Watermark Issue 25.15: Identity Politics

watermark Your LGBTQ Life.

issUe 25.15 • jUly 26 - aUGUsT 8, 2018

WatermarkOnline.com

TA M PA B AY G O E S

AVANT

GARDE FOR AN EPIC MASQUERADE

HOW CENTRAL FLORIDA’S

MIDDLE-EASTERN AND MUSLIM

LGBTQ COMMUNITY HAS FOUND THEIR VOICE POST-PULSE

IDENTITY

POLITICS

dayTona b e a Ch • o r la n d o • T am p a • s T . p eT er s bU r G • C l e a rwa Te r • sa ra so Ta

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

“AS GOVERNOR, I WILL PROTECT

OUR LGBTQ COMMUNITY FROM TRUMP

Donald Trump threatens to reverse the progress we have made toward equality. Trump’s Supreme Court has already ruled in favor of bigotry, but Jeff Greene will fight to ensure Florida is protected from the dangerous Trump agenda.

and his Supreme Court.”

• Pass state level protections for LGBTQ rights, including marriage equality, adoption, and anti-discrimination laws.

• Pass the Florida Competitive Workplace Act to protect LGBTQ workers from being discriminated against or fired.

• Protect our children by establishing strict penalties for bullying based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

FIGHTING AGAINST HATE AND BIGOTRY

VOTE DEMOCRAT JEFF GREENE FOR GOVERNOR Paid by Jeff Greene, Democrat, for Governor.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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LGBTQ Rights & Discrimination Law

C O N TAC T U S FO R A F R E E C O N S U LTAT I O N

www.markelliottlaw.com • 407.459.8855 • info@markelliottlaw.com 3 9 0 N O r a n g e Av e , S u i t e 2 3 0 0 • O r l a n d o , F L 3 2 8 0 4 4

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

DeparTMenTs 7 // Bureau Chief’s Desk

PAGE

27

8 // CenTral floriDa news 10 // TaMpa Bay news

No one will understand this unless you are a gay Middle easterner who has grown up in an unaccepting environment ... Being persecuted by the people and the culture that is suppose to love and support you does something to you ... I know what it is to be Middle eastern and hate that part of yourself. that was me for 18 years.

—JuStiN ShAKERi

12 // sTaTe news 13// naTion & worlD news 19 // 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

PAGE CaluM’s GoT TalenT:

29

PAGE IDENTITY

21

POLITICS: Central

Florida’s Middle-Eastern and Muslim LGBTQ community finds their voice post-Pulse.

Photo by Jake Stevens

sCan Qr CoDe for

waTerMarkonline.CoM

Out singer/songwriter Calum Scott talks his new album, Tinder and first U.S. tour ahead of his Tampa stop.

waTerMark issue 25.15 // July 26 - auGusT 8, 2018

iDenTifieD ViCTiM

en GarDe!

hiGh fiDeliTy

Genuine leGenD

PAGE Sasha Garden became the fourth transgender woman of color murdered in Florida this year.

PAGE Balance Tampa Bay’s annual masquerade goes Avant Garde for an EPIC masquerade.

PAGE

PAGE

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

08

10

15

Miguel Fuller debates the merits of gay brunch in his latest viewpoint column.

33

k.d. lang takes her album “Ingenue” on the road 25 years after its debut.

Follow Us on TwiTTer and insTaGram aT @waTermarkonline and like Us on FaCebook. watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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ConTriBuTors

Tampa bay

bUreaU ChieF’s

ryan williams-jent Tb bUreaU ChieF

Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

T

Desk

hERE ARE MoMENtS iN ouR

lives that stick with us—defining who we were, who we are or who we want to be.

Among my list of essentials are a summer with my grandmother, probably my favorite person that I’ve ever known. The two of us would take turns telling one another stories we’d make up on the spot, finishing each other’s dangling plot threads well into the wee hours of the night. She also helped cement my role as a night owl.

In the fourth grade I had my first “published” work, another key moment. It was a pretty traumatic year, given that I’d switched schools halfway through the year and children can be terrible little people to

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

those rocking their best Wal-Mart couture. But it did have a highlight: my teacher gave each student a bound, blank book and advised us we had to fill it with words and pictures.

I didn’t have many friends but I did have ideas, so I was thrilled.

“X-Men: The New Class” was a hit with Mrs. Adams, who included a balloon-shaped post-it in the back that told me to keep writing.

I still have it.

I spent high school discovering journalism, helping to found our school’s newspaper “The Torch” my freshman year and closing out my senior year as

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

its Editor-in-Chief. It gave me a creative outlet and I developed a passion for it that continued into college and beyond.

Years later I’d write my wedding vows in Nov. 2016, just days after an ominously orange cloud swept the nation and threatened to overshadow years of LGBTQ progress. In light of that and still in the infancy of marriage equality, reading them to my husband and our guests forever changed me.

July 26 is another key moment in my life, one of the more recent. It’s the day this issue hits newsstands, sure, but it’s also the one-year anniversary of when I started writing for Watermark.

It’s been an engaging and rewarding year.

Working with our team at Watermark has been an amazing experience. There’s the fun stuff—celebrating community Pride events, galas and gatherings—and it’s given me the opportunity to interview a range of celebrities from the local and national stage.

I geek-out constantly.

More importantly though, it’s allowed me to get to know the LGBTQ community in Tampa Bay and Central Florida in ways I never thought possible.

Our stories matter. They’re often overlooked, even in 2018, and I’m grateful that so many members of our vast and growing LGBTQ community have trusted Watermark to share their tragedies and triumphs. That I’ve been even a small part of that is humbling and I aim to never take it for granted. Thank you.

In this issue’s cover story we examine how Central Florida’s Middle-Eastern and Muslim

LGBTQ community has found its voice after the tragedy at Pulse. In Tampa Bay news, we preview Balance Tampa Bay’s masquerade ball benefitting Empath Partners in Care (EPIC) and take a look at the Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay’s call for singers.

In Central Florida news, we examine the misgendering of Sasha Garden, the fourth

Our stories matter. they’re often overlooked, even in 2018, and I’m grateful that so many members of our vast and growing lgBtQ community have trusted Watermark to share their tragedies and triumphs.

transgender woman of color murdered in Florida and introduce you to openly gay Seminole County school board candidate Bobby Agagninais.

In Arts and Entertainment, we croon with “Britain’s Got Talent” alum Calum Scott ahead of his stop in Tampa and check in with k.d. lang ahead of her latest tour.

We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories.

Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of that—I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

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July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

MiguEl fullER is the out and proud co-host of the Miguel & Holly show on HOT 101.5 FM in Tampa Bay. He also hosts everything! Page 15

SABRiNA AMBRA

is a cohost of Real Radio 104.1’s “News Junkie” program and will kick your ass if she needs to. Page 17

holly V. KAPhERR

is a food, travel and lifestyle writer and editor born and bred in Orlando, Florida. Her work has appeared in local, regional and national publications. Page 21 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).

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

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

watermark publishing Group inc.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Your smile. Our passion. Your life.

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July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

ConTriBuTors

CenTral Florida

bUreaU ChieF’s

jeremy williams CFl bUreaU ChieF

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

A

Desk

S wE hEAD iNto thE fiNAl

summer month of 2018, I have been thinking a lot about the summer season from two years ago. All eyes were turned to Orlando as we were trying to make sense of a senseless act that left 49 people dead at Pulse. It was also a time when one of my college professors, Ken Carpenter, was battling for his life after a cancer diagnoses earlier in the year.

Ken was the journalism professor at Valencia College, and as I enrolled in more and more journalism classes he became a person that I started to see every single day. He became more than just a teacher to me. He became a friend and mentor, and not just to me. I can’t think of a single student who walked through those glass doors at Valencia College’s West Campus, passing

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

by the mannequin wearing a suit made entirely out of newspaper, into the newsroom, who didn’t feel a connection with Ken that surpassed the word teacher.

Side note: If you got up close to the newspaper suited mannequin and looked under his coat, he was wearing a Superman t-shirt.

Ken was a passionate man who loved to discuss sports (not something I was particularly

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

a fan of) and movies (that’s more my style). In fact, the first Ken Carpenter class I ever took was called “Journalists in Film.”

The entire course consisted of watching movies that were about journalism and then talking about them. It was by far the greatest class I have ever taken.

Among the films we watched were “Shattered Glass,” “Absence of Malice,” “The Bang Bang Club” and, of course, “All The President’s Men.” We even took a fieldtrip to the Regal Cinema at Winter Park Village to watch the documentary, “Page One: Inside the New York Times.”

Ken was also the only other person I met who was as passionate about the Academy Awards as I was. I had never met a person who I had more entertaining film conversations with. Some things we agreed on (we both hated Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” and could not understand how that film got a Best Picture nomination at the 2012 Oscars) and some things we did not (Ken hated Quentin Tarantino films).

While Ken had many loves in life including sports and movies, he had two passions that he loved more than anything. When he talked about them you could see him light up and you couldn’t help but smile. They were his students and his wife, Debbie.

Ken passed away Aug. 28, 2016, a few months before his 60th birthday. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him, and whenever I am feeling drained by the job I think of one of his impassioned classroom speeches about the importance of what we do and I am reenergized.

I could fill up pages and pages of stories about Ken’s generosity

(he gave me a microwave once because he overheard me saying mine sucked) or all the worldly bits of knowledge he bestowed upon me (Ken stated to me more than once that “there has never been a bad movie about a horse.”), but I will say Ken is one of the major reasons why I love what I do and why I am able to do it, and for that I will forever be indebted to him.

In this issue, Holly V. Kapherr takes an in-depth look at how Central Florida’s Middle Eastern and Muslim LGBTQ communities have found their

Ken is one of the major reasons why I love what I do and why I am able to do it, and for that I will forever be indebted to him.

voice in a post-Pulse country. In Central Florida news, we look at the recent murder of another trans woman of color — the fourth in Florida since the start of 2018 — and why police and local media outlets misgendered her. In Tampa Bay news, we preview Balance Tampa Bay’s fourth annual Masquerade Ball, benefiting Empath Partners in Care. In Arts & Entertainment we chat with a couple of LGBTQ singer/songwriters: “Britain’s Got Talent” finalist Calum Scott, who performs in Tampa Aug. 9, and the legendary k.d. lang, who will be performing in Orlando Sept. 8.

orlanDo offiCe Director of Marketing and Events: Brandon Decker • Ext. 301 Brandon@WatermarkOnline.com

Orlando Account Manager: Brad Slooten • Ext. 105 Brad@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com

Tampa Bay Account Manager: Russ Martin • Ext. 303 Russ@WatermarkOnline.com

Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. 212-242-6863

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

414 N. Ferncreek Ave. Orlando, FL 32803 TEL: 407-481-2243 FAX: 407-481-2246

TaMpa Bay offiCe 2529 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL 33713 TEL: 813-655-9890 FAX: 813-849-2986

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

MiguEl fullER is the out and proud co-host of the Miguel & Holly show on HOT 101.5 FM in Tampa Bay. He also hosts everything! Page 15

SABRiNA AMBRA

is a cohost of Real Radio 104.1’s “News Junkie” program and will kick your ass if she needs to. Page 17

holly V. KAPhERR

is a food, travel and lifestyle writer and editor born and bred in Orlando, Florida. Her work has appeared in local, regional and national publications. Page 21 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).

