Watermark Issue 29.11: Standup Ladies

Your LGBTQ News Source.

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SPECIAL SE

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E D I S IN RIDA AL FLO RIDE R T N E P C WITH LIVING IDE 2022 GU

Gay firefighter sues City of Orlando Rayner suspends Congressional campaign

STANDUP LADIES Watermark chats with LGBTQ icons Margaret Cho and Sandra Bernhard

I S S U E 2 9 .1 1 • M AY 2 6 - J U N E 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WAT E R M A R KO N L I N E . CO M DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • CLEARWATER • SARASOTA

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During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we recognize the resilience and determination of the many individuals who are fighting to live freely and authentically. In doing so, they are opening hearts and minds, and laying the foundation for a more just and equitable America.

DEPARTMENTS 7 // EDITOR’S DESK

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8 // CENTRAL FL NEWS 10// TAMPA BAY NEWS

– PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IN HIS LGBTQ PRIDE PROCLAMATION IN 2021

13 // STATE NEWS 15 // NATION & WORLD NEWS 21 // TALKING POINTS 43 // EVENT PLANNER 45 // TAMPA BAY OUT + ABOUT 47 // CENTRAL FL OUT + ABOUT 48 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 49 // CENTRAL FL MARKETPLACE 54 // WEDDING BELLS ON THE COVER

page LIVING PROUD: Canadian

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STANDUP LADIES: Watermark chats with LGBTQ icons Margaret Cho and Sandra Bernhard.

MARGARET CHO PHOTO BY SERGIO GARCIA

artist Riotron on his latest single, “Life is What We’re Living.”

WATERMARK ISSUE 29.11 // MAY 26 - JUNE 8, 2022

LAWSUIT FILED

NEW FOCUS

PROCLAIMING PRIDE

SEEING RED

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page State Rep. Michele Rayner ends congressional campaign for state run.

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SANDRA BERNHARD PHOTO BY BRIAN ZIEGLER

SCAN QR CODE FOR

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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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Gay firefighter sues City of Orlando for discrimination, harassment.

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How June became LGBTQ Pride Month and how we’re celebrating it locally.

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A schedule to all the events for Orlando’s Big LGBTQ weekend.

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Ending the HIV epidemic

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EDITOR’S

Jeremy Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

A

DESK

S WE PREPARE TO CELEBRATE

another LGBTQ Pride Month, I have been thinking a lot about the first time I felt proud and a part of an LGBTQ community.

I came about nearly 20 years ago, and while my family accepted me for who I am with open arms, I still didn’t feel like I was a part of a community bigger than myself. I was serving in the U.S. Air Force under the watchful eyes of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and a not gay-friendly George W. Bush administration, so while I had come out to family and a few close friends, I still couldn’t be my authentic self 24/7.

Up to the point of me coming out, I planned to make the military my career and do 20 years, but after coming out and having that feeling of being able to breathe and be myself, I knew that was no longer in the cards for me.

I did my time and got out in 2007 and moved back home to southern Georgia. I made new

WATERMARK STAFF

Owner & Publisher: Rick Todd • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

friends and for the first time lived openly and freely as myself but I still didn’t feel a sense of community. I was in a smaller town and even though I had my family and friends, it still felt a lot like when I was in the military.

After nearly two years of Georgia on my mind, my younger brother convinced me to move with him and some friends to Orlando.

Here I met more LGBTQ people than I had ever met in my whole life. I went to gay bars and the occasional Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom, but I still hadn’t found that sense of Pride that I had seen on TV and in the movies.

It wasn’t until 2013, when I walked into the Watermark office in Orlando to interview for a job, that something felt different. It was like what I had been searching for

my whole life was waiting patiently for me to find it in that Watermark building on Ferncreek Ave. I was in college at the time and I went in the next day and dropped all my classes so I could take the job at Watermark.

My first day felt like the scene from the film “Moulin Rouge!” when the young writer Christian meets the bohemian performers in Paris. They were wild and weird, and they felt like my people.

Granted, I didn’t start as a writer with Watermark, I was selling advertising space, but I knew that one way or another I was going to make it to the editorial side one day.

I started with Watermark in the spring, not too far from the start of June. It was the first time I went into LGBTQ Pride Month feeling like I had an overabundance of Pride. I worked my first Gay Days expo and attended my first pool party at the DoubleTree SeaWorld. I can only imagine what I looked like to everyone else there: wide-eyed with my head on a swivel and way too much energy. They must have thought I just stepped off the bus from Smallville and this was my first taste of city life.

The month was filled with events and parties and Pride celebrations, and it ended with the entire staff making their way to St. Petersburg and riding on a float in the St Pete Pride Parade.

I had never been in a parade before and could not believe the love and support everyone had for the LGBTQ community. People were waving flags, blasting music and cheering so loudly that it felt like the earth was shaking. No one even seemed bothered when right in the middle of the parade, the sky opened up and rain poured down on us. We just kept on dancing and celebrating.

It was an amazing experience surrounded by some of the best people I have ever met. So as we welcome another LGBTQ Pride

Month, even though at times it feels like there are more defeats than victories, remember to celebrate who you are and if you see a reluctant gayby on the sidelines, let them know it is OK to be their authentic self and to celebrate it.

Happy Pride Month y’all!

In this issue, we look at where Pride Month started, which of our U.S. presidents have recognized it and how you can celebrate it in Central Florida and Tampa Bay this year.

We have included a schedule of events as well for Orlando’s big LGBTQ weekend at the start of June to help you stay organized as you take in a pool party or two.

In arts and entertainment, we have a collection of celebrity

Happy Pride Month y’all! interviews with some LGBTQ icons — Sandra Bernhard and Margaret Cho. We also check in with Canadian singer Riotron.

In Central Florida, an openly gay firefighter is suing the City of Orlando for discrimination and harassment he received from the Orlando Fire Department. We also hear from one of the yearbook editors at Lyman High School in Seminole County after they successfully fought back against the superintendent who wanted to censor images of the LGBTQ Pride flag from their yearbook.

In Tampa Bay, state Rep. Michele Rayner suspends her Congressional campaign to re-run for the state House and Hillsborough County plans a “Love is Love” community wedding to kickoff Pride Month.

From all of us here at Watermark to each and every member of our community, we say Happy LGBTQ Pride Month and thank you for being you.

ORLANDO OFFICE Managing Editor: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Kyler Mills • Ext. 301 Kyler@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

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CONTRIBUTORS TIFFANY RICHARDS

is an educator and activist who currently supports others in building equitable and inclusive practices and policies in their organization. Page 17

REV. JAKOB HERO-SHAW

is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa. He and his husband are the proud parents of two teenagers.. Page 19

LORA KORPAR is

a journalism student who graduated from the University of Central Florida and is a former Watermark intern. Page 54 SABRINA AMBRA, NATHAN BRUEMMER, SCOTTIE CAMPBELL, MIGUEL FULLER, DIVINE GRACE, HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, JASON LECLERC, MELODY MAIA MONET, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, GREG STEMM, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI, MICHAEL WANZIE

PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARQUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

DISTRIBUTION LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, RAYLENE HUNT, ZACHARY WELCH

CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher.

Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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

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

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

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

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7

EDITOR’S

Ryan Williams-Jent MANAGING EDITOR Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

F

DESK

LORIDA BECAME THE 36TH STATE

to recognize marriage equality one month before I asked my boyfriend to marry me. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

It was also one of the most nerve-wracking. Not because I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do or I was afraid he wouldn’t say yes, I’d known for years he was “the one,” but because we were in uncharted territory.

Like a lot of couples, we’d talked about getting married – hopeful that Florida and the nation would eventually get on board with the idea – but marriage equality wasn’t just in its infancy, it was a newborn.

This was still four months before it would become the law of the land.

Our firsthand experience with same-sex marriage consisted of acquaintances who’d gone out of state to wed, something I never wanted to do, and two of our best friends who married the first day they could. It was all very new, but I’m happy to say it worked out.

I’ll never forget sitting next to my fiancé when the news broke that the Supreme Court legalized our love in all 50 states. We were on cloud nine. In that beautiful moment the nation felt like a better place and like our future was more secure.

Then came 2016. The LGBTQ community suffered incalculable loss in Orlando and thanks to the electoral college, the nation turned its back on decency by electing Donald Trump as president. We were married just three days after the election, a very bright spot in what became a very dismal year.

A number of loved ones who’d voted for Trump assured us, even on our wedding day, that he wouldn’t be a problem for our community or pose any risk to our

new marriage. But it didn’t take long for him to prove them wrong.

The world quickly began to feel very different from the one we were engaged in. Trump targeted the LGBTQ community and every other minority on his slightest whim, affirming every fear I had about his candidacy. Perhaps worst of all, he stacked the Supreme Court with conservatives.

Whatever your thoughts on Hillary Clinton – and I still maintain that she was the most qualified American to ever run for president – she wouldn’t have done that. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett would not be serving on the nation’s highest court, a threat to our entire community.

They are the lasting effects of Trump’s continued attack on human rights. There’s no clearer example than the Supreme Court’s draft opinion leaked earlier this month, which found that they will likely overturn Roe v. Wade.

The landmark 1973 ruling protects the American “right to privacy” regarding the choice to have an abortion. While conservatives have long sought its demise, the ruling has stood firm for decades.

My position on abortion has always been simple: to shut up. I’ve always believed in choice because as someone who will never be pregnant, how could I possibly tell someone else how they should handle a pregnancy? It’s just never made sense to me.

The right to reproductive freedom is also an LGBTQ right. Not only because so many members of our community can become pregnant but because Roe v. Wade is tied to Obergefell v. Hodges, the case legalizing marriage equality. The American “right to privacy” is referenced in each and dismantling it for one undoubtedly hurts the other.

WATERMARK STAFF

Owner & Publisher: Rick Todd • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

It’s something that anti-LGBTQ Justice Samuel Alito fully understands. He criticizes the legalization of same-sex marriage in his draft opinion.

It’s not yet certain that the court will overturn Roe, or directly target Obergefell, but this nation’s loudest conservatives are ready to do both.

We need only look at the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ laws in state legislatures around the country, or even state statutes like Florida’s.

More than six years after marriage equality came here, it still targets same-sex marriage.

Addressing domestic relations, Florida notes “for purposes of

For the right to choose, for the right to love who we love … we need to fight louder and prouder than ever before.

interpreting any state statute or rule, the term ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.”

For the right to choose, for the right to love who we love and be who we are, we need to fight louder and prouder than ever before. It’s something to think about this Pride Month, which we examine the origins of in this issue.

We also detail many of this year’s returning events while checking in with legendary LGBTQ entertainers coming to a stage and screen near you. We chat with comedians Sandra Bernhard and Margaret Cho and much more.

Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories.

Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.

ORLANDO OFFICE Managing Editor: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Kyler Mills • Ext. 301 Kyler@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

Founder and Guiding Light: Tom Dyer National Ad Representative: Rivendell Media Inc. • 212-242-6863

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Ste 250 Orlando, FL 32807 TEL: 407-481-2243

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MAY 26 - JUNE 8 , 202 2 // ISSUE 29.11 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

CONTRIBUTORS TIFFANY RICHARDS

is an educator and activist who currently supports others in building equitable and inclusive practices and policies in their organization. Page 17

REV. JAKOB HERO-SHAW

is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa. He and his husband are the proud parents of two teenagers.. Page 19

LORA KORPAR is

a journalism student who graduated from the University of Central Florida and is a former Watermark intern. Page 54 SABRINA AMBRA, NATHAN BRUEMMER, SCOTTIE CAMPBELL, MIGUEL FULLER, DIVINE GRACE, HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, JASON LECLERC, MELODY MAIA MONET, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, GREG STEMM, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI, MICHAEL WANZIE

PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARQUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

DISTRIBUTION LVNLIF2 DISTRIBUTING, KEN CARRAWAY, RAYLENE HUNT, ZACHARY WELCH

CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher.

Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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

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

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

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

Watermark Publishing Group Inc.

7

central florida news

LYMAN YEARBOOK IMAGES WILL NOT BE CENSORED Jeremy Williams

T

he Seminole County Public Schools board voted unanimously to not cover up LGBTQ images in a school’s yearbook that were taken during a student protest earlier this year.

Lyman High School principal Michael Hunter had notified students that their yearbooks would need to have certain images covered before they could be distributed.

The photos in question depict students holding rainbow Pride flags and one student holding a sign that reads “Love is Love” during the “Say Gay” student walkout in March.

But after more than two dozen individuals spoke out against the censorship at a school board meeting May 10, the board agreed to let the images remain uncovered and place a sticker in the yearbook acknowledging that the walkout was not a school-sanctioned event.

“We are feeling relieved today,” says Skye Tiedemann, a senior at Lyman High School and co-editor-in-chief of the school’s yearbook.

Tiedemann says the students were worried at first that the school board wouldn’t side with them but after seeing the amount of support that turned up at the meeting, they could not be happier.

“From the beginning [of the meeting] we were all in tears,” she says. “The very first speaker talked about how many people commit suicide in the LGBTQ community and how we can’t silence people in the community. Students and adults all spoke out, students spoke up from other schools, it was such an amazing atmosphere to be in.”

In fact, Tiedemann notes that the only person in the room who supported censoring the photos was SCPS Superintendent Serita Beamon.

“She felt strongly that us having the walkout in the yearbook was a way of us promoting it,” Tiedemann says.

“Which was not the case in our opinion. We are journalists and we see it as we were documenting what happened at our school.”

Students called Beamon’s explanation into question when the news initially broke, pointing to two other Seminole County High Schools — Hagerty High School and Oviedo High School — whose yearbooks have photos of their school walkouts and were not censored.

Beamon acknowledged during the meeting that both school’s yearbooks would be reviewed again and if needed would be supplied with the same sticker indicating it was not a school-sanctioned event.

As for Lyman’s school principal, Tiedemann says there is no bad blood between him and the students.

“Mr. Hunter was just being cautious as a first-year principal and from what he told us he just asked them is this OK, thinking they would be fine with it but that wasn’t the case and it made its way up the ladder and became a big deal,” she says.

