and from so many of our elected officials just to condemn the violence and to call on the other arms of government to seek justice in these cases.”

Watermark reached out to Jacksonville’s city council, which as of press was on its summer break from July 2-13. Mayor Lenny Curry’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

“It’s been very disappointing that we have not heard from a single city council member and that we have not heard from the mayor,” Duncan notes. “At the least, we got a very flawed statement from the governor calling for action in solving these murders in Jacksonville, even though he still refuses to use the terms‘transgender’ or ‘LGBTQ.’” Governor Rick Scott’s office referred Watermark to commentary the governor made June 27 during a campaign stop in Jacksonville. Scott was visiting the city as he prepares to face incumbent Florida Senator Bill Nelson in November’s general election for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

“I just feel sorry for people,” Scott reportedly told attendees.

“You hope that it would never happen. I hate that these things happen. On the state level, we provide some funding for Jacksonville to deal with, you know, helping to reduce their crime.”

“I know that Mayor Curry and Sheriff [Mike] Williams both ran to focus on making this a safe place to live,” Scott continued. “I always say there’s three primary jobs as Governor. You focus on how you make sure people get a job, how kids can get an education and how you keep people safe… you hate when anything like this happens, and I hope whoever did it is caught

Continued on pg. 25 | uu |

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

call to action: Activists and allies gather at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville June 27 for “Trans Lives Matter: A Call for Justice,” co-hosted by the

Transgender Awareness Project and the Jacksonville Transgender Action Committee. Photos by Mary Kate Meier, courtesy of the jacksonville transgender action committee.

| uu | Say Her Name from pg.21

and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Scott’s office advised that assertions that the governor did not support the LGBTQ community were “blatantly false,” referring Watermark to his proclamation naming June 12 as Pulse Remembrance Day. “This was an attack on Orlando, our state, the Hispanic community and on the LGBTQ community,” the proclamation reads. “It left a

solemn impact on our state that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”

“The only reason the governor said something was because there’s national attention on Jacksonville and on Florida,” Paige Mahogany Parks, director of Jacksonville’s Transgender Awareness Project (TAP) says. “He’s running for office, of course. That’s the only reason he said something.

“As for the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office, they aren’t doing anything for the transgender community,” she continues. “There’s no relationship with the LGBT

community. They don’t care if 20 transgender girls get killed here.”

It’s that silence that led Parks to position TAP to fight for equality and the protection of Jacksonville’s transgender women of color, she says, and to hold vigils and rallies in honor of the lives lost.

“Nothing was being said, no one was making noise,” she advises.

“We go to city hall and they’re not bothered. You can go to town hall meetings all day long, they’re just going to take your request and then send it on to whoever the councilman in that area is. They don’t do anything.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

“We have put out multiple times that there is no information that identifies [these murders] to be related and there’s no evidence to suggest that they are related,” Melissa Bujeda, a public information officer for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, says.

“There is no information in these investigations to suggest they are related… we are not working [them] as a pattern, series or trend.

“Just like every other law enforcement agency does, [the victims] are gendered based on their official documents,” Bujeda adds. “They have not had their

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

names changed on their official documents. When it comes to law enforcement, it has to go by the official documents.”

It’s an explanation that doesn’t satisfy advocates. In May 2017, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department—the nation’s largest—enacted a policy requiring deputies to address those in the transgender community by their preferred names and pronouns.

Similar policies exist nationwide.

“It may still be their legal name, as some of the victims had not changed their legal identity documents or the gender markers on their driver’s license,” Duncan notes, “but it is unfortunate that despite national policy and protocol that was issued by the Department of Justice, the JSO continues to refer back to their policy of ‘going with whatever their legal documents say’ in reference to [a victim’s] name and gender.”

As Duncan notes, the Department of Justice offers guidance for law enforcement when dealing with the transgender community via their Community Relations Service program.

Continued on pg. 27 | uu |

25

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

antash’a english: 38-year-old Antash’a described herself as “independent” and as a woman who thrived “on being the best person” she could be. Photo via Antash’a english’s facebook page | uu | Say Her Name from pg.25

Training material available at Justice.gov and dated Oct. 2015, completed “in consultation with law enforcement and transgender community leaders,” advises that “every day, law enforcement personnel from across the country encounter transgender individuals who are victims of hate crimes, abuse, discrimination, intolerance and injustice.”

It notes that the training exists to “provide the law enforcement community with information, education and best practice approaches for promoting greater understanding and positive outcomes when interacting with transgender individuals in non-hostile situations.”

“Ultimately our goal is to solve these murders and they are investigating them as they would any other murder,” Bujeda says.

“We’re trying to find who murdered these women.”

Change isn’t coming quickly enough for Parks, who says Jacksonville isn’t safe for transgender women, particularly trans women of color.

“When I walk down the street I don’t see transgender women,” she advises. “They’re too scared to be out in public here.”