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

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

watermark publishing Group inc.

7

central florida news

openly Gay TeaCher runs for seMinole CounTy sChool BoarD colton adkins

W

iNtER PARK | Openly gay Lake Howell High School English teacher Bobby Agagnina is running for Seminole County School Board District 4.

Agagnina, who was born and raised in Central Florida, has been teaching at Lake Howell for nine years. After graduating from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree of English, Agagnina knew he wanted to teach where he grew up.

“I love it here. I love the subject and I love working with my students,” says Agagnina.

Agagnina started getting more involved when he noticed a lack in leadership’s focus despite the fact that all policies were created with a “student-first” ideal. “[The school board] says, ‘Students first. Students are the priority,’ but then every policy they rolled out didn’t support that,” he says. “So I decided to join the teacher’s union, I became the school representative. My thought was, ‘I think we can make some change here at the school level.’”

Now Agagnina looks to take that initiative to the school board where he can implement change in the school system by “being on the front lines.”

Agagnina says the main reason he entered the race was due to the enthusiasm from his students who encouraged him to run.

“It was my students who asked, ‘Mr. A., why aren’t you there? You need to run,’” says Agagnina. When he pressed them as to why they felt he should run the overwhelming reason was he would “do the right thing” for all students.

“They told me ‘you know what works, you’ll stop the crazy and help us and advocate for us,’” he says.

Agagnina is the only current teacher running for District 4, something he thinks gives him the advantage.

Agagnina is against arming teachers in schools, supports increasing accessibility to wrap-around mental health services for students, wants to encourage other forms of student success like vocational school training and is an advocate for ending high stakes testing. He also wants to negotiate a living wage and affordable living for all school employees.

Agagnina doesn’t think being gay will have any negative impact on his race as he has always been open and out to his students, despite Seminole County not having any anti-discrimination policies in place to protect him.

“Right from day one I have a PowerPoint I give to all my students,” Agagnina explains. “In it I say, ‘I’m Mr. Agagnina. Here are my credentials to teach this class, here’s how you say my name and here is a picture of my partner and I with our dog Milo. I’m gay. We’re moving on.’”

Agagnina continued, “I’ve had so many former students come back and tell me, ‘Thank you Mr. A. for being out because I wasn’t,’ or they say ‘I’ve never met a gay person but now I know you.’”

8

#SAyhERNAME: Sasha Garden is the fourth trans woman of color murdered in the state of Florida in 2018.

PHOTO FROM gARDEN’S FACEBOOk

Identified victim Transgender woman killed in Orlando; misgendered by authorities, local media Jeremy Williams and Layla ferris

O

RlANDo | A transgender woman was found deceased from traumatic injuries in the parking lot of the Reserve at Lake Buchanan apartment complex in Orlando at approximately 5:02 a.m. on July 19.

The victim has been identified as 27-year-old Sasha Garden.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), as well as several local media outlets — including Wesh 2, WFTV-Channel 9 and the Orlando Sentinel —initially misgendered the victim using her “dead name,” Steve Garden, and describing her as “a man wearing a wig and dressed as a woman.”

Members of the Central Florida trans community were outraged by local media and law enforcement’s misgendering Garden and immediately took to social media in an attempt to clear up the error.

Mulan Montrese Williams, a Central Florida trans woman who knew Garden, spoke with

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Watermark shortly after the reports started coming out which misgendered Garden.

“I mean when you go on Facebook, you can’t even grieve her because we find [misgendering] so disrespectful,” says Williams.

Williams says OCSO officers came to her to help identify Garden’s body as they were aware she was active in the trans community. Williams was upset with how the officers handled the identification process.

With no warning of graphic content, the officers showed her a picture of Garden’s dead body with her “mouth wide open,” according to Williams.

Williams also says she corrected the officers about Garden’s gender identity, but it wasn’t amended on their end.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings issued a statement July 21 apologizing for the OCSO’s early reports which misgendered Garden.

“Once OCSO detectives identified the victim and public information officers were made aware by family and friends that the victim was transgender, they immediately transitioned to referring to the victim by the appropriate gender and

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

recognized name, Sasha. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office did not intend to be insensitive in this effort and I along with agency members apologize for any misgivings our communications may have caused,” Demings said.

Demings stated that the error came in the early stages of the homicide investigation at a time when the OCSO “did not know the individual was transgender and had only one goal in mind, finding and apprehending a suspect.”

Equality Florida’s Gina Duncan says she was pleased to see Demings’ statement.

“Thank you Sheriff Demings for issuing this statement and for acknowledging that there were missteps in the initial reporting of this horrible tragedy,” Duncan wrote on her Facebook page.”

Equality Florida looks forward to our continued collaboration to ensure that all members of the LGBTQ community are consistently treated with dignity and respect.”

Duncan, who led the statewide transgender training initiative with Equality Florida in 2014, has been in contact with the OCSO about providing transgender and gender non-conforming sensitivity and educational training to the deputies.

Garden is the fourth trans woman of color killed in Florida this year.

Investigators are asking witnesses to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS. Investigators are offering up to a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

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July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

9

tampa bay news

Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay seeks singers Ryan Williams-Jent

T

AMPA | The Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay (GMCTB) will hold auditions for new and returning talent Aug. 4 and Aug. 13 ahead of the group’s fall season.

Founded in 2002, the GMCTB — formerly known as Una Voce — exists to celebrate the inherent dignity of all people through excellence in men’s choral music.

Singers do not have to be gay or male to sing with the group, they advise, noting that the only requirement is that singing members “are willing and able to sing a male vocal part: tenor, baritone or bass.”

“We are looking for people who enjoy singing, who want to be a part of the community and who want the fellowship of the Gay Men’s Chorus and other singers,” GMCTB President Bill Kanouff says. “We’re looking for people who really enjoy music.”

“The Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay is way more than a bunch of guys getting together and singing,” the organization’s Vice President Juan Fontanez Jr. adds. “It’s an extended family made up of a diverse group of men ranging in age, background, skillsets and experiences all being brought together with the common interest of making wonderful music and entertaining our community.”

Fontanez notes that he entered the chorus as a “skeptical karaoke singer with absolutely no chorus experience,” something those with an interest in the upcoming auditions may identify with. In the years since, he adds, the group has sang at baseball games for the Tampa Bay Rays, for the “It Gets Better” project’s concert at The Straz Center, at various pride events and even alongside Demi Lovato during the singer’s stop at the Amalie Arena last year.

“These are just some of the great things we get to be a part of, on top of our regular themed shows and intimate cabarets,” Fontanez says. “I would love for us to grow to be a household name that everyone wants to join.”

Kanouff advises that auditions are “quite simplistic,” with potential members asked to prepare a singing piece that includes a verse and a chorus. “They can bring sheet music and our accompanist can play it for them or they can bring a YouTube link for a karaoke-style sing-along,” he says. “We try to make it as easy as possible and also less intimidating… many people are overwhelmed by the word ‘audition.’”

Interested parties can access audition links and sign up for a timeslot via the GMCTB Facebook page. For more information, visit Facebook.com/ GMCTampaBay, email info@gmctb.org or call 813-389-6313.

10

MASKED MEN:

Attendees celebrate Balance Tampa Bay’s third annual masquerade ball at the Ritz Ybor last year, which raised $32,000 for EPIC. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

En Garde!

Balance Tampa Bay’s Avant Garde masquerade to benefit EPIC Ryan Williams-Jent

T

AMPA | Balance Tampa Bay will hold its fourth annual masquerade ball Aug. 4 in Tampa Heights to benefit Empath Partners in Care (EPIC).

Balance Tampa Bay is an LGBTA volunteer organization that focuses on promoting fellowship, fun and philanthropy throughout the LGBTQ community. The organization’s annual masquerade ball has benefited EPIC since the event’s inception, with 2017’s gathering raising $32,000 for the nonprofit dedicated to providing services to those impacted by HIV/AIDS throughout the region.

“Our theme this year is Avant Garde,” Balance Tampa Bay’s masquerade Event Chair Ryan Young says. “We wanted to go with something that was different and that we hadn’t seen in a while. Avant Garde is something that’s new and unusual; it deals with the arts or society as a whole and can be controversial or push boundaries.”

Avant Garde attendees will don masks and creative attire at Armature Works, the fully restored 22,000-square-foot industrial

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

market featuring an open floor plan in Tampa Heights. Young says the location was chosen to add to the event’s expansive and immersive experience, which this year includes “unparalleled ambience, an open bar evening and energy provided by the one and only DJ Toy Armada.”

“This masquerade will be groundbreaking,” Young says. “We’re trying to make it much larger in scale and very different from what we’ve done previously.” He notes that the decor will be experimental in nature, in line with this year’s theme, and will include displays representing “the different services EPIC provides and the emotions that one can feel” while working with the organization.

The nonprofit’s services include HIV testing, medical case management, counseling, housing assistance and more, EPIC’s Executive Director Joy Winheim says.

“Our doors are open for anyone that needs us,” she notes. “If you need help with meeting your basic needs, with getting into the doctor, with getting tested, with getting education or social support for mental health, we are there. That’s first and foremost.”

Winheim, who also works closely with Balance Tampa Bay, says funds from the masquerade balls

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

are utilized wherever they’re most needed. “We evaluate our budget process every year,” she says. “If we need it for food pantries, we’ll use it for food pantries. If we need it to help pay rent for people, we’ll pay rent for people. If we need it for medication co-pays, we’ll use it there.

All of our programs need assistance now and then.”

Above all, Young says that the event exists to raise awareness about EPIC and its community services. “It’s so important because it’s supporting an organization that has such a huge influence within the community,” he says. “The event supports HIV and AIDS-related services, something that’s not often talked about.”

“The people at Balance just want to help other people, and they’re trying to get other people involved in helping other people,” Winheim adds.

“It’s such an amazing feeling to be a part of that.”

While the work EPIC does is critical and raising awareness is key, Winheim says, she also stresses that the masquerade is a celebration.

“We’re not sticking the cause in your face,” she muses. “It’s so much fun and it’s just a bonus that EPIC gets to be the beneficiary. It’s another avenue for us to get the word out there about who EPIC is, what we do and why the community still needs us.”

Balance Tampa Bay’s 21+ Avant Garde will be held Saturday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5 at Armature Works, located at 1910 N. Ola Ave. in Tampa. Advance tickets are $80 and increase Aug. 4. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit tampamasquerade.com.