The Lyman High School yearbook staff distributed this year’s yearbooks during the senior picnic May 16.

8

UNDER FIRE:

The Orlando Fire Department is accused of discriminating and harassing an openly gay firefighter. PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTO

Lawsuit Filed Gay firefighter sues City of Orlando for discrimination, harassment Jeremy Williams

O

RLANDO | An openly gay firefighter filed a lawsuit against the City of Orlando, alleging he has been discriminated against by the Orlando Fire Department because of his sexual orientation.

In a lawsuit filed May 3 with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Theodore M. Washington alleges that he suffered verbal attacks and mistreatment starting just days into the start of his employment in June 2019.

The suit alleges that within his first week of employment, Washington was told to take down a photograph of his boyfriend from his work cubicle and to keep his private life private. Washington declined to take the photograph down saying, according to the suit, that most of his co-workers — including Deputy Fire Marshal Alvin Sims, who made the request — were permitted to have pictures of significant others and loved ones in their workspace.

The suit states that after that incident, Washington’s work

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

environment changed and became more hostile with co-workers ostracizing him and treating him differently. Over the course of the next several months, Washington was subject to public outbursts and humiliation from several co-workers, according to the suit, including by Sims and Inspector Mark Williams.

In one incident, the suit alleges that Williams told Washington to “get that gay shit away from me, I’m not with all that gay shit” when Williams was showing a female co-worker pictures on his phone. In another incident, the suit alleges that Sims told Washington “we hired you to carry yourself like a straight man.”

The suit states that Washington went to Fire Marshal Tammy Hughes in January 2020 to discuss the discrimination he had been suffering with from co-workers and was told by Hughes that she was taking over Washington’s training because she did not want “another sexual harassment case in this department,” likely referring to a 2019 sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a female firefighter that led to the city paying out a nearly $1 million settlement.

Even with Hughes statement, the harassment continued, the suit alleges, even escalating in retaliation for Washington complaining about the harassment.

The suit claims that Washington was overlooked for promotion, which he believes was due to his prior complaints of discrimination.

The suit also claims that in June 2021, Washington was confronted

by Hughes in a city parking garage and told that management was upset regarding Washington’s complaints and that they were trying to terminate him.

The suit alleges that several complaints to the Labor Relations department were not resolved but instead the city continued the harassment and intimidation against Washington.

The suit claims the harassment continued as recently as February when Sims told Washington to answer questions “like a man” when discussing why Washington had missed a training session.

According to the lawsuit, Washington is seeking compensation to include front pay in lieu of promotion to the position he sought, back pay, compensatory damages including emotional distress and attorneys’ fees.

In an email to Watermark, the City of Orlando stated that “we have not been served with this lawsuit.

As such, we are not in a position to be able to provide any comment at this time.”

MAY 26 - JUNE 8 , 202 2 // ISSUE 29.11 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

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9

tampa bay news

‘LOVE IS LOVE’ COMMUNITY WEDDING KICKS OFF PRIDE MONTH Ryan Williams-Jent

T

AMPA | The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court will hold a “Love is Love” community wedding June 2 at 9:30 a.m. at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, marrying up to 50 registered couples during Pride Month.

“Our Pride Month 2022 wedding event is a meaningful way to gather and celebrate together in a beautiful venue,” Clerk Cindy Stuart explains. “The event reflects one of Hillsborough County’s greatest strengths – diversity. It’s my honor to officiate.”

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Couples must register online no later than May 27 at 5 p.m. and obtain a marriage license in order to participate, which can be done through the county.

While Stuart has waived the normal $30 ceremony fee, standard license fees will still apply. To receive a marriage license, both parties must appear together in person, be at least age 18 and provide a valid driver’s license, state identification card or passport as well as their social security or alien registration number. SSN and INS cards are not required.

Both people must also jointly complete a marriage license application and according to Florida law, read a Marriage Handbook. Nonrefundable license fees are $86 or $61 for Florida residents who complete a premarital preparation course with registered providers.

Couples will receive a special commemorative marriage certificate during the event, mailed within one week of the ceremony. Officials note that all couples are welcome to register and participate but request that guests are limited to four people.

“One of my Office’s four strategic priorities is DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion,” Stuart says. “Our workforce must reflect our constituency. We are proudly a majority-minority agency. The work we do is rooted in fairness, trust and equal access to all. We’re focused on providing excellent customer service, but also celebrating our differences.”

Since taking office in Jan. 2021, Stuart and her staff have participated in Tampa Pride and more. The Democrat recently led another community wedding on Feb. 14, the clerk’s well-attended “Tie the Knot” community wedding on Valentine’s Day which also welcomed same-sex couples.

“Meeting our constituents in the community is the key to building lasting partnerships,” Stuart explains. “Our ‘Love is Love’ wedding event is just one way we show support for the LGBTQIA community … When you visit any of our locations, you’ll be greeted by the Progress Pride flag, alongside the American and the State of Florida flag. Being respectful of all people is an expectation in our workplace.”

For more information about the clerk’s “Love is Love” community wedding or to register by May 27, visit Hillsclerk.com/ Additional-Services/Marriage-License/Love-Is-Love. To apply for a marriage license, contact Official Records at 813-276-8100 or visit Hillsclerk.com.

10

WITH COMMUNITY:

State Rep. Michele Rayner (L) and spouse Bianca Goolsby at Equality Florida’s St. Pete Gala May 7. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

New Focus Rayner ends congressional campaign for state run Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | State Rep. Michele Rayner announced the suspension of her congressional campaign May 16 to focus on another run for the state House.

Rayner launched her campaign to represent Florida’s 13th Congressional District last June.

She made history the year prior by becoming the first Black, openly LGBTQ woman elected to the Florida Legislature.

The lawmaker cited Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent redistricting efforts among her reasons for the suspension, which significantly altered CD-13. DeSantis vetoed the Legislature’s initial congressional map and held a special session in April to approve his own.

“Every ten years, our state is constitutionally obligated to draw new maps for elected representation that reflects our communities,” Rayner explains on her website. “Governor DeSantis had different plans. For the first time in the history of our state, our

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

Governor drew his own lines for the congressional maps, parts of which have already been deemed unconstitutional.

“I don’t want to mince words: these maps are a racist depiction from our Governor who wants to erase equitable representation in our state to fit his overtly partisan agenda,” she continues. “We cannot lose the type of bold representation that this district and all Floridians need in the State House to stop Ron DeSantis and his Republican cronies in their tracks.”

The map gives the Republican Party a 20-8 congressional seat advantage. LGBTQ and other civil rights advocates throughout the state have already filed legal challenges against it.

Rayner announced her decision with a video shared via social media.

“As many of you know, about a year ago, we launched a campaign for Congress right here in Pinellas County,” Rayner shared, reflecting on the joy she and her wife have felt campaigning. “It’s been a special joy for me because I grew up here right in Clearwater.

“But as many of you know, we have a governor and we have a legislature that is out of control,” she continued. “They have drawn maps that are racist, that are partisan, and that I believe – and quite frankly, many people believe – are illegal, and that that’s what makes it difficult to have a free and fair election in Pinellas County for this congressional seat.”

Rayner added that she will “take our fight back to Tallahassee” to hold DeSantis accountable.

“We’re going back to the State House,” she shared. “I hope to earn your support. I hope that you’ll get involved because this election is the most vital election of our lifetime.”

In a subsequent statement, Rayner also noted that “I am proud of the movement we’ve built to bring working-class issues into the national conversation. I am grateful and humbled for the outpouring of support from grassroots and national leaders and organizations across this country in our campaign for Congress.

“While this campaign is coming to a halt, our work is just beginning,” she concluded. “Pinellas and Hillsborough county families can continue to rely on their champion for working people to bring home results.”

Rayner will seek to represent Florida’s newly drawn seat for House District 62. It includes parts of southern Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

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state news

‘DON’T SAY GAY OR TRANS’ PLAINTIFF THREATENED WITH CENSORSHIP; GIVES SPEECH ABOUT HIS HAIR Ryan Williams-Jent

Z

ander Moricz, a senior at Pine View School in Sarasota who was selected to deliver a graduation address as his school’s first openly gay class president, claimed May 9 that “censorship seems to show that they want me to be the last.”

Moricz is the executive director of the Social Equity and Education Initiative, which seeks to defend human rights. At 18, he is also the youngest plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging Florida House Bill 1557, more widely known as the state’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law. He previously organized a student walkout against the measure and more.

In a series of viral posts shared on Twitter, Moricz charged that Dr. Stephen Covert, the school’s

principal, threatened to “cut off my microphone, end my speech and halt the ceremony” should he reference his LGBTQ activism. “I am being silenced,” he shared.

So when Moricz took the stage to deliver his speech May 22, he talked about what makes him different.

“I must discuss a very public part of my identity. This characteristic has probably become the first thing you think of when you think of me as a human being,” Moricz said. “As you know, I have curly hair.

“I used to hate my curls,” Moricz continued. “I spent mornings and nights embarrassed of them, trying desperately to straighten this part of who I am, but the daily damage of trying to fix myself became too much to endure. So While having curly hair in Florida is difficult, due to the humidity, I decided to be proud of who I was and started coming to school as my authentic self.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1557 into law March 28.

Once it takes effect July 1, it will prohibit discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Advocates argue that the law’s vague language will silence LGBTQ students and teachers well beyond those parameters.

The lawsuit detailing those concerns was filed March 31. Moricz and the other plaintiffs – including Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization – assert it will “deny to an entire generation that LGBTQ people exist and have equal dignity.”

Sarasota County Schools confirmed that officials met with Moricz about the ceremony.

Learn more about the SEE Initiative at SocialEquityAndEducation.org.

FLORIDA STUDENTS HONORED AT WEBBYS Jeremy Williams

F

our Florida students – Will Larkins, Jack Petocz, Abbie Garretson and Javier Gomez — who helped organize the statewide “Say Gay” walkouts this past March were honored with the Social Movement of The Year at the 26th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City May 16.

The student activists were presented with the award from “Queer Eye’s” Tan France and comedian Tig Notaro.

While accepting the award, each of the students delivered five-word speeches.

“We will not be silenced,” said Larkins.

“We will keep saying gay,” said Garretson.

“We will vote DeSantis out,” said Petocz.

“This, here, is queer revolution,” said Gomez.

The Webbys were created in 1996 and are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

The awards given for excellence on the internet and are known as the “internet’s highest honor.”

Gio Swaby, My Hands Are Clean 4 (detail), 2017, Thread and fabric sewn on canvas, Collection of Claire Oliver and Ian Rubinstein

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nation+world news

CASE OF MONKEYPOX REPORTED IN US MAN Wire Report

N

EW YORK | Massachusetts on May 18 reported a rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada, and health officials are looking into whether it is connected to small outbreaks in Europe.

Monkeypox is typically limited to Africa, and rare cases in the U.S. and elsewhere are usually linked to travel there. A small number of confirmed or suspected cases have been reported this month in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain.

U.S. health officials said they are in contact with officials in the U.K. and Canada as part of the investigation.

But “at this point in time, we don’t have any information that links the Massachusetts case to cases in the UK,” said Jennifer McQuiston of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though it’s the only U.S. case the CDC is aware of, “I do think we are preparing for the possibility of more cases,” she said.

Monkeypox typically begins with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body. In Africa, people

have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals, and it does not usually spread easily among people.

However, investigators in Europe say most of the cases have been in gay or bisexual men, and officials are looking into the possibility that some infections were spread through close contact during sex.

Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal for up to 1 in 10 people, according to the World Health Organization.

“I think a lot of us are seeing this bill pop up,” Salazar said, referring to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law. “And some of us can feel hopelessness, but I’m really thrilled to share with you that the Task Force is super determined to make sure that we are driving the political power of the LGBT movement through our ‘Queer the Vote’ work in Florida.”

Johnson elaborated on the Task Force’s “Queer the Vote” initiative.

“As we look to the 2022 midterms, the Task Force is moving our resources into civic engagement across five states: North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Ohio and Michigan,”

said Johnson. “That’s not by accident: that’s intentional. These are battleground states. These are states where we are seeing not only attacks on LGBTQ issues, we’re seeing attacks on abortion, we’re seeing attacks on voting rights, we’re seeing attacks on immigrants. We’re seeing multi-front attacks on our people, and that’s exactly where the Task Force wants to be: at those intersections of social justice issues and LGBTQ liberation.”

For more information on the National LGBTQ Task Force’s “Queer the Vote” initiative, visit TheTaskForce.org/QueerTheVote.

Same-sex couples are often barred from renting apartments together, hospital visits and other services available to married couples.

The Tokyo government said applicants will be limited to adult residents of the capital but will include foreign nationals. The recognition of partnerships is not the same as a marriage certificate, it said.

The plan covers the entire capital. Tokyo’s Shibuya district in 2015 became the first Japanese municipality to issue non-legally binding partnership certificates to same-sex couples. About 200 other

municipalities across Japan, or about 12% of the total, have since taken similar steps, according to advocacy groups.

A number of couples are fighting in courts for the right to marry. The Sapporo district court ruled last year that Japan’s failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

Taiwan is the only Asian nation or territory that has legalized same-sex marriage.

TASK FORCE TARGETS 5 STATES IN ‘QUEER THE VOTE’ Michael Key of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

N

early 50 people attended a National LGBTQ Task Force’s fundraiser held in the nation’s capital May 13.

Following remarks by Task Force Executive Director Kierra Johnson and Deputy Executive Director Mayra Hidalgo Salazar, the organization raised more than $15,000 in pledges of donations from guests.

TOKYO TO RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX UNIONS BUT NOT AS LEGAL MARRIAGE Wire Report

T

OKYO | Japan’s capital has announced it will start recognizing same-sex partnerships to ease the burdens faced by residents in their daily lives, but the unions will not be considered legal marriages.

The Tokyo metropolitan government unveiled a draft plan May 10 to accept registrations starting in October from sexual-minority couples seeking certificates of their partnerships.

