Watermark Issue 25.24: Leading from The Center

watermark Your LGBTQ Life.

issue 25.24 • nov. 29 - dec. 12, 2018

WatermarkOnline.com

LEADING FROM

The Center a LooK bacK aT The LGbT+ cenTer oF cenTraL FLorIda as ToLd From some oF ITs execuTIve dIrecTors

INSIDE:

Tampa Mayoral Candidates Talk Politics

&

Central Florida Man Hopes To Catch Murderer of Trans Woman

daytona Beach • orlando • taMpa • st. petersBurg • clearWater • sarasota

THE STRAZ THE HOLIDAY TRADITION RETURNS!

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

The time to buy a new Acura f ro m F o u n t a i n A c u r a i s n o w !

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deparTmenTs 7 // pubLIsher’s desK 8 // cenTraL FLorIda news 10 // Tampa bay news 12 // sTaTe news 13// naTIon & worLd news 17// TaLKInG poInTs 35// communITy caLendar 37// Tampa bay ouT + abouT 39// cenTraL FLorIda ouT + abouT 40// Tampa bay marKeTpLace 42// cenTraL FLorIda marKeTpLace 45// weddInG beLLs/ announcemenTs

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We were having to have sit-ins and protests and whatnot just to be allowed to walk around a park and be unbothered like anybody else ... now we have our come out with Pride celebration in a city park with 150,000 people there and the full backing of the city with a band shell painted in rainbow colors, it’s a pretty staggering difference.

—MIchAel WAnzIe, fORMeR eXecUTIve DIRecTOR Of The cenTeR

on The cover

PAGE The jane way

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PAGE LeADING FrOM

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THe CeNTer:

Three executive directors look back at The LGBT+ Center of Central Florida.

Photo by Dylan Todd

scan Qr code For

waTermarKonLIne.com

Jane Lynch swings through Florida for Christmas and breaks the internet with Disney.

waTermarK Issue 25.24 // november 29 - december 12, 2018

unsoLved murder

prIde & poLITIcs

homo erecTus

PAGE Orlando resident seeks to raise the reward to find a trans woman’s murderer.

PAGE Tampa Pride kicks off 2019 fundraising with city’s mayoral candidates.

PAGE

heLLo ambrose

read it online!

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

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Dr. Steve Yacovelli weighs in on being your authentic self this holiday season.

Openly gay Garett Hawe shares the stage with a Broadway legend in “Hello Dolly!”

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folloW us on tWitter and instagraM at @WaterMarkonline and like us on faceBook. watermark Your LGBTQ life.

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Welcome Jonathan Albers MMS, PA-C, MS Jonathan Albers is a Physician Assistant who recently joined Midway Specialty Care Center in Tampa to help serve the patients in Tampa Bay region. He obtained his MMS in Physician Assistant Studies from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. He has a MS in Biology from Purdue University. Jonathan has a strong passion for care of the LGBTQ+ community, HIV care, and PrEP for HIV prevention. Michael E. Dunn, MD and Jonathan’s goals are to expand and promote the health and well being of those living with HIV, educate individuals about HIV to help reduce stigma, and to work to help prevent HIV transmission. Jonathan is gladly accepting new patients at the Tampa location.

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puBlisher’s

rick claggett PUBLISHER

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

“P

desK

RInT IS DeAD.” I’ve heARD

this for at least 10 years and it is just as false a statement today as it was back then. The internet has made strides that some newspapers couldn’t survive, but dead?

We’re still breathing and we are in good company.

I was in college by the time the internet was taking off— thanks, Al Gore. Only a few students even had a personal computer. My roommate was one of them. He spent a lot of time in AOL chatrooms, dialing long distance to meet and talk to new people all over the world.

I never really warmed up to that aspect of the internet. I never felt “internet cool.” Maybe it’s because I say things like “internet cool.”

I always preferred meeting people face to face.

I do remember the first time I surfed the internet. I was at

waTermarK sTaFF

the computer lab, which was essentially just six computers lined up at the library, and everyone was abuzz with the things they were finding. One tennis-loving kid downloaded an image from the U.S. Open happening that day. After a four-minute download he gleefully exclaimed, “This was taken 10 minutes ago in New York!” In 1993 that was fast.

Now this was the part of the internet I loved: information, knowledge and facts.

I get how appealing information on your phone is. It’s

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CFL Bureau Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

Owner & Publisher: Rick Claggett • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

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easy. You barely have to seek it out. I’m not sure how it started, but I get many, many notifications on my phone from WESH with a quick update on the latest local headlines and in seconds I feel informed. WESH is a legitimate news source, so I am confident that saying I feel informed means I am informed, of course I have to read the whole article and not just the headline to make that statement true.

Politics have obscured the internet’s ability to inform and educate. Feelings have worked their way into apparent news, void of facts at times. Anyone with a keyboard can create a blog, and in the vast landscape of the World Wide Web it becomes construed as news. This is why newspapers are important to me. This is why I’ve worked at a newspaper for 17 years and why I purchased this newspaper in 2016. Our goal is to inform, share knowledge and enhance communication in the LGBTQ community. We have two incredible, legitimate journalists on staff—Jeremy Williams and Ryan Williams-Jent—who work very hard to cover an increasing number of community organizations, events and breaking news to provide you with the facts. They work with a team of contributors who are equally as passionate about their roles in journalism. We do allow space in our paper for opinions and those are reflected in our Viewpoint columns.

Watermark has a very active website and social media presence and we love being able to provide you our content in those platforms. In a sense, it is because of our ties to this community that we operate as if we were a nonprofit community organization. We donate over $300,000 worth of advertising annually to nonprofits and some

Art Director: Jake Stevens • Ext. 109 Jake@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Assistant/Photographer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 102 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

small businesses in the form of sponsorships and trade. We do what we can to help support them. As I write this it is Giving Tuesday and I hope our local LGBTQ organizations find the support they need from their community on this day.

Although Watermark is technically a for-profit corporation, there is a way for you to support us. When you need to make purchases, make sure you are doing it with a company that reaches out to you.

Make purchases with Watermark advertisers. You can find them in a physical copy of the newspaper on newsstands or a flip-through version of the newspaper on

I never felt ‘internet cool.’ maybe it’s because I say things like ‘internet cool.’

our website. These businesses support you by supporting us—and you can support us by supporting them. It’s important for us to stick together in today’s political climate. Together we can keep spreading information, knowledge and truth.

In this issue of Watermark we take a look at three key eras in the history of The LGBT+ Center of Central Florida as told by two former executive directors and the current one. In Central Florida news we highlight efforts to catch the murderer of Sasha Garden and in Tampa Bay news we check in with candidates for Tampa mayor. In entertainment we talk to Jane Lynch as well as Garett Hawe of “Hello Dolly!”

We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

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conTrIbuTors DR. STeve yAcOvellI

is owner of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a learning and development, change management, and diversity consulting practice based in Orlando. He’s also the Chief Inclusion Officer of LGBTInclusivity.com, a consulting group focused on LGBTQ equality in the workplace. Page 15

AArON DrAke

is a contributor to Creative Loafing, South Florida Gay News and ManAboutWorld. He loves getting lost in other countries and his German Shepherd. Page 49 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

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central florida news The mILK dIsTrIcT announces new openLy Gay execuTIve dIrecTor Jeremy Williams

O

rLANDO | The Milk District in Orlando announced that Zac Alfson, the former patron engagement manager for the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, will become the district’s new executive director. The announcement came by a press release Nov. 13.

“Zac has extensive experience in nonprofit management and community building and will lead The Milk District’s efforts to enhance and preserve the small business community, while nurturing the arts, culture and ongoing development of our creative district,” the press release states.

As executive director, Alfson will be responsible for developing and maintaining working relationships between The Milk District’s business owners and public officials. He will also be in charge of planning and implementing the district’s signature events and improvement projects.

“I’m thrilled to step into this position with the district,” said Alfson in the press release. “The Milk District has long been a home, and I am looking forward to energizing the vision of the committed business community and our neighbors throughout the region to make The Milk District an amazing place to live, work and play.”

Alfson has extensive experience in the Main Street America programs, according to the statement, and has served on committees with Mills50 and Church Street District in Orlando.

Alfson begins his new role as executive director Dec. 1.

rocK hard FITness To hosT charITy booT camp For The barber Fund Jeremy Williams

O

rLANDO | Rock Hard Fitness, a personal training and fitness facility in Orlando, holds charity boot camp sessions throughout the year to help raise funds for organizations such as Equality Florida and Zebra Coalition. The LGBTQ-friendly fitness center announced it will host the next one on Dec. 9 to help raise money for the Orlando-based charity The Barber Fund.

The Barber Fund, named for the late John “Tweeka” Barber who passed away in 2011 after fighting a rare form of cancer known as Sinonasal Carcinoma, was established in 2014 as a way to help those living with cancer in any way that they needed help.

“We have paid mortgages, power bills, medical bills, phone bills, purchased groceries, chaperoned appointments, helped care for animals and so much more,” The Barber Fund website reads.

The charity boot camp begins at 9:30 a.m. and the class is $20 per person with all proceeds being donated to The Barber Fund. The event will also feature a raffle, silent auction, fitness consultations and massage chairs.

For more information, visit TheBarberFund.org or RockHardFitnessOrlando.com.

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UnSOlveD MURDeR:

Orlando’s Sasha Garden became Florida’s fourth transgender women murdered when her body was found July 19.

PHOTO FROM SASHA gARDEN’S fACEBooK

Finding the killer Orlando man looks to raise reward money to find local trans woman’s murderer Jeremy Williams and Melanie ararat

O

rLANDO | Sasha Garden, a 27-year-old transgender woman, was found dead in the parking lot of a Holden Ave. apartment complex in Orlando July 19.

At that time, Garden became the fourth trans woman murdered in the state of Florida and the 16th trans person taken by violence in the U.S. this year. Those numbers have now climbed to a known five in Florida and a known 22 in the U.S., and in many of these cases local authorities have not turned up any suspects or made any arrests.