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state news

souTh floriDa JuDGe who ruleD on Gay aDopTion Case seT To reTire

JaCksonVille faCes a fourTh lGBTQ MurDer ViCTiM, fear of serial killer heiGhTens

Wire Report

M

iAMi | For the past three years, Judge Cindy Lederman has walked by a half-dozen statues of playful bear cubs every day on her way up to her high-ceilinged, top-floor office looking out toward Miami’s waterfront. On a shelf behind her desk, below rows of glass awards and family photos, sit two teddy bears. In six months, she’ll take them with her and walk past the statues for the last time.

The stuffed bears are from a program the retiring judge helped start 20 years ago to give every child who came to juvenile court a teddy bear. The building, Miami-Dade County’s three-year-old children’s courthouse, and its bear statutes — meant to be played with by those same unlucky children who find themselves needing court hearings — were a project she began working

colton adkins

J

ACKSoNVillE, fla. | The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a call around 3 p.m. about an unresponsive body at Waters Edge Apartments in Jacksonville June 19. Deputies discovered the body of 30-year-old Jessie Sumlar.

Sumlar was a hairstylist at Salon 180 and a local drag performer, according to The Florida Times-Union.

Sumlar is the fourth LGBTQ murder victim in Jacksonville in 2018 and follows the three murders of transgender women of color Celine Walker, Antash’a English and Cathalina Christina James.

With the continuing violence against the LGBTQ community in Jacksonville, members of the community have increasingly grown more scared that there is a serial killer targeting LGBTQ people of color.

Anyone with information about the murders are asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or First Coast Crime Stoppers at 866-845-8477.

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on with colleagues more than a decade ago to replace Miami-Dade’s previous and notoriously horrible children’s courthouse.

Lederman’s legacy stretches far beyond bears. During her 25-year tenure as a juvenile court judge, including a decade as the court’s top judge, she’s ruled in some of the most important cases to pass through, including her decision to strike down the state’s gay adoption ban.

In 2008, in a case that happened behind closed doors, Lederman struck down Florida’s ban on gay adoption. Lederman had a case where a gay man wanted to adopt his foster child. Under Florida law, she could grant him a permanent guardianship instead. Lederman chose not to. She refused to close the case and a four-day trial ensued.

A lawyer from the ACLU came down to represent the would-be adoptive father, an expert from the U.K. flew in to testify. Her ruling, later

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upheld by an appellate court, made national news.

For Lederman it came down to science.

“What is the science in terms of ‘are gay and lesbian parents horrible human beings and they destroy their children or not?’ Of course not. And the science was very clear,” she said.

Now, the science is even stronger. And she sees case after case of gay and lesbian parents adopting, bringing children out of the child welfare system and into loving homes.

“It’s just such a beautiful thing. They cherish these children,” she said.

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Lederman came to Florida for college and never left. She’s always kept busy. Between caseloads sometimes as heavy as 23 a day, to giving presentations or writing articles, her schedule is full. But she is finding time to learn the violin, practice French and tend her garden.

Lederman’s last day will be Dec. 21.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

nation+world news

New Cuba constitution could allow same-sex marriage Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

A

proposed amendment to Cuba’s new constitution would extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Francisco Rodriguez Cruz, a gay Cuban blogger who writes under the pen name Paquito el de Cuba, wrote July 20 that the proposed amendment would “redefine marriage as a voluntary union into which two people who are legally eligible can enter.” Rodriguez reported the proposed amendment also “incorporates the principle of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Maykel Gonzalez, an independent Cuban journalist and LGBTI rights advocate who contributes to the

Washington Blade, also confirmed the proposed amendment.

Mariela Castro, the daughter of former Cuban President Raul Castro who directs the country’s National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX), in May told reporters during a Havana press conference that her organization planned to submit proposals to the Cuban National Assembly in support of marriage and other rights for LGBTI Cubans. Her comments came against the backdrop of pro-marriage equality campaigns that several independent LGBTI advocacy groups had previously launched.

Moises Rodriguez of Corriente Martiana, a Cuban human rights organization told the Blade on May 11 during an interview at his home in Cabanas in Artemisa Province that everyone knows “the damages caused by the lack of marriage equality.”

Lidia Romero of Acepto, a group that also supports marriage rights for same-sex couples, made a similar

point when she spoke with the Blade later that day in Havana.

“Everyone talks about the need for the recognition of or the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples,” she said.

Five Evangelical church groups last month publicly expressed their opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples.

The Cuban government denied their request to hold a march in Havana. Pictures posted to social media earlier this month show supporters of these groups holding signs during church services that read, among other things, “I am in favor of original design: The family as God created” with a picture of a man and a woman and two children holding hands.

The National Assembly will debate the proposed amendment and other changes to the Cuban constitution three months after President Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeded Raul Castro.

Cuba would become the first country in the Caribbean to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples if the proposed amendment becomes part of the new constitution.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

North Dakota’s first openly gay lawmaker looks to become Secretary of State Jeremy Brener

R

ep. Josh Boschee, who became the first openly gay lawmaker in North Dakota when he was elected to the state’s House of Representatives in Jan. 2013, is looking to make history again in November and become the state’s first openly gay secretary of state.

As a North Dakota representative, Boschee led a charge to save a state bill that would have given protections against discrimination in housing and employment to LGBTQ North Dakotans.

North Dakota’s current secretary of state is 74-year-old Republican Al Jaeger. Jaeger has held the position since 1993 but lost his party’s endorsement to software executive Will Gardner in April. Gardner was forced to withdraw from the race several weeks later after a 2006 guilty plea for disorderly conduct resurfaced.

While now receiving the support of state Republicans, Jaeger announced he will be running as an Independent in the election and not as a part of the GOP. The Republican seat in the race is still vacant.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

13

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

viewpoint

Okay, let that sink in. Feel it a little bit. What exactly does it mean that gay brunch needs to die? I recently saw a funny meme that went around about gay brunch. It was a cartoon of several champagne flutes that had come to life and were blabbing about gay brunch stuff. The title of it was “If Your Gay Brunch Could Talk.”

The champagne flutes are muttering lines like, “Am I the only person who hasn’t seen ‘Call Me By Your Name?,’” “Don’t come for me!” and “Check your privilege!” Then it turns to funny in the end. All of the flutes quiet down as a stone-faced beer mug is being

weren’t trying to attack anyone, but the library was open and they were gently making fun of people.

One comment went too far with one friend.

Someone’s feelings were hurt, and the person on the receiving end of the reading silently paid for their brunch and left. It was an awkward moment to sit through.

Thinking about that moment, and so many others that started off innocently but turned into everyone at the table reading someone or jumping on someone’s life decisions, made me wonder why we as gay people sometimes tear each other down. I understand that we aren’t going to sit around and compliment each other for an hour and a half during brunch, but why do we always need to attack and read other people in our own groups?

There could be so many answers to that question.

Maybe humor was a tool for a lot of LGBTQ kids to keep away the bullying? Maybe we deal with so much in our own lives of feeling oppressed that we lash out at the ones we love the most? I have no clue. I’m not a psychologist. Here’s what I do know: We need to do a little more encouraging instead of the tearing down.

Who in your brunch group may be living paycheck to paycheck and can’t actually afford the weekly group outing? Who is throwing back their mimosa and

carried by on a waiter’s tray. All the flutes quiet down and they start yelling “DADDY!” At the very end someone says, “Choke me, Daddy!”

The meme was shared all across social media at the beginning of Pride with lots of laughs. It caused me to pause for a second and consider what my gay brunches are actually like.

A few months back I was at brunch with a group of friends. One person was having a really good time.

Anytime the server came by, they had a fresh mimosa in hand. After a few, their eyes were starting to zero in on people for some good-natured ribbing. They

laughing at your jokes but secretly cutting themselves or having thoughts of suicide? Who sitting at your table is cringing because they tried to call their parents for the fifth time that month but they won’t answer because they just came out?

Maybe it’s time to use these brunches as a weekly lift-up session. Instead of making

Miguel Fuller

hiGh fiDeliTy

I

Brunch Bubblies ’M goiNg to SAy SoMEthiNg

that may come off as a little harsh, a little mean. I believe it needs to be said: gay brunch needs to die.

fun of the person sitting at the brunch table that’s in between jobs, maybe you should offer to help them look for a job.

I would like to say at this point, this is not every brunch group and this is not just exclusive to gay brunch outings. The times we live in are scary. We are fighting to make sure our rights don’t slide through our fingertips.

I want to take it upon myself to elevate brunch and make sure that I know what’s really going on in the lives of my friends.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

We are fighting to make sure we are represented in media and entertainment.

We are fighting to make sure we can be open and honest at work. We are fighting so much, so why should we drag down those in our chosen families?

Maybe gay brunch does not need to die, but I want to take it upon myself to elevate brunch and make

sure that I know what’s really going on in the lives of my friends. Not just the latest gossip or drama, which I do love to hear about, but I want to know more about how my friends are doing. That way we can go into the week feeling bubbly from the mimosas and the connection with friends.

Read It Online!

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

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

viewpoint

Sabrina Ambra

ladyfingers U-Haul Lesbians and other stereotypes

I

always knew Justin

Bieber was a lesbian. Engaged after a couple months of dating, that son of a douche (let the record reflect that I’m referring to his father; please feel free to Google).

We are all aware, and have heard of at least one, of the lesbian stereotypes that are driven by everyone who isn’t a lesbian: one acts like the man in the relationship, lesbians always scissor, it’s just a phase, all lesbians hate men, etc. They’re comically untrue and I personally can find the humor in the stupidity more often than not. What baffles me, and what I’d like to go over with you here, are the stereotypes within the lesbian community that are totally true and kept alive by our lesbo-brethren. You guys, the “U-Haul Lesbian” has its own fucking Wikipedia page! Did you know it’s also referred to as “U-Haul Syndrome?!” You do now. We both do. Hence the Justin Bieber reference because we can agree he has a beautiful lady face. Now the small circle is completed and we can move forward.

Lesbi-completely honest with ourselves though, stereotypes — like the “U-Haul Lesbian” — seem more like statistics nowadays. I mean, it’s actually happening. For example, four out of five lesbians own a cat, statistically speaking. Yes, I have no actual research to back that up (yet), but we all know it’s true. I’ll be honest, I spent a good chunk of the last seven or eight years of my life saying I would never

move in with a girlfriend and then I totally did.

I convinced my amazing girlfriend to move from Georgia with a promise of that “big Florida life.”

Mind you, it was a unique situation, and I couldn’t be happier with my lovermate.