She advises that’s the case even after Jacksonville passed an amendment to its Human Rights Ordinance, or HRO, in Feb. 2017. The amendment to include sexual orientation and gender identity protections passed 12-6,

celine walker: 36-year-old Celine has been described by friends as someone who “lived a low key life” and was “not a pageant girl.” Photo via celine walker’s facebook page

cathalina christina james: 24-year-old Cathalina’s mother described her daughter as having a “big and bold” personality.

Photo via cathalina christina james’ facebook page

…with the similarities of the murders, the transgender community fears this could be a serial killer or orchestrated violence targeting the community. They do not feel safe on their own streets....

—Gina Duncan, Equality Florida’s Director of Transgender Equality

although it did so without Mayor Curry’s signature. “Jacksonville is not the city for transgender women,” she says.

Jimmy Midyette, an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida staff attorney, was instrumental in the HRO’s passage.

He shares Parks’ concerns, noting that “the transgender community in Jacksonville is very worried about these murders,” and adding that “there’s a lack of official information from the JSO that

leaves rumors and speculation in place of fact.”

He says he’s “had the opportunity to speak to the Sheriff and others in leadership at JSO,” advising that meetings between the Sheriff’s Office and activists are currently being planned.

“From my perspective,” he says, “leadership at JSO wants to reassure the community and keep people safe but they have really not been able to communicate with the community.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

“I will say that the passage of the HRO was a huge win,” Nelson says. “I was so happy to see that happen and really proud of the people who pushed three separate times and won... but at the same time, someone at city council said, ‘do the police read these laws? Do the restaurant owners read these laws?’ We’re not seeing people in our city pay attention.”

Nelson adds that seeing people across Florida and the nation begin to support the push for justice has been uplifting.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

“In spite of the horror and the grief that the community is going through, it’s been really good to see the solidarity,” she says.

Parks says that solidarity can begin wherever you are. “People outside of Jacksonville, they can help by bringing awareness to their own communities because it’s just not happening here,” she says.

“The spotlight is on Jacksonville, but it’s just not happening here where people are being murdered. Transgender women are being beaten up, robbed and assaulted every day… so you can bring awareness to your own neighborhood and community.”

Nelson echoes Parks in calling for support for transgender men and women across the country, advising that the most marginalized are also the most at risk. She also believes that those outside of Jacksonville can help simply by sharing information and helping to spread the word.

“The more the news spreads and the more media outlets are covering it, the more people are talking about it, the more pressure it places on the city,” Nelson says.

“People who are paying attention and are sending support really mean the world to us. It makes us feel less alone and I know it means a lot to the transgender and non-conforming communities. It reminds us that we’re not alone and that we’re in this together.”

For more information about the Transgender Action Committee, visit Facebook.com/Jax.Trans.Action. For more information about the Transgender Awareness Project, visit Facebook.com/ TAPTransgenesisAwarenessProject.

27

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

ArtS And entertAinment

C I R E Q CIRQUE U CI

O N ON ICE CE ON I Openly gay figure skater SCOTT SMITH joins Cirque du Soleil for ‘Crystal,’ its first ever show on ice

c

Kathy Ruiz

IRqUe DU SOLeIL hAS BeeN

performing extreme circus acts blended with elegant dance, music and costuming since the mid-1980s. But there is one stage it has not taken on among the variety of shows Cirque du Soleil has performed in its more than 30 years—until now.

Cirque du Soleil’s newest show, “Crystal,” features gymnasts and world-class ice skaters performing acrobatics in the air and on the ice, simultaneously.

The show centers on a woman named Crystal on a journey of self-discovery through her own imagination. The main inspiration for the show came from its unique

use of ice. Everything from the concept to the costumes to the routines, all revolve around ice.

Openly gay figure skater Scott Smith joins “Crystal” for his first Cirque du Soleil show. During his competitive career, Smith earned three senior international medals.

Continued on pg. 31 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

29

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

shortly after the fourth week of the tour in November.

| uu | Cirque On Ice

WouLd You SAY tHAt performing CirQue du SoLeiL on iCe iS more dAngerouS tHAn tHe tYpiCAL SHoWS?

from pg.29

After retiring from competitive skating in 2009, he began his career as an entertainer performing aboard cruise ships for the Royal Caribbean.

Smith began his journey with Cirque du Soleil in 2017.

Watermark spoke with Smith ahead of the show’s run in Orlando at the Amway Center Aug. 1-5.

WATERMARK: HoW did You firSt get into iCe SKAting?

SCott SmitH: I attended a birthday party in first grade that was at a skating rink. I loved it so I stayed for group lessons, and the group lessons turned to private lessons. Then skating slowly took over my life. in 2009 You Went from CompetitiVe SKAting to entertAinment. HoW WAS tHAt trAnSition?

It was a difficult transition at first.