Orlando resident Steve Roberts is looking to change that in the Garden case, hoping to raise a $5,000 reward to match the $5,000 already being offered by Crimeline of Central Florida.

“When the number hit five in the state, five transgender people murdered in Florida, I was like something needs to be done about this,” Roberts says. “I’ve heard of other people raising money

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

and adding to rewards that were being offered.”

Roberts reached out to the Orlando Police Department and Crimeline for more information on the Garden case, and the status of any leads or tips received, but has not heard back from either of them as of yet.

“It felt like nothing was really being done about this so I thought it’s time to shake the tree,” he says.

Roberts spoke with friend, and Watermark founder, Tom Dyer about his desire to add to the reward.

“He suggested I do something community wide to raise the money and at least double the current $5,000 reward,” Roberts says.

Roberts started a GoFundMe page on Nov. 18 to raise the added reward to capture Garden’s killer.

“What it comes down to is there is a murderer, walking around somewhere out there, who got away with it and that should never be the case,” he says.

Roberts, who did not know Garden personally, started the GoFundMe off with $1,000 of his own money, with an end result of being able to offer a $10,000 total reward

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

to anyone who can help lead police to the killer.

“I think that is enough of a reward that if somebody knows something they will say something,” Roberts says.

The GoFundMe page states that all donations raised will go to that goal. The page advises that a sponsor stepped forward to pay the processing fees for all donations up to $10,000, saving about $300 that would otherwise have to come out of the reward donations.

Roberts’ hope is that community involvement doesn’t end with just Central Florida and with this GoFundMe page.

“Amounts over $5,000 raised will be used to match similar rewards in Central Florida first, then other parts of Florida,” the page reads.

“Ultimately, we want to create a system that can be expanded to or copied in other jurisdictions to double the rewards offered for every transgender murder victim in the country. This is our first step. We think that goal is very doable with the participation of donors like you. The money you donate will go directly to that cause. If this effort is successful, we will form a nonprofit to continue fundraising efforts here in Florida and across the nation, as long as needed.”

Those who want to donate can do so by going to GoFundMe.com and searching for “Help Find Murderer of Florida Transgender Woman.” Those with information on the murder of Sasha Garden can contact Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

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tampa bay news

TIGLFF names co-presidents for 30th year Ryan Williams-Jent

T

AMPA | The Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF) has named 2018 board members Mariruth Kennedy and Ed Lally as co-presidents for the organization’s 30th year.

TIGLFF, one of the largest and longest-running festivals of its kind, exists to showcase a selection of compelling film and video by, for or about the LGBTQ community.

Its 29th celebration entertained audiences with over 30 selections Oct. 5-13.

Kennedy, who returned in 2018 after a hiatus, previously served on TIGLFF’s board for eight years and as president for four. Lally, who has been involved since the festival’s inception, served as vice president for two years and has chaired its annual launch party for over 10.

“The festival is one of the crown jewels of the LGBTQ community in Tampa Bay. It’s important to our community,” Lally says. “I’m honored to be serving as co-president. It’s all due to the love of the festival and film.”

“Getting the opportunity to be a part of the festival again really feels like an honor,” Kennedy adds. “I’ve always loved film and I love the festival. I love what it brings to the community.”

To name the duo as co-presidents, the eight-member board had to amend TIGLFF’s bylaws. “The process was interesting,” Kennedy recalls. “The reason we did this was that we knew we were moving forward without an executive director.

“Ed and I work really well together; we have different strengths,” she continues. “He’s magnificent at fundraising … the festival is in solid shape because of his herculean effort this year. I handle marketing and we tend to be in sync. Looking at what we’re envisioning for the 30th we knew that it would be a great opportunity for us to work together while we shared what could be a big job for one person.”

“Mariruth is a marketing guru,” Lally notes. “With her marketing skills she already made a huge difference and added to the success of 2018. I’m thrilled to be partnering with her as co-president.”

Attendance for TIGLFF 29 was up 10 percent compared to the previous year, they note, in part because of a desire to reconnect with audiences. Kennedy says that they focused on the filmgoers’ experience – showcasing films in fewer venues toallow for more audience interaction and special programming that highlighted locals. “We were able to give people another layer to the film and our community,” she says. “It enlightened our mission statement.”

“We heard from the community and they wanted more than just the movie,” Lally says. “We plan to do a lot more of that in 2019. We’re going to have a significant 30th celebration; it’s huge to be the oldest gay and lesbian film festival in Florida, and just to be a gay and lesbian film festival that’s lasted 30 years. It’s starting to thrive again – it will be a huge celebration with a lot of new activities.”

TIGLFF 30 is currently scheduled for Oct. 4-12, 2019. For more information, visit TIGLFF.com.

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TAMPA PROUD: (L-R) Tampa Pride President Carrie West and Tampa mayoral candidates David Straz, Ed Turanchik, Jane Castor and Topher Morrison outline their vision for Tampa Nov. 17. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

Pride & Politics Tampa Pride kicks off 2019 fundraising, highlights Tampa mayoral candidates Ryan Williams-Jent

T

AMPA | Tampa Pride held its first 2019 fundraiser at ZooTampa Nov. 17 to highlight the organization’s fifth year and introduce Tampa mayoral candidates Jane Castor, Topher Morrison, David Straz and Ed Turanchik.

“You’re just seeing the beginning of what our new Tampa Pride is going to be all about,” Tampa Pride President Carrie West shared with those gathered for Pride-Zoo-La, stressing the celebration’s climbing attendance. “We thought we’d have 10,000 our first year and had over 20,000. Our second year, we said we’ll have 20,000 and we had 30,000.

“Our third year we said 25,000 just to be safe – 35,000,” he mused.

“Last year we were 40,000 and we greatly appreciate all of your help in making it happen.”

West noted that Tampa Pride would reach its fifth year, in part, because of Tampa’s inclusive nature.

He pointed to the city’s perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

2018 Municipal Equality Index (MEI) as an example. It examines how inclusive laws and policies are for LGBTQ people in cities nationwide.

“We were honored when Tampa received a 100,” West said. “We are not going back; we are only going to go forward.”

To illustrate this, he invited Tampa mayoral candidates Castor, Morrison, Straz and Turanchik to the stage to outline their candidacy and support for equality.

“I participated in the Tampa Pride parade in 2018 and I’ll be a sponsor and participate in the parade in 2019,” billionaire Straz succinctly shared.

Former county commissioner Turanchik followed, pointing out that Keith Roberts, who fought for equality throughout Hillsborough County in 1991, was present.

“Because of champions like this, we’ve built on what they’ve built and we need to keep on building,” Turanchik said. “Let’s keep on growing Tampa. Equality for all of us.”

Castor, the city’s former police chief who is openly LGBTQ, spoke

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next. “I have to say thank you to the entire Tampa Pride committee for bringing Pride back to Tampa,” she said. Castor noted it was an honor to serve as the celebration’s grand marshal on two occasions.

She also echoed West in applauding Tampa’s MEI score. “It’s one of the things that make me so proud to be a resident of Tampa, the way that we embrace our diversity,” Castor said.

“What is expected in our city is that you have the qualifications to do a good job; it doesn’t matter what ethnicity, what culture or if you’re LGBTQ,” she continued. “People just want you to do a good job. That’s one of the reasons that I love this city and that’s one of the reasons that I’m running for mayor.”

Entrepreneur Morrison concluded the presentation. “I’m going to be your small business mayor,” he said.

“I think we spend far too much time, energy and focus trying to recruit big fortune 500 companies; I think we should spend our time, energy and focus trying to grow the next fortune 500 company right here.

“I’m about tolerance and understanding, I’m about embracing collaboration and love,” he continued.

“I think we need to not have people who will advocate, but people who will fight for equality and the rights of everybody.”

Tampa’s mayoral election will be held March 5, 2019. The fifth annual Tampa Pride will be held March 30, 2019. For more information, visit TampaPride.org.

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state news The smarT rIde raIses LarGesT one-year ToTaL In 15 years For hIv/aIds research Ryan Williams-Jent

T

he SMART Ride, the only HIV/AIDS bicycle ride in the country of its size to donate 100 percent of funds raised to HIV/AIDS research, revealed Nov. 17 that it had raised a record $1,171,849 in its 15th year – the largest one-year total in the not for profit’s history.

Hundreds of riders from Jacksonville, Key West, Orlando, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay and across the nation completed the two-day, 165-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West Nov. 16-17. Each rider was tasked with raising at least $1,250.

Beneficiaries of funds raised include Broward House in Wilton Manors, Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Centers in South Florida, Metro Wellness & Community Centers in Tampa Bay, Pridelines in Miami-Dade County and AIDS Help in Monroe County.

Final totals will be revealed and the agencies will be awarded funds raised in a celebration at the Fort Lauderdale Woman’s Club Jan. 13, 2019. For more information about the SMART Ride, visit TheSmartRide.org.

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eQuaLITy FLorIda raIsInG Funds For LGbTQ cenTer oF bay counTy FoLLowInG hurrIcane mIchaeL desTrucTIon Ryan Williams-Jent

e

quality Florida, the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for LGBTQ Floridians, is seeking donations to rebuild the Florida Panhandle’s only LGBTQ resource center after Hurricane Michael devastated it in October.

Michael—a Category 4 storm— made landfall in Florida Oct. 10, becoming the fourth strongest hurricane to strike the mainland U.S. The LGBTQ Center of Bay County, known as The Center, was directly in its path and lost part of its roof.

Most of the building’s contents were damaged or destroyed.

The Center’s vision is to build a thriving LGBTQ community, one that lives in a supportive and inclusive environment. Its mission is to enhance and sustain the health and

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

well-being of the LGBTQ population of Bay County by providing activities, programs and services. It seeks to empower community members, provide essential resources, advocate for civil and human rights and support LGBTQ cultural diversity.

“The Center enhances and empowers Bay County’s LGBTQ population through programs, services and resources,” Equality Florida shared Nov. 21. “In addition to its civil and human rights advocacy, The Center hosts PFLAG meetings, transgender support group meetings, weekly youth group meetings and other trainings. It is the only LGBTQ youth resource in a large swath of North Florida.”