All of it just begs the question, are lesbians perpetuating our own stereotypes or have these generalizations become unspoken guidelines that gay women subconsciously adhere to? As if we have somehow managed to establish conformities that we’ll eventually use to pressure one another and ourselves to fit in. It’s systematic, automatic, hydromatic, it’s basically “Grease,” but “Summer Lovin’” covers Sandy and Danny’s relationship tag plus applicable emoji on each of their respective Instagram bios. And most definitely their incredible sex. Of course they cannot forget to include a 45-minute song about intense sexual tension, electrifying arm touches and their ability to find things to text about throughout the course of an entire day. Then it ends with a flash mob engagement.

Boom! If there is a musical theater director reading this and you’re interested in this treatment for “Pink is the Warmest Color: The Musical,” email me.

Here’s one that I can’t quite get a grasp on: inter-circle dating. I can’t even figure out how to refer to it properly and hell if I know how to describe it. Basically, everyone has dated everyone’s friend, who just broke up with everyone’s ex-girlfriend, and then you multiply all of that by 1,000. It’s as if lesbians have this sixth sense of finding all the other Scissor Sisters within a 20-mile radius, and then they put the ends of their ponytails together as they speed date each other for a month before moving

onto another herd. I’m inadvertently Eskimo sisters with half of Orlando because of this interwoven Lez Fest.

While I can understand the passion that comes with two women falling for each other, I can’t say I’ve experienced doing the

they interact to the way they fuck — it’s like a magical language made up of interpretive dance and infinite amounts of orgasms with lots of energy and exchange of hormones.

There is fiery drama and levels of intimacy so high

I will conclude with this.

There is one generalization that I believe would be in every dyke’s best interest if it was actually looked at as a general rule: fingernail upkeep versus your pussy starring in the sequel to “There Will Be Blood.” I’m

same “falling” with my ex’s good friend two weeks later.

Hey, I know it’s worked for someone out there.

I just always went with the “Quasimodo approach” for my break-ups: go into full hiding and chill with my GALgoyles until the coast is clear. No strings, no confusion, no bullshit.

Lesbians are a fascinating species though. From the way they talk to the way

that they are inexplicable.

My heart breaks for the vanilla couples that don’t get to experience it. Not because they can’t, but because they don’t know it exists. Gay women, though, are a whole other story. You get two ladies that are in the midst of hot and heavy, and they can communicate to each other about likes and dislikes...Pff. Game over; Team Vagina wins.

sorry for being graphic, but it needs to be addressed, even if just for a brief moment. Remember kids: If you see it, clip it. Don’t ask, just tell them to file down their razor claws. Only you can prevent a coochie massacre. Thank you and God bless.

You get two ladies that are in the midst of hot and heavy, and they can communicate to each other about likes and dislikes...Pff. Game over; Team Vagina wins.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

24 oF The

TOP 30 COUNTRIES FOUND TO BE

talking points The first time someone handed me a peach I go, ‘Oh, thanks.’ And they go, ‘No, that’s not for you, will you sign it for me?’...they’re going to put that peach on a shelf because it has my signature and in 10 days, it’s going to putrefy and their entire place is going to be full of fruit flies.

—ARMiE hAMMER tAlKiNg ABout thE uNuSuAl REQuESt fRoM fANS to SigN thE PiECES of fRuit BECAuSE of hiS iNfAMouS PEACh SCENE iN thE filM “CAll ME By youR NAME.”

sCarleTT johansson pUlls oUT oF “rUb & TUG”

amid CasTinG ConTroversy

S

CARlEtt JohANSSoN hAS DRoPPED out of thE filM “Rub & Tug” following backlash for accepting a transgender role as a cis-gender woman. Johansson had been cast as Dante “Tex” Gill, a transgender man who operated a string of massage parlors that were fronts for brothels in Pittsburgh. There was immediate criticism for the decision with transgender actresses such as Trace Lysette and Jamie Clayton slamming Hollywood for the double standard of trans characters being given to cis-gender actors and not vice versa. In response, Johansson issued a statement to Bustle saying, “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.” Now, in a statement to Out, Johansson has announced she is dropping out of the film. “In light of recent ethical questions raised surrounding my casting as Dante Tex Gill, I have decided to respectfully withdraw my participation in the project,” Johansson said.

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AtwoMAN” iS BEiNg DEVEloPED iNto A tV SERiES foR CoNSiDERAtioN At Cw with a lesbian superhero lead. Out showrunner Greg Berlanti and executive producer Caroline Dries, who is an out lesbian, are working on a series launch set for 2019.

Batwoman, also known as Kate Kane, will make her debut in an Arrow verse crossover event on CW in December.

Casting is already underway for a lesbian actress to portray Kane. In the series, Kane, “armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence.”

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mlb won’T sUspend brewers piTCher josh hader For anTi-Gay, raCisT TweeTs

M

AJoR lEAguE BASEBAll woN’t SuSPEND MilwAuKEE BREwERS REliEf PitChER Josh Hader for old anti-gay, sexist and racist tweets that resurfaced during his first All-Star appearance at the 2018 MLB All-Star Game July 17. The tweets, which were posted in 2011 and 2012, included use of the N-word and one tweet that stated: “I hate gay people.”

Hader was unaware of the Twitter firestorm until after the game when he issued an apology to reporters.

“You know, it was something that happened when I was 17 years old,” the now 24-year-old Maryland native said. The MLB won’t suspend Hader for the tweets but will require him to attend sensitivity training.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

neTFlix renews “qUeer eye” For season Three

“Q

uEER EyE” hAS BEEN RENEwED foR A thiRD SEASoN, according to Variety. The Netflix reboot of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” has already become a phenomenon after two seasons. The show has also earned four Emmy nominations including for Structured Reality Program. Production begins on July 16 in Kansas City, Missouri, for an eight-episode season. Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France will all return to give internal and external makeovers to a new batch of people. Berk will have a special connection with the new setting as Missouri is where the interior designer grew up.

The third season is expected to premiere in 2019.

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July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

i AM who i AM:

Rizwan Zaman says he tries to “lead a purposeful life as a Muslim who also happens to be gay.”

PHOTO BY JAkE STEvENS

IDENTITY

POLITICS How Central Florida’s Middle eastern and Muslim lGBtQ community has found their voice post-pulse

R

holly V. Kapherr

ECAll two SEMiNAl

moments from our recent history: Most—if not all—of us nearing our mid-thirties and beyond remember where we were on Sept. 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center fell to the ground. Similarly, thousands will never forget the morning they woke up and heard about the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016.

For many, these two events may share very little in common: the scope of the terror, the size of the cities in which they occurred, the generality or specificity of their victims, how removed or close-to-home the impact.

But in one community, LGBTQ individuals of Muslim heritage or Middle Eastern background, both acts of terror share an unfortunate common

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

thread—the nationality and religion of the perpetrators.

The Sept. 11 attacks were orchestrated by the radical Muslim group al-Qaeda and its leader at the time, Osama bin Laden. The man who murdered 49 and wounded 53 at Pulse was Omar Mir Seddique, also known as Omar Mateen, the son

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

ConTinUed on pG. 23 | uu |

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

Growing Up | uu | Identity Politics from pg.21

of immigrants from Afghanistan.

Mateen also had strong ties to radical Islam.

In the weeks following Pulse, national attention turned to the Muslim stance on homosexuality and gay issues. Simply put, it’s more complex than you might think.

An NBC News article that ran on June 19, 2016, read, “Orlando Highlights Islam’s Complicated Relationship With Homosexuality.”

Two days earlier, USAToday published the headline, “Muslim attitudes about LGBT are complex, far from universally anti-gay.”

In 10 of 18 Middle Eastern countries, homosexuality is illegal—sometimes punishable by death. Other punishments include exile and gay conversion therapy.

However, NBC reported that experts cite LGBTQ figures as part of the faith since the days of the Prophet Muhammad. The musician Al Dalal, a contemporary of the Prophet, was also gay, according to most Islamic scholars. Rumi, perhaps the culture’s most celebrated and popular poet, is widely understood to have been inspired by a gay relationship in some homoerotic verses. But homosexuality is a pain point in many mainline conservative religions.

“Religion has lumped a lot of things into the basket of sin, including homosexuality,” says Father Victor Ray, who helms the St. Francis Ecumenical Catholic Church in Largo, “but its lumped in homosexuality from a psychological perspective when they were developing religious theology.”

Ray—who recently led a panel discussion on the intersection of spirituality and homosexuality— says what’s happening today is that we’re learning that sexual orientation is more than a decision for those who come out.

“It’s part of who they are,” Ray says. “There are many misconceptions, so much heartache and so many broken down people, because they could never justify being religious and being homosexual.”

Rizwan Zaman, 45, and Justin Shakeri, 25, are two men in Central Florida who have worked through their identities and have found community in maintaining their Middle Eastern identities and living boldly as gay men at the same time, proving it’s not a contradiction.

Zaman lives in Orlando and gave an interview to the BBC following Pulse, bringing international attention to the existence of men and women who identify as both gay and Muslim. He told the BBC, “[Pulse] was a safe haven for allowing me to not feel judged or criticized … I didn’t have to worry about my safety.” Zaman grew up in the South as the child of devout Indian-American parents. “I always felt like an outsider,” he says. “We came to find a better life in America, but my parents were dedicated

Persian heritage—much of which is rooted in Islam—was foremost; religion came second.

Anna Eskamani, another Persian-American, who is currently running as a Democrat for Florida House District 47, is a known LGBTQ ally. She also grew up in a conservative household with her brother and twin sister, fully aware of the traditional mores of Islam, with sprinklings of religious fervor.

“Dating wasn’t an acceptable practice in our household,” notes Eskamani, who graduated from University High School. Her mother passed

bin Laden.” At that moment, she knew something had changed in the way her classmates and the community saw her and her family.

Zaman, who was a bit older on 9/11, looks back, saying, “After 9/11 began a long period of defensive education to society about the hateful rhetoric sprouted by self-proclaimed ‘leaders’ professing to be Muslim.”

For Zaman, he always found this radical rhetoric to be contradictory to the building blocks he was always taught in the religion. “When you look through a pure lens,” he says, “you see through the hate.”

Through my struggle to accept myself, my only connection was God and his reason for creating me...This belief continually fueled me. It actually kept me alive. With that in mind, I try to lead a purposeful life as a Muslim who also happens to be gay.

—Rizwan Zaman

to preserving our cultural and religious identity.” Zaman’s parents established the mosque and Islamic society where they worshipped.

Developing a sense of community was essential in forging their way in their adopted country.

Shakeri, who moved to Florida from Richmond, Virginia, felt similarly as a Middle Eastern child growing up in an area that wasn’t exactly welcoming to foreigners.

“It was little Persian-American me among all these very rich Republicans and their white kids.

Everyone looked at me and my family like we were different,” he says.

“From a young age, I grew up with a sense of being ‘other.’” Shakeri notes that, at the time, there were very few to no Middle Eastern celebrities, so there was no one to look up to.