I was competing for a long time, and when you’re in that world you’re kind of in a bubble. It’s hard to see outside of it. I knew I wanted to continue skating and it was tricky at first, but as soon as I joined my first show it was great. It ended up being an easy transition after that.

WouLd You SAY tHere iS A Lot of preJudiCe in Your CAreer?

Not within the skating world, no.

I’ve always been in an accepting environment. I wouldn’t say there’s really been any sort of bias. I do think sometimes in skating that male skaters can struggle with choreography, trying not to look too feminine but not look too stiff. It can be tricky.

I think everybody probably has a side of Crystal they can relate to. like when you were a teenager, it can be tricky and tough trying to figure out how to fit in but also be yourself. I think everyone can relate to those moments in their life when they’re just trying your best while going through some struggle.

I wouldn’t say it’s more dangerous, it just adds a different element.

Cirque is always groundbreaking.

They had the first water show and that adds an extra element, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily more dangerous. I think all Cirque shows are pretty dangerous. iS tHere A pArtiCuLAr point in tHe SHoW WHere You’re Worried ABout Hurting YourSeLf or Hurting AnotHer performer?

There’s a part where I do a backflip over somebody and if my timing isn’t correct both of us would get hurt. I have to focus very hard at that point and make sure that my timing is right.

WHAT’S AN AVERAGE DAY AT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL LIKE?

There’s a misconception that people think you show up for the show, do the show and you’re done.

But it’s not like that. There’s a lot of training involved, rehearsals, injury and injury management, learning choreography, helping others with choreography, learning new tricks — it’s definitely a full-time job. do You feeL tHAt You ConneCt or reLAte to “CrYStAL’S” StorY of SeLf-eXpLorAtion?

—ScOtt SMIth

I think everybody probably has a side of “Crystal” they can relate to.

Like when you were a teenager, it can be tricky and tough trying to figure out how to fit in but also be yourself. I think everyone can relate to those moments in their life when they’re just trying your best while going through some struggle.

WAS tHere A differenCe in enVironment AS A Queer mAn BetWeen tHe CompetitiVe And entertAinment WorLd?

Yeah, I think it’s also a time in life thing. As you get older people tend to come out more. People in the skating world tend to come out more after they retire from competing, but that is definitely changing now.

You LiVe in SALt LAKe CitY. WHAt LeAd You to moVe tHere from tHe eASt CoASt?

I moved there for a coach the last year I was competing. I moved there in 2008. I had been working with coaches in Boston for six years and I was ready for a change. There was a coach named Stephanee Grosscup that was willing to help with my skating career at that time so I moved out there.

otHer tHAn Being on iCe, WHAt mAKeS “CrYStAL” uniQue? SALt LAKe CitY SeemS to Be A fAirLY ConSerVAtiVe pLACe. iS it HArd to identifY AS A gAY mAn WHiLe LiVing tHere?

No, Salt Lake City is just like any other city. It’s actually quite liberal.

Outside of Salt Lake City is pretty conservative, but I pretty much just stay within the city limits when I’m there.

Are You inVoLVed WitH tHe LgBtQ CommunitY in SALt LAKe CitY?

When I first moved there I knew absolutely nobody so I joined QUAC - which stands for Queer Utah

Aquatics Club. I would swim as a cross training for skating so that way I was able to meet some new people and be active at the same time.

trainer? My dad is a tennis trainer, so I played tennis as a kid.

Maybe I would have pursued that more, but definitely something within athletics.

I definitely think I would be involved in some sort of athletic career path. Ever since I was a little kid I was climbing on the jungle gym and running around.

I was okay at school but sitting still and reading or doing math problems was never my thing.

Maybe as some sort of fitness

I saw a Facebook casting ad that said “looking for ice skaters with circus qualities.” At the time I was performing on a cruise ship with a skating trapeze act and I thought, “Hey, you know what? This is perfect. I’ll apply. I’m exactly what they’re looking for.” I didn’t join the show right away. I joined

if You Weren’t SKAting, WHAt WouLd You Be doing?

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

HoW did You get inVoLVed WitH CirQue du SoLeiL?

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

Most of the Cirque shows are really original; there are acts that aren’t in any other show. There’s a swinging pole act that hasn’t been done before, the skating act that I’m a part of. Tap dance hasn’t really been done before the way we’re doing it.

WHY SHouLd peopLe Come See “CrYStAL?”

Because it’s the best Cirque show... there’s ice!

Cirque du Soleil’s “Crystal” will perform for seven shows at the Amway Center in Orlando Aug. 1-5. Tickets start at $54 and are available at TicketMaster.com.

31

Reach local LGBT communities across the nation.

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212-242-6863 info@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com

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32

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

Art/BooKS

little Men, Big Story

St. Pete author Richard Randall shares tragedy and triumph in “One Hundred Little Men”

(ABoVe)

LOcAL LOve:

Richard Randall shares a copy of “One Hundred Little Men” with Watermark June 29.