According to Equality Florida and The Center, in order for the organization to resume serving the Panhandle’s LGBTQ youth community it will first need to repair its destroyed building infrastructure.

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

It will also need to replace damaged computers, a refrigerator and television, clean and replace damaged chairs and tables, restock its library and DVD collection and replenish craft supplies and its snack pantry.

“The Center’s Peer Youth Support Group is an essential community program aimed at addressing issues among LGBTQ+ youth,” Executive Director of Girls Inc. Niki Kelley advises via the organization’s website. “Suicide is the leading cause of death for LGBTQ+ teens. It is critical for the parents, guardians and other family members of LGBTQ+ youth to have access to the resources they need to ensure their children are protected and supported. We believe that the Center is an excellent resource to provide these much-needed services in our community.”

As of Nov. 27, Equality Florida has raised over $4,000 of its $20,000 goal. The organization has committed to matching up to the first $5,000 in donations. For more information about Equality Florida, The Center or to donate funds, visit EqualityFlorida.org/BayFund or LGBTQCenterOfBayCounty.org.

nation+world news

Trump admin turns to Supreme Court to ban trans people from military Chris Johnson of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

W

ASHINGTON | With court orders in place from four judges barring the U.S. military from enacting President Trump’s transgender ban, the Trump administration is seeking recourse from the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the policy to go into effect.

U.S. Solicitor General Neil Francisco submitted petitions Nov. 23 for certiorari in three cases calling on the court to review the litigation and reverse the preliminary injunctions enjoining enforcement of Trump’s transgender ban.

“In arriving at that new policy, Secretary Mattis and a panel of senior military leaders and other

experts determined that the prior policy, adopted by Secretary Carter, posed too great a risk to military effectiveness and lethality,” Francisco writes. “As a result of nationwide preliminary injunctions issued by various district courts, however, the military has been forced to maintain that prior policy for nearly a year … it is unlikely that the military will be able to implement its new policy any time soon.”

The petitions from the solicitor general were expected. Francisco also writes the Supreme Court should take up the cases to resolve the issue of whether banning transgender people from the military amounts to violation of equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.

Jennifer Levi, the transgender rights project director for GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders, said in a statement the Supreme Court

should resist taking up the transgender military cases.

“There is no urgency here and no reason for the court to weigh in at this juncture,” Levi said. “The injunctions preserve the status quo of the open service policy that was thoroughly vetted by the military itself and has been in place now for more than two years. This is simply one more attempt by a reckless Trump administration to push through a discriminatory policy.”

Peter Renn, counsel for Lambda Legal, said in a statement Trump administration is seeking to “short-circuit established practice” by asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on an injunction before the Ninth Circuit has rendered a decision.

The petitions before the Supreme Court represent the first opportunity the Supreme Court has had to weigh in on the transgender ban. It remains to seen whether the court will grant the petitions. It takes a vote of at least four justices to grant a writ of certiorari and to take up a case.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

in other news Taiwan voters reject same-sex marriage in referendum Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

A

referendum on whether same-sex couples should receive marriage rights in Taiwan failed Nov. 24.Voters by a 67-33 percent margin rejected a question on whether same-sex couples should receive marriage rights through Taiwan’s civil code.

Taiwan’s Constitutional Court in May 2017 ruled the provision of the island’s civil code that does not “allow two persons of the same sex to create a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the committed purpose of managing a life together” is unconstitutional.

The landmark ruling also said same-sex couples could legally marry within two years if Taiwanese lawmakers fail to “amend or enact relevant laws” that allow them to do so.

Taiwan would have become the first country in Asia to allow gays and lesbians to marry if the referendum on the issue passed. The island’s lawmakers still face a May 2019 deadline to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, despite the results.

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

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viewpoint

Dr. steve Yacovelli

hoMo e r ec tus:

The evoLuTIon oF us Being Your Authentic Self During the Holidaze

I

MAgIne: yOU’Re SITTIng

down to that Thanksgiving meal with the extended family, yet you’re not fully out to everyone; you’re not able to be your true, authentic self.

How does that make you feel?

I know for me it was awkward. Since understanding my authentic self around the wee ol’ age of 24, I’ve been out to all of my family, with the exception of my grandparents. Back in the day (circa 1999), my Mom asked that I not share my sexual orientation with my grandparents (especially my Grandmom, or “Mommom” as we called her), as she would worry and not really get it. While this bothered me, at the time I honored my Mom’s request (I mean, she birthed me, right?).

So, it’s Thanksgiving, and I brought home my boyfriend (who I’m happy to say is now my husband) for this big meal for the first time. All of the extended family sitting around the table knew who Rich was in my life, except for Mommom. As she tried to strike up a conversation with me and my “roommate,” she asked in her very loud, hearing-aid-wasn’t-quite-working-well voice: “So Steven, who’s keepin’ who straight down there in Florida?” My Depression-era Mommom was asking a very simple question about staying out of trouble, but to us “in the know” it had a whoooole other meaning.

What do we mean by “authenticity” and why does it matter?

While the situation above definitely broke the remaining awkward ice at that particular Thanksgiving table, it reminds me of situations when you aren’t being your true authentic self. Especially in front of family,

friends and colleagues during the holidays.

Think about a time when you weren’t being your true self. How did (or does) it feel?

You’re constantly spinning your energy to make sure others don’t discover your truth. You may need to lie or use “fake news” in order to keep the facade up. The management of pronouns, dodging the question of who you spent the holidays with, wrangling that beard to take to the company holiday party, or hell, maybe just avoiding the whole situation all together; never seizing the opportunity to engage in these moments. All this hiding your authenticity is exhausting!

That’s my point: I see how much time and energy it takes for people to hide their authenticity. I remember how much energy it took me, just to hide my true self from my Mommom. People living their authentic lives can channel their energy and focus on living in that moment, building relationships, instilling trust with those around them, instead of hiding in whatever closet they’ve built. Being authentic means you’re fully present in the now and being open to the experience.

OK: this might be easy for me to say as an out, white, cisgender, gay dude in his 40s, and I get that. And I respect that there are many reasons people don’t share their authentic selves at home or work and stay in the closet.

Whether you self identify as a gay, bisexual, lesbian or trans, there’s a myriad of stories I’ve heard why people don’t share who they authentically are with their family, friends or colleagues. Maybe that’s the last thing you want to deal with around the holidays, by doing so you not only waste your own energy, but you also deny those around you from knowing and seeing the real you.

Even the most “out” and authentic person can further develop their authenticity.

So how do you develop or deepen it? While there are

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

heaps of ways to develop this, here are five ideas that may help you do a deep dive into yourself* (*therapist not included):

• Really understand your “outness” … Ask yourself, “why did I share my authentic self with those around me” or

are, but it’s another to think about what happened to you today, and what you can learn from it.

• Ask those around you for open and honest feedback … We all have our own blind spots and unconscious biases.

But we can ask those around

that you do. We all have a values system and we act through this “values lens.”

Be mindful of what your top values are and how often you are feeding these values with the actions, behaviors and work that you do.

So during this holiday

so during this holiday season, give thanks that you are you, embrace the love you have around you and give those you encounter at home, at work and at those holiday gatherings the gift of seeing the authentic you. “why haven’t I shared it?”

• Explore your past …

Reflect on this: “how did I get to where I am now?” or “what were some of the key milestones that have shaped who I am today?”

• Reflect on immediate actions and practices … It’s one thing to think about the major milestones of the past that have impacted who you

us that we trust to help us see them. Be sure you are actively listening when you receive the feedback from your trusted advisors. It’s good to remember that feedback isn’t just giving the words, it’s also listening and receiving it.

• Know your own personal value system … Being authentic is knowing what drives you to do the things

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

season, give thanks that you are you, embrace the love you have around you and give those you encounter at home, at work and at those holiday gatherings the gift of seeing the authentic you.

And happy holidays from my pack to yours!

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22 % 48

talking points There was talk about Jamal having a white boyfriend and I said, ‘F**k no!’ Not for any reason except we have a responsibility and we have such a beautiful opportunity to show two black men in a relationship together, in a healthy relationship. but it was important to say and that wasn’t anything against white men.

%

—JUSSIe SMOlleTT SPeAKIng On “The clAy cAne ShOW” ABOUT The IMPORTAnce Of ShOWIng A lOvIng RelATIOnShIP BeTWeen TWO BlAcK Men On hIS ShOW “eMPIRe.”

of

LGBTQ YOUTH SAY THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

of lgBtQ youth Whose

‘rupaul’s drag race all stars 4’ announces cast

“r

UPAUl’S DRAg RAce All STARS 4” UnveIleD WhIch QUeenS WIll ReTURn to battle it out for the crown. Entertainment Weekly announced that this season’s cast includes Farrah Moan (season nine), Gia Gunn (season six), Jasmine Masters (season seven), Manila Luzon (season three, All Stars 1), Monét X Change (season 10), Monique Heart (season 10), Naomi Smalls (season eight), Latrice Royale (season four, All Stars 1), Trinity the Tuck Taylor (season nine) and Valentina (season nine). “The girls on All-Stars 4 are exciting and they have so much more to show,” RuPaul told Entertainment Weekly. “I think it will shock fans, although I don’t think they’ll be as disappointed.” “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4” premieres on Friday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. on VH1.

PARENTS TRIED TO CHANGE THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION say they have atteMpted suicide.

63

%

of

lgBtQ youth Whose

PARENTS TRIED TO CHANGE THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION BY USE OF

CONVERSION THERAPY say they have atteMpted suicide.

—STUDy fROM The fAMIly AccePTAnce PROJecT

celine dion and nununu release gender neutral kids clothing line

C

eLINe DION IS PArTNerING WITh chIlDRen’S ReTAIleR nUnUnU to create a new gender neutral clothing line for kids called Celinununu.

According to the clothing line’s website, the mission is to use fashion to shape people’s minds and inspire children to find their own individuality through fashion.