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IN OTHER NEWS MURDER SUSPECT OF LESBIAN NEWLYWEDS DIES BY SUICIDE The Grand County, Utah Sheriff’s Office stated a suspect was identified in the double homicide of newlywed lesbian couple Kylen Schulte, 24, and Crystal Beck Turner, 38. The suspect, identified by the Sheriff’s Office as Adam Pinkusiewicz, 45, was a co-worker of one of the victims at the local McDonald’s restaurant in Moab. The women’s bodies were discovered Aug. 18 at their campsite located less than 50 miles from the Colorado-Utah state line.

Investigators say that Pinkusiewicz allegedly confessed to murdering the two women before he took his own life several weeks later.

WYOMING SENATOR BOOED FOR SEX IDENTITY REMARKS AT GRADUATION U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis apologized May 16 after getting booed and heckled for remarks she made on sexual identity during a University of Wyoming graduation speech. A first-term Republican from deep-red Wyoming, Lummis said in a speech May 14 in Laramie that human rights are derived from God but that government seeks to redefine many of them. “Even fundamental, scientific truths such as the existence of two sexes, male and female, are subject to challenge these days,” Lummis said. She paused and smiled while many in the crowd responded with boos and heckling. Lummis issued a statement, saying “it was never my intention to make anyone feel unwelcomed or disrespected, and for that I apologize.”

RUSSIA EXTENDS BRITTNEY GRINER DETENTION FOR ANOTHER MONTH A Russian court extended WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention for another month. Griner — a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is a lesbian — was taken into custody at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February. Russian officials said customs inspectors found hashish oil in her luggage. The State Department earlier this month determined Russia “wrongfully detained” Griner. Griner appeared in court May 13 in the Moscow suburb of Khimki. Griner’s lawyer told the Associated Press that her trial could begin soon.

Griner faces up to 10 years in prison.

GREEK LAWMAKERS BAN CONVERSION THERAPY FOR MINORS Greek lawmakers approved a bill May 11 that will ban so-called conversion therapy for minors. Media reports note mental health providers will face fines and prison if they subject a minor to conversion therapy without their consent. The bill will also ban conversion therapy advertising in the country. “There were some false treatments that stated that when a minor has chosen a different sexual orientation, his parents could supposedly proceed with ‘treatments’ for this child to ‘return to normality,’” Health Minister Thanos Plevris said before the vote. “Obviously these treatments not only are not a therapy but they are not supported scientifically.”

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viewpoint

Tiffany Richards

DON’T PUTIN MY FLORIDA DeSantis turns to Putin’s Playbook. Like defiant Russians, we have to resist him.

A

S A FLORIDIAN WHO

has studied and lived in Russia I am struck by the policy and rhetorical parallels I see between Vladamir Putin and Ron DeSantis and the creeping erosion of liberties and democracy in our state.

I see the headlines surrounding the “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop Woke” classroom censorship bills in our state and the Russian capricious imprisonment of Black lesbian basketball superstar Brittney Griner as tied together by the same threads of division and fearmongering that erodes freedom and liberty.

I know what it is to be Black and queer in Russia and here at home. In both, I have experienced what it is like to exist in that liminal space of conditional tolerance, the stress of constant vigilance related to race and queerness, and the constant pressure of knowing that your identity is a risk factor that can justify or excuse any harsh treatment against you.

And while courageous Russians risk their freedom and safety to protest their country’s attack on Ukraine, we are only beginning to see Floridians and Americans in general slowly awakening to the danger that this growing censorship and surveillance state poses to us all.

Right now, the world is watching in horror but not shock as a tyrannical dictator launches a brutal assault on the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Putin’s lust for unchecked power has long led him to crush free speech, surveil his own people, squelch dissent, persecute the marginalized, reward his loyal cronies and rule with an iron fist nostalgic for the days of the Russian Empire.

It’s an authoritarian nightmare that once felt impossible to imagine here in the United States. But a similar lust for power and disregard for the fundamental pillars of democracy have cropped up in this country, threatening

to shred our institutions and send us tumbling into a government-controlled surveillance state of our own. It’s a lust for power and disregard for democracy that are fueling the DeSantis agenda. Its core tenets -muzzling teachers, chilling free speech, propagandizing curriculum, and weaponizing bigoted fears of a multi-racial democracy -- are designed to intimidate the general public and empower his goons to harass and terrorize their neighbors.

It has allowed him to smear peaceful protests against police violence while encouraging anti-vaxxers who stalk school board members at their homes. It has led him to demand harsh crackdowns on those he disagrees with while refusing to condemn in any meaningful way right-wing violence. DeSantis’ aspirations for the White House are well known and it is why he has tripped over himself to leap into foreign affairs when it benefits him politically. Yet, he has dragged his feet in joining nearly universal American support for Ukraine, reserving his harshest words, not for Putin but for President Biden.

Perhaps DeSantis fears losing his frequent guest status on Tucker Carlson as the Fox commentator uses his platform to cheer Russian aggression on. Or perhaps it is difficult for DeSantis to criticize Putin when stealing heavily from his playbook.

Russia’s law, signed by Putin in 2013, prohibits LGBTQ+ people from being represented in any materials given to minors.

The law asserts that merely acknowledging the existence of LGBTQ+ people is a danger to youth and must be outlawed. Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill is the same insidious bigotry. It is intended to disappear LGBTQ+ people from classroom discussion, stigmatize LGBTQ+ parents, put educators under the heavy thumb of the government and isolate LGBTQ+ young people.

When I first heard that Brittany Griner was

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detained in Russia, my heart dropped. Her case had all the hallmarks of concern: a Black, queer American woman in Russia, under suspicion of a drug-related crime. The limited attention to her plight is no doubt a reflection of the silencing effect of Russia’s law, which further complicates

the world is quiet when an WNBA and Olympic superstar is detained, lest they run afoul of politics, what hope do Florida’s children have?

And now in the midst of widespread criticism for this harsh and far-reaching legislation from child welfare advocates, parents and

freest state in the nation. But the question is, free for who?

This DeSantis agenda of government-sponsored censorship and surveillance is only being fine-tuned in Florida before it is fully exported to the nation at-large and foisted upon the American people. Simply

Griner’s situation and gives pause to those who may come to her aid, fearful of what explicit association with her can mean for their own lives.

It is this tension, a perpetual cloud of suspicion around LGBTQ+ individuals and the social and legal implications for allies that dissuades their engagement. That is the goal of Putin’s law. And the ultimate goal of DeSantis. If

members of his own party, DeSantis has unleashed his proxies to attack anyone opposed to the legislation as a “pedophile,” an homage to one of the oldest and most dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ tropes. It is a slippery slope DeSantis is hoping to use to push progress backward.

The governor has a favorite line on the never-ending campaign trail: Florida is the

put: the creep of Putin-esque authoritarianism in America is accelerating and we are faced with a critical opportunity to put a stop to it.

The governor has a favorite line on the never-ending campaign trail: Florida is the freest state in the nation.

But the question is, free for who?

Tiffany Richards lived in Russia, various places in Eastern Europe and served as a Fulbright Scholar to the Republic of Moldova. They hold an undergraduate degree in Russian and Anthropology from UF and a Masters in Russian, Central and East European Studies from the University of Glasgow.

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viewpoint

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

QUEERLY BELOVED Abortion is a right

I

AM A PASTOR AND I

believe in abortion access. I believe in supporting the right to bodily and medical autonomy.

I believe that the issue of abortion is profoundly complicated and ultimately it is a decision to be handled between doctors and patients, not the government. I believe LGBTQ folks need to understand this issue far better than many of us currently do.

I know that there are folks – possibly even folks who attend my church – who will read this and be upset that I am speaking out about this issue. But those of us who support access to abortion need to speak out.

In the LGBTQ community, we already know that silence is deadly. We need to be educated about abortion. We need to use real words, not euphemisms.

In the LGBTQ community, we need to understand that reproductive freedom is an LGBTQ issue, and the loss of abortion access is the loss of LGBTQ rights.

Personally, I have provided care and support for dear friends before, during and after their abortions.

As a pastor, I have offered spiritual care for people making decisions about abortion and I continued providing care long after those decisions were made.

As a father of two young adults, I hope and pray that my children will never be in a situation where they must make the painful decision to terminate a pregnancy. But if ever they do need to make that choice, I want abortion to be safe and legal. I want my friends, my congregants and my children to know that I support their decisions.

If you care about LGBTQ people, if you care about economic justice, if you care about racial justice, then you already care about Roe v. Wade. I understand that there are many people in the LGBTQ community and who are against abortion access, even some who I know and love, but I believe in many instances they aren’t seeing this issue in its full complexity and depth.

This is beyond an “agree to disagree” issue or a conversation that we can ignore because so many of us aren’t facing the possibility of an unwanted or unviable pregnancy.

Abortion is far more common than many people realize. In fact, if you have posted on social media about this issue – whether in support of or in opposition to the right to choose – it has been seen by friends who have had abortions, whether you know that about them or not. The complicated grief around this topic is enormous and this is an issue that isn’t just fodder for academic debate.

It’s important to care about abortion access, even if it feels like it doesn’t impact us directly. This is a solidarity issue, and we are in a time that calls for solidarity. The potential overturning of Roe v. Wade calls into question the right to privacy, which was affirmed with Roe v. Wade, and is the underpinning of many of the basic rights we hold dear.

It wasn’t that long ago that gay sex was illegal in some parts of this country, and it is within the realm of possibility that we could end up back where we were before the Lawrence v. Texas 2003 ruling.

We are also now seeing a surge in the regulation of bodies and limits on medical autonomy. Trans young people are being limited in their access to medical care in multiple states. In the midst of this, if you believe that marriage equality is safe, I have some bad news

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for you. Overturning Roe v.

Wade could possibly open the door for challenges to the 2015 Obergefell v.

Hodges ruling as well.

This is also a racial justice issue. The most recent CDC data on abortion shows that Black and Hispanic women have had the highest

in this country will have the ability to travel to places where they have access to abortion.

Poor people will not have that access. As we know from history, banning abortion does not stop abortion, it only stops safe abortion and quality medical

and women’s rights, and I believe in economic and racial justice.

I believe that a pregnant person knows more about their own body and needs than I do. I believe that, overall, the medical decisions of other people aren’t really my business.

rates of abortion and white women have had the lowest.

I can’t help but wonder if the regulating of Black and Brown bodies plays into this, even if it is an unconscious bias.

This is an economic justice issue. If abortion access is no longer federally protected and is instead handled on a state-by-state basis, middle class and wealthy people in states where abortion is banned

care. Abortions will continue to happen in places where they are made illegal, and the results will be deadly for those who cannot afford to travel to places where there can safely access abortions.

People have asked me, as a pastor, how can I believe in abortion. I believe in it because I believe in healthcare access. I believe in the right to privacy.

I believe in abortion because I believe in LGBTQ rights

But it is the business of all of us to protect people’s basic rights to make informed decisions about their own bodies and healthcare.

If you care about LGBTQ people … then you already care about Roe v. Wade.

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, MCCTampa.com. He is a proud husband and father in a family that was legalized through marriage equality and adoption.

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talking points I’ve hated lying my whole life and feeling the need to change to fit in … you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, just to fit in. You being you, and being happy, is what matters most.

— JAKE DANIELS, THE UK’S 1ST ACTIVE MALE PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER TO COME OUT

94% OF

‘A STRANGE LOOP’ LEADS TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS

“A

STRANGE LOOP,” MICHAEL R. JACKSON’S CRITICALLY CHEERED THEATER META-JOURNEY earned a leading 11 Tony Award nominations May 9. The 2020 Pulitzer Prize drama winner is about a Black gay man writing a show about a Black gay man. It earned nods for best musical, best leading man in newcomer Jaquel Spivey and best featured actress for L Morgan Lee, who became the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for a Tony Award. The show also was nominated for scenic design, lighting, sound, orchestrations, Stephen Brackett’s direction and John-Andrew Morrison for featured actor. Behind the show with 10 nominations were “MJ,” a bio musical about the King of Pop featuring his greatest hits and “Paradise Square,” a musical about Irish immigrants and Black Americans jostling to survive in New York City around the time of the Civil War. The awards will air June 12 at 8 p.m. on Paramount+ and CBS.

TRANSGENDER

YOUTH WHO

SOCIALLY TRANSITION

LGBTQ SUPER CHAMPS PLAY ‘JEOPARDY!’

“J

EOPARDY!” IS ON AN UNUSUAL RUN OF SUPER CHAMPS. In the past seven months, contestants Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider, who are openly LGBTQ, have landed in the TV game show’s historical list of top five winning streaks. Roach’s run of victories ended on her 24th game May 6 and like Schneider, the two were rarely wrong. The “Jeopardy!“ audience is up 400,000 this year in an era most shows are shrinking, averaging 9.4 million viewers a night in April. “We’re trying to test excellence,” said Michael Davies, the show’s executive producer. “We celebrate facts. We celebrate people who know things.” The two will return for the annual Tournament of Champions this Fall.

MARVEL WELCOMES NEW TRANS SUPERHERO

M

ARVEL COMICS WILL INTRODUCE A TRANSGENDER CHARACTER NAMED SHELA SEXTON, also known as Escapade, in June’s one-shot “Marvel’s Voices: Pride.” The hero is a mutant with the ability to instantly switch locations and trade attributes with other people, including their possessions, powers and skills.

She is able to maintain her powers for just a few hours and has to be within seven feet of her target. The character will also have a very close friend named Morgan Red, a fellow trans mutant. “Now more than ever, we need a hero like Shela Sexton for people to look up to,” co-creator Ted Brandt shared. “It was a real honor and a privilege to be a part of her creation process!”

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‘HEARTSTOPPER’ ALUM JOINS ‘DOCTOR WHO’

B

REAKOUT “HEARTSTOPPER” STAR YASMIN FINNEY, THE TRANS PERFORMER who played the character Elle, has joined “Doctor Who.” Finney will play a character named Rose in 2023 as a part of the show’s 60th anniversary season. “If anyone would have told 8-year-old Yasmin that one day she’d be part of this iconic show, I would have never in a million years believed them,” the performer shared. “This show has a place in so many people’s hearts, so to be seen as a trans actress by the legend himself Russell [T. Davies, showrunner], has not only made my year, it’s made my life. I cannot wait to begin this journey and for you all to see how Rose blossoms.