Photo by dylan todd

“Y

Ryan Williams-Jent

OU cAN GO thROUGh A LOt IN

your life and still come out on the other side to find happiness,” local author and artist Richard Randall says. “It happens.”

It’s the central point of his new “Then the worst began to happen,” book “One Hundred Little Men,” a it continues, detailing that Eli’s mixture of written word and art. The daughter who lived across the autobiographical tale was published country developed a debilitating by local nonprofit Breaking Rules illness. “As he did his best to help, his Publishing and follows the story of own life began to fall apart. He lost Eli, “a regular guy that you’d see at any his job, his marriage and someone coffee shop” as he grieves the loss of a he loved most in life. At times, he’d child, begins life anew and comes out at escape to a local coffee shop to catch the age of 59. his breath in the midst of chaos…

“Life had not always been easy but since he was an artist, he drew [Eli] felt like [his] was no different than what he saw.” anyone else’s,” the book’s synopsis reads.

The drawings, which complement “He was a family man, a church goer, and the prose and were completed tried to do his best. Life changed and

by Randall, gave the book its title. some of his childhood dreams became “I would take my pen and inks and a reality… being happy doing what you I would go to coffee shop just to get love can be a strain for those around you a break, to have a little bit of time who don’t understand.” to myself,” Randall says. “I’d see

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

someone and do a little cubist figure drawing of him. I’d just have an hour.”

Randall’s artwork was a release while he helped with his ailing daughter and dealt with his rapidly changing life. “There was just too much going on and I needed to have a little slot of time where I didn’t have to think,” he says. “They were all done in coffee shops across the country. If I was stuck in an airport somewhere, I’d find a little Starbucks, sit down and draw. I ended up with almost 200 of the drawings.”

The book’s artwork follows the timeline of Randall’s prose, with a transition in style and tone. He chose his subjects carefully, usually men who appeared to be “thinking about life or contemplating,” he says, “or maybe just looking at something on their phone and smiling. It was always a person that gave me a glimpse into their life without them knowing it… no one ever saw me.”

A friend encouraged Randall to write his story to accompany the artwork. “At the time I was thinking that since I had so many it’d be nice to put them in a book,” he says, “but I could never figure out how or why or what difference it made.”

He says he began writing his story at his friend’s insistence, also in coffee shops, though his trajectory remained unclear until he moved to St. Petersburg with his partner. It was there that he met the publisher for Breaking Rules Publishing, who was determined to help Randall share his story.

“I gave him the rundown on it and he goes, ‘I want that book, I want to publish that for you,’” he recalls. “It was never intended to be anything except a way for me to get peace, and then suddenly I’ve got a book. It shows how a simple thing like art can be a lifeline when you’re going through the worst the world can offer.”

Randall says one of those things is the death of a child, detailed in the book and something he struggled to overcome after his daughter committed suicide due to her illness. “After she passed away it was all the strength I had to keep caring about anything,” he recalls, “and then I realized that for so long I had been trying to take care of everything and everyone. I couldn’t do it anymore, so I packed a bag and I left with a suitcase. I was 59 at the time.”

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

It led to his fresh start, which he describes in life and in the book as “the best thing I’d ever done,” albeit “scary as hell.” In a new town, both he and the book’s Eli met his current partner.

“Suddenly all of the bad things I had gone through, even the worst thing of losing a child, had given me the strength to figure out who I was and who I was going to be.”

Randall had come out very young, but shuttered his sexuality due to public perception in the 1970’s. It was then that he got involved with the “Jesus movement” and began living in a commune. “At the time that was the only choice,” he says. “This was the early 70’s and back then there wasn’t the freedom that we have now to express yourself or be who you want to be. There were no broad choices.”

At 59, in a new town and with a new outlook on life, Randall says it “just became obvious. When I found out that no one was going to judge me for liking guys or no one was going to be mad at me, then I realized I had the freedom to say ‘okay, I do like guys, I am gay; there’s nothing wrong with this.”

In the book, Randall notes that his first Pride parade after his journey of self-discovery was life-changing, something he says he included to illustrate that “you can be happy again.”

“There were thousands of people and they’re all cheering for you,” he recalls of the parade. “Of course they weren’t actually cheering for me, but they were cheering, they were happy, they were celebrating and I was in the middle of it.”

“I can’t even tell you what that feeling’s like,” he notes. “To go for years feeling like it was evil, that it was wrong and everything was terrible, to all of a sudden being celebrated… it was an indescribable feeling.”

Randall hopes that his book can possibly help others in their own journeys. “You have to acknowledge the bad things in your life,” he says.

“You can’t hide from it and it’s not going to go away. You have to stand up to it, look it in the eye and keep going as much as you can.”