Nununu founders Iris Adler and Tali Milchberg started the clothing line because they couldn’t find clothes for their children outside of the pink-blue binary. Nununu has developed a following among fashion-conscious celebrities.

Kourtney Kardashian, Gwen Stefani and Steph Curry have all dressed their children in Nununu.

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

adaM rippon retires froM coMpetitive figure skating

A

DAM rIPPON SAYS He’S reTIrING FrOM cOMPeTITIve fIgURe SkATING. Rippon became a household name while competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he helped Team USA take home the bronze medal in a team figure skating event. Rippon became the first out U.S. male athlete to win a medal. Since skyrocketing to fame, Rippon has tried his hand at various other ventures. He tested the waters of acting with a guest appearance on “Will & Grace.” He competed, and won, the all-athletes season of “Dancing with the Stars.” He also became a judge on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.”

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

‘BoheMian rhapsody’ BecoMes highest grossing lgBtQ filM

“B

OHeMIAN rHAPSODY” SecUReD ITS PlAce AS THe HIGHeST GrOSSING lgBTQ fIlM ever after raking in another $15 million in its third week of release. As of Nov. 20, the film has earned $127 million in domestic sales and an estimated $384 million worldwide. “Bohemian Rhapsody” took the highest grossing LGBTQ spot away from the 1996 film “The Birdcage” which earned $185 million worldwide. It’s also currently the second highest-grossing music biopic domestically. “Bohemian Rhapsody” edged out the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line,”, which brought in $119 million for its domestic box office total but is still below “Straight Outta Compton,” the 2015 NWA biopic which earned $161 million domestically.

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

THree kINGS: (L-R) Current and

past executive directors George Wallace, Randy Stephens and Michael Wanzie. PHOTO

BY DYLAN ToDD

LEADING FROM

The Center a look back at the lgBt+ center of central florida as told from some of its executive directors

T

Watermark staff

he lgBT+ cenTeR Of

Central Florida has seen a number of name changes in its several decades as the beacon of Orlando’s LGBTQ community.

Throughout its years, The Center has also changed locations, starting with its first brick-and-mortar building on Mills Ave. in 1987. After bouncing to a few different locations on Colonial Dr., it settled in at its current location at 946 N. Mills Ave. in 2000.

Since finding its permanent home, The Center has had some renovations and expansions; adding more safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community to have gatherings, meetings and parties, or just a comfy chair to sit and have a little quiet time. The Center is many things to many people.

The Center is also the place where, as a community, we go when we are fearful, scared and don’t know where to turn. It was that space during the AIDS epidemic when our family and friends were dying. It was that space when we were told that our love was less than that of a man and a woman being

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

together. And it was that space when a hate-filled person walked into one of our clubs and killed 49 of our own and injured dozens more.

The Center isn’t just the building, but the people who work and volunteer inside of it every day. It is the time, energy and dedication given by each of its executive directors over the years. The Center has had many directors who have taken the reins and made it into what the community needed it to be at the time.

Watermark reached out to four of the executive directors who helmed The Center during milestone moments in its history—The

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

Center’s first paid director Michael Wanzie, the director who expanded The Center’s HIV testing program Randy Stephens, the director during the tragic event at Pulse Terry DeCarlo and the current director George Wallace, who expanded The Center outside of Orlando and opened the first expansion in Kissimmee.

Unfortunately, we were unable to hear back from DeCarlo in time for this story; however, Wanzie, Stephens and Wallace spoke with us about their time at the head of The Center.

continued on pg. 21 | uu |

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| uu | Leading The Center from pg.19

Michael Wanzie, started as The Center executive director in 1990

Christen Kelley

B

efore Michael Wanzie became the first paid director of The Center in 1990, he says it was originally meant to be a place for the LGBTQ community to socialize.

“When I first came there, there were no politically motivated or activism-type groups there,” Wanzie says. “They did a lot of backyard barbecues and potlucks and movie nights, it was meant really to be a social outlet. And I’m one of the people who began immediately to stir that pot.”

Losing a lover in the AIDS crisis motivated Wanzie to get involved in the gay rights movement. He felt The Center should be more than a place to gather, rather it should be part of the fight for change. He got The Center included in the AIDS Memorial Quilt project that was gaining national attention by sewing their own quilt to honor Central Floridians who died from the disease.

“It became a bone of contention whether The Center should be involved in anything political or policy-driven and it did kind of drive a wedge. Some people left and some people got on the bandwagon,” Wanzie says. “One thing led to another and I became the director and we became very much involved in getting people politically motivated to be activists.”

Another problem during his early days at The Center was the push to remove LGBTQ people from city parks. There was an obscure ordinance that banned people from leaving the designated park pathways, but it was almost never enforced.

“So of course, when mom and her baby and her stroller left the pathway, nothing happened,” Wanzie says. “But if you were a single male perceived to be gay, and you stepped off the sidewalk, you were arrested.”

Wanzie started staging protests, sit-ins and press conferences, morphing The Center into a hub of activism. He says Orlando has come a long way for the LGBTQ community since then.

“If you think back to the fact that here we were having to have sit-ins and protests and whatnot just to be allowed to walk around a park and

In the beginning: Michael Wanzie became the first paid executive director of The Center in 1990. Photo by Dylan Todd

If you think back to the fact that here we were having to have sit-ins and protests and whatnot just to be allowed to walk around a park and be unbothered like anybody else ...

And now we have our Come Out with Pride celebration in a city park with 150,000 people there and the full backing of the city with a band shell painted in rainbow colors, it’s a — Michael Wanzie pretty staggering difference. be unbothered like anybody else,” he says, “and now we have our Come Out with Pride celebration in a city park with 150,000 people there and the full backing of the city with a band shell painted in rainbow colors, it’s a pretty staggering difference.”

Back in the late 80s, the only place for gay people to socialize were bars that many were afraid to go to, Wanzie recalls, especially closeted people. Anti-gay people would stand outside the bars and write down the license plate numbers of vehicles in the parking lot. Later, they would contact that person’s employer to tell them they were seen at a gay bar.

Wanzie says The Center provided a

safe place for gay people to go if they needed someone to talk to.

“I remember I was so fearful the first time I walked into the Parliament House on my own,” Wanzie says. “Really frightened to go there, and how much less frightening it would’ve been, as a young person just coming to terms with being gay, if you were walking in the light of day into a building in a business district.

That’s quite different.”

Wanzie says one of the first things he did at The Center was organize fundraising events. Before his time as director, The Center relied solely on donations and the organization

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

was quickly outgrowing its two-room location on Mills Ave. Being an entertainer, Wanzie wanted to give the community an event that wasn’t at a bar but was still fun and interesting. He decided to buy out a dinner theater for one night and sell the tickets to benefit The Center. With help from Scott Alles and Larry Nacastro, a local affluent couple, he was able to afford it.

“I think besides the annual gay picnic it was one of the very first publicized gay events that wasn’t happening in a bar,” Wanzie says.

“And some were really concerned that people wouldn’t allow themselves to be seen walking into

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

something in a public area that identified as being a gay event, but we sold out all 350 seats almost immediately.”

With the success of the theater event, Wanzie wanted to do something even bigger. He had the idea to charter an all-gay cruise. He bought out a Sea Escape six-hour gambling cruise, and again people had doubts he would sell all the tickets. But all 970 seats were sold within hours.

“That’s how thirsty, at the time, people were to do anything outside of a gay bar,” Wanzie says.

“We made $28,000 profit off that six-hour event, and it was basically with that money that we were able to move The Center to a larger facility. So The Center, while I was there, became a huge purveyor of entertainment and social events that raised money and helped fund the place.”

Wanzie realized The Center needed to be more than a social place when he first worked there as a volunteer. He started receiving calls from suicidal people who were struggling with being gay. The Continued on pg. 23 | uu |

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WE HONOR THEIR STRENGTH. WE HONOR THEIR FIGHT!

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

In Memory of John “Tweeka” Barber 1972 - 2011

| uu | Leading The Center from pg.21

Center was ill-equipped to deal with the calls, as was Wanzie.

“I had no idea how to deal with it,” he says. “I was very comfortable with my own sexuality and I just thought, ‘this cannot just be a social place to come and have a picnic.

There’s a need out there that’s so much greater.’”

They started holding seminars to teach The Center employees how to handle suicide calls, and eventually the discussion groups turned into actual psychological counseling for people going through the coming out process.

Since then, The Center has grown into a support system that goes beyond a social gathering space. It now provides education, entertainment, counseling, HIV testing, legal services and more.

Wanzie has seen the Orlando LGBTQ community grow in the decades since The Center opened.

From the oppression and abuse they experienced to being free to marry who they want.

“I think one of the best days of my life because of The Center was the day that Florida passed same-sex marriage,” he says.

“I thought how I once stood on the steps of city hall, preaching against the people who ran the city and the police department at the time for their mistreatment of gay people.

And then to stand there and watch the mayor actually marrying gay people just made tears stream down my face to think how far we’d come.”

The Center will always be a vital component to the city of Orlando in its fight against oppression and discrimination, says Wanzie.

“I just know that in my heart of hearts that it’s The Center that was the impetus for bringing people together and creating Orlando’s gay community,” he says. “The whole idea of an actual community where people came together for common purposes, goals and causes to make life better for gay people was born at The Center.”

Randy Stephens, started as The Center executive director in 2010

Jaime Donelson

W

hen Randy Stephens accepted the job as executive director of The Center in 2010 his first

all day, every day: Randy Stephens oversaw The Center’s expansion of its HIV testing program to seven days a week when he was the executive director in the early 2010s. Photo by Dylan Todd

Most of our accomplishments were done by our volunteers. They’ve been the backbone of The Center. It never would have remained open for as long as it has without them. That’s who the real heroes are.

—Randy Stephens thought was, “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

“Normally, in the past, [The Center] has taken every director, chewed them up and spit them back out,” Stephens says. “But I realized there was a need for leadership at the GLBT Center, it was having a lot of issues and financial problems.”