Get ready.”

MAINTAIN THEIR GENDER IDENTITIES

AS THEY AGE. NEARLY 2/3RDS BEGIN

HORMONE

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laimin c o g Pr

PRIDE E

Jeremy Williams

ACH JUNE, MEMBERS OF THE

community march in parades, hold celebrations and honor the early pioneers of the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement.

Different from LGBTQ History Month, which has been recognized in October since 1994 when a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated it so and the General Assembly of the National Education Association included it within a list of commemorative

months the following year, LGBTQ Pride Month celebrates a particular moment in our history — the 1969 Stonewall Uprising.

HOW IT STARTED

The Stonewall Uprising started on June 28, 1969,

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when at approximately 1:15 a.m. undercover officers with the NYPD raided The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village.

“Places like the Stonewall Inn were safe havens from anti-LGBTQ+ policies enforced across America,” wrote Jessie Kravitz, a historian of the National Archives, in 2019.

“Laws allowed LGBTQ+ people to be evicted from their homes, fired from jobs, imprisoned, and confined to mental institutions. New York also outlawed the sale of alcohol to gay people. Bars that disobeyed these laws were frequently raided by

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THEN & NOW: (L, top and bottom; L, top) Images from the first Pride March in New York City on June 28, 1970. (R, bottom) half a century later, a photo of WorldPride 2019, held on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. FIRST PRIDE MARCH IMAGES ARE SCREENSHOTS FROM THE DOCUFILM “GAY AND PROUD” FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; WORLDPRIDE PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO

| uu | Proclaiming Pride FROM PG.23

police who unjustly harassed, assaulted, and arrested queer customers. Such oppression led many queer people to mask their true identities in public and encouraged them to flock to private spaces like Stonewall.”

When the police raided Stonewall, they began arresting employees and patrons as a crowd gathered outside of the bar. The crowd chanted “Gay Power!” and “We Want Freedom!” The chants eventually turned to resistance and, led by transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, the crowd began throwing objects at the cops forcing them to barricade themselves in Stonewall.

The rebellion lasted for several days and expanded into nearby Christopher Park and neighboring streets. By the final day, thousands of people had taken to the streets to protest.

The first Pride March happened one year later, honoring those who stood up against oppression and celebrating the start of the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement. A short documentary film titled “Gay and Proud” by activist Lilli Vincenz, which can be viewed on the Library of Congress website, shows that first march in New York City on June 28, 1970. Marches also took place in Chicago, San Fransisco and Los Angeles that year.

Pride marches grew into parades and festivals in cities and towns across the U.S. and around the world in subsequent years. As more events were planned, some of the celebrations started to move away from the last Saturday in June and filled the entire month, and eventually spread to all different times of the year. In Central Florida and Tampa Bay alone, Pride festivals are held in June, September, October, February and March.

A PROCLAMATION

The events at Stonewall, the subsequent Pride parades and Pride Month as a whole would not get official recognition from a sitting U.S. president until 30 years later. The first president to acknowledge LGBTQ Pride Month was Bill Clinton in a proclamation released June 2, 2000. In the proclamation, which Clinton refers to the month as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, he highlights advances his administration made in the LGBTQ movement — including issuing an executive order prohibiting discrimination in the federal civilian workforce based on sexual orientation and employing more openly gay and lesbian individuals in senior posts in his administration — as well as the work still to be done, which included passing a form of the Equality Act and legislation strengthening hate crime laws.

“This June, recognizing the joys and sorrows that the gay and lesbian movement has witnessed

and the work that remains to be done, we observe Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and celebrate the progress we have made in creating a society more inclusive and accepting of gays and lesbians,” Clinton states. “I hope that in this new millennium we will continue to break down the walls of fear and prejudice and work to build a bridge to understanding and tolerance, until gays and lesbians are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans.”

The next presidential proclamation would not come until 2009, 40 years after the Stonewall Uprising and the first June in Barack Obama’s presidency. In it, Obama acknowledges the “great and lasting contributions” made

by LGBTQ individuals “that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society.” He also refers to the month as LGBT Pride Month, including the bisexual and transgender communities for the first time.

“During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans,” Obama stated. “Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before.”

Like Clinton before him, Obama highlighted some of the achievements of his administration for the LGBTQ community while also recognizing that there is still work to be done.

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FLORIDA PRIDE: The St Pete Pride parade happens on the last Saturday in June in St. Petersburg every year and is the largest LGBTQ Pride celebration in the state of Florida. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD “As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” he stated.

Obama would issue an LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation every June of his eight years as president. Over the course of his proclamations he would celebrate the achievements the LGBTQ community and his administration had made including repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” getting the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed, seeing marriage equality become the law of the land and, in 2016, establishing The Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park and portions of the surrounding neighborhood as a national monument.

In his final LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation, Obama reiterated that “LGBT rights are human rights.”

“There remains much work to do to extend the promise of our country to every American, but because of the acts of courage of the millions who came out and spoke out to demand justice and of those who quietly toiled and pushed for progress, our Nation has made great strides in recognizing what these brave individuals long knew to be true

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in their hearts -- that love is love and that no person should be judged by anything but the content of their character,” Obama stated. “During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, as Americans wave their flags of pride high and march boldly forward in parades and demonstrations, let us celebrate how far we have come and reaffirm our steadfast belief in the equal dignity of all Americans.”

Obama’s successor, Donald Trump did not issue an LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation during his presidency. The only mention of it from Trump came via a tweet on May 31, 2019.

“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,” Trump tweeted. “My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!”

In June 2021, newly elected President Joe Biden returned to issuing official proclamations for LGBTQ Pride Month, referring to the celebration as LGBTQ+ Pride Month adding in the Q for Queer and the + symbol for the first time.

“During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we recognize the resilience

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and determination of the many individuals who are fighting to live freely and authentically,” Biden stated. “In doing so, they are opening hearts and minds, and laying the foundation for a more just and equitable America.

This Pride Month, we affirm our obligation to uphold the dignity of all people and dedicate ourselves to protecting the most vulnerable among us.”

CELEBRATING LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH IN CENTRAL FLORIDA AND TAMPA BAY

Central Florida and Tampa Bay are in no short supply of Pride celebrations during the month of June. From Red Shirt Pride Day on the first Saturday in June through to St Pete Pride held the last Saturday in June, the LGBTQ community celebrates living life openly and authentically.

On June 1, 1991, a group of LGBTQ Central Floridians—led by openly gay Orlando resident Doug Swallow—decided to meet at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to say to “The Most Magical Place on Earth” that “We’re here, we’re queer and we’d like to see Cinderella’s Castle!”

The original idea was that the LGBTQ community, wearing red shirts (a suggestion of Swallow’s to make everyone more visible at the gathering), would meet in front of Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom just before the 3 p.m. parade to be seen during a time when being that visible could mean losing your job, family and even your life. That first year, 1,500 people showed up and the event has only grown from there.

Nowadays, tens of thousands of people gather in Orlando for parties, events and celebrations on that first Saturday and the surrounding days. In 2019, the nonprofit KindRED Pride Foundation established Red Shirt Pride Days, a series of events occurring on the first weekend of June every year with a mission to get one million people around the world to wear red on the first Saturday of June whether they are at the Magic Kingdom or not.

This year you can attend parties through GayDayS, One

Magical Weekend, Girls in Wonderland and Tidal Wave Party, happening from June 1-5.

Two local Pride celebrations happen on that first Saturday of June as well — one in Kissimee and one in Gulfport.

Pridefest Kissimmee will be at the Kissimmee Civic Center June 4. The free event is put on by the city of Kissimmee and will feature live entertainment, a vendor fair, food trucks, a kid’s zone and information on local advocacy groups.

The second annual Gulfport Pride will also be June 4 and is being held at the Gulfport Public Library. The event will showcase the area’s growing LGBTQ community and LGBTQand ally-owned businesses. It is a free event but you will have the ability to make a donation as it is a fundraiser for the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Public Library.

While LGBTQ Pride Month is a time to celebrate, it has also become a time of mourning and reflection since the 2016 Pulse tragedy that took the lives of 49 people. The Pulse Remembrance Ceremony will take place on June 12 with several events happening in the days prior. These events include the CommUNITY Rainbow Run at Wadeview Park on June 4, the “Straight Men, Real Makeup” drag show at Hamburger Mary’s on June 5 and the “United We Dance” celebration in the Thornton Park District June 10.

Two more local Pride celebrations — Polk Pride and Dunedin Pride — happen the weekend of June 18 with a series of events taking place on the days leading up to that day.

Lakeland’s Polk Pride starts with a Pride social to kick its events off at Swan Brewing called “Pride on Tap” on June 11. The celebration continues June 15 at Skate World for “Pride For Youth,” a Pride party for ages 11-20 put on by the Lakeland Youth Alliance.

On June 16, “Pride in Faith,” an interfaith fellowship, will be held at Beacon Hill Fellowship. The official Pride weekend kickoff party will be June 17 at The Parrot and will include plenty of drinks, dancing and drag. The big event happens June 18 with Pride in the Park, a celebration for the whole family, in Munn Park. Later that night, Polk Pride returns to The Parrot for “Pride After Dark,” the event’s closing party.

Not to be outdone, Dunedin Pride is also celebrating with a weeklong Pride celebration.

Starting June 11, they kick off Pride with the Dunedin Pride Golf Cart Parade. The colorful carts will start at Mease and parade through Dunedin, ending in front of the Blue Jays Stadium where there will be live music, food, drinks and a Pride baseball game. Later that night, head over to HOB Brewing Co. for the Silent Disco Festival.

On June 12, Dunedin Pride hosts the Fenway Pool Party & Show.

You can check out a trio of events June 15, as the Scottish American Society hosts Dunedin Movie Night, presented by the Dunedin Film Festival. The event will screen a collection of short LGBTQ films. Prior to the film screening, head to The Honu Restaurant and Tiki Bar for a Dinner Before Movies event. After the films, head to Caledonia Brewing for the After Party. The following day, Dunedin Pride is back at Honu for the Honu Luau Women’s Party. On June 17, Blur will host the annual Pride Show & Dance Party. Festivities wrap up on June 18 with the Gay-Lah gala at The Fenway Hotel.

Closing out the month is Florida’s largest LGBTQ Pride celebration — St Pete Pride. The celebration will take place June 25 with a festival and parade in downtown St. Petersburg. We will have much more information in our next issue as St Pete Pride celebrates its 20th year, but leading up to the big day there will be a series of events starting June 1 with a St Pete Pride Kick-Off Party at the Sirata Beach Resort.

On June 11, join “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” legend Carson Kressley for Queer-E-Okee at The Palladium Theater. Head back to The Palladium June 12 for an exclusive St Pete Pride performance with Sandra Bernhard. The Stonewall Reception at The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art and the Get Nude Drippin’ in Melanin event at Red Mesa Cantina happen on June 17. LGBTQ+ Youth & Family Day will happen June 18 in North and South Straub Park. Shade of Pride, an LGBTQ Juneteenth celebration starring TS Madison, will take place at The Studio June 19. And finally, the day before the parade, head to the St Pete Waterfront for the Friday Night Concert with Todrick Hall and special guest Pussy Riot.

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A few words from Central Florida and Tampa Bay mayors as we celebrate LGBTQ Pride

“L

GBTQ+ BUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF ORANGE COUNTY by investing in resources and people to help grow the next generation of community and civic leaders. As individuals from around the world begin to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, it is also a time to reflect on the Pulse Remembrance and the responsibility each person has in creating an inclusive and equitable community.

Whether you are a life-long resident or a first-time visitor, I hope you enjoy your time in our thriving and diverse community. Once again, welcome, and we look forward to celebrating Pride Month in Orange County!”

— ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR JERRY L. DEMINGS

“T

HIS JUNE AND EVERY MONTH IN ORLANDO, WE HAVE A LOT TO TAKE PRIDE IN. This includes that as a community, we are working to ensure that Orlando is a city where all residents are welcomed, valued and respected. I hope that during Pride Month we can recognize and celebrate our commitment to inclusion and creating an equitable community for every LGBTQ+ resident and each person who calls Orlando home. But our work is far from over. With hateful rhetoric and legislation at the state and national level, our collective unity, love and compassion must remain strong and also grow. I want you and every member of Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community, including the young residents who need support now more than ever, to know that in our city you are loved, you are valued and you are seen and heard. Our community will continue to celebrate our diversity while putting equity and inclusion at the forefront of all that we do. Orlando will still be a place that encourages all residents to be their authentic selves.”

— ORLANDO MAYOR BUDDY DYER

“T

HE CITY OF TAMPA IS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD AS A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY, celebrating all our citizens, businesses, and organizations for their impact within our city’s neighborhoods. People often tell me that when asked to describe Tampa in one word, they always choose ‘friendly.’ And nothing warms my heart more! Our unique culture and rich heritage have fostered a strong, inclusive culture that protects both residents and visitors from discrimination and harassment, including those within the LGBTQ community. Love is love, and that’s what we celebrate in Tampa. How boring would life be if we were all the same?”

— TAMPA MAYOR JANE CASTOR

“S

T. PETERSBURG IS A PLACE WHERE INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY AND EQUITY MATTER. Our annual Pride festivities, culminating with Florida’s largest Pride parade and festival, highlight our city’s support for our LGBTQ+ community, and all who have experienced marginalization. I’m proud to be leading a city that embraces our LGBTQ+ community, and where our citizens are valued for who they are, not who they love or how they identify. We — all of us — Are St. Pete.”

— ST. PETERSBURG MAYOR KEN WELCH

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BEPrEPARED 28

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LGBTQ+ Premier Medical Care

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Friday, June 3 GAYDAYS DAYTIME POOL PARTY 11 A.M-4 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Orlando’s Big Red LGBTQ Week schedule

D

UST OFF YOUR RED SHIRTS BECAUSE WE ARE BACK for all the pool parties, circuits, celebrations and Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom.