“People can start thinking that things are never going to change or that life is always going to be hell, but no, it doesn’t have to be that way,” Randall adds. “It can really turn around and change… I’m happier now than I’ve been in 30 years.”

Richard Randall’s “One Hundred Little Men” is available now from Breaking Rules Publishing.

Randall will hold a St. Petersburg sale and signing at the Woodfield Fine Art Gallery on July 14 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at 2253 Central Ave. Copies are also available via breakingruleswritingcompetitions. com or Amazon.

33

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

community calendar

eVent pLAnner arts+entertainment

CentrAL fLoridA

CentrAL fLoridA

Road to Change Block Party fRIDAy, JULy 13, 7-10 P.M. WALt DISNey AMPhItheAtRe At LAke eOLA PARk, ORLANDO

Julie goldman does The venue w/ dr. Anna lepeley, July 13, The Venue, Orlando. 407-412-6895; TheVenueOrlando.com superstitions | art night, July 13, Iron Cow, Orlando.

407-317-4187; IronCowCafe.

Business.Site I Love 90’s, July 14, Parliament House Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com yeisa’s birthday Quinceanera, July 14, Stonewall Bar Orlando. 407-373-0888; StonewallOrlando.com centered in the Arts - A summer Workshop series: Painting and drawing, July 14, LGBT+ Center Orlando, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org “vampire Lesbians of Sodom,” July 14, Parliament House Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com april Fresh’s comedy brunch, July 15, Parliament House Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Employee Turnabout, July 18, Parliament House Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Pirates and Wenches theme Party, July 20, The Hammered Lamb, Orlando. 407-704-3200; HammeredLamb.com Legends of drag, July 20, Parliament House Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Enchanted: A Tribute to fantasy Tv & films, July 20, The Venue, Orlando. 407-412-6895; TheVenueOrlando.com shakira concert ticket giveaway, July 21, Stonewall Bar Orlando. 407-373-0888; StonewallOrlando.com Miss glamorous Newcomer 2018, July 23, The Venue, Orlando. 407-412-6895; TheVenueOrlando.com

true CoLorS LGBTQ ally cyndi lauper joins Rod Stewart in concert at the Amway Center in Orlando July 26.

The Road to Change Tour is a nationwide tour to register new voters. Students from Stoneman Douglas will be travelling to different districts around Florida to engage voters all around the state. Road to Change will be in Orlando July 13. The event—held at Lake Eola—will feature live music performances, local food vendors, artists and speakers from Pulse and Parkland. Visit MFOLOrlando.net for more information.

Watermark’s Third Thursday thURSDAy, JULy 19, 6-8 P.M. ORLANDO GAy chORUS’ OffIce, ORLANDO Watermark’s July Third Thursday social will be at the Orlando Gay Chorus’s offices located at 121 S. Orange Ave., Ste 1500. Entrance to the event, light bites and first drink are free. Make sure to bring cash for your chance to win fantastic raffle prizes.

Funds raised go to benefit the OGC. For more information visit Facebook.com/WatermarkFL.

PHOTO cOuRTESY WIKIMEdIA cOMMON

tAmpA BAY devin Siebold Live Album Recording, July 24, Open Mike’s Coffee Lounge, Melbourne. 321-254-3792; OpenMikesCoffee.com Rod Stewart and cyndi lauper, July 26, Amway Center.

407-440-7000; AmwayCenter.com

tAmpA BAY TB diversity chamber July social, July 12, The Florida Aquarium, Tampa. 727-755-8390; DiversityTampaBay.org PfLAg Youth clothing Swap/ fashion Show, July 13, Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, Land O’Lakes. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org sam smith, July 13, Amalie Arena, Tampa. 813-301-6500; AmalieArena.com Trans Town Hall, July 17, Metro Wellness & Community Centers, St. Petersburg. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org

balance tampa bay’s July social, July 18, CW Gin Joint, Tampa. 813-816-1446; BalanceTampaBay.org

Paint nite tampa, July 21, Hamburger Mary’s, Brandon. 813-643-2110; HamburgerMarys.com/Brandon

TIgLff presents “Eva + candela,” July 18, freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg.

813-879-4220; TIGLFF.com

Merry christmas in July, July 21, Enigma Bar & Lounge, St. Petersburg. 727-235-0867; EnigmaStPete.com

unseen St. Pete: Hidden faces and unknown Places, July 19, freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg. 727-498-5205; freeFallTheatre.com

back at the beach, July 22, Sunset Beach, St. Petersburg. 727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org

Rene flowers campaign fundraiser, hosted by congressman charlie crist, July 20, El Chapo Taco, Gulfport.