“My parents were spiritual, but not religious, per se,” he says. “My mom would pray to Mecca and we celebrated Persian New Year, Nowruz.” For Shakeri, preserving the

away when she was 13 years old, so not only did she not have access to information about puberty and sexual development from her mother, she also didn’t have access to it because it just “wasn’t talked about.”

Eskamani also recalls female roles as key in her family dynamic. “I was taught not to call attention to myself, not to be loud, and not to ‘take up space,’ so to speak,” she says.

The attack on the World Trade Center was pivotal for all of them.

Shakeri and Eskamani both relate being called “terrorists” by kids at school more often than they can count. “It was after 9/11 that the shame of being Middle Eastern set in,” says Shakeri, who was in third grade at the time of the attack.

Eskamani, who was in sixth grade at the time, agrees, “9/11 was the moment I realized what racism was.

Before that, I was proud of being Iranian-American. But Sept. 11 was the first moment that a classmate asked me if I was related to Osama

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Finding Their Way For Shakeri and Zaman, coming out as gay meant reconciling their Middle Eastern and Muslim upbringing with their sexual identity. Both men spent more time in the closet than they probably would have had their religion and ethnicity not played a factor. Islam is certainly not the only religion that prescribes against the “sin” of homosexuality, and many LGBTQ individuals who grapple with coming out are also in the process of evolving their religious values and family traditions. Bobby Berk, who currently serves as the design expert on Netflix’s latest iteration of “Queer Eye,” has spoken, at length in both interviews and on the show, about his religious upbringing as a major obstacle to his coming out as gay.

For Shakeri, coming out to his parents was the hardest part. “It was the darkest point in my life,” he says. “They didn’t believe me. They

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

thought I was confused and didn’t know any better. They tried to put me in conversion therapy. I begged my mom not to tell anyone, but of course, she told everyone in our family.” Shakeri was surprised by the reaction of his aunts and uncles, who were relatively unfazed by the news.

“They felt bad for me because they knew my parents would react badly,” he says. “It all came down to the Middle Eastern idea that ‘this is your firstborn son, your pride and joy, and now he’s damaged.’”

Ray counsels many people who are struggling with their religious upbringing and reconciling that with their sexual orientation. Parents are an especially difficult subject for many of those who come to him.

“When parents first find out about their child being gay, they’re upset because being gay is a hard life decision,” he says. Ray encourages individuals, “Sometimes there’s going to be hurt, but sometimes the only way for someone to grow is for there to be hurt. Our lives, and the lives of our families, will be greater for it.”

Shakeri remained in Richmond for college until his parents pulled him out of school. “They wanted to control me,” he says. “I was going to be a doctor, because when you’re a Middle Eastern man, that’s what you do. But as soon as my parents saw that I wasn’t putting in any effort, they pulled me right out.”

Shakeri later attended a drag pageant in Richmond where some of Orlando’s local talent performed, including Ginger Minj and The Minx. They invited Shakeri to come down to Orlando and he promptly bee-lined for the Sunshine State.

“I had no theater experience, but one day, the performer who was supposed to sing ‘Under the Sea’ from ‘The Little Mermaid’ was out, and I happened to know all the words,” he says. “From that day, you couldn’t keep me off the stage.”

Shakeri is now one of the producers for Broadway Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s in downtown Orlando.

Zaman feels that, though many might say he came out “late,” the time was right for him. He wanted to make sure he felt a level of courage as well as support from an embracing community. This happened for him when he was 38 years old. He came out to his immediate family two years later, in 2013.

“Their initial reaction wasn’t what I expected,” he says, “but I suspect they needed time to understand, just as I needed time to process it myself.” The BBC interview he taped

Continued on pg. 25 | uu |

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A Proud Citizen: Anna Eskamani marches in the 2017 Come Out With Pride parade in downtown Orlando. Photo by Thi Ngyuen

One orlando: An Arab woman with an Equality Florida sign at the Pulse vigil at the Dr. Philips Center. Photo by JD Casto

| uu | Identity Politics from pg.23

just after Pulse was the way he came out to the rest of the community.

Over 200 million people saw the interview, which aired every hour during Pride weekend, and the reaction was mixed.

“I received many supportive messages, and some challenging ones as well,” he says. “I see each as an opportunity and responsibility to educate and expose society to

standing together: An Arab man holds up a sign condemning attacks in the name of religion at the first Pulse vigil at the Dr. Philips Center. Photo by JD Casto

The mourning of: Imam Muhammad Musri at a press conference outside a Chipotle in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Photo by Jake Stevens

a topic which they would have otherwise brushed under the rug.”

While Shakeri never truly identified himself with Islam, Zaman still finds himself committed to the Muslim faith and community, though he admits that the community as a whole may need time to process the idea of a gay Muslim man.

“Through my struggle to accept myself, my only connection was God and his reason for creating me,” he says. Zaman cites a central tenet of the Muslim faith that many other faiths share: God created

each human exactly how they were intended to be and with a purpose.

“This belief continually fueled me.

It actually kept me alive,” he says.

“With that in mind, I try to lead a purposeful life as a Muslim who also happens to be gay.”

A Unique Perspective

When the identity of the gunman at Pulse was made public, reactions varied widely, especially among the Middle Eastern community. Prominent Muslim voices in Central Florida sprang into action, including Imam

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Muhammad Musri, who co-hosts the “Three Wise Guys” program on WMFE 90.7 FM in Orlando. He was among the first to acknowledge the work of law enforcement and express his condolences to victims and their families. He said at a press conference, “We condemn the person who did this, whatever ideology he had. No lives should be lost because of anger and hate.”

Eskamani, who was at the time senior director at the Orlando chapter of Planned Parenthood, was asked to speak during a press

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

conference that was held at The LGBT+ Center of Central Florida.

“I remember the moment I heard about Mateen,” she says. “When they announced his identity, I felt a lot of shame. It was instant. Because there are so many stereotypes about Muslims, I just felt like this wasn’t helpful, to say the very least.”

She also felt that the judgment and stigma that further divide populations would be used against Muslims, “I felt a responsibility as an Iranian-American to

Continued on pg. 27 | uu |

25

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

| uu | Identity Politics from pg.25

demonstrate solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Our struggles are tied together.”

Planned Parenthood was no stranger to gun violence. The Colorado Springs location had suffered a mass shooting that resulted in three deaths just seven months prior. “I felt compelled to take action immediately after Pulse,” she says. “I went to The Center, where there were at least 30 press outlets. I wasn’t expecting to speak, but I was asked to say a few words. I wanted to demonstrate not only solidarity as a nonprofit organization that understands terrorism firsthand, but also as an Iranian-American and as someone with close ties to the Muslim community. I wanted to show that we stood together against this kind of violence.”

Since that time, there has been some evidence and speculation about Mateen’s ties to the LGBTQ community, and what might have fueled his actions. Mateen’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, told TIME magazine that Mateen may have been gay, and was hiding his sexuality from his parents. The article in TIME also referenced several users of the gay-dating platform Jack’d saying that they’d exchanged messages with Mateen, though those claims were never substantiated. Four regular patrons at Pulse reported that they had seen Mateen at Pulse before.

Zaman references all of this when he talks about his reaction after Pulse. “Much of what we read about Mateen and his motives is speculation,” he says, “since he isn’t alive, I can only filter his biases from his horrific actions.”

Zaman says that there is no part of Islam that justifies the slaughter of innocent lives — in fact, the contrary. According to the Quran, taking another life, if not in self-defense, is grounds for excommunication from the religion. “When I heard that he did it in the name of my religion, I categorized him as I have all the other individuals who execute horrific crimes against innocent people and use their faith as a shield for arrogance, ignorance and insecurity.”

Citing the “toe-tapping” incident at the Minneapolis-St.Paul airport in 2007 that brought down notorious anti-gay Republican Sen. Larry Craig, Ray agrees. “He was conflicted within himself.

finding a home: Justin Shakeri was concerned that after Pulse he may experience bullying but found that “the amount of love shown [to him] after Pulse was incredible. I have never felt that much love before.” Photo by dylan todd His confliction was a sign of hate, which led to his downfall.

Someone living a double life, who cannot find the connection between his mind and his soul, will never be happy.”

Shakeri lost a friend in the Pulse shooting, and says that while the night will haunt him forever, there was “no reason [Mateen] should have felt as he did.”

“No one will understand this unless you are a gay Middle Easterner who has grown up in

an unaccepting environment,” Shakeri continues. “Being persecuted by the people and the culture that is supposed to love and support you does something to you. It breaks my heart to know that he may have felt there was no way out except to kill people that were able to express the part of themselves that he loathed in himself. I know what it is to be Middle Eastern and hate that part of yourself. That was me for 18 years.”

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Moving Forward “The Pulse massacre took place during a volatile [presidential] election campaign cycle, and [Mateen’s] alleged motives have been used as additional fodder for campaigning on anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ platforms,” says Zaman. “It has been a struggle to feel included in such a polarized environment.”

Zaman cites his faith as a source of balance, guidance and patience as the country, state and region

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

figures out what it wants to be with regard to marginalized populations.

If nothing else positive, Eskamani relays a message of solidarity that has emerged between the Muslim community and the LGBTQ community that might not have existed pre-Pulse.

“The Muslim ban has created a unity within Arabs,” says Eskamani, “and the LGBTQ community joined us against the Muslim ban by the Trump administration.” She also feels that it is her responsibility to educate her father and others in the older generation about equality, tolerance and acceptance. “It’s hard to change those attitudes, but I deeply feel it is our generation’s responsibility to try.”

Ray sees hope in the next generation of young people who do not see religion and sexual identity as mutually exclusive. “I am not happy with the way conservative mainline religion has affected our American way of thinking,” he says. “I believe that religion is man-made, and the true message of religion is for people to love, and accept and be there for one another. Young people are going to change religion. They don’t care if someone is gay or straight. They care if someone is a good person and is living true to themselves.”

After Pulse, Shakeri was concerned that he’d experience some of the same bullying and ostracizing he felt after 9/11.

“But no one gave a single shit that I was Middle Eastern. The amount of love shown after Pulse was incredible. I have never felt that much love before. That was the moment that Orlando stopped being ‘the place where I live,’ and started being ‘home.’” Shakeri feels it’s unfortunate that a tragedy is what brings about feelings of love and unity, but what we need is how he ends the Broadway Brunch show: “We always say that no matter who you are, if we can all get together and have a great time, the world will be a better place.”

Zaman remains hopeful that the more sharing happens within religions, cultures and communities, the more understanding will bridge the gaps. “As a gay Muslim, I have learned so much about myself, my faith and my sexuality in the process of self-acceptance,” he says. “The more we share our collective journeys, the more society will be exposed to experiences they were not aware of, and the less they will fear what they don’t know.”

27

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

arTs and enTerTainmenT

CALUM’S

GOT TALENT out singer/songwriter Calum Scott talks his new album, tinder and first U.S. tour

Y

aaron drake

ou Might KNow hiM By hiS

heartbreaking version of “Dancing on My Own,” but “Britain’s Got Talent” golden boy Calum Scott has much more up his sleeve.