Below is a day-by-day breakdown of all the events for Orlando’s first week of June celebration. There are select parks that are recommended as Red Shirts Days for each day, if you chose to partake in the theme parks: Thursday, June 2, will be Animal Kingdom and SeaWorld; Friday, June 3, will be Hollywood Studios and Islands of Adventure; Saturday, June 4 will be the traditional Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios; and Sunday, June 5 will be Epcot and Discovery Cove.

Pricing for each event is listed below that event except for Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave’s Weekend Pass is $169 and will gain you access to ALL Tidal Wave events. Daily Pool Party Passes are available at $40 each day and get you into that day’s pool parties and dances only.

For more information on ticketing and events, visit GayDayS.com, OneMagicalWeekend.com, GirlsInWonderland.com and TidalWaveParty.com.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S KICKOFF PARTY

6 P.M. (DOORS OPEN); 8 P.M. (SHOW STARTS) MANGO’S TROPICAL CAFÉ

O

ne Magical Weekend kicks off Red Shirt Pride Days with Mango’s Drag Me Out Wednesday. The event will feature a drag show, One Magical Weekend event ticket giveaways and more. A part of the proceeds will be donated to the KindRED Pride Foundation. $15 for general admission; $50 for dinner & show

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 GAYDAYS DAYTIME POOL PARTY

TASTE OF GAYDAYS

11 A.M-4 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

6-9 P.M. AVANTI PALMS CITRUS ROOM B/C

Pool fun with DJ John Stuurm and DJ Lu-S.

Hosted by Chantel Reshae, Taste of GayDayS brings together dozens of local restaurants to give you a sampling of some of Central Florida’s most tasty offerings.

Coupled with amazing libations and live entertainment, this is one of GayDayS most delicious events. Taste of GayDayS is a 21 and up event and is not intended to replace dinner, just light bites and drinks.

$25 in advance; $35 at event

BEARONCE’S HONEY POT POOL GAMES 1-5 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Just as the title suggests, some fun in the sun pool games with drag queen sensation Bearonce.

Free event for pool guests

TIDAL WAVE’S OPENING CEREMONY 1:30-2 P.M. B RESORT POOL

$40 in advance; $50 at event

TIDAL WAVE’S BEARAOKE EXPRESSION 8-11 P.M. TBD

TIDAL WAVE’S TEA DANCE 3-7 P.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

TIDAL WAVE’S DANCE 9 P.M.-2 A.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

GAYDAYS EVENING POOL PARTY 5 P.M.-2 A.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Pool fun with DJ Lu-S and DJ Steve Sidewalk. $35 in advance; $45 at event

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S WELCOME HAPPY HOUR

6-8 P.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Mix, mingle and make new friends, either for the weekend or for life, at the Girls in Wonderland welcome mixer. The event features live entertainment and free Bud Light on draft until it runs out.

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S TRAFFIC JAM 9:30 P.M.-2 A.M. ELIXIR ORLANDO

Take a colored bracelet coordinated to your availability — red means you’re taken, yellow means approach with caution and green means go for it. Music provided by DJ Nela and DJ Aileen Castro.

This event is free to GiW hotel guests.

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$15 in advance

Pool fun with DJ Mike Sklarz and DJ Chris Adams.

with comics Emma Willmann, Lee Cohen and Anna Lepeley. $25 in advance, $30 at event

TIDAL WAVE’S BEARAOKE

$25 in advance; $35 at event

8-11 P.M. TBD

TIDAL WAVE’S RELAX MAX POOL PARTY

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S RIPTIDE

11 A.M.-2 P.M. B RESORT POOL

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S WET POOL PARTY

12-5 P.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Pool fun with DJ Dlux and DJ Citizen Jane. $25 in advance, $30 at event

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S PRIDE KICKOFF POOL PARTY 12-7 P.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Pool fun with DJ Joe Ross and DJ Edil Hernandez.

8 P.M.-2 A.M. DISNEY’S TYPHOON LAGOON

One Magical Weekend’s signature event returns to Disney’s 52-acre Typhoon Lagoon waterpark. DJs Edgar and Oscar Velazquez will keep the music flowing. RIPTIDE will also feature the Bear Lagoon, hosted by Tidal Wave Party, with tunes provided by DJ Barry Huffine. Bliss Health also returns with Trans Beach featuring a performance by Trinity The Tuck. $100

GAYDAYS BOOTS, BEARS & BEERS SOCIAL

$30 in advance, $35 at event

9-11 P.M. AVANTI PALMS CITRUS ROOM B/C

BEARONCE’S HONEY POT POOL GAMES

Take a break from the pools and meet your Mr. GayDayS Leather 2022 Competitors and Judges. Hosted by Daddy Flash, enjoy some free beer and tailgate games. This event is 21 and up only.

1-5 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Just as the title suggests, some fun in the sun pool games with drag queen sensation Bearonce.

TIDAL WAVE’S TEA DANCE

This is a free event

3-7 P.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S CLIMAX

TIDAL WAVE’S DIRTY BINGO 3:30-5:30 P.M. TBD

GAYDAYS EVENING POOL PARTY 5 P.M.-2 A.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Pool fun with DJ Chris Adams and DJ Lu-S. $35 in advance, $45 at event

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S L-LOUNGE HAPPY HOUR

6-8 P.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT’S LOBBY BAR

9 P.M.-2 A.M. CUBA LIBRE AT POINTE ORLANDO

Girls in Wonderland brings its Friday night party, Climax, to Cuba Libre. DJ Pat will be playing salsa, merengue and reggaeton hits on the Latin Patio and DJ Citizen Jane and DJ Tatiana can be found on the main floor spinning Top 40 and house beats.

Pre-game for the big night ahead at the host hotel’s Lobby Bar with specialty cocktails.

This event is free to GiW hotel guests.

GAYDAYS DRAG QUEEN BINGO 6-7:30 P.M. LOBBY BAR

Family-friendly Drag Bingo hosted by Addison Taylor. It’s all the fun of bingo mixed with all of the fun of a drag show. $20 in advance, $30 at event

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S OUT FOR LAUGHS COMEDY SHOW 7:30-9:30 P.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Settle in for some laughs before you hit the Friday night parties MAY 26 - JUNE 8 , 202 2 // ISSUE 29.11 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

$25 in advance, $30 at event

TIDAL WAVE’S DANCE 9 P.M.-2 A.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S AFTERGLOW AFTERPARTY

2-5 A.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Late night fun with DJ Nela. $20 in advance $25 at event

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S CADABRA AFTER HOURS PARTY – FANTASY 2-8 A.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Late night fun with DJ Nina Flowers and DJ Obra Primitiva. $69 in advance, $75 at event

Saturday, June 4 GAYDAYS DAYTIME POOL PARTY

The Miss GayDayS pageant will actually take place throughout the entire weekend with different categories during GayDayS events.

Then it all culminates poolside on Saturday for their performances and the crowning, hosted by Chantel Reshae.

11 A.M-4 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Pool fun with DJ Chris Adams and DJ Aracely. $25 in advance, $35 at event

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S SPLASH POOL PARTY

8-11 P.M. TBD

$35 in advance, $40 at event

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S RED VOL V: VARSITY

TIDAL WAVE’S RELAX MAX POOL PARTY

8 P.M.-1 A.M. HOUSE OF BLUES ORLANDO

11 A.M.-2 P.M. B RESORT POOL

One Magical Weekend is back with its RED party at Disney Springs’ House of Blues. This year, in honor of the inaugural Pride Cup, it is themed Varsity. Music will be provided by DJ Paulo with two performances by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Bosco.

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S PEP RALLY POOL PARTY (WEAR RED) 12-7 P.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Pool fun with DJ Cindel and DJ Sinna-G.

General admission $80, VIP $170

$30 in advance, $35 at event

Just as the title suggests, some fun in the sun pool games with drag queen sensation Bearonce.

GAYDAYS PUPPY MOSH 2-4 P.M. AVANTI RESORT’S PELICAN ROOM

Join the other puppies in an indoor puppy mosh, presented

by The Florida Puppy Contest, as they romp, wrestle and play.

Hosted by Daddy Flash, this event is for 18 and up only. $10

TIDAL WAVE’S TEA DANCE

TIDAL WAVE’S DANCE 9 P.M.-2 A.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S SIGNATURE EVENT 10 P.M.-2 A.M. PIRATE’S ADVENTURE

3-7 P.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

Get ready for Girls in Wonderland’s Signature Event featuring lots of eye candy with Les Vixen’s go-go girls. Music will be provided by DJ Zehno and DJ Citizen Jane.

GAYDAYS PORN BINGO 5-6:30 P.M. AVANTI PALMS CITRUS ROOM B/C

Join Addison Taylor for this adult-only Bingo game sure to feature a few very adult prizes.

This event is 21 and up only.

$25 in advance

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S GIRL — THE AFTERPARTY

$20 in advance, $30 at event

GAYDAYS EVENING POOL PARTY

6-10 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Tidal Wave Party 14’s Cabaret headliner will be drag queen extraordinaire and “America’s Got Talent” season 10 performer Delighted Tobehere.

The self-described “Queen of all Trades” is celebrating her 20th year as a vocalist, comedian, emcee, activist and motivational speaker.

2-5 A.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Late night fun with DJ Dlux and DJ Zehno. $20 in advance, $25 at event

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S CADABRA AFTER HOURS PARTY – LOCKER ROOM 2-8 A.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Just as the title suggests, some fun in the sun pool games with drag queen sensation Bearonce.

TIDAL WAVE’S TEA DANCE

$25 in advance, $35 at event

3-7 P.M. B RESORT POOL

TIDAL WAVE’S CHURCH IN SESSION POOL PARTY

MR. GAYDAYS LEATHER COMPETITION FINALE

11 A.M.-2 P.M. B RESORT POOL

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S SUNDAY FUNDAY! POOL PARTY 11 A.M-7 P.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Pool fun with DJ Pat, DJ Dlux, DJ Zehnod and Lady Snack Daddy. $30 in advance, $35 at event

SAY GAY SUNDAY! POOL PARTY 12-7 P.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Pool fun with DJ Deanne and DJ Scott Robert. $30 in advance, $35 at event

BEARONCE’S HONEY POT POOL GAMES 1-5 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

8:30-10 P.M. B RESORT GRAND BALLROOM

1-5 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

MISS GAYDAYS PAGEANT PERFORMANCES AND CROWNING

Pool fun with DJ Mike Sklarz and DJ Randy Bettis.

TIDAL WAVE’S CABARET

BEARONCE’S HONEY POT POOL GAMES

$35 in advance, $45 at event

11 A.M-4 P.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

TIDAL WAVE’S BEARAOKE

Pool fun with DJ Tatiana and DJ Pat.

Pool fun with DJ Aracely and DJ Randy Bettis.

GAYDAYS DAYTIME POOL PARTY

This is a free event.

11 A.M.-5 P.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

5 P.M.-2 A.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Sunday, June 5

5-7 P.M. AVANTI PALMS CITRUS ROOM B/C

Just like the Miss GayDayS pageant, Mr. Gay Days Leather will take place throughout the entire weekend with the final competition, hosted by Daddy Flash, happening Sunday evening. $20 in advance, $30 at event

GAYDAYS EVENING POOL PARTY 5 P.M.-2 A.M. AVANTI PALMS POOL

Pool fun with DJ Randy Bettis and DJ Aracely. $35 in advance, $45 at event

TIDAL WAVE’S CLOSING DANCE 7 P.M.-1 A.M. B RESORT COURTYARD

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S WIG PARTY

9 P.M.-1 A.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Get ready to sport your favorite wig and whip your hair back and forth to the music of international DJ and producer Twisted Dee. Don’t miss the live entertainment of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumni Angeria Paris VanMichaels, Trinity The Tuck and Phoenix. $50

GIRLS IN WONDERLAND’S LAST CHANCE PARTY 10 P.M.-2 A.M. GRAND ORLANDO RESORT AT CELEBRATION

Late night fun with DJ Zehno and DJ Lady Snack Daddy. $12 in advance, $15 at event

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND’S CADABRA AFTER HOURS PARTY – DADDY 2-8 A.M. SHERATON LAKE BUENA VISTA RESORT

Late night fun with DJ Alex Ramos and DJ Bio Zounds. $69 in advance. $75 at event

LGBTQ Expos

G

AYDAYS WILL HAVE TWO EXPOS — THE MAIN ONE

and the adult 18+ version — featuring more than 100 vendor booths, giveaways and free raffle prizes. The expos run Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Avanti Resort Ballrooms. You will also be able to find some outdoor vendors around the Avanti Palms pool from 12-9 p.m.

O T G

Late night fun with DJ Abel Resist.

Resort.

NE MAGICAL WEEKEND WILL HOST ITS GAY BIZ

Expo, featuring dozens of vendors, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Sheraton

IDAL WAVE PARTY WILL HAVE A VENDOR FAIR IN

the B Resort Ballrooms Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

IRLS IN WONDERLAND WILL HAVE POOLSIDE

vendors at the Grand Orlando resort in Celebration Friday, 12-5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

$69 in advance, $75 at event

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Gay SAVING THE

Sandra Bernhard sets the stage for St Pete Pride’s 20th

F

Ryan Williams-Jent

ROM PIONEERING THE ONE-

woman show to portraying one of television’s first openly bisexual characters on “Roseanne,” Sandra Bernhard’s never shied away from the spotlight. The actor, comedian and singer has proudly broken barriers for fellow LGBTQ artists for decades.

In recent years, Bernhard has used her platform to advocate for equity and equality as the host of SiriusXM’s “Sandyland,” her radio show launched under Andy Cohen’s Radio Andy in 2015.

PHOTO BY JGRAHAM

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

She also returned to her groundbreaking “Roseanne” role for its 10th and final season ahead of the reboot’s 2018 cancellation, prompted by its titular star’s racist tweets.

The entertainer appeared on another groundbreaking

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series that year, FX’s “Pose,” in a role that expanded throughout the drama’s three seasons. She played Nurse Judy Kubrak, who ran the AIDS ward in 1980s New York and organized for LGBTQ rights beside the show’s other stars, the largest cast of transgender actors to ever lead a series.