727-256-9033; Facebook.com/ YouKnowRene Leather Masked Ball w/ chi chi laRue, July 20, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com balance tampa bay’s July service, July 21, Weedon Island, St. Petersburg. 727-453-6500; BalanceTampaBay.org

SArASotA Meet the candidates 2018 Primary & general Elections, July 17, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, Sarasota. 941-955-8187; SarasotaChamber.com Wigs & Wit, July 17, McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, Sarasota. 941-925-3869; McCurdysComedy.com Pathfinder, July 20, ALSO Youth, Sarasota. 941-951-2576; ALSOYouth.org

eQFl and Polk Pride present Rapid Response cORP BOOt cAMP, JULy 14, fLORIDA SOUtheRN cOLLeGe, LAkeLAND. 813-870-3735; eqfL.ORG Equality Florida and Polk Pride are partnering to hold Rapid Response Corps boot camps in Lakeland to prepare supporters to engage on critical issues. The boot camp will provide a State of the State update, preview how Florida’s elections can dramatically reshape state and federal policy, equip you with a range of activism tools and leave you with an action plan to use in your local community. There is no cost to participate.

Registration is at EQFL.org/RapidResponse/Lakeland.

Watermark Wednesday WeDNeSDAy, JULy 18, 5:30-7:30 P.M. hILtON DOWNtOWN, tAMPA Meet and mingle with LGBTQ+ professionals, allies and community leaders for the July social at Hilton Downtown Tampa Rooftop. Entrance to the event, light bites and first drink are free. Bring cash for your chance to win fantastic raffle prizes. Funds raised go to benefit the Red Ribbon Cyclists, a charity cycling team riding in The SMART Ride 15. For more information visit Facebook.com/WatermarkFL.

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

35

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

overheard

tAmpA BAY out+ABout

g, i Wonder…

t

AMPA BAy’S SOcIAL MeDIA SPheRe WAS ALL ABUZZ JULy 3 with a cryptic tease of “G St. Pete,” a new bar heading to St. Petersburg.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s reminiscent of Ybor’s G. Bar, which closed and reopened as Southern Nights Tampa just over three years ago. Several of the Ybor bar scene’s mainstays have also shared the tease personally, prompting further speculation about the similarities to the now-defunct Ybor hotspot.

Information is still scarce, but a new Facebook page dedicated to the bar (complete with underwear-clad men) has surfaced. It confirms G St. Pete as a gay bar, that lighting work has begun and that construction is wrapping up.

It also advises that grand opening details are coming soon.

As for the location, the page lists 350 1st Ave. N. in St. Petersburg. To keep an eye on G St. Pete, visit Facebook.com/GStPete.

HeLp WAnted

“P

ILLAR Of St. PeteRSBURG” ROBeRt (BOB) POPe IS SeekING a few good men and women to help Tampa Bay’s elderly LGBTQ community and allies.

Pope will host a brainstorming session about the issue at the King of Peace Metropolitan Community Church, located at 3150 5th Avenue N. in St. Petersburg. The meeting will be held in the church’s music suite at 7 p.m.

The 82-year-old lawyer’s charity work began over 50 years ago and continues today, most recently with the upcoming project. He served as a grand marshal in 2018’s St. Pete Pride parade and is widely known in the area as the founder of Metro Wellness. “It’s been probably two years that I’ve been gathering material on housing for the less fortunate,” Pope says, “particularly looking at our community.”

He says he’s forming an ad hoc housing team to investigate the needs of Tampa Bay’s elderly, looking specifically for architects, bankers, realtors, doctors, nurses, attorneys, grant writers, fundraisers and anyone who may find the project of interest.

“When I was a kid, which has been a long time ago,” Pope laughs, “people were not necessarily promoted if they were known to be gay. The ability to have a good retirement system was restricted, so we have a lot of people who are coming into retirement age who don’t have a great deal of money set aside. Not for their inability to do it, but for their inability to get good jobs. It’s for the elderly who are in need of community.”

“I just hope to instill ideas and passion in people so we can get some things done in our area,” Pope says of the meeting. “I hope anyone who has any interest will join us.” For more information about the meeting’s location, visit ChurchStPetersburg.org.

1

2 3

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LADS WhO LUNch: St. Pete LGBTQ liaison Jim Nixon and Mayor Rick kriseman laugh ‘n lunch at the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon at the Club at Treasure Island June 28.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

2

DINNeR qUeeNS: lady Janet (L) and Edith Lewis-Allen enjoy dinner and a show at Hamburger Mary’s Clearwater July 7. Photo

4

5

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

3

LADy IN yeLLOW: kori stevens puts her best feather forward at her annual Birthday Xtravaganza July 1. Photo

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

4

PIN Me: antonia (L) and birthday gal Jennifer celebrate another year in style at Enigma June 29. Photo

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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ReD, WhIte & BIRD: scott (L) and Ron serve their best American patriot in front of Watermark’s upcoming Flamingo Resort location.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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Shh...: david Rule (L) and christopher clawson-Rule partake in the silent auction for Breaking Rules Publishing at Quench Lounge June 30. Photo by dylan todd

6

7

hAPPy hOUR: John (L) and Joel celebrate G2H2 Sarasota’s 80th gathering at The Table Creekside Restaurant & Lounge July 5. PHOTO BY RuSS MARTIN

8

ARt tALk: (L-R) Congressman charlie crist tours the Studios at 5663 with Watermark’s dylan todd and John gascot July 2.