Stephens originally worked a secure job in insurance but felt he wanted to do more in the community. He wasn’t quite sure what was ahead for him, but he says The Center was a project he needed to take on, something he realized while attending church one Sunday.

During that particular service, Stephens recalls his minister giving a sermon about Moses not being afraid to climb Mount Sinai.

Stephens says in that moment, he realized that The Center was his Mount Sinai.

Stephens—who was the executive director from 2010-2014—explains that during his time at The Center he didn’t want to be known as the executive director who had to close its doors for financial reasons.

“I was really struggling to keep the doors open. I honestly thought we were going to lose The Center to foreclosure,” says Stephens.

Working with his dedicated staff and team of volunteers, Stephens says they were able to stabilize The Center by streamlining its bills and terminating unneeded contracts.

He was also able to ignite interest by expanding services the

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

community needed and by getting the word out that The Center was as much for allies as it was for the LGBTQ community. Stephens says they even tried to make The Center a polling place but the parking lot did not meet the requirements.

“Anything I could have done to get the public into the doors so they could see what we accomplished and that we weren’t anybody to be afraid of, I always tried to do that,” says Stephens.

One service they were offering to the community that expanded under the direction of Stephens was The Center’s HIV testing program.

John Cleveland, The Center’s HIV director at the time, suggested to Stephens that they expand their HIV testing times.

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

The Center went from testing a few hours a day for a couple days a week to testing seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“At the time, we were the only place in Florida that did HIV testing seven days a week.

I was very proud of that,” says Stephens. He also explained that after expanding the number of HIV testing days and hours, The Center became the largest HIV testing agency in the state of Florida.

Stephens says that he had many amazing days as The Center’s executive director, but one stands out in his memory as particularly emotional. After helping organize a marriage equality celebration at Lake Eola, Stephens sat down next to the event’s mistress of ceremony Blue Star. They had told everyone attending the event to wear red.

“I will never forget Blue and I sitting there and looking over this sea of red. We both had a lump in our throat and we had to stop ourselves from crying,” he says. “Looking and realizing how much things have changed in Orlando. This was a city that fought the display of gay flags and Pride, and to actually have the community show up in support.”

Stephens expanded The Center’s HIV testing and helped save it from foreclosure, but he says that the spotlight for his time as executive director should be on the community and all the volunteers who gave their own time and money to make it what it is today.

“Most of our accomplishments were done by our volunteers.

They’ve been the backbone of The Center. It never would have remained open for as long as it has without them. That’s who the real heroes are,” says Stephens.

“The Center is not the building; The Center is the community.”

George Wallace, started as The Center executive director in 2017

Melanie Ararat

G

eorge Wallace, 48, has moved in and out of Orlando since 1992. In 2017, the Franklin, N.H. native was settling into a new home with his partner in Indianapolis when he saw an open position for executive director at The

Continued on pg. 27 | uu |

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watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

for a city this size to have an LGBT Center.”

Wallace’s first day as executive director was Dec. 18, 2017. He had just moved back to Orlando and hadn’t even fully unpacked when he started his new position.

The main thing he remembers about his first day was meeting the staff and introducing himself to all of the volunteers.

Coming into his role as executive director, Wallace knew that he wanted to follow the lead of former director Stephens when it came to the importance of acknowledging and respecting volunteers. “[Stephens’ handling of the volunteers] always inspired me,” Wallace says. “At that time I was executive director of The

volunteers, but when they began to plan for it no one had a grill.

One post to Facebook and two days later, he recalls, a grill was delivered to The Center.

“One thing that is amazing is how small this community actually is and I love that because when The Center needs something, people just make it happen,” Wallace says.

“The city of Orlando and the outlying areas have been really generous to us and I am very, very thankful for that.”

Overall, Wallace understands that The Center would not have lasted this long if it were not for the selfless people in the Orlando community.

“The greatest lesson I’ve learned is not taking the small

One thing that is amazing is how small this community actually is and I love that because when The Center needs something, people just make it happen. The city of Orlando and the outlying areas have been really generous to us and I am very, very —George Wallace thankful for that.

Double the fun: In his first year as executive director, George Wallace opened The Center Kissimmee providing services to Osceola County and a second location for the LGBTQ community in Central Florida. Photo by Dylan Todd

| uu | Leading The Center from pg.23

Center Orlando. Wallace loved the city and the people in it so much that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I knew that my heart and everything was back in Orlando,” Wallace says. “I was just really excited with the opportunity because I had previously served on the Board of Directors so I was very familiar with the mission and I knew that, hopefully, I could have an impact.”

Wallace is the current executive director of The Center

Orlando and is more committed to The Center and Orlando than ever before.

“It’s been tough moving across the country two times in one year, it has been obviously a strain, but I’m here in Orlando and I’m not going anywhere,” Wallace says.

Before moving away from Central Florida, then moving back after getting hired as executive director, Wallace worked on The Center’s Board of Directors as its secretary. Wallace was a board member during the Pulse shooting in 2016.

That Sunday morning following the tragedy, Wallace went straight to The Center. When

he arrived he saw that hundreds of other people had done the same thing.

“It was a safe space and it was a gathering place,” Wallace says.

“I just think when people heard the news they wanted to be useful and The Center was the first place they thought of.”

Looking back as executive director, Wallace sees the need of preserving The Center as a place for people to go when they need help or support.

“I just think that it shows that The Center is just as needed today as much as it was 40 years ago,” he says.“I think that it’s crucial

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Orlando Fringe and I just think that volunteers are the backbone of any nonprofit organization.

Randy showing that appreciation to the volunteers, that really inspired me.”

Wallace holds a special place in his heart for all the people before him who were involved in The Center. As he approaches the end of his first year as executive director, Wallace says one of his best days so far has been going to The Center’s 40-year anniversary gala and seeing all of those people who have helped him this first year.

“I just took a big sigh of relief and looked out into the audience and saw so many warm and friendly faces,” Wallace says.

“People that I’ve known this past year worked so hard to make this event happen.”

The Orlando community has also made a big impression on Wallace. One of many examples he recalls of the community’s love and commitment to The Center came when Wallace hoped to hold an outdoor cookout for all of the

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

things for granted,” Wallace says.

“From people holding the door open to people making large financial donations, people are always giving what they are able to give and you can’t take any of that for granted.”

Wallace hopes to give back to the community by focusing on their needs. The Center is expanding in multiple ways.

This year, a second location was built in Kissimmee and they are focusing on getting programs up and running there as well as expanding their groups and programming in Orlando.

“I did a survey and people have expressed interest in art programming, so we’re looking at starting art programming and we have a new creative writing workshop that’s really popular,” Wallace says. “So, just letting people know that we’re not just an agency that does HIV testing because a lot of people think that’s the only thing that we do and we do so much more.”

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

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arts and entertainMent

TheJaneWay acTress jane Lynch swInGs ThrouGh FLorIda For chrIsTmas, breaKs The InTerneT wITh dIsney

e

Ryan Williams-Jent

MMy AnD gOlDen glOBe

award-winning actress Jane Lynch has brought joy to fans worldwide for years.

Known for her roles in mockumentaries like “Best in Show” and animated features like “Wreck it Ralph,” she became a household name as the love-to-hate Sue Sylvester during her run on Fox’s hit musical series “Glee.”

The out comedian has most recently set her sights on singin’ her season’s greetings with “A Swingin’ Little Christmas.” She’s joined by Kate Flannery from “The Office,” jazz staples the Tony Guerrero Quintet and Tim Davis, known for his work with artists like Lady Gaga and Pentatonix.

Together they’ll deliver a kitschy, retro concert of holiday classics at Tampa’s Straz Center Dec. 8-9 and Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center Dec. 14-16. The entertainer

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

extraordinaire also returns as Sgt. Calhoun in Disney’s “Wreck It Ralph” sequel, “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” in theaters now.

Watermark gleefully caught up with Lynch to talk about her love of music, her return to Disney Studios and her seasonal swing through Florida.

WATERMARK: hoW

did “a sWingin’ little christMas” coMe aBout?

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

Jane lynch: We were on tour with a show called “See Jane Sing,” myself and Kate Flannery.

She played Meredith, the drunk in “The Office.” We were also with our five piece band, theTony Guerrero Quintet, and Tim Davis, who was the vocal arranger on “Glee” and is a wonderful singer himself. We decided two years ago that we would put together an

continued on pg. 31 | uu |

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

| uu | Jane Lynch from pg.29 album, which seemed like an easy thing to do.

Was it?

Indeed it was. We got a bunch of public domain Christmas songs, and our band leader Tony is a wonderful orchestrator. Some of it’s big band, some of it’s just the quintet that’ll take you back to the late 50s, early 60s in terms of style—the Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney days. Once we were releasing it we did four nights in San Francisco and thought we should just turn this into our show and do it every Christmas. This will be our third Christmas and our longest tour; we’ve got about 34 shows and 23 cities.

There’s nothing that brings people together better than music and laughter.

That’s really fun to do all over the country— it’s just about getting to the love between human beings. We’re all the same.

—Jane Lynch

What are some of your earliest musical memories?

I grew up in a house filled with music; my parents loved music, they loved to sing. My dad was a great harmonizer, and they loved musicals. They loved the music of their day which would’ve been the wartime music, the big band music, all the way up until the 50s and early 60s. We grew up with musicals and all of that around the house.

From open houses to national tours, including Broadway.

I didn’t perform in a professional way until “Annie.” I was basically just kind of a straight actor—and when I say straight, I mean I was not dancing and singing—but I did a lot of sketch comedy with friends, where we would rent out a theater in Chicago. Or when I was in Los Angeles, we would rent out a theater for two months and we’d do a sketch comedy show. I always found a way to do a song in that, and usually I’d do it with Kate or a couple of

You’re also returning to Disney for “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” What was that like?

The great thing about doing “Wreck it Ralph,” or “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” is that the writers and the producers—the two same guys, Phil Johnston and Rich Moore—are so smart and so funny. They make every session just hilarious.