Now, Bernhard is heading back to her roots and hitting the road again. She’ll bring her unique mix of cabaret, stand-up, rock-n-roll and social commentary to a live stage performance at The Palladium on June 12, a key CONTINUED ON PG. 35 | uu |

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I don’t really have any advice for people watching the show at this point.

Even though I’m disappointed in Roseanne, and I know she has certain issues emotionally, I still believe that she was the person who created that show – and honestly, that when she went off the rails that the show should have ended. I don’t think it’s fair to her or the audience that it exists in its present state without her in it, or at all. I don’t know, it’s a mixed bag.

But I guess if they called me tomorrow and said, “Hey, we’ll pay you like $500,000 an episode,” maybe I’d go back to it. I don’t know. I mean, I really like everybody on the show so it’s hard to criticize, because everybody wants to work. It’s a very complicated, multi-layered situation.

| uu | Saving The Gay FROM PG.33

part of St Pete Pride’s 20th anniversary programming.

“So delighted to come shake up Florida,” she announced in April. “We’re coming to save the gay!”

Watermark spoke with Bernhard ahead of her St Pete Pride set about her breaking barriers, returning to the stage and more.

WATERMARK: WE LAST SPOKE WHEN YOU PERFORMED IN ORLANDO FOR GAY DAYS 2016. A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN, SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LAST FEW YEARS AND WHERE DO YOU FIND YOURSELF NOW?

SANDRA BERNHARD: I’ve spent the last six years deeply concerned. Between the government and gun violence, and women’s reproductive rights, and LGBTQ rights, which are always being threatened.

The list is a mile long; there’s an environmental disaster looming on the horizon. We’re all day-to-day, you know, and what can you do?

You can’t help but be concerned and feel emotion about it. And try to do the best you can as a performer and as an artist to speak out about it to support the people who are in the trenches really doing the hard work. So that’s a big part of my life.

But you know, also a bigger part is being creative – writing and staying connected to humor and fun and celebration.

I think that as artists, especially somebody who does comedy, that’s part of our job, to elevate and lift people up. I try to do that every week on my radio show “Sandyland” on Sirius XM, I do it when I perform.

I’m also a mother and my daughter graduated from college, and my partner is a very creative person. She just started a big job a couple years ago, so we’ve been full on. Then of course, COVID and being at home and being vigilant by taking care of ourselves and respecting people around us by getting vaccinated and wearing masks; doing what we need to do to keep other people healthy, even though people seem to fight that. If anybody has extra time or energy to fight

DO YOU STILL TALK TO ROSEANNE?

ACTING OUT: Sandra Bernhard has been acting for more than four decades and has been featured in some of televisions biggest LGBTQ shows including “Will & Grace,” “The L Word” and “Pose.” PHOTO BY MAGNUS HASTINGS

protecting their fellow man, then God bless them. I don’t know what they’re not doing, but they’re obviously not doing much of anything.

So this is all very longwinded, but as opposed to stopping and starting I just thought I’d just jump right in and give you an overview of where I’m at … and where I’m at right now is I’m excited to be going back on the road, doing my shows.

It’s been a very, very, very creative time for me despite all the limitations. I’ve really kept my mojo going.

YOU’VE DONE THAT AS AN ACTOR, AUTHOR, COMEDIAN, RADIO SHOW HOST, SINGER AND MORE. WHAT DO YOU FIND COMES THE MOST NATURALLY FOR YOU?

Well, I think being funny and being a performer, obviously, because that’s something that I’ve just done naturally since I was a little kid. I always knew how to engage, whether it was with my brothers and my family

or friends or at school. So having an audience has always been what I’ve needed.

I love to get up in front of people, entertain and sort of take people by surprise to cover the whole sort of gambit of what I’m capable of doing as a performer. I think that’s definitely what comes easiest for me.

works another muscle which is good, too.

As an actor it’s harder because I’m very improvisational, and even when I write a show, there’s so much room in there night to night to mix it up. So as an actor, when you have to stay on your lines, hit your marks and be present with another artist, it’s hard sometimes, because it’s fun for me to stand on stage and space out and like, go on these flights of fancy. But you can’t do that in a film or television, so that can require a little more discipline than sometimes I like. But it

Well, it’s not hard to reconcile now because Roseanne’s been totally erased from the show. They’ve erased her from their life on [ABC’s sequel series] “The Conners,” which I find totally bizarre. Roseanne created the show. Roseanne was the backbone of the show. She was their mother and the wife and everything, and she’s just gone? She’s gone as Roseanne the artist, the person, and she’s gone as Roseanne the mother in the story? I mean, the whole thing is totally bizarre. I have a hard time reconciling it, so

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING?

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

YOU’VE BROKEN A LOT OF GROUND AS AN ACTOR, PARTICULARLY ON “ROSEANNE” WHICH IN THE 90S WAS AHEAD OF ITS TIME WITH LGBTQ REPRESENTATION. WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR FANS WHO HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME RECONCILING THEIR LOVE FOR THE SHOW WITH ITS CREATOR’S PERSONAL VIEWS?

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I don’t. I haven’t talked to her in ages. I’m sure if I reached out, maybe she would respond, I don’t know. I’m just sort of afraid to talk to her to tell you the truth. I don’t want to get into a fight with her about where I stand with things. I just don’t understand how she could possibly have turned into a [supporter of former President Donald Trump.] I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

It’s hard for everybody. For those of us who were friends with her and still care about her, the whole thing is just cockeyed.

It’s just very upsetting.

THE LEGACY OF THE SHOW REMAINS. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON SUCH EARLY LGBTQ REPRESENTATION, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU NOW?

I think the most important thing was that it was really, really fun. It was done with such candor and such wit that it kind of broke through in so many ways. It wasn’t hitting you over the head with the obvious, yet the message was there.

I just thought, what a great way of presenting the whole idea of gayness and the sort of nonchalantness of it all. I just loved the way it was all done and presented.

“POSE” WAS ANOTHER GROUNDBREAKING SHOW FOR LGBTQ REPRESENTATION, ELEVATING A PART OF OUR

CONTINUED ON PG. 37 | uu |

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to happen.” Also, just to know that you just look at people and they come and they go, they float in, they float out.

These moments, these cultural firestorms, they come up with the community and through our unity, smartness and fight, we put out the fires. So it’s just great to come down there right now to just have a fabulous Pride.

| uu | Saving The Gay FROM PG.35

COMMUNITY THAT DOESN’T GET THE SPOTLIGHT ENOUGH.

Right!

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE PROJECT AND WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?

Who wouldn’t have been drawn to the project? It was hard to find a role there for somebody like me because everyone was trans or a person of color, so the fact that there was a role that had impact – playing a nurse in the AIDS ward – was just such a no brainer.

Of course I was going to jump in and do that, or anything that [“Pose” Co-Creator, Executive Producer and Writer] Ryan Murphy puts his print on or just everybody involved with it, like [Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Writer and Director] Steven Canals and [Co-Executive Producer and Writer] Our Lady J and all the wonderful writers.

Just the inclusivity of it was just so exciting and so fresh. It was just fun. It was always fun to be on the set. The people were groovy. It was just a great, wonderful, very familial experience, like “Roseanne” in its way.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO SEE IT END?

I think had it not been for COVID, it might have had another season, but it got truncated with all the COVID rules and they had to kind of wind it down. You know, historically it had its limitations, so it made sense that it ended when it did, but I just think if we had been on schedule, they probably could have gotten one more season. But you have to move on and you tell your stories. You try to tell them to their completion and then it’s on to the next.

It was a real highlight for me in my career. It sort of brought full circle the experience and the memories of being in the AIDS trenches with all my friends who died, and some who survived, but not many.

It was a beautiful tribute to that time, to the resilience of the whole LGBTQ world and how it brought everybody together. It’s interesting to watch the evolution of different marginalized communities and how we get on our feet and how

WHAT ELSE EXCITES YOU ABOUT PERFORMING LIVE RIGHT NOW?

I think it’s more important than ever, because after two years of people being isolated and communicating virtually and watching every known TV show and film alone in their house, you want to be in a live situation. There’s just nothing like it. It is a communing with your entertainer and your artists. As much as the artists give, the audience receives and it’s a flow. It’s just such an incredible experience every time I get on stage and I know whenever I go to see some of my favorite performers, how inspired I am. It’s something you look back on for years and think about that night, and there’s just kind of nothing else like it really.

SHOWING PRIDE: Sandra Bernhard will be performing at The Palladium June 12 as a part of St Pete Pride’s series of events leading up to its parade and festival June 25. PHOTO BY BRIAN ZIEGLER we grow from it and evolve and mature. I think that’s what you take away from all of it.

another show of his coming up this summer.

BEFORE THEN YOU’LL HELP ST PETE PRIDE MARK 20 YEARS.

really anti-LGBTQ, he’s just using [Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law] to appease his base. And I don’t even believe

The most important thing is that we are coming together in a time where it’s starting to feel oppressive again. So just remember that we control the narrative and that nobody can take that away from us.

— SANDRA BERNHARD

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO WORK WITH RYAN MURPHY AGAIN?

I do. It may be a little bit premature, something is coming up very soon, but because they haven’t announced it yet I won’t.

But I’m 99%, if not 100%, sure that I’ll be involved in

WHY ARE YOU EXCITED TO JOIN THE CELEBRATION?

First of all, I think right now Florida – for the LGBTQ community – has been very, very incendiary and challenging with [Governor Ron] DeSantis’ attacks. It’s so cynical and so cheap. I mean, I’m sure that he’s not in any way, shape or form

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

that the base really cares that much. It’s just always a constant deflection on the right to find cheap tropes, to pull focus from what really matters.

So it’ll be fun to be down there and just say, “hey, you know what? We’re here, we’re not going anywhere. This is post-revolution and you can’t push it back. It’s just not going

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WHAT FANS CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR SET?

Well, I’m coming down with Mitch Kaplan, my musical director, so it will be musical, it’ll be eclectic. It’ll be covering lots and lots of topics and thoughts and fun and a little introspective. It’s just a classic Sandra Bernhard show but up to date, up to the moment and sort of taking you on a little tour of my life in the past couple of years to where we’re all at right now.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT READERS TO KNOW?

The most important thing is that we are coming together in a time where it’s starting to feel oppressive again. So just remember that we control the narrative and that nobody can take that away from us. We have to stay unified and really on top of things politically, and also support other people on the margins and always remember that it’s not just us, it’s a global experience, like when you look at Ukraine and all the people around the world who are really being just crushed. It’s more important than ever to be there for each other.

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MUSIC

Living Proud

Canadian artist Riotron on his latest single ‘Life Is What We’re Living’

(ABOVE)

LIVING LIFE:

Riotron has released his latest single, “Life is What We’re Living,” just in time for LGBTQ Pride Month.

PHOTO COURTESY THE KARPEL GROUP

C

Jeremy Williams

ANADIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER JEFF

Fettes, better known as the musical act Riotron, has been making music his whole life.

“I come from a musical family,” Fettes says. “My mom actually toured with a musical group before I was born. She comes from a small town in northern Canada where everyone plays an instrument and sings. So every summer when I went up there, everyone just picked up an instrument and jammed; it was folk music and pop music and jazz music, it was whatever. It became almost a rite of passage for me in the family.”

Fettes started to write his own songs when he was 13, almost by accident.

“As funny as it sounds, I started writing my own songs because I couldn’t properly play the songs I wanted to play,” he says. “I started trying to play those and my attempts

would go very wrong, but they still sounded good even though it wasn’t what I was trying to play.”

His music was heavily influenced by the ‘80s — Duran Duran is an all-time favorite — as well as some well-known female popstars.

“There’s something about the community, guys who grow up gay, that we gravitate toward these strong, female divas,” he says.

“Madonna was a huge favorite of mine growing up. I still love her song writing … Janet Jackson is a favorite; the list is so long that naming them all would take us down a rabbit hole we might never come back from.”

Fettes is getting a lot of attention for his latest single, “Life Is What We’re Living,” which tells a very

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

personal and uplifting story of one of his friends.

“I’m starting to realize, not deliberately so, that I have certain themes in my work as a songwriter that come across to people as dark, I like the contrast of life and death, and I have a friend named [Chris] Fantini who challenged me, saying he would like to hear something in my voice a little more uplifting,” he says.

Fettes fell out of communication with Fantini for some time and got back in touch with him after hearing that Fantini’s mom had passed away from cancer. Fettes says that when he caught up with his old friend he was inspired by what he saw.

“I was expecting him to be completely devastated because of how close he had been with his mom, the two of them were best friends and they were going to travel together,” Fettes says. “He told me he had been devastated and had a hard time with it but then his mom’s death prompted him to dive into life like he had never done before. He quit his job and changed everything about his life. He moved to Florida and he started traveling.

“He told me that he would imagine what his mom would say if she were with him,” Fettes continued.

“He realized he could still do these things with his mom because she is a part of him through his memories and all he knows about her. He had his mom there and he wasn’t sure if it was spiritual or just his imagination, but then he realized it didn’t matter because she was there with him.”

Fettes found the story inspiring and one he wanted to tell through a song.

“I wrote [‘Life Is What We’re Living’] and when it came to the video, I wanted to use it as a metaphor for his journey through the stages of grief and that realization that she will always be there with him, and that he didn’t have to give her up just because she was gone,” Fettes says.

The music video, directed by the acclaimed Alissa Torvinen, for the song tells the story of a man at his mother’s funeral processing her

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death. As the video continues, the man (played by “Teen Wolf” star Tyler Posey) dances with the spirit of his mother (played by “Back to the Future” star and ‘80s icon Lea Thompson) through the house and is able to say his goodbye by the end. Fettes actually wrote the song and video concept with Posey and Thompson in mind.

“When I wrote a song, I like to write with the concept of the video in mind,” Fettes says. “The characters in music videos don’t really have names because they don’t talk, so to keep the characters straight I ascribe actor’s names to them. When I came up with the concept for the video, I called the characters Lea and Tyler because I’m a huge fan of both of their work. So I wrote a letter to each of them campaigning to get them in the video. Thankfully it worked and they agreed to be in it.”