8

PHOTO BY RIcK cLAggETT

7 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

37

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overheard

CentrAL fLoridA out+ABout

A poWerfuL CommunitY

I

t’S ALWAyS GOOD tO hAve fRIeNDS IN hIGh PLAceS, and based on Orlando Magazine’s 2018 list, the LGBTQ community not only has some good friends, they also have some pretty powerful ones too. Orlando Magazine’s “Most Powerful in Government and Politics” issue was released recently and it was no surprise one of the community’s best buds, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer topped the list. Dyer is joined on the list by LGBTQ allies like Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orlando Police Chief John Mina and Senator Bill Nelson, as well as a trio of U.S. Representatives: Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, Congresswoman Val Demmings and Congressman Darren Soto. Also amongst the top Central Florida powerhouses are the community’s one-two political punch of State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan. Smith, Florida’s first openly LGBTQ Latino lawmaker, and Sheehan, the first openly gay person elected to the Orlando City Council, have been leading the charge for the LGBTQ community in Central Florida in these uncertain political times. Whether hitting the streets and fighting for equality for all communities or just being present for those affected by the Pulse tragedy, Smith and Sheehan have given this community two compassionate and powerful role models. You can read the entire list at OrlandoMagazine.com.

2

oLD SCHOOL GAYMES

Y

OU DON’t hAve tO LOOk MUch fURtheR thAN tv ShOWS like “Stranger Things” and “The Goldbergs,” movies like “Ready Player One” or any faction of pop culture to know that all things 80s and 90s have made a huge comeback. The neon colors, the vinyl records, Throwback Thursdays; it is all about kickin’ it old school. Joysticks Arcade Lounge & Retro Bar in downtown Orlando has built a paradise to those geekers, gamers and retro lovers who want to recapture that feeling of hanging out with your friends at the arcade.

They have a “Goonies” parlor where you can do some shots with One Eyed Willy, a “Star Wars” lounge were you can enjoy an out-of-this-galaxy drink surrounded by lightsabers and you can close out your weekends with the community at the bar’s official LGBTQ “Gayme Nights” every Sunday. “Gayme Nights” offers free 80s arcade games, specialty retro drinks for the night including “The O-Strong” which benefits the onePulse Foundation and two live shows of “The Gay Dating Game” hosted by the androgynous club kid Kitana Gemini and the fashionable Brandon Goode. So dust off your high-waist jeans, oversized blazers and anything with sequins (you know you kept them all) and do a little dance, make a little love and get down tonight.

4

1

BAck IN the DAy: (L-R) Brandon goode, danny Wynn, Max Eiss and Kitana gemini on stage for The Dating Game at Joysticks Arcade Lounge & Retro Bar in Orlando for Gayme Nights. Photo by JEREMY WILLIAMS

2

IDOL hOUSe: Rick ortega (L) meets and greets Ada vox at the Parliament House Orlando for America’s Birthday celebration June 30. PHOTO cOuRTESY PARLIAMENT HOuSE

3

RAINBOW BRIGht: Orlando Commissioner Patty sheehan celebrates her birthday at the end of a rainbow at Santiago’s Bodega July 9. Photo

cOuRTESY PATTY SHEEHAN

4

thANk yOU fOR yOUR SeRvIce: Jared cardona is caught off guard at Southern Nights Orlando’s Purge Release Party July 5. PHOTO cOuRTESY

SOuTHERN NIgHTS ORLANdO

1

3

5

6

5

SchOOL DAyS: (L-R) kingk Royale, Jazmine sephora and Kirk davinci get fashionable for the Big Gay Prom at Parliament House Orlando June 30. PHOTO cOuRTESY PARLIAMENT HOuSE

6

SAy cheeSe: chad thomas shows off is pearly whites at Stonewall Bar Orlando June 28. PHOTO cOuRTESY

7

STONEWALL BAR ORLANdO

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cOuRTESY ROcK HARd fITNESS

8

tRANS RIGhtS: (L-R) Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez, nikole Parker and gina duncan at the Know Your Rights Transgender Town Hall & BBQ at The Venue in Orlando July 7. Photo

cOuRTESY NIKOLE PARKER

8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

announcements

Wedding BeLLS

Tiara and Robert Kelley from Orlando, Florida

enGaGement date: Aug. 10, 2017

weddinG date: May 5, 2018

venUe: The Islander Beach Resort, New Smyrna

COlOrs: Purple & Yellow

weddinG sOnG/artist: “Lemon”

by Rihanna

dj serviCe: Kirk Davinci Entertainment with DJ Baze

OFFiCiant: Elder, Savannah Victoria Bowen, Jacksonville

CaKe BaKery: Shanna & Jack Lindsey

CaKe FlavOr: White with fresh strawberries

theme: Beach

phOtOGrapher: Ronnie Sargeant

PHOTO BY RONNIE SARgEANT

t

he Rev. tIARA LAtRIce keLLey

and her groom Robert Charles Kelley IV date their first meeting back to November 2016, during the first day of training for a call center job.