I usually recorded with Jack McBrayer, which is kind of a rarity where you get to actually work with the person you are working with in the animated film. They usually do it where you’re completely isolated; somebody reads you their lines.

In this case they really love the chemistry of the actors together, and that’s why Sarah Silverman and John C Reilly have such a terrific relationship in this. You’re gonna love it in this next film; it’s just a real gem.

What do you find the most challenging about such a wide array of work?

What was that like?

When I was growing up we played the same album over and over again, and it just said “Christmas” every time I heard it. None of us are professional—I guess I’m professional now—my brother played the piano but none of us were like the Partridge Family. We just loved to sit around the piano, especially at Christmas. We would have a huge open house Christmas Eve party where friends, family and neighbors would come and we would all sing around the piano. It was so much fun; it was raucous, it was drunken, it was a great spell of time there where we had those wonderful open houses.

there’s a bond there that I’m sure will last a lifetime.

MUSICAL TREE-O: “Glee” vocal producer Tim Davis, comedian extraordinaire Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery from “The Office” spread holiday cheer with “A Swingin’ Little Christmas.” Photo Courtesy the straz center for the performing arts

other people. So we’ve been at this for a long time, I just wasn’t pursuing music.

Speaking of your acting, LGBTQ representation is at an all-time high on television.

Why is that so important?

I think everybody should be represented in our stories. In spite of the resistance by some people it’s happening anyway, which is great.

In some ways we’re becoming—not tolerant, because tolerant is like, “well, I’ll tolerate you”—but a loving and inclusive humanity … Hopefully everybody will join the big “we are the world” situation that we could have. (Laughs.)

Is that what fans can expect from your tour?

It’s a really lively, fun, toe-tapping Christmas experience. Everyone leaves there so happy; we leave so happy after every show. We love doing it and I love our five-piece band. They’re amazing Jazz players, which means they can play anything.

We do all of those songs and of course Kate and I have not only

been singing together for decades, but we’ve known each other for that long too. So there’s always fun buffoonery happening in-between songs. Kate is a wild card; unpredictable and spontaneous, and I have a lot of fun trying to rein her in. That’s kind of the meat of the funny stuff that happens.

Why is spreading holiday cheer important?

There’s nothing that brings people together better than music and laughter. That’s really fun to do all over the country—it’s just about getting to the love between human beings. We’re all the same. We bring that gift to each other, and so the audience definitely partakes in the whole experience, we’re not alone up there just singing at you.

The audience is really a part of it, not that they’re singing along so much, but they’re really feeding us as we perform.

What are some of your favorite parts about touring?

The most exciting thing is figuring out what to pack. I’m a Zen kind

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

of a gal; I like to be minimal, so I’m always challenged. I’ve never had to check a bag and I’ve gone on some pretty long tours. I love hotels, I love going in and out of them.

I love that someone makes my bed when I leave; I love my pals. We’ve faced every hardship and every joy together, I really adore these people.

We’ll be on a bus for the first time because it is such a long trip, so that’ll be fun to too—but we never have to sleep on it, which is great.

We’re sleeping in hotels.

That’s very different from your time on “Glee.”

Are you still close with anyone in the cast?

Yeah, we get together every now and then. Chris [Colfer] and Kevin [McHale] basically live in my neighborhood; I see everybody a lot. My niece worked on the show as well. She was an assistant to one of the executive producers and she’s really good friends with a lot of them. They hang out all the time, so if I’m not there that doesn’t mean that they’re not hanging out. But

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

I don’t do anything challenging anymore. (Laughs.) I really don’t.

I have kind of a peace and Zen approach. If something looks too hard, I don’t do it. I did that for a long time and I think I wore those circuits out. I just kind of woke up one day and all that had fallen away.

If something is challenging in the moment I just breathe it out and say I’m not going to do that again.

What about the most rewarding? Is it the studio or the stage?

I love being on stage. I’m so excited to go on tour with these guys, that is my most rewarding thing. We really love each other, we adore working together, we skip to the airport we’re so happy. (Laughs.)

I never wanted to be up there alone, I always like being surrounded by people. Even in my house, I want warm bodies around. I want my own bedroom where nobody can come in, but I love having a house full of people.

I love performing with a bunch of people who are like family and that’s definitely the case with this crew of people we’re bringing to you guys in Florida.

Jane Lynch’s “A Swingin’ Little Christmas” brings holiday cheer to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Dec. 8-9 in Tampa and to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando Dec. 14-16. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit strazcenter.org and drphillipscenter.org.

Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is now playing in theaters worldwide.

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theater

Hello Ambrose!

Garett Hawe shares the stage with Broadway legend Betty Buckley in the national tour of ‘Hello Dolly!’

Matchmakers:

The national touring cast, featuring Betty Buckley (center) and Garett Hawe (far right) of “Hello Dolly!” takes a bow after a performance.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

O

Jeremy Williams

penly gay actor Garett Hawe

remembers the moment he wanted to become a Broadway performer.

“I was 12 years old when I went to New York City for the first time,” says Hawe, a New Hampshire native. “We saw ‘Miss Saigon’ and that was when I realized people made a living doing this. I fell in love with New York City and Broadway.”

Hawe performed on stage for the first time at the age of nine. His mother, who was a dance teacher in Hawe’s small New Hampshire town, had a friend who was choreographing a local production of “Oliver.”

“From an early age my parents wanted me to try a bunch of different things to see what I had a passion for,” Hawe says. “Sports, dance, theater. So my mom said ‘A friend of mine is doing this production of

‘Oliver,’ do you want to try out?’ and I said sure.”

Hawe fell in love and with the support of his parents performed throughout middle and high school.

That support carried over when Hawe came out at the age of 17.

“I was extremely lucky,” he says.

“I had a supportive family and for them it was a non-issue. My friends, who were all theater kids, were very accepting. I know how lucky I was coming out and how rare that kind of total support is.”

Hawe got his first big break when he was hired onto the ensemble, and later the character of Neleus, in the national touring company of “Mary Poppins,” but it wouldn’t be

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

long before he transitioned from the touring stage to Broadway.

“I was on the tour for 11 months when my associate director had put in my ear that if Neleus opened up in the Broadway show they would love to have me transfer. So I was hoping and praying that that would eventually happen and then it did,” Hawe says.

Hawe joined the cast of “Mary Poppins” on Broadway and remembers how surreal that first night felt.

“I remember looking out into the audience and taking a mental snapshot, I remember it so vividly,” Hawe says. “Even to this day I feel so lucky that I get to do this for a living.

I have so many pinch-me moments.

It’s still as magical to me as it was the first time.”

Hawe has gone on to perform in the original Broadway productions of “Newsies” and “Matilda the Musical.”

He most recently performed in the Broadway revival of “Carousel” where Hawe played Enoch Snow, Jr. and appeared in the ensemble.

Being in “Carousel” led to Hawe having what he calls his best day in theater to date, appearing on the Tony Awards.

“It’s an exhausting day, but exciting,” Hawe recalls. “You get up early, you go to Radio City and do a full dress rehearsal at like 9 a.m.

Then they bus you back to your theater and you do the matinee of your show. Then as soon as you finish you eat, get back into costume, they bus you back to Radio City where you do your performance and then they bus you back out so you can get out of costume and get ready for the after party. It is a marathon of a day but it is also one of those days where you think, ‘I have dreamt of this day since I was a child and now it’s happening.’

I use to watch the Tony Awards when I was a kid and now I am performing on the show.”

Hawe has also performed in six national tours, including the current tour of “Hello Dolly!” starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley.

“Hello Dolly!” is playing now through Dec. 2 at the Dr. Phillips Center in

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

Orlando and then moves to the Straz Center in Tampa Dec. 4-9.

“Hello Dolly!” is one of the most successful musicals in theater history. First produced on Broadway back in 1964, it won a total of 10 Tony Awards and the show’s original cast recording has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The musical follows the tale of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a widow-turned-matchmaker, who travels to Yonkers, New York to find a mate for the wealthy old miser Horace Vandergelder. In tow, Dolly brings Horace’s niece Ermengarde, and two of Horace’s clerks. Hawe plays Ambrose Kemper.

“Ambrose is a struggling artist who wishes to marry Ermengarde,” Hawe says. “As Dolly is playing matchmaker she starts to discover love for herself again. Then, hilarity and hijinks ensue.”

“Hello Dolly!” was revived on Broadway in 2017 and starred Bette Midler as the widowed matchmaker, where she earned a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The role of Dolly has always been a juicy one for Broadway and musical legends to take on and includes the likes of Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand and Bernadette Peters. Broadway Across America saw no reason to not get a legend to perform in the national tour and brought Buckley on board.

Buckley won a Tony Award for her performance of Grizabella in the original Broadway production of “Cats” in 1983 and starred as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard” in both New York and London. She is an American Theater Hall of Fame inductee.

“One of the most incredible things about working with her is that she has zero ego about her,” Hawe says.

“She came in on the first day to dig in and work with us and make the most of this role, and she is incredible in it. She brings an honesty and vulnerability to this role that you rarely see. She is hilarious and that voice. She is an amazing leader of this show and it is such an honor to be able to work with her and be on the same stage. She was born to play Dolly.”

“Hello Dolly!” is playing now through Dec. 2 at the Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. Tickets are available at DrPhillipsCenter. org. It then moves to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa Dec. 4-9. Tickets are available for those dates at StrazCenter.org.