The out singer and songwriter just released his debut album “Only Human” on Capitol Records, and he’s wasting no time in getting it out on tour. It’s his first major tour through the U.S., and many of his LGBTQ fans are eager to see him live. He will be performing with well-known a capella group Pentatonix at his upcoming show in Tampa at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater Aug. 9.

“The thing is, with the album, every song on there has a little piece of my heart, a little piece of my soul.

I’m very emotional, very sensitive.

You can probably tell that by the album,” Calum laughs. “I’ve told my story in different ways, I’ve talked about the problems I had with my sexuality growing up. Songs on there [are dedicated] to my sister who found my voice and encouraged me

to be where I am. Songs about having my heart broken by somebody who I thought loved me and was gay, but didn’t end up even being gay.”

Calum took a few minutes after the first stop on his tour to chat with Watermark about why he’s a sucker for sad songs, the trials of dating as an international performer and what his fans can expect next.

Watermark: is This yoUr FirsT Time To Florida?

CalUm sCoTT: It will be my first ever time so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard a lot about Florida and I’ve always wanted to come. I’m very privileged that my music has taken me to all these places I’ve always wanted to travel so I’m really, really looking forward to it.

ConTinUed on pG. 31 | uu |

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

“yes, I would love to support them, they’re very talented. It’s something I’ve never seen before and I would love to be a part of that.” When we announced [the tour] it was a shock because a band such as them and with the following they’ve got, just was a real honor. Obviously on the side of that is that I get to tour extensively in America and get to meet fans that have been waiting to see me live for so long which was a huge deal.

| uu | Calum Scott from pg.29

What’s your favorite song on the album?

Oh my god, it’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! I guess I’ve always been a sucker for piano and sad songs, it’s just in my blood. So I think one of those is “You Are The Reason.” Not so much sad, but just a tribute to love. Love in all of its contexts, not just necessarily the love that you feel for your partners but the people that make you want to get up and see life. When I wrote “You Are The Reason” it was a little bit of a tribute to my grandma who I believe made me the person I am today. It’s just a real tribute to love and I think there’s something really beautiful in the message of the song, which is that even though we face problems in our lives, what we feel for those special people in our lives can get us through anything.

Are there artists who influenced you while you were making this album?

The thing is with your first album you have your whole life to be influenced, and album two slightly less. (Laughs.)

When I was growing up my mum would take us to swimming lessons or she would take us to school or she would take us on little holidays.

She would always play her favorite artists in the car, which was Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael—all those real big, big singers that sang from a really special place and sang from their heart, just commanded the song and the message. I guess I was very influenced by that.

When I started to grow up and get my own taste and my own flavor I was very influenced by people like Adele, Sam Smith, Sia—all these artists that again, write from the heart and can sing a good ballad.

Those guys definitely influenced me and I think that’s probably why I’m such a sucker for sad songs and the piano. I’ve grown up around that, grown up around those big ballads, and they just move me and they make me feel, and I think that’s what good music should do.

You’ve performed your moving song “No Matter What” in London. Are you planning to perform that on tour?

I am actually. I sang it yesterday…

I was definitely terrified [but] the crowd was so receptive. When I was performing “No Matter What” I told a little story, like I did in [London] about how I had a conversation with my mum and she had a really

You’re out and dating now, how’s the dating pool?

A UK Idol: Calum Scott became a star in England after being a finalist on “Britain’s Got Talent.” Now he is bringing that golden voice to America with his first U.S. tour. Photo Courtesy calum scott beautiful reaction. I told my friends who I thought I could trust and was completely abandoned by them. It just made it so much more difficult to tell my dad who moved to Canada and wasn’t around. So I ended up telling my dad, that being the story of “No Matter What.”

When I was singing “No Matter What” there was a cheer from the crowd, which made me think that people know the song, or at least have looked online and found [it],

You have more original songs online. Do you have plans to release them?

It’s so interesting to see what songs people are inspired by. I saw the other day somebody had created an unofficial music video using some clips from a movie I guess for “If Our Love is Wrong,” which is the song on the top of the album and was basically my song to come out to the world with. It had millions of views—you see things like that and

on telling stories that made her who she was and millions and millions of people relate to that. So I think album two will be much of the same, really relatable songs and very honest.

I suppose I’m going to make people cry for a lot longer. (Laughs.)

You’re touring with Pentatonix, how did that come about?

My agent had got in touch with me and said I have this terrific

For the most part I wrote the songs on the album with the hope that it inspires. Some people out there who are confused or feel isolated themselves can take my experience and know that there is a lot of love in the world.

— Calum Scott which blew me away a little bit.

When I started the song, like I do when I perform anywhere, I pull myself back into the inspiration that it took to write it and so I was pretty emotional—I’m glad I had my sunglasses on. It comes from a really real place, a very personal place actually. For the most part I wrote the songs on the album with the hope that it inspires. Some people out there who are confused or feel isolated themselves can take my experience and know that there is a lot of love in the world.

you see the power of the songwriting and how it affects people. It gives you a real indication of what your fans relate to and I think moving forward the songs that I’ve written that are not on the album, if they follow that same formula and people can relate to them and they are from a very honest place, that’s what album two will be.

I don’t tend to change direction and suddenly go a different way.

I want to be that same guy that started out—much like Adele, she never really changed, she just carried

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

opportunity with this group called Pentatonix. I remember Pentatonix had done a cover of “Dancing On My Own” on YouTube so I knew about them but I’d never seen a show. A cappella groups are not a typical thing in the U.K. I guess country music is the same over there. I saw them perform live for the first time last night and they were amazing.

To say that there’s no music there, they’re creating everything you hear, is just phenomenal. Even not knowing that of course I was like

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

Good and bad. It’s nice that there’s a lot of attention. I am on Tinder, swiping away. The annoying thing and one of the only downsides to this industry is you’re never in one place long enough. Having the opportunity to go out on a date and to speak to people and create a relationship is tough because it relies on time, and time for artists you don’t get a lot of. It’s great that I’m finally in a place where I’m open to the world and I can be myself—I can be gay and proud, find a date and find somebody who loves me for me, but tough in the fact it’s becoming increasingly more difficult because the label wants to send me halfway around the world. Then they want to send me out on tour, and then they want me to write album two. I guess staying single is helping me write album two? (Laughs.) I am looking to meet somebody. I’ve just got to keep my eyes open and make sure I’m still swiping away on Tinder. I’m assuming he’s just around the corner, it just depends on what corner I turn round to.

Any more exciting projects or collaborations coming up that you can share with us?

I’ve definitely written a lot of songs for the album that didn’t quite make it so there are some artists that have cut some of my new music, which is really exciting… I’ve got songs that I’ve written essentially for other people. I’m also working with some other artists this year and collaborating with them, and I’m also starting to work on album two so there’s a lot that’s going on.

This is just really the beginning which is just the most exciting thing ever. I’m very happy and looking forward to everything that’s part of the future.

Calum Scott performs at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre with Pentatonix and Echosmith at the Florida State Fairgrounds Aug. 9. For tickets or more information, call 813-740-2446 or visit livenation.com.

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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music

Genuine Legend

kd lang takes her breakout album “Ingenue” on the road 25 years after its debut different than what was happening in pop music. Nirvana had just broken big. Madonna had “Erotica.” Mariah Carey was big. Bjork had just come out. All these things and I was going in a completely different direction.

I thought, “I’m going to get killed by the critics.” Which I did for the first few reviews; they were just abominable.

But momentum started happening. A DJ in Atlanta started spinning “Constant Craving.” I did The Advocate interview which built my profile and controversy, which is always a double-edged sword, but a good thing. It started happening.

One of my favorite things from the time it was originally released was the “Miss Chatelaine” dance remix. If you didn’t want to be a pop star, how did it feel to be a disco diva?

(above)

Center Stage:

kd lang will perform her biggest hits when she visits the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando Sept. 8.

Photo by Jeri Heiden

T

It was really exciting because my music was so far from that. At that time, dance remixes were something that you did.

We did a lot of remixes. I even would be asked to go to clubs and just say hi when they were spinning the record, which was a whole new thing. It was kind of fun. It was a coming of age for me, but also for the gay community. It was a turning point.

Gregg Shapiro

o this day, more than 30 years

since her major-label debut “Angel With a Lariat” and just over 25 years since her Grammy Awardwinning commercial breakthrough album “Ingenue,” there is still no one who can compare to k.d. lang.

Her powerful and emotive voice and her distinctive performance style have yet to be matched. Whether she’s performing the country music of her early career, her pop-oriented mid-career work or her distinguished interpretations of standards, lang is a singular performer and artist of the highest order.

She is currently on tour to commemorate the 25-year anniversary reissue of “Ingenue,” which brings her to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center Sept. 8 (tickets start at $39.50 and are available at DrPhillipsCenter.org). lang took time out of her busy touring schedule to answer a few questions for Watermark.

Watermark: I’d like to begin by wishing you a belated happy 25th anniversary of the release of “Ingenue.” Did you realize, at the time you were recording it, that “Ingenue” would have such an impact, including winning a Grammy Award?

lang: No, I really didn’t. I may have had an instinctual negative reaction to recording “Constant Craving” because I thought it was a real strong pop song. I don’t know what it is about me [laughs], but I wasn’t keen on having a pop song, but at the same time I really wanted a pop song. When I made “Ingenue,” I thought it was extremely

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

The bonus material on the expanded “Ingenue” reissue includes previously unreleased tracks from your “MTV Unplugged” set. What did it mean to you at that time to perform on such a prestigious show?

Obviously it was the pinnacle. If you were doing well, you got an “[MTV] Unplugged” TV show. It was a huge opportunity. We decided not to release the MTV stuff. In the back of my mind, I always knew that we had it. It seemed like we had the opportunity [to release it] with the release of the anniversary album.

In June of this year, “Constant Craving” was included on Pitchfork.com’s list of the “50 Songs that Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride.”

How did you feel when you found out your song would be a part of that list?

I’m just so happy to be a part of our history. To be a brick in the road that

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

has paved the way and continues to pave the way for our liberty and equality.

Speaking of honors, you are scheduled to receive the 2018 Americana Trailblazer Award. What does receiving that honor mean to you?

Whoa! Well, it’s incredible. I was going to say I worked hard, but then I had to correct myself because it wasn’t work.

I had a lot of fun and a lot of obstacles creating a new type of country music at the time that I did it. I fell in love with country music. I never liked country music as a kid, but then I started to understand the beauty and the depth and the kitsch and the irony of country music in my late teens. I got obsessed with Patsy Cline and created this homage genre. It was a labor of love and respect and appreciation for country music and certain country singers.

Minnie Pearl and Patsy and Loretta [Lynn], people I had close proximity to. It feels amazing that I would be recognized this long after my time with country music.