“We had an introduction game in class; at that time, I disclosed I was a transgender woman who was a local advocate,” Tiara shares. “Afterwards, while on a break, he came and introduced himself to me by saying, ‘Hi, so you’re trans, huh? That’s pretty cool! My name is R. Kelley, except I don’t have his money and I don’t pee on lil girls,” Tiara laughs.

Robert recalls when he knew Tiara was “the one.” “It was probably like our fifth date.

We were at dinner with my old

roommate, who didn’t know that Tiara and I had started seeing one another, he thought we were friends. I walked up to Tiara and looked into her beautiful eyes and I knew I wanted to be with her and her only. I looked at her and said, ‘So when do we tell ‘J’ that we are dating?’ Her reply was, ‘When were you going to tell me?!’”

But for Tiara, it was very clear, too. “I knew when I was admitted to the hospital last year for 17 days. I was diagnosed with chronic kidney

lOCal Birthdays Metro Wellness’ James keane, Central

disease, and placed on dialysis.

Robert spent every night in that bed with me. He literally went to work and came to the hospital, going home only to shower and change—all 17 days! That‘s when I knew.”

Robert popped the question to Tiara last year and the pair bought a home in Apopka in September. They officially tied the knot on New Smyrna Beach, where Robert is from.

Tiara moved to Florida from Niagara Falls, N.Y. “I pretty much planned the whole thing by myself, DIY-style,” Tiara says. “So just seeing Rob and I’s hard work finally all come together made the moment special.”

“While the officiant was opening the ceremony, Tiara and I stood there under the arch on the beach at sunset and we looked one another in the eye and let out a huge sigh,” Robert says. “At the same time we said, ‘We did it, we made it.’ That was a beautiful moment for me.”

The two had a potluck-style reception. Tiara was worried there wouldn’t be enough food, though that wasn’t the case. “We ended up with so much we gave leftovers to the homeless!”

The wedding cake was extra special, baked by Tiara’s best friend Shanna and her husband Chef Jack Lindsey. “They paid for the cake out-of-pocket as a wedding gift for us,” Tiara says.

“They made everything from scratch, and even went and picked fresh strawberries the day before the wedding.”

The two wrapped their special day with a first dance to one of their favorite Rihanna songs, “Lemon.”

Tiara overshares, “We dance around the house naked to that song, so of course it had to be our first dance song!”

Florida drag performer kristina Mclaughlin, Orlando event planner Jorge cruz (July 12); Tampa Bay entertainer Robert Rigsby/Rockell blu, Quench Lounge manager gary Miller (July 13); Tampa Bay designer John Scheffel, LGBTQ activist gil Sainz, al Ferguson of Al & Chuck, Tampa Attorney kim byrd (July 14); St. Pete artist chad Mize, Three Boys Café owner Matthew downs (July 15); AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Russell Walker, Watermark contributor Rachel stevenson (July 16); St. Petersburg artist James Michael Mccracken, St. Petersburg IT wiz Frank Meekins (July 17); Seminole business owner david verdi, St. Petersburg LGBT liaison Robert danielson (July 18); “Ms. Pinky Penmark” Robert Shaffer, die-hard theater lover deborah Simpson, Tampa Bay bear Mike Tobias (July 19); Orlando entertainer sam singhaus, Orlando physician dr. Jerry Horton, Rock Hard Fitness’ Max dunley, Footlight Theater dancer Steven Johnson, Karmic Tattoo guitarist and vocalist Pam green (July 20); Tampa Bay singer Jennifer Real, Tampa Bay actor Matthew Mcgee, St. Pete’s director of cultural affairs Wayne david atherholt, beloved activist Rachel gardiner, Makeup extraordinaire Jeremy Bangkx, St. Pete dancer Erik Shepard (July 21); Helping hand Jarrod ketzler, St. Pete sweetheart natalie buono, Community activist david Warner (July 22) St. Pete bear Bob Thayer, One Orlando Alliance’s carlos carbonell, Watermark columnist Jason Leclerc, ACLU communications manager baylor Johnson (July 23); Hamburger Mary’s showgal Alexis Mateo, former Watermark intern Andrew Ramos(July 24).

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!

—Aaron Drake

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.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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www.NationsLandscaping.com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 12 - July 25 , 2018 // Issue 25.14

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