The concept of the video was something that really appealed to Posey.

“My mother passed away just like my character’s mother,” Posey said in a statement at the time of the video’s release. “She was my best friend, my biggest support system, my good advice, my laughing buddy, my crying shoulder. I really resonate with my character and wanted to bring that storyline to life. Reliving the funeral scene was a heavy moment for me. I haven’t portrayed that in any project. Also l’m a huge fan of Lea’s and was honored to share the set with her.”

Thompson was onboard immediately after hearing Fettes’ song.

“It was so haunting and yet hopeful,” Thompson said in a statement. “And then when I saw Alissa’s work, I was so interested in being a part of this young director’s vision. I have been directing lately and I thought what an exciting scary thing to be a part of — dancing in a music video. It was great fun to explore dance in a way that was so devoid of pressure and so profoundly full of expression.”

The video was released May 6 and amassed nearly 2 million views within its first 10 days.

“I am so proud of this song and video,” Fettes says. “We all worked closely on the video, I was on set the entire time, and they are all amazing.”

“Life Is What We’re Living” is remixed by superstar DJ/producer Mahalo. Fettes says an additional remix by electronic music icon Paul Oakenfold and a behind-the-scenes featurette of the music video are expected later this summer.

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Dunedin Pride Week June 11 - 18, 2022

Live, work, play, and retire in Dunedin.

DUNEDIN PRIDE EVENTS

JUNE 11-18 PRIDE ON TAP POLK PRIDE 2022 BEGINS! SWAN BREWING

SATURDAY

2-5PM

110 W PINE ST • LKLD

PRIDE FOR YOUTH LAKELAND YOUTH ALLIANCE PRIDE PARTY SKATE WORLD

911 N LAKE PARKER AVE • LKLD

WEDNESDAY

6:30PM

Celebration of Pride Beacon Hill Fellowship

THURSDAY

PRIDE KICKOFF DRINKS DANCING AND DRAG 9pM-2AM

1030 E MAIN ST • LKLD

PRIDE in the PARK A CELEBRATION OF PRIDE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY MUNN PARK

10AM-3PM

201 E Main St • LKLD

PRIDE AFTER DARK POLK PRIDE 2022 CLOSING PARTY THE PARROT

1030 E MAIN ST • LKLD

6-15

Golf Cart Pride Parade Family Day Dunedin Blue Jays "Pride at TD Ballpark" Baseball Game Silent Disco Pride Dance Party and Drag Show Women's Luau Party

7PM

220 W Beacon RD • LKLD

6-11

AGES 11-20

PRIDE IN FAITH An Interfaith

THE PARROT

Drag Queen Brunch & Pool Party

9pM-2AM

6-16

FRIDAY

6-17

Educational Events Dunedin Pride Inclusive Film Screening of "Gen Silent: LGBT Aging" DIFF LGBTQIA+ "Shorts" Pre-screening Dinner

SATURDAY

6-18

After Party Gay-Lah (Florida formal)

SATURDAY

6-18

prouder THAN EVER polkpridefl

For #DunedinPride event info, visit DunedinPride.com

#polkpride2022

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FILM

Playing with Fire

Margaret Cho talks about her new LGBTQ-themed comedy ‘Fire Island’ THAT ALSO TRANSFERS TO YOUR OFFSCREEN LIFE?

Absolutely! The elder gay. The crone. It’s also the old lesbian who’s burned all of her bridges with the current lesbians her age and has to mine the younger generation for friendship. It’s very fun, it’s really cold and it’s very realistic to me.

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART FOR YOU ABOUT ACTING WITH RISING COMIC ACTORS SUCH AS BOWEN AND JOEL, WHOM YOU MENTIONED, AS WELL AS MATT ROGERS?

We laughed every day. We had such a good time. Outside of my dressing room, every day, there were full-on reenactments of entire “Real Housewives” episodes. Full Tiffany Pollard monologues from “I Love New York.” It was like Shakespeare in the Park, but it was “Real Housewives” by the trailer. It was exciting. I just love those guys.

(ABOVE)

GIRL ON FIRE:

Margaret Cho joins other LGBTQ icons in the new Hulu film “Fire Island.”

PHOTO BY BY SERGIO GARCIA

C

Gregg Shaprio

OULD THERE BE AN EMMY AWARD IN Margaret Cho’s future?

In Hulu’s “Fire Island,” premiering June 3, as well as on HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” Cho’s uncharacteristic restraint gives her queer characters — Erin and Utada respectively — an admirable depth and humanity.

Additionally, Cho has an upcoming appearance, as herself, on the Emmy Award-winning “Hacks,” and ongoing guest-starring roles in a multitude of popular shows.

Never one to sit idle, Cho will also be taking her stage act on the road throughout the coming months. Busy as she is, Cho was gracious enough to make time with Watermark to answer a few questions.

WATERMARK: MARGARET, IN THE NEW MOVIE “FIRE ISLAND,” YOU PLAY ERIN, WHO’S DESCRIBED BY ONE OF THE CHARACTERS AS A

“CAREER BRUNCH SERVER, AGE UNKNOWN, LESBIAN QUEEN.” WHAT WAS IT ABOUT ERIN THAT SPOKE TO YOU AND MADE YOU WANT TO PORTRAY HER?

MARGARET CHO: I just love the script. I’m a big fan of Joel Kim Booster, and his comedy and his writing, and as a person. I wanted to be a part of the film. I love Andrew Ahn’s direction. I love Bowen (Yang).

It was really special to do this. The “career brunch server” was so appealing. Everything about this character is a lot of fun, and so it was just perfect. We had a blast doing it.

IT LOOKS THAT WAY! ERIN IS THE WISE LESBIAN HOUSEMOTHER TO HER GAGGLE OF YOUNGER GAYS. IS THIS AN ASPECT OF YOUR PERSONALITY

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

ERIN WAS ABLE TO AFFORD TO PURCHASE THE FIRE ISLAND HOUSE FOLLOWING WINNING A SETTLEMENT INVOLVING A PIECE OF GLASS AND A MAJOR ITALIAN CHAIN RESTAURANT. DO YOU THINK OUR CURRENT CULTURE IS MORE LITIGIOUS THAN NECESSARY?

I don’t know. I think the character is just really savvy and knows where to make an opportunity for herself.

I think that’s really more it. I don’t know if it was necessarily because of the culture or the time or whatever.

But I think that she’s just smart about doing what she can to get something.

WAS YOUR FIRST TRIP TO FIRE ISLAND AS A PERFORMER OR AS A VACATIONING GUEST?

Every trip I’ve made there was as a performer and then I stayed for vacation. So, I made it work and pleasure, both at the same time.

I’ve been going there since 2008.

I love spending time there and just hanging out. I’m actually more of a Provincetown lady. I’ve been going to Provincetown since the 1980s to work and perform and just hang out.

These are very much important areas

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for me. It’s the gay beach life that I really love.

YOU MENTIONED ANDREW AHN, THE GAY FILMMAKER WHO DIRECTED “FIRE ISLAND,” AND HE ALSO DIRECTED THE LAUDED 2019 FILM “DRIVEWAYS.” IS HE A DIRECTOR YOU COULD SEE YOURSELF WORKING WITH AGAIN?

Absolutely! I love Andrew. I think he’s quite an incredible director.

Not only is he so great with actors … the way that he creates films is so visually stunning and they’re so emotionally rich. I really admire him and his vision as an auteur. I would love to work with him again.

YOU WERE ONE OF THE PERFORMERS IN THE LINE-UP FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMEDY SHOW “STAND OUT,” WHICH WAS PART OF NETFLIX IS A JOKE: THE FESTIVAL. STAND-UP COMEDY HAS RECEIVED INCREASED ATTENTION WITH JERROD CARMICHAEL COMING OUT AS GAY IN HIS HBO MAX COMEDY SPECIAL “ROTHANIEL,” AS WELL AS THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING DAVE CHAPPELLE’S NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL. AS A PERFORMER WHOSE ROOTS ARE IN STAND-UP COMEDY, DO YOU THINK THERE’S THE POSSIBILITY OF HEALING?

Yes, I think so. We need to hear from LGBTQIA voices in comedy.

I think that queer comedy has always been a part of the larger comedy world. We’ve always had a very strong presence within comedy. I see so many more of us participating and out there in this conversation. I was glad to be part of the festival and I’m so grateful to be part of the queer comedy community.

FINALLY, I LIVE IN FORT LAUDERDALE, AND I NOTICED THAT FLORIDA IS NOT ON YOUR TOUR SCHEDULE. I KNOW THAT I’VE SEEN YOU PERFORM IN WEST PALM BEACH, MIAMI AND, MORE RECENTLY, IN FORT LAUDERDALE. WITH THE POLITICAL CLIMATE BEING WHAT IT IS UNDER THE CURRENT GOVERNOR, DO YOU FORESEE PERFORMING HERE AT ANY POINT IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

Yes, definitely. I think it’s important to be out there. I was actually just there a few weeks ago, so. I think that we need to be constantly out there and we definitely need to be heard. Yes, I’m sure I’ll be returning again soon.

“Fire Island,” starring Margaret Cho, Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang, premieres on Hulu at the start of LGBTQ Pride Month June 3.

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community calendar

EVENT PLANNER ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

CENTRAL FLORIDA

June Business Connect

Orlando Fringe, May 17-30, Loch Haven Park, Orlando. 407-648-0077; OrlandoFringe.org

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 6-8 P.M. NEC HEADQUARTERS, ORLANDO Join The Pride Chamber as it celebrates its 30th anniversary during its June Business Connect networking social at the NEC Headquarters located inside the Orlando Fashion Square Mall.

Refreshments will be available as well as networking opportunities and special guests. Admission is free for members and $20 for nonmembers and guests.

Aquaria, May 27, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando Paul McCartney, May 28, Camping World Stadium, Orlando. 407-440-5700; CampingWorldStadium.com “BIZARRE,” May 31, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando Diversity in Sports Summit, June 2, Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort, Orlando. 407-239-0444; KindREDPride.org GayDayS, June 2-5, Avanti Palms Resort, Orlando.

888-942-9329; GayDayS.com One Magical Weekend, June 3-5, Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort, Orlando. 407-239-0444; OneMagicalWeekend.com Girls in Wonderland, June 3-5, Grand Orlando Resort, Celebration.

407-396-7000; GirlsInWonderland.com Tidal Wave Party, June 3-5, B Resort, Orlando. 407-828-2828; TidalWaveParty.com CommUNITY Rainbow Run, June 4, Wadeview Park, Orlando. onePULSEFoundation.org Pridefest Kissimmee, June 4, Kissimmee Civic Center, Kissimmee. 407-518-2501; Kissmmee.org “Straight Men, Real Makeup,” June 5, Hamburger Mary’s, Orlando. 321-319-0600; onePULSEFoundation.org UCF Remembers, June 6, Millican Hall, UCF Main Campus. 407-823-2000; UCF. edu

AGE OF AQUARIA

A Voice of Justice, A Cabaret Featuring Brandon Martin THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 7 P.M. THE ABBEY, ORLANDO

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 10 winner Aquaria performs at Southern Nights Orlando May 27 and at Southern Nights Tampa May 28. PHOTO FROM AGEOFAQUARIA.COM

“Jesus Christ Superstar,” June 7-12, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org

St Pete Pride Kick-Off Party, June 1, Sirata Beach Resort, St. Pete Beach.

727-342-0084; StPetePride.org

“Long Time Coming”: A Screening of the Landmark Documentary, June 9, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando. 407-937-1800; CFCArts.com

ArtOut: “Queering the Pandemic,” June 1, Gulfport Public Library, Gulfport.

727-893-1074; Facebook.com/ LGBTQResourceCenter.Gulfport

TAMPA BAY Aquaria, May 28, Southern Nights, Tampa. 813-559-8625; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsTampa One Night Band, May 28, Salty Nun, St. Petersburg.727-321-9994; Facebook.com/SaltyNun Drag Bingo for Sustainable Families, May 31, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com Annual Pride in Business Luncheon, June 1, Centre Club, Tampa. 813-687-4993; TampaBayLGBTChamber.org

Light Up with Pride, June 1, Venues throughout St. Petersburg. Facebook.com/ LGBTStPete LGBTQ+ Pride Cocktail Fundraiser for Eunic Ortiz, June 2, Grand Central Brewhouse. 813-870-3735; Facebook.com/EQFLPac Pride Run St. Pete, June 4, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg. 602-464-4719; PrideRunStPete.com Pride Skate Tampa, June 4, Skateworld, Tampa.813-884-7688; Facebook.com/ PrideSkateTampa

Summer Classics: SingAlong “West Side Story,” June 5, Tampa Theatre, Tampa. 813-274-8981; TampaTheatre.org LGBTQ Climbing Party & Silent Disco, June 5, Vertical Ventures, St. Petersburg. 727-304-6290; VerticalVentures.com “SAY GAY” Opening, June 10, MIZE Gallery, St. Petersburg. 727-251-8529; ChadMize.com “Can’t Ban Pride: A Drag Showcase,” June 10, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; WordierThanThou.com

SARASOTA June G2H2, June 2, Art Ovation Hotel, Sarasota.

941-316-0808; Facebook.com/ G2H2Sarasota The Grand Carnival: An ICONic Evening, June 4, Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota. 941-954-4165; ProjectPrideSRQ.org

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

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

Vocalist Brandon Martin, accompanied by pianist Kevin Wu, celebrates and commemorates the Black American experience. Through the words and music of Black artists and societal change-makers, the program takes you through the timeline of the struggle for justice for Black Americans. Featuring selections by Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, John Legend, Alicia Keys and more. This is a free event. To reserve tickets, go to CFCArts.com/VoiceOf-Justice.