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

community calendar

event planner arTs+enTerTaInmenT

central florida

central florida

The Future of HIv: A World AIDs Day Presentation

“Hello Dolly!,” Nov. 27Dec. 2, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org God is a Scottish Drag Queen: A Christmas Special, Nov. 29-Dec. 4, The Starlite Room at Savoy, Orlando. 407-270-4685; SavoyOrlando.com Momentum - A World AIDS Day event, Nov. 30, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-476-7401; ImpulseOrlando.org Celebrating Christmas at Lake Eola, Nov. 30, Walt Disney Amphitheatre at Lake Eola Park, Orlando. 407-246-2121; CityOfOrlando.net Gia Gunn from RPDR Season 6, Nov. 30, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando World AIDS Day - 30 Years Remembered, Dec. 1, Shakespeare Theatre, Orlando. 407-447-1700; RyanWhiteCFAP.org Parliament house Light up the Courtyard, Dec. 1, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com A very Taffy Christmas, Dec. 1 and 8, Parliament House, Orlando. 407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com oWL (older Wiser Learning) Game Day, Dec. 6 and 13, The Center, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org “The grinch” Movie Night with Joy MCC, Dec. 6, Regal Cinemas Winter Park Village 20, Winter Park. 407-894-1081; JoyMCC.com free Stand-up Comedy Night, Dec. 6, The Geek Easy, Winter Park. 407-332-9636; MyGeekEasy.com 15th Annual Boat Parade and Pot Luck, Dec. 8, Lake Fairview Marina, Orlando. 407-295-0117; LakeFairviewMarina.com

fRIDAy, nOv. 30, 8:30-10 A.M. hOPe & helP, ORlAnDO

xMas strings The sexy quartet is having “A Well Strung Christmas” at Tarpon Arts in Tarpon Springs Dec. 2.

PhoTo CouRTESY TARPoNARTS.oRg

Lardi B LIvE!, Dec. 8, Parliament House, Orlando.

407-425-7571; ParliamentHouse.com LgBT Pop up holiday Shop, Dec. 9, The Center, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org ChristmaSINg!, Dec. 9, The Starlite Room at Savoy, Orlando. 407-270-4685; SavoyOrlando.com The Sound and Color of Power Art Show and Awards Dinner, Dec. 11, Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando. 407-451-2472; Facebook.com/CFJWJ 5th Annual Turnabout, Dec. 12, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando

taMpa Bay Red & Green After Party, Dec. 1, G St. Pete, St. Petersburg. 727-342-0084; StPetePride.com Men of Quench 2019 Calendar Signing, Dec. 1, Quench Lounge, Largo. 727-754-5900; QuenchLounge.com

Gia Gunn from RPDR Season 6, Dec. 1, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsTampa “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some),” Dec. 1-30, freefall Theatre, St. Petersburg. 727-498-5205; freefallTheatre.com Open Arms Homeless Ministry, Dec. 2, Hyde Park United Methodist Church, Tampa. 813-253-5388; BalanceTampaBay.org

“Hello Dolly!,” Dec. 4-9, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org 8th Annual Party 4 Presents, Dec. 8, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; BalanceTampaBay.org Jane Lynch: A Swingin’ Little Christmas, Dec. 8-9, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org Snow on 7th Holiday Parade, Dec. 9, Ybor City, Tampa.

813-248-3712; Ybor.org

flamingo Laugh factory Comedy Brunch, Dec. 2, Flamingo Resort, St. Petersburg. 727-321-5000; FlamingoFla.com

Pride Skate, Dec. 10, United Skates of America, Tampa. 813-876-5826; UnitedSkates.com/Tampa

A Well Strung Christmas, Dec. 2, Tarpon Arts, Tarpon Springs. 727-937-0686; TarponArts.org

sarasota

Stonewall Democrats’ holiday Party, Dec. 4, SubCentral at the Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg. 727-327-2796; StonewallPinellas.org

The Downtown Sarasota Holiday Parade, Dec. 1, Downtown, Sarasota.

941-365-2200; SarasotaFL.gov g2h2 Sarasota’s December happy hour, Dec. 6, Cask Ale and Kitchen, Sarasota. 941-702-8740; G2H2Sarasota.com

The Hope & Help Center of Central Florida hosts a World AIDS Day breakfast panel at its main office. The panel will feature State Rep.-elect Anna Eskamani, Florida Department of Health’s Orange County HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator Kara Johnson, Hope & Help’s Early Intervention Specialist Daniel Downer and Hope & Help’s Medical Services Director Joseph Knoll. The panel is free and open to the public. A complimentary hors d’oeuvres breakfast will be provided. Guests can call 407-645-2577 for more information.

miss Gay orlando Pageant MOnDAy, Dec. 10, 9 P.M.-MIDnIghT PARlIAMenT hOUSe, ORlAnDO Jazell Barbie Royale will hand her crown over to the next Miss Gay Orlando at the Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre. The pageant will feature a talent portion, evening gown, onstage Q&A and “Tis the Season” presentation.

The pageant is open to all female impersonator entertainers. Entry fee is $125. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with pageant beginning at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 and are available at ParliamentHouse.com.

taMpa Bay

red & Green Party 2018 SATURDAy, Dec. 1, 7-10 P.M. SUnKen gARDenS, ST. PeTeRSBURg St. Pete Pride invites you to hang out with 400 of Pride’s closest friends to celebrate the holidays.

Guests will have access to multiple venues throughout the evening, each featuring something different and unique. The event will feature an open bar and complimentary appetizers. Guests will dine al fresco in the century old botanical garden featuring some of the region’s oldest tropical plants. For ticket information visit St. Pete Pride on Facebook.

Femmes & Follies: rhinestones and rescues SUnDAy, Dec. 9, 7-10 P.M. hOney POT, TAMPA Femmes & Follies is back for its annual burlesque, benefitting Suncoast Animal League. 100 percent of proceeds raised go to rescue puppies and kitties.

Tampa’s glamorous charity event will feature burlesque performers, cabaret arts, aerialists, fire performers, singers, dancers and more, along with tons of raffles and sponsored craft cocktails. Tickets are $10 for General Admission and $20 for Seated Admission. More information can be found at FemmesAndFollies.com.

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

watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

overheard

taMpa Bay out+aBout

changing of the guard

F

OllOWIng ITS SUcceSSfUl 16Th yeAR, ST PeTe PRIDe AnnOUnceD Nov. 19 that the organization’s board president, vice president and secretary would transition and that its treasurer had been re-elected.

“St Pete Pride voted in new leadership, including three newly-elected officers from various backgrounds,” the organization shared, highlighting Chrys Bundy-Brennan’s election as president.

Bundy-Brennan follows Scion Crowder’s four-year term which oversaw St Pete Pride’s largest period of growth.

Bundy-Brennan previously served in 2018 as St Pete Pride’s secretary, a role now filled by the year’s newest board member Richard Brandt. Nathan Bruemmer, who has also served on the board, succeeds Laura Legarreta as vice president. Stanley Solomons retained his position as the organization’s treasurer.

“Chrys will be instrumental in continuing the advancement of the organization, all while ensuring our community is represented,” the outgoing Crowder released in a statement. “He is a natural leader with a large heart and a sensible outlook.”

“I want St Pete Pride to be just as known for their Community Grants Program as we are for our Parade and Festival,” Bundy-Brennan advised in the same release. “Giving back to the community will be our hallmark. Also, it’s time the SP2 Concert (Friday Night) is known as THE concert of the summer in downtown St. Petersburg.”

St Pete Pride Executive Director Luke Blankenship publicly congratulated the organization’s officers following the news. “I’m very excited to continue to work with our newly elected officers,” he shared, “all of which have been instrumental to the growth of St Pete Pride.”

The 17th annual St Pete Pride will be held June 21-23, 2019. The organization will first hold its annual Red & Green Party Dec. 1. The gathering will commemorate World AIDS Day, focus on awareness and include a special community grants presentation.

For more information, visit StPetePride.com.

st. pete reMeMBers

L

gBTQ cOMMUnITy ADvOcATeS AnD AllIeS GATHereD Nov. 20 on Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) at St. Petersburg City Hall to honor the known transgender lives lost in 2018.

Attendees met at the city’s Sunshine Senior Center for a candlelight processional that ended at the steps of City Hall for the memorial. The 2018 vigil, organized by 6S Boutique owner Andrew Citino and gender therapist Tristan Byrnes, featured a wide array of speakers that included Mayor Rick Kriseman. The mayor read from the city’s proclamation naming Nov. 20 TDoR. “St. Petersburg honors the bravery and resilience of the thousands of transgender individuals who live, work or play in our city in their authentic gender,” Kriseman read. “Although we are proud of the existing protections we have in place for transgender individuals to pursue their lives in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, we reaffirm a commitment to ongoing efforts to promote full inclusion of transgender individuals in the city.

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Pnl lOve: Project No Labels Founder Claire Eli (L) and Tampa mayoral candidate Jane Castor enjoy Watermark Wednesday benefiting the organization at Franklin Manor Nov. 14.

PhoTo BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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fAB fAM: Marc and sister veronica Calvillo bask in talent night at Enigma Nov. 17. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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TROTTIng TWO: Executive Director Nathan Bruemmer and his feathered friend get some steps in before Thanksgiving dinner at the 9th annual Sarasota Turkey Trot 5K benefiting ALSO Youth Nov. 22.

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PhoTo CouRTESY ALSo YouTh

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SUncOAST SUnDAy: Jordan Rose (L) and Dylonn Cole cheer Equality Florida at the Suncoast Celebration at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium Nov. 18.

PhoTo BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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zOO nIghT: (L-R) Elizabeth Tomanguilla, Chris Nakamura and Rosa Seguel-Meyer get wild at ZooTampa for Tampa Pride’s inaugural Pride-Zoo-La Nov. 17. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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neveR fORgOTTen: (L-R) Supporters, Tristan Byrnes and Mayor Rick Kriseman honor the known transgender lives lost in 2018 on Transgender Day of Remembrance at City Hall Nov. 20. PHOTO

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BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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BIRThDAy BOOS: Aj Padron (L) and birthday boy Michael Ackeret celebrate 29 at Mandarin Hide Nov. 24. PHOTO

BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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DynAMIc DUO: Jordan Alan (L) and Stefanie Reynolds pal around at G St. Pete Nov. 24.

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PhoTo BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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www.NationsLandscaping.com

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overheard

central florida out+aBout

this one’s froM ManiloW

P

OP MUSIc IcOn BARRy MAnIlOW hAS Been WRITIng The SOngS that make the whole world sing for more than 50 years, but did you know he is also trying to make sure future songwriters are also getting that opportunity? Through his program Manilow Music Project, he donates musical instruments to public schools with depleted music programs.