You have a long history of being a good collaborator, from playing with the Reclines and the Siss Boom Bang, to singing with the Honky Tonk Angels on “Shadowland” to the duets album you recorded with Tony Bennett, and more recently the Case/ lang/Veirs album. What is about you that makes you so good at playing well with others?

I like fitting in to others’ music. For instance, I loved singing with Tony Bennett or Roy Orbison because I love to shadow someone else’s music. I love the supporting role. It fits me. I love to put my voice into situations where I shadow someone else’s voice and vibe.

That feels really good to me. That, to me, is the ultimate education. It’s like I’m always going to school when I sing with other people. I have a thirst for that and maybe that’s what the draw to collaboration is for me.

What can the audience expect from the “Ingenue Redux” concert tour?

We do the record in its entirety in sequence right off the top of the show.

It sets the tone and pretty much stays there. We do a few of the songs very true to the record. In the mid-to-later half of the record we get into some new arrangements and we open up the songs a little bit. It’s my favorite part of the show, where the musicians have a chance to stand out.

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Happy 50th READ IT Birthday ONLINE! Eric Rollings!!!

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

The Most Qualified Candidate for District 3 Commissioner Love, Mom & Dad

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www.jacobdickson.com

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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407.403.0880

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July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

407.403.0880

jake@jacobdickson.com

community calendar

evenT planner arTs+enTerTainMenT

CenTral Florida

CenTral Florida

Orlando’s 80s Ball w/ elektra from “Pose”

National Dance Day, July 27, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 407-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org Bare Beef, July 27, Stonewall Bar, Orlando. 407-373-0888; StonewallOrlando.com Date Night at Maitland Art Center: Summer Series, July 27, Maitland Art Center, Maitland. 407-539-2181; ArtAndHistory.org “Into the Woods,” July 27-29, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 407-839-0119; DrPhillipsCenter.org Art After Dark, July 28, CityArts Factory, Orlando. 407-648-7060; OrlandoSlice.com/Group/ CityArtsFactory Neon glow Party, July 28, Stonewall Bar, Orlando. 407-373-0888; StonewallOrlando.com Janelle Monae, July 28, House of Blues, Orlando. 407-934-2583; HouseOfBlues.com Drag Me to the Pool, July 28, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com Sanford Pride Equality Florida Network Social, July 29, Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge, Sanford.

321-363-4647; EQFL.org Come Out With Pride “2018 Big Reveal,” July 30, Tin Roof, Orlando. 651-276-4920; ComeOutWithPride.com Cirque du Soleil’s “Crystal,” Aug. 1-5, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7900; TicketMaster.com

SAtuRDAy, Aug. 4, 8 P.M.-3 A.M. PARliAMENt houSE, oRlANDo

wiCkedly wonderFUl

Panic! At The Disco brings its Pray For The Wicked Tour to the Amalie Arena in Tampa Aug. 1.

PHOTO COuRTESY WIkIMEDIA COMMONS.

kombucha Class, Aug. 7, Tea and Tea, Winter Park. 407-476-7879; TeaAndTeaFl.com

Panic! At The Disco and Hayley Kiyoko, Aug. 1, Amalie Arena, Tampa. 813-301-2500; AmalieArena.com

Smackdown Live, Aug. 7, Amway Center, Orlando. 407-440-7900; AmwayCenter.org

Swingin’ at SubCentral, Aug. 2, The Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg. 727-258-8753; iberianrooster.com NeiBEARhood Takeover: ManCakes w/ Bearonce, Aug. 3, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; SouthernNightsTPA.com

Tampa bay August Night Market, July 27, Station House, St. Petersburg. 727-895-8260; StationHouseStPete.com Gloria West &The Gents Ft. Anthony C., July 27, Sundial, St. Petersburg. 727-800-3201; GloriaWestMusic.com Christmas in July, July 28, Enigma, St. Petersburg. 727-235-0867; EnigmaStPete.com

vans Warped Tour, Aug. 3, Tinker Field, Orlando. 407-440-7000; VansWarpedTour.com

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour, July 29, Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg. 727-551-3000; RowdiesSoccer.com

Carlos vives Ticket giveaway, Aug. 4, Stonewall Bar, Orlando. 407-373-0888; StonewallOrlando.com

Wine & Yoga with Jenna Sloan, July 31, The Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg. 727-258-8753; IberianRooster.com

Tampa Bay Comic Con, Aug. 3 – 5, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa. No phone # listed; TampaBayComicCon.com

Rays On The Runway 2018, Aug. 5, Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, St. Petersburg. 727-896-6390; ChildrensDreamFund.org Janet Jackson, Aug. 7, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa.

813-740-2446; Midflorida.com/ amphitheatre Pentatonix, Aug. 9, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa.

813-740-2446; Midflorida.com/ amphitheatre

sarasoTa

Balance Tampa Bay & EPIC present the 4th Annual Masquerade, Aug. 4, Armature Works, Tampa. 727-328-3260; BalanceTampaBay.org

Sean Shaw for Attorney General Fundraiser, July 27,TheStarlite Room, Sarasota. 941-702-5613; StarLitesrq.com

August Indie Market, Aug. 4, NOVA 535, St. Petersburg. 949-873-6682; StPeteIndieMarket.com

1st Annual Sun N Fun Music Festival, July 27, Sun n Fun RV Resort, Sarasota.

941-371-2505; SunNFunFl.com

The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore, Aug. 5, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa.

813-740-2446; Midflorida.com/ amphitheatre

Classic Movies at the Opera house present “North by Northwest,” Aug. 2, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota. 941-328-1300; SarasotaOpera.org

“Category is: Ballroom Realness!” An homage to the ‘80s drag scene, Parliament House will be hosting a ball with Dominique Jackson, Elektra from FX’s “Pose,” who will judge the competition.

VIP photo opportunities with Jackson will be $25 and shows take place at 10 p.m. and midnight. For more information go to ParliamentHouse.com.

Pride in Business gala SAtuRDAy, Aug. 4, 6-10 P.M. hARD RoCK liVE, oRlANDo Members of the LGBTQ community who have excelled in business will be honored at the 2018 Pride in Business Awards Gala presented by PNC Bank. The dinner will also include a silent auction, a special VIP pre-dinner reception and an after party in City Walk. For more information about the Gala visit HardRock.com.

Tampa bay

Come Out st. Pete Planning Meeting thuRSDAy, Aug. 2, 6:30-7:30 P.M. EMPAth PARtNERS iN CARE, St. PEtERSBuRg Come out to help plan the event schedule for Come OUT St. Pete, which spans from Oct. 4 to Oct. 11.

Come OUT St. Pete is a celebration that aims to inspire members of the LGBTQ community to live happily and authentically while raising awareness for LGBTQ issues. Come OUT St. Pete coincides with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. Events will be held throughout the city of St. Pete for more than a week.

More information can be found at ComeOutStPete.org.

tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce August social wEDNESDAy, Aug. 8, 6-8 P.M. PuNKy’S BAR & gRill, St. PEtERSBuRg Mingle with Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community members at the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce’s August Social at Punky’s Bar & Grill. The Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce is a networking group of LGBTQ business owners in the Tampa Bay area. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar, followed by bingo that will benefit the Diversity Chamber’s Foundation. To find more information and to RSVP for the event go to DiversityTampaBay.org

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

35

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

overheard

Tampa bay oUT+aboUT

welCome To Good ‘bUrGer, home oF The Good ‘bUrGer

T

hE St. PEtERSBuRg ChAMBER of CoMMERCE hAS RElEASED itS liSt of finalists for the sixth annual Good ‘Burger Awards, and multiple LGBTQ organizations and allies are vying for your vote.

A “Good ‘Burger” refers to a business, organization or individual in the greater St. Petersburg area that makes a positive impact in the community, the chamber advises. They further note that the awards are named in honor of a former mayor who referred to his citizens as “burgers,” as in “St. Petersburgers.”

Voters are tasked with selecting one nominee from each of the 10 categories. “Arts & Culture” includes nominees like American Stage Theatre and the Woodfield Fine Art Gallery, “Hot Spots & Hangouts” lists the Hollander Hotel and The Dog Bar, “Makers & Creators” sees Bambu the Eco Salon and the “Community Conscious: Grassroots” category sees nominees like Project No Labels and The LGBT Welcome Center.

An 11th option is also provided for voters to insert the “people’s choice,” a Good ‘Burger in the St. Petersburg community that’s not on the list.

You can vote for your favorites now through Aug. 17 at StPete.com/goodburgervote.html. Winners will be announced during the sixth annual Good ‘Burger Awards on Thursday, Aug. 30 at the State Theatre.

be proUd, be biG

T

hE Big BRothERS Big SiStERS of tAMPA BAy (BBBStB) have announced that last month’s St. Pete Pride saw over 200 men and women sign up to volunteer to be a “Big” in the nonprofit’s mentorship program.

The recruitment drive this year follows the organization’s launch of a nationwide initiative focusing on LGBTQ inclusion for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which at over 100 years old remains the nation’s largest volunteer-supported mentoring network. The nonprofit exists to make meaningful matches between adults and at-risk youth.

While BBBSTB has tabled during the St. Pete Pride festival for years, Director of Development Margaret Grobisen says this year’s initiative was “by far the most successful.”

Grobisen notes that Pride volunteers repeatedly heard disbelief from festival attendees that they would be welcome in the program, having been declined in other states. BBBSTB volunteers included Aaron Gustafson, co-chair of the Pinellas Leadership Council, his partner Anthony and Keenan Rose, all out and proud Bigs.

St. Pete Pride’s recruitment numbers also follow a successful Pride Bowling event held June 9, organized by the BBBSTB to raise funds for youth as well as awareness that LGBTQ volunteers are welcome and wanted. The event raised $8,500 and attracted eight potential LGBTQ Bigs.

For more information about the BBBSTB, their commitment to the LGBTQ community or to volunteer or donate funds, visit BBBSTampaBay.org.

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uNDER DA SEA: RJ Martin, Stephen Balasta and BJ Begley (L-R) meet and mingle at the Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce’s July 12 social at the Florida Aquarium. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

2

BEDAzzlED B-DAy: John Scheffel celebrates his birthday in style at The Lure July 14. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

3

RooftoP REAlNESS: DJ Shannon C and Red Ribbon Cyclists Jeffrey Lucas and Kevin Johnson (L-R) sell raffle tickets at the Hilton Downtown Tampa rooftop for Watermark Wednesday July 18. PHOTO

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BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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CoMMuNity QuEENS: Dixie Lynn Michaels, Florida House District 69 candidate Jennifer Webb and Juno vibranz(L-R) mingle at Punky’s Bar & Grill July 14. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

5

SERViNg looKS: Andero, Dionne, Allison and Andre (L-R) strike a pose at Bradley’s on 7th July 21.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

6

tAMPA PRouD: Board and community members gather at the Hampton Inn Ybor July 9 for the first Tampa Pride 2019 planning meeting. PHOTO

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BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

7

NuNSENSE: The Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s Sister Agatha Frisky, Postulant Fonda Peters, Sister Sawyer Ladybits and Sister DiDi Daytripper (L-R) visit Watermark’s photo space at Flamingo July 22. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

8

RENt-A-BAR: Rolando Xavier (L) and Andres Negron enjoy the temporary Enigma at the former Ricky P’s July 20.