TAMPA BAY EROTIX: Performance, Art, Fashion SATURDAY, MAY 28, 6-11 P.M. COASTAL CREATIVE, ST. PETERSBURG This pop-up event celebrates sensuality and eroticism and includes more than 100 works of art by Tampa Bay artists. Metro Inclusive Health will also present The Condom Fashion Show, where fashion meets sexual health, and A Kinky Kabaret with burlesque and drag performances. Tickets begin at $25. Learn more at EROTIXArtShow.EventBrite.com.

Tampa Bay Rays Pride Night SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 4:10 P.M. TROPICANA FIELD, ST. PETERSBURG The Tampa Bay Rays invite you to celebrate the return of Pride Night as the team takes on the Chicago White Sox. Tickets are $30, a portion of which benefits local LGBTQ organizations when purchased with the appropriate code. They include a seat in the lower level and Rays Pride Hat designed by fan favorite artist Chad Mize. Visit RaysBaseball.com/ Pride before June 2 to purchase tickets.

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announcements

TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Trevor James was elected May 10 to serve as chair of the City of Tampa’s Human Rights Board.

The Fabulous Arts Foundation held its first Pride | Be Fabulous festival – formerly the Harvey Milk Festival – May 14, celebrating 12 years in Sarasota. Read more and view photos at WatermarkOnline.com.

Chad Mize and Dan Schmidt were engaged May 15.

Entertainer Allega Williams was crowned Miss Polk Pride 2022 on May 15.

CAN Community Health announced May 16 that Rogelio Capote has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Marketing & Community Relations.

St. Petersburg volunteers led by Andrea Pawlisz repainted the Progressive Pride Street Mural in the Grand Central District May 16.

The Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts will hold a “Love is Love” community wedding in Tampa June 2, marrying up to 50 couples. Read more on p. 10.

CONDOLENCES Owner Mandy Keyes announced May 9 that St Pete Community Oasis, formerly Community Café in the Grand Central District, would not reopen in its new location. “I’m sorry, and thank you for all your love, support, conversations, smiles, and hugs throughout the years,” she shared. Read more at Facebook.com/ StPeteCommunityOasis.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS St. Petersburg karaoke star Javier Dones, Seminole personal trainer Chip Wright, St. Pete college student Charlie Bird (May 26); Tampa Bay performer Amy DeMilo, Tampa Bay real estate agent Marvin Meeks, Tampa Bay advocate and educator Daryn Sparkles, Sarasota country line dancer David Russell (May 27); Tampa Bay director Jonathan Van Dyke (May 28); St. Pete photographer Laurie Ross, St. Pete theater supporter Jon Hughes, Dunedin stylist Corey Judge, St. Pete entrepreneur David Fischer, Stageworks Theatre Producing Artistic Director Karla Hartley (May 29); St. Petersburg Target specialist Joe White, Former St Pete Pride grand marshal Cheryl Hawkes, Roo Roo’s Diner owner Nicholas Ellis (May 31); Lakeland tri-athlete Andy Orrell, St. Pete artist Logan Joseph, Tampa Bay entertainer Te Monet, Purple Rhino owner Bob Donaldson, City of Gulfport employee Jon K. Ziegler (June 1); Tribeca Salons owner Brandon Wagner, St. Pete Twirling Project’s Harry Correa, Watermark freelancer Gregg Shapiro, Swiftie superfan JD Russo (June 2); Tampa Bay bartender Chris Hannay, Brandon Pride founder Mark Ferguson-Nokham, marketing director Timothy Evans, Jedi-in-training Derek Bailey (June 3); Hollander Hotel associate Tom Woodard (June 4); Sarasota derby icon Krista DiTucci, Tampa Coldwell Banker realtor Steve Wessels (June 5); VHA Nurse Steven Frost, Massage practitioner Ed Halleran (June 6); Florida Cane Distillery owner Pat O’Brien (June 7); Tampa Bay photographer Nick Cardello, Sarasota performer Lindsay Carlton-Cline, Come OUT St. Pete board member Christopher Lawrence (June 8).

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TEE TIME: (L-R) Jason Fields, David Eslinger, Cameron Williams, Bernie Littlefield, Chris ONeal and Christopher Walters tee off for Balance Tampa Bay’s golf tournament at TopGolf May 15. PHOTO

COURTESY BALANCE TAMPA BAY

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QUEEN ME: Newly crowned Miss Polk Pride Allegra Williams (L) stuns beside pageant host Kathryn Nevets at the Polk Theatre May 15. PHOTO COURTESY POLK PRIDE SYSTEM

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FAB AF: Fabulous Arts Foundation Executive Director Shannon Fortner and partner Grace Korley get the VIP treatment during the Pride | Be Fabulous festival May 14.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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BANS OFF: Luisantonio Salazar (L) and Dave Cutler attend the Bans Off Our Bodies: Tampa Bay Abortion Justice Rally at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square May 14. PHOTO BY NICK CARDELLO

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NEW BEGINNING: (L-R) Largo Vice Mayor Commissioner Michael Smith, Donna Holck, Jamie Robinson, new homeowner Nikole Severino, Eric Gerard and Samantha Fenger join Habitat for Humanity to welcome the Severino family to their new home May 11. PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF LARGO

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GEARING UP: Representatives from Pridelines, AHMonroe, Empath Partners in Care, Miracle of Love and Compass meet at The Mill Restaurant to plan SMART Ride 19 May 13.

PHOTO COURTESY SMART RIDE

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CON-DAY FUNDAY: The Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival’s Kayden and Marisa table at the first QFX East convention in Tampa May 15.

PHOTO COURTESY TIGLFF

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THIS IS THE WAY: (L-R) Princess Leia, event host BillY, C-3PO and a Jawa take home the top prizes in The Castle’s Star Wars night May 7.

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PHOTO BY AMIDALA NABERRIE

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Festival, Parade, and More!

October 15, 2022

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announcements

CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Rafael E. Pinero and the Pinero Preventative Medical Care team are celebrating 16 years in Orlando.

The LGBT+ Center raised $13,000 from its annual Celebrity Bartender fundraiser at Savoy Orlando May 10.

For Spektrum Health’s work to “provide quality comprehensive primary health care options for LGBTQ residents in the Central Florida community,” Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando declared May 14 “Spektrum Health Day.”

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Miracle of Love raised more than $1,400 during its Quarter Throwdown event in Orlando May 14.

Zebra Coalition was named as one of the LGBTQ youth organizations to benefit from this year’s Disney Pride Collection. Through June 30, Disney will donate all profits from sales of its Pride collection to a total of eight U.S., six European, one Latin American and two Asian/South Pacific LGBTQ youth organizations.

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Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, executive director of the Hope CommUnity Center, will be awarded the LGBTQ+ Leadership Award from the Florida Diversity Council during its award ceremony in Davie, Florida on June 7.

CONDOLENCES After 12 years in Orlando, Greek eatery Mediterranean Blue closed their doors May 27. “For 12 years, it has been a pleasure to share my spin on our mother’s recipes, along with my co-founder and sister Gail, who as many know, passed away in 2015. After sustaining Mediterranean Blue with a small, dedicated team (even through a global pandemic), and winning multiple awards from our Orlando foodie community, I have made the difficult decision to bid farewell to Mediterranean Blue,” owner Bob Givoglu posted to social media May 20. “We truly thank you, our loyal customers and fan base for dining with us over the years.”

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Brother to the beloved and departed “Miss P” Dave Wegman (May 26); Orlando hairstylist Jesse Colin Yeager (May 27); Orlando behind-the-scenes theater guru Bill St. Yves (May 29); Fairvilla peddler DC Bulla, Orlando-based photographer Jim Barrett (May 30); Spektrum Health CEO and medical provider Joseph Knoll, Peer Support Space executive director Yasmin Flasterstein; Orlando restaurant magnate Nicholas Olivieri (May 31); Ranger’s Pet Outpost founder Rick Merrifield, JJ’s Grille owner J.J. Paredes, Southern Nights Orlando performer Kitana Gemini (June 1); Orlando realtor Bobby Mills, Orlando LGBTQ activist David Rodriguez, Physical therapist Rob Ryan, Central Florida real estate agent Tony Cabrrera, former Watermark intern Jaime Donelson, Watermark freelancer Gregg Shapiro (June 2); Former Equality Florida public policy director Mallory GarnerWells, Mojo Man owner Lane Blackwell, District Dive & the Hammered Lamb bartender Joel Gran (June 3); Central Florida transgender activist Angela Hunt (June 4); Orlando banker Luis Alberto Sousa-Lazaballet, Savoy bartender Shane Williams (June 6); Orlando artist Nick Smith, Orlando drag performer Addison Taylor (June 8).

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COMMUNITY WORK: Impulse Group Orlando showed up in force to the inaugural Pride celebration at Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka May 14. PHOTO

BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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FESTIVAL START: Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, City Commissioners Patty Sheehan and Robert Stewart, and dozens of community members kicked off the 31st annual Orlando Fringe Festival with a ribbon cutting in Lock Haven Park May 17. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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GAME DAY: The Orlando Otters RFC played their first match at the Emery Hamilton Sports Complex in Orlando May 14. PHOTO FROM ORLANDO OTTERS’ FACEBOOK

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SPORTS BAR: Orlando Pride soccer players Carrie Lawrence (L) and Erika Tymrak are ready to mix drinks and mingle at the LGBT+ Center’s Celebrity Bartender fundraiser May 10. PHOTO FROM

LGBT+ CENTER’S FACEBOOK

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

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POLITICAL LEADERS: Joél Morales (L) with City Commissioner Tony Ortiz at the graduation ceremony in Orlando May 17 after Morales completed Ortiz’s 12-week Government Academy. PHOTO

FROM JOÉL MORALES’ FACEBOOK

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FIGHTING BACK: Equality Florida’s Wes Davis (R) welcomes Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison to Central Florida at the LGBT+ Center Orlando May 19. PHOTO

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FROM WES DAVIS’ FACEBOOK

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#GAYISOK: Brandon Wolf checks out the re-released #GayIsOK soaps at Lush in the Mall at Millenia May 18. 100% of benefits go to the Protect Our Kids fund. The soaps are available at Florida stores and very limited supply at lushusa.com. PHOTO

FROM BRANDON WOLF’S FACEBOOK

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MONDAY MESSAGE: Andrés Acosta Ardilla showcases all the work Peer Support Space is doing in the community at Leu Gardens in Orlando May 23. PHOTO FROM ANDRÉS ACOSTA ARDILLA’S FACEBOOK

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WEDDING BELLS

KC Borjal and Alex Perry from Orlando, Florida

ENGAGEMENT DATE:

Oct. 7, 2019

WEDDING DATE:

April 3, 2022

OFFICIANT:

Chelsy Ruecker (friend)

VENUE:

Club Lake Plantation in Apopka

COLORS:

Rustic; browns and reds

WEDDING SONG/ ARTIST:

Our first dance was to Pink’s “Beautiful Trauma”, we walked down the aisle to “Rainbow Connection.”

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Pieces Rising in Mt. Dora

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PHOTOS BY ALEX STURGILL

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Lora Korpar

HEN KC BORJAL PERRY AND ALEX

Perry went on their first date, Alex knew he couldn’t miss out on it, even if he was sick.

After chatting for a few months on Tinder, it seemed like life kept getting in the way of them scheduling their first date. So when Alex got sick ahead of the dinner date, he decided he didn’t want to cancel and risk their conversations on the dating app dying out.

“Every once in a while, Alex would excuse himself and go to the bathroom to have a coughing fit and then come back as if it never happened,” KC says.

“We were probably there for at least three hours chatting and getting to know each other.”

Because Alex was originally the one who asked KC to be his boyfriend, KC decided he wanted to be the one to propose. Every year, the couple would take an international trip, so KC decided their 2019 trip to Ecuador to see the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos Islands would be the perfect time to pop the question.

They stayed in a village in the Amazon while exploring the rainforest.

Near the end of their stay, KC told the tour staff he wanted to propose at the top of a bird watching tower. While he and Alex were on an excursion, people in the village helped to decorate the tower with flowers and other plants. They even managed to carry a table up to the tower and set up a food arrangement.

Later that day, they began to walk up what KC described as “this beast of a tower.”

“I was so nervous. I was walking up right next to Alex and he had to tell me to walk in front of him,” KC says.

They reached the top right at sunset, surrounded by a beautiful view of the rainforest.

“I was ahead of Alex by a few seconds,” KC continued. “[It was] enough time for me to get on one knee and ask him the question, and of course he said yes!”

Though they originally planned their wedding for April 11, 2021, they postponed it by about a year due to everything going on in the world.

“Turned out to be a blessing because that day the weather was atrocious and it would have been a disaster for the ceremony having to move it indoors,” KC says.

He called the leadup to the wedding “surreal,” as both he and Alex come from conservative families. However, he knew Alex’s family would be accepting of the wedding because they had asked them if he would propose prior to their 2018 trip to Japan and the Philippines.

“This made me so happy knowing that they were already so accepting to the idea,” KC added. “I did not propose then, but it was nice to know that someone was ready for it.”

One of the events leading up to the wedding was a drag show at a gay bar, where they danced with their family and friends.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I ever [expect to] see my dad come to a gay bar and tip a drag queen,” KC says.

“In fact, Alex’s dad did too.”

On their wedding day, Alex and KC paid tribute to the LGBTQ+ community by pouring rainbow sand for their sand ceremony. Their families also poured the colorful sand into the container.

“It was really sweet and a little funny with the chaos on where each person would stand after they poured their portion in,” KC says.

The two also wrote their own vows, with KC adding that the vows were “both very different but showed our individuality.”

One of the many highlights of the reception was the mother-son dances, with Alex dancing to “Let’s Have a Kiki”

by Scissor Sisters with his mom and KC dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” with his mom.

Also, instead of a traditional bouquet toss, they did a “lip sync for your life” contest where attendees would lip sync to songs by the Spice Girls and the couple would pick the winner.

“I want to give a special shout out to our day-of wedding planners Brooke and Kayla from Bella Sposa, who just made the day so smooth,” KC says. “There was not one moment that I had to worry about on the day of the wedding.”

In all, it was a night to remember and a great moment to celebrate love with friends and family.

“My overall favorite moment was our private dance at the end of the night,” KC says. “It was a moment that I will never, ever, ever forget.”

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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