Manilow, who will be in Orlando Dec. 8 at the Amway Center for a holiday concert, donated a Yamaha piano to Jones High School on Rio Grande Ave. in Orlando to kick off the school’s new music instrument drive.

“I’m thrilled to bring the gift of music to these kids,” the legendary singer-songwriter said. Manilow wants to encourage Central Floridians to do the same and he is enticing them with an early holiday present.

Anyone who donates a new or gently used musical instrument will receive two free tickets — valid for pre-selected seat locations on a first-come, first-serve basis — for Manilow’s holiday performance at the Amway Center.

The designated instrument drop-off will be the Amway Center administration entrance located on the east side of the arena adjacent to the Orlando Magic Team Store. Instrument drop-off hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the Manilow Music Project, visit ManilowMusicProject.org.

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toy stories for lgBtQ kids

T

he lgBT+ cenTeR Of cenTRAl flORIDA AnD TWO SPIRIT heAlTh SeRvIceS are holding a holiday toy drive to benefit LGBTQ families and foster kids in the Central Florida area.

Toy collection will begin Dec. 3 and go through Dec. 21. They will start picking toys up on Dec. 22 to take to the kids. Drop off locations will be at Southern Craft, located at 2405 E. South St.; The Hammered Lamb, located at 1235 N. Orange Ave.; and The LGBT+ Center Orlando, located at 946 N. Mills Ave. You can also drop toys off at the brand-new Center Kissimmee and they will make sure they make it to The Center in Orlando.

If you are in need of toys this holiday season please e-mail Two Spirit’s Brittani Acuff at brittani@ twospirithealth.org.

ivanhoe is getting a 24-hour diner

J

ASOn lAMBeRT, One Of The OWneRS Of The POPUlAR IvAnhOe vIllAge PUB The Hammered Lamb, announced to The Bungalower Nov. 13 that they will soon be opening a 24-hour diner next door.

The space, formerly a Tommy Bahama retail store and located at 1235 N. Orange Ave., will be called Jack ‘n’ Honey’s Diner. The “big city, retro New York” diner will seat roughly 50 people and serve an array of diner comfort foods.

The news got social media buzzing at the possibility of a new 24-hour hot spot popping up in Ivanhoe. According to Lambert, they expect to have Jack ‘n’ Honey’s open by summer 2019.

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fUnny BeAR: Comedian Daniel Franzese (L) meets and greets with some of Hamburger Mary’s Broadway Brunch Bunch at the Orlando Improv Nov. 20. PHOTO By DANNY gARCIA

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CHANGING HATe: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer speaks at onePulse Foundation’s Town Hall Forum at the Orlando Repertory Theatre Nov. 15. PHOTO By JEREMY WILLIAMS

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vAlencIA ReMeMBeRS: Stephany Mahaffey (L) and Harmony Kane attend Transgender Day of Remembrance at Valencia College’s East Campus in Orlando Nov. 15. PHOTO By

KAThLEEN SADLER

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Tv TOy DRIve: Carol Studer (L) and Joel Strack attend Channel 9’s Toys for Tots kickoff at its studios in Orlando Nov. 18.

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CHeerS: Maxine Earhart (L) and Patty Sheehan toast to the holiday season at Maxine’s on Shine Nov. 19. PHOTO CouRTESY MAXINE EARhART

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CeNTer TALk: yasmin Flasterstein (L) and Nancy Rosado are all smiles at The LGBT+ Center in Orlando Nov. 14 for the Community Trans Talk.

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PhoTo BY DANA Ng

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MY HerO: Justin Shakeri sweeps MyLynn Smikle up in his arms during a Broadway Brunch performance at Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando Nov. 25. PhoTo CouRTESY

MYLYNN SMIKLE

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Ph BAcKSTAge: Ms. Darcel Stevens (R) hangs out with Frankie Grande in the Parliament House dressing room Nov. 19.

PhoTo BY MS. DARCEL STEvENS

PhoTo BY JoEL STRACK

8 watermark Your LGBTQ life.

Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

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Nov emb er 29 - Decemb er 12, 2018 // Issue 25. 24

announcements

Wedding Bells

John Bartholomew and robert Pica from St. Petersburg, Florida

weddInG daTe:

July 5, 2015

venue:

Connection Church tampa Bay

coLors:

Hawaiian

weddInG sonG/arTIsT:

“looking through the eyes of love”

by Melissa Manchester

caTerer:

Columbia restaurant in Ybor City

oFFIcIanT: rev. Steve andrews

Theme: love

PhoTo CouRTESY of BARThoLoMEW AND PICA

J

Ohn BARThOlOMeW fIRST MeT

Rob Pica more than 30 years ago.

“In March of 1982, I had just moved to New York City from Chicago after having recently broken up with my partner at the time,” says Bartholomew, who hails from Jamestown, N.Y. “My colleague Russell happened to be dating someone who worked with Rob.

“One day Russell said, ‘Let’s go for a walk,’ not saying we were going to meet someone,” he continues. “We went to the phone company office right across the street from Madison Square Garden and that’s when I first met Rob.”

It wasn’t until 2012, however, that the potential for a wedding came into the picture.

Pica, originally from Haverstraw, N.Y., shares what changed. “After moving to Florida in 2012, I wanted to get married once same-sex

marriage became legal in Florida. John was reluctant as that wasn’t recognized nationally. After so many years together, we longed for the day when our union could be legal and treated with the same respect and acknowledgment as straight couples.”

It wasn’t long before same-sex marriage was to become legal nationwide, and once it did, Bartholomew quickly changed his mind. “Immediately following the Supreme Court’s decision during Pride 2015, John agreed to wed, and we were married one week later,” Pica says.

In July 2015, the two married in St. Petersburg, wearing matching Hawaiian outfits.

The wedding went off without a hitch, and the ceremony was followed by a celebration with their loved ones. They agree it was a day they will never forget, filled with special moments for both of them.

“We had a small luncheon reception with friends at the Columbia restaurant in Tampa, and we had dragged with us this huge floral arrangement Rob’s sister had sent us,” Bartholomew remembers. “It went from our condo to the church to the restaurant and it was so big, all white flowers: gladioli, lilies, orchids, roses.

It was a challenge taking it in and out of the car without ruining it!”

Pica laughs, “[I remember] that I cried through the entire ceremony so most of the pictures feature me sobbing.”

“Way back in the beginning, I made Rob cancel a date with someone else. Guess I knew then he was the one,” Bartholomew shares. “As the years went by I realized Rob was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

—Aaron Drake

conGraTuLaTIons

Mark and Ricky Celaya-Renaud were married Nov. 11.

SMART Ride 15 participants raised a new annual high of $1,171,849.00 for 2018’s fundraiser.

LocaL bIrThdays

St. Petersburg actor and former Grand Central Station owner Kris Doubles, Tampa softball bear Bubba De, Orlando actor MJ Lewis, St. Petersburg celebrity chef Jeffrey Jew (Nov. 29); Founding member of Orlando Gay Chorus David Schuler (Nov. 30); Tampa hairstylist Marc Retzlaff, Orlando-based writer and blogger Jim Crescitelli, former Sarasota Pride board member Mary Hoch, TIGLFF Co-President Mariruth Kennedy (Dec. 1); Zebra Coalition CEO Heather Wilkie, Orlando realtor Jeff Earley, Hamburger Mary’s Daytona and Jacksonville owner Gary Motes, Southern Nights Orlando’s Gregg Skeen, derby volunteer wrangler Cynthia “Cynfully vicious” West, Metro Wellness’ JC Alcocer (Dec. 2); City of Sarasota Human Rights Board member Michael Shelton, former Tampa bowler and current Texan Dave Bauer, Watermark’s Tampa Bay Bureau Chief Ryan Williams-Jent (Dec. 3); Spathouse’s Scott Durfee, Cider Press Cafe owner Roland Strobel (Dec. 5); Sarasota actor and Venice Theater’s Director of Diversity Kristofer Geddie, Bambu the Eco Salon co-owner Joshua DeBlock, Tampa Bay actor Daniel Harris, “Flame On” podcast host Bryan Pittard, Osceola Arts COO Jeremiah Krivinchuk, Funky Monkey entrepreneur Eddie Nickell, Quench Lounger and MC Theresa McGivern (Dec. 6); Orlando Theatre goddess Beth Marshall, St. Petersburg psychiatrist Tom young, Tampa mayoral candidate Jane Castor, Tampa’s Red Herring Ltd. expert Ivan Moros (Dec. 7); Come Out With Pride’s President Jeff Prystajko, Orlando Fringe’s Brian Sikorski, uOwn Real Estate founder and broker Sean Frank (Dec. 8); Orlando entertainer Justin Shakeri, Watermark’s Kathleen Sadler’s super mom Barbara England, Southern Nights Orlando bartender Cameron MacDonald, VIP host for Southern Nights Orlando D’Andre Bims, Tampa Bay entertainer Pheyonce Montrese aka Metro Director of LGBTQ+ Programs Nate Taylor (Dec. 9); Orlando comic Jeff Jones, Pageant lover vincent Santamarina aka veronica vixen, Pharmacist Eric hutton, Straz Center staffer and Tampa actor Spencer Meyers, Mitzi Morris’ alter ego Kevin Kreigel (Dec. 10); onePULSE Foundation’s Mark Cady, Orlando former Watermark contributor John Sullivan, Christian Minister Chancey Rich, Tampa Bay Bulldog softballer Les Croy (Dec. 11); Apopka Ford-dealing bear Fred Berliner (Dec. 11); TIGLFF Co-President Ed Lally, Florida House Rep.-elect Jennifer Webb, Orlando Chorus baritone Jamie Decker, Sarasota’s WAVE-winning realtor Jim Jablonski, St. Pete Twirler Jose Luis Perez, Altamonte Springs chiropractor Dr. Bradford Levine (Dec. 12).

do you have an announcemenT? Send your announcement to Editor@Watermarkonline.com

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

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