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PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

7 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

37

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

overheard

CenTral Florida oUT+aboUT

The onepUlse FoUndaTion wanTs yoUr ideas

L

ASt MoNth MARKED two yEARS SiNCE thE PulSE ShootiNg. From this tragedy the Orlando community grew together, and organizations such as the onePULSE Foundation were introduced to ensure that “hate will never win.”

The onePULSE Foundation announced a “call to all” dubbed the “Ideas Generator” requesting ideas for a permanent Pulse memorial and museum in order to further establish a “sanctuary of hope.” The purpose of the Ideas Generator is for the community to inform the onePULSE Foundation of how to best combine memory, education, inspiration, hope and respect. The ideas should focus on landscape, architecture, urbanism and artistic intervention and will be used in order to remember the victims as well as educate visitors about tolerance. Organizers will be accepting submissions through the end of August. The Ideas Generator can be found at onePULSEFoundation.org.

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homophobiC TrUmp sUpporTer in ColleGe park

A

tRuMP SuPPoRtER lAughED AS loCAl CollEgE PARK resident Fernando Sosa recorded him sitting outside of Sosa’s home with a homophobic and racist sign July 9. In the video, the man—identified as Matt Sherman—is holding up a sign that says, “A gay Asian with AIDS who hates America + fireworks lives here!” on one side and, “A butt hurt Trump hater lives here, who’s the keyboard warrior now?” on the other. Not that we would expect someone like this to get his facts straight but for the record, Sosa is not Asian or gay (but he is an ally) and based on our research he doesn’t have AIDS, hate America or even hate fireworks. The video Sosa posted went viral, reaching over 125,000 views on Facebook. In a Facebook post, Sosa revealed that Sherman has targeted him online since last year. When Sosa posted pictures on the NextDoor app of Sherman, NextDoor deleted the post, according to Sosa.

pride FUnd re-endorses ConGresswoman sTephanie mUrphy

P

RiDE fuND to END guN ViolENCE iS re-endorsing U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Winter Park. Murphy has served Florida’s 7th Congressional District since her 2016 election in which she beat 12-term Republican incumbent John Mica. Murphy’s district covers all of Seminole County and a portion of northern Orange County, which includes Winter Park and most of downtown Orlando. Pride Fund is America’s only LGBTQ Political Action Committee (PAC) that centers solely on preventing gun violence. Pride Fund was founded

by Jason Lindsay, a gay Iraq War veteran, after the Pulse shooting. Lindsay referred to Murphy as one of the most outspoken congressional leaders in regard to gun violence and says Pride Fund will “fight tooth-and-nail” to ensure Murphy is re-elected.

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PAiNt By NuMBERS: The Watermark staff gets artsy at our midyear retreat held at Painting with a Twist in Orlando July 20. PHOTO

COuRTESY JEREMY WILLIAMS

2

MEEtiNg VotERS: Orange County Commissioner candidate Eric Rollings (L) and Edwin Del valle Jr. at a campaign fundraiser hosted by Dr. Edwin DeJesus and Andy Green in Orlando July 20. PHOTO COuRTESY EDWIN DEL vALLE JR

3

CoMMuNity SuPPoRtER: Nikole Parker (L) is presented with the Miss Glamorous 2018 Humanitarian Award by Neema Bahrami at The Venue July 23. PHOTO COuRTESY NEEMA BAHRAMI

4

hAPPy ANNiVERSARy: Parliament House owners Don Granastein (L) and Susan unger celebrate the resort’s 43rd Anniversary July 21. PHOTO

COuRTESY PARLIAMENT HOuSE

5

PowERful PEoPlE: (L-R) Jerick Mediavilla, Blue Star, Carlos guillermo Smith and Dixie L. Todd attend Orlando Magazine’s celebration of the city’s 50 Most Powerful People in 2018 July 12. PHOTO COuRTESY CARLOS guILLERMO SMITH

6

loVE iS loVE: State House candidate Anna Eskamani (Center) stops by Joysticks to help Brandon Goode (L) and Kitana Gemini make some love connections on Gayme Nights’ The Dating Game July 22. PHOTO COuRTESY

7

ANNA ESkAMANI

7

NEtwoRKiNg DowNtowN: (L-R) Andrew J. Snyder, Rick Claggett, Mike Morris and Dr. Rafael Pinero attend Watermark’s Third Thursday at the Orlando Gay Chorus’ office in downtown Orlando July 19 where Central Florida’s AdPOP winners were announced. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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DANSE MACABRE: Nicky Monet (L) and Justin Shakeri show up at Hamburger Mary’s Broadway Brunch as the delightful Morticia and Gomez Addams from “The Addams Family” July 22. PHOTO

COuRTESY NICkY MONET

8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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ConGraTulaTions

erin Boone and Jennie Gintoli

Tommi Prichett was announced as the new Development Director for the LGBT+ Center Orlando. He starts his new role Aug. 6.

from Largo, Florida

enGaGeMenT DaTe:

april 15, 2017

weDDinG DaTe:

January 14, 2018

Venue:

Holiday inn Harbourside, indian rocks Beach, Fl

Colors:

navy blue

weDDinG sonG:

“i Found You” by alabama Shakes

DJ serViCe:

dJ Shannon C.

offiCianT: the rev.

Brad rice

Cake flaVor:

Gluten-free blueberry cake with lemon cream cheese frosting

TheMe:

nautical/rustic

phoToGrapher:

Jen abert photography

PHOTO BY JEN ABERT PHOTOgRAPHY

“t

hE MiNutE i tuRNED

around on the stairs for our ‘First Look’ pictures and saw Toli, I just had never been so filled with anticipation and excitement as when our photographer told me to turn around,” Erin Boone shared about the wedding to her wife Jennie “Toli” Gintoli. “Seeing her for the first time in her dress was just… amazing. There was something so magical about that moment, and I will never forget it.”

Boone and Gintoli say they met where all 30-somethings meet these days: Tinder. When they matched, Gintoli says she wasn’t looking for a relationship—but Boone quickly won her heart.

The couple’s first official date happened at Rudy’s Sports Bar where they played darts and

laughed until the bar closed.

Neither of them had wanted the night to end, so they went to Indian Rocks Beach where Boone serenaded Gintoli during a meteor shower.

They both agree it was clear at that point which direction the two were headed.

Boone, who is lead singer and guitarist for the band Rhythm & Boone, later proposed to Gintoli on that same beach.

She serenaded Gintoli, set up a friend with a telescope to view the stars and then got down on one knee with a ring she had designed. Boone also presented her with a certificate for a star she had named after them to commemorate their love for one another.

Gintoli, a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern (Therapist) at Metro Wellness & Community Centers, followed suit two weeks later. She proposed to Boone at Disney on Dapper Day with a wooden ring that had a guitar string laid in it to represent Boone’s passion for music.

Less than a year later the two pledged their love to one another.

“When we stood in front of all our family and friends, Erin never took her eyes off me,” Gintoli says. “She was beaming with love and excitement, and in those moments, I just fell head over heels for her again and again. We kept our ceremony and reception light, filled with love, happiness and laughter, the way we have our relationship. It was perfect!”

The two walked into their reception to “Jive Talkin’” by the Bee Gees. Boone and her parents played and sang a song her father wrote for their “father-daughter time” during the reception.

“When our fathers gave their toasts, their personalities definitely showed,” Gintoli says. Her dad had the DJ play “Respect” by Aretha Franklin at the most appropriate moment.

Boone’s dad gave a list of things she needed to do to make sure Gintoli was happy.

Boone says, “AKA happy wife, happy life!”

The couple lives in Largo with their two dogs and three cats.

ConDolenCes Harriett Lake, a philanthropic lover of Orlando’s arts scene, passed away July 10. She was 96.

Terry Deischer, one of the founders of the Delta Youth Allaince (which would go on to be renamed the Orlando Youth Alliance) passed away July 11. He was 55.

Theater icon and activist Garry Allan Breul passed away peacefully in his sleep July 14.

loCal BirThDays Southern Nights Tampa’s Elektra Heavenly (July 26); Tampa Pride’s Nancy Desmond, St. Pete sun-lovin’ Christopher Ruch, Jewelry designer Eric Roper (July 27); Watermark’s business manager kathleen Harper (July 28); House of Adonis’ Josh Walker, Dance instructor William Merchante, St. Pete Bears’ Buddy Chapman, Former MBA president Nayte Carrick, Community advocate kayden Rodriguez (July 29); Pom Pom’s manager Kerrie Finn, Watermark’s founder and guiding light Tom Dyer (July 30); Actress Elizabeth Murff, Orlando Realtor Danny veal, Violinist Michelle Jones, Lockheed Martin’s Michael vacirca, Savoy owner Brandon Bracale-Llewellyn, performer Donal Noonan, Metro Wellness’ Cole Foust (July 31); Stonewall Orlando bartender James Costello, Tampa Bay superstar Scott Daniel (Aug. 1); St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman, Sarasota AIDS activist george Box, Orlando performer Josh Roth (Aug. 2); dynamite derby girl Kiersten Taylor (Aug. 3); Sky 60-Niners slugger Donnie McCammon, Watermark director of marketing & events Brandon Decker (Aug. 4); Watermark contributor Aaron Drake, Orlando Penthouse Acupuncture owner Mike Eghbal, St. Petersburg java flinger and Starbucks supervisor Mark Mercado, Tampa scuba diver and beach fan Nick Walters, Orange County Soil & Water District Supervisor Eric Rollings, Parliament House bartender Drew Bracker, straight ally bartender Colleen Lindsay, JenSpa owner Jen Warden, Iberian Rooster Director of Catering Ana Corsi-Travali (Aug.5); Hillsborough County ally Russell Patterson, Orlando designer and “Project Runway” alum Jesse LeNoir, GaYbor District Coalition board member emeritus Rich Kerin, ex-Watermark intern and The Villages Daily Sun staff writer Ciara varone (Aug.6); Tampa showgirl and laser professional Jamie Cole, traveler of the friendly skies Drew Sizemore (Aug. 7); Kirkpatrick Veterinary Hospital manager victor Daza, St. Petersburg doc Kush Patel, Orlando softball champion Scott Dunkle, Watermark intern Layla Ferris (Aug. 8)

—Aaron Drake

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.

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 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

July 26 - Augus t 8 , 2018 // Issue 25.15

47

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