Watermark Issue 29.15: Peer to Peer

Your LGBTQ News Source.

July 21 - August 3, 2022 • Issue 29.15

Peer

to

Peer

Peer Support Space to open Florida’s first LGBTQ-focused respite

Orlando Gay Chorus names new artistic director

St. Petersburg mayors endorse Eunic Ortiz

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • CLEARWATER • SARASOTA

Your LGBTQ News Source.

July 21 - August 3, 2022 • Issue 29.15

m r a o n H y n I gs peace and love for n i r b sixt inge r h ye F a p ar m Ta

St. Petersburg mayors endorse Eunic Ortiz

Orlando Gay Chorus names new artistic director

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • CLEARWATER • SARASOTA

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Having a network of people that can take care of you is important … That’s what this respite is going to be.

DEPARTMENTS 7 // EDITOR’S DESK 8 // CENTRAL FL NEWS 10 // TAMPA BAY NEWS 13 // STATE NEWS 15 // NATIONAL NEWS 17 // WORLD NEWS 23 // TALKING POINTS 37 // TAMPA BAY OUT + ABOUT 39 // CENTRAL FL OUT + ABOUT 40 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 42 // CENTRAL FL MARKETPLACE 46 // EVENT PLANNER

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– PEER SUPPORT SPACE DIRECTOR OF RESPITE OPERATIONS ANDRES ACOSTA

ON THE COVER

page

27/31

page IN HARMONY: Tampa

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PEER TO PEER: Peer

Support Space opens Florida’s 1st LGBTQ-focused respite. PHOTO

International Fringe Festival brings peace and love for sixth annual outing.

WATERMARK ISSUE 29.15 // JULY 21 - AUGUST 3, 2022

BY DYLAN TODD

IN HARMONY: Tampa Fringe

SING OUTLOUD

AUTHENTIC ACT

LOOKING AHEAD

TWO DECADES

page Orlando Gay Chorus names the organization’s new artistic director.

page Zubrick Magic Theatre celebrates 1st year in St. Petersburg.

page

page

brings peace and love for 6th year.

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LGBTQ Democratic Caucus releases 2022 endorsements.

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“Murder for Two” leads Winter Park Playhouse’s 20th.

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EDITOR’S

Jeremy Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

S

DESK

OMETIMES YOU CAN FEEL VERY small in the world.

Recently, NASA released the first images from its James Webb Space Telescope, the largest optical telescope in space and a piece of equipment capable of seeing things in the universe too old, distant and faint for the Hubble Space Telescope.

The photos returned from Webb showcase high-res images of thousands of galaxies in the universe, and even those only show a speck of what is out there.

“Webb’s image is approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length, a tiny sliver of the vast universe,” NASA wrote. “The combined mass of this galaxy cluster acts as a gravitational lens, magnifying more distant galaxies, including some seen when the universe was less than a billion years old … This image shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723

as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with many more galaxies in front of and behind the cluster.

Much more about this cluster will be revealed as researchers begin digging into Webb’s data.”

Seeing those images reminded me of “Star Trek.” Looking at them, I immediately heard the voice of William Shatner, saying “Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.

Its 5-year mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

I’ve never been much of a Trekkie but my dad was a huge fan of the original TV series and movies, so I was forced to sit through many of the films and television episodes when I was a kid, which later helped me to

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

develop a love for the rebooted “Star Trek” trilogy from J.J. Abrams. I couldn’t help but be excited at all the potential alien species living in just that small grain of the universe. I can only imagine how excited my dad would have been with the Webb photos and the prospects of what is out there.

The thought of all that unexplored space is exciting but it also felt overwhelming looking at it. With all of those stars, galaxies and planets, going on for what seems like forever, it can make you start to feel insignificant in the universe. How could I be having any kind of impact on the greater purpose of this place?

I try not to think too much about it. Just like death, it is one of those topics that seems too big for me to wrap my head around and then I start spiraling in a world of panic and anxiety.

That’s why I was so happy that we were able to feature Peer Support Space in this current issue. I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Yasmin Flasterstein, Dandelion Hill and Andres Acosta, the team behind Peer Support Space’s new venture of opening the first mental health respite in Central Florida and the first of its kind to be focused on the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities.

Respite, as Flasterstein says in the story, literally means to take “a break from hardship,” and that’s what they are helping people to do. They are giving them a chance to step away from the chaos and anxiety in their lives for a few days. Lord knows with the way the country and the world are going, we could all use that.

Along similar lines, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline had its number shortened in the U.S. on July 16. The hotline’s original 10-digit phone number has been shortened to the three-digit code 988 (in the vein of 911), to make it easier for people

to remember in the case of a mental health emergency. Anyone can call or text the number and, in most cases, will be connected to a trained mental health professional at a local or regional crisis center.

If local centers cannot connect to a counselor, national backup centers will pick up the call.

However you choose to approach your mental health, know that there are resources out there for you and that with all the unexplored space out there you are still valued and important.

In this issue, along with exploring the history of Peer Support Space and looking at its upcoming respite, we take a look at what LGBTQ-themed shows are coming to the sixth annual Tampa

However you choose to approach your mental health, know that there are resources out there for you.

Fringe Festival. We also chat with Central Florida actor-singer Kevin Kelly, who will help to kick off the Winter Park Playhouse’s 20th anniversary season with the hit show “Murder For Two.” In Central Florida news, we sit down with the new artistic director for the Orlando Gay Chorus, Harold Wrights, and look at the senseless killing of a member of Daytona Beach’s LGBTQ community.

In Tampa Bay news, the Zubrick Magic Theatre in St. Petersburg celebrates its first year being open and a bevy of Gulf Coast mayors, both past and present, endorse Eunic Ortiz for state senate.

ORLANDO OFFICE Managing Editor: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

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CONTRIBUTORS JASON LECLERC

is a near lifelong resident of the I-4 corridor, currently in South Tampa. He publishes poetry online at PoetEconomist. blogspot.com. His first book, “Momentitiousness,” was published in 2014. His book, “Black Kettle,” was published in 2016. Page 19

DR. STEVE YACOVELLI

is owner of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a learning and development, change management, and diversity consulting practice based in Orlando. He’s also the Chief Inclusion Officer of LGBTInclusivity.com, a consulting group focused on LGBTQ equality in the workplace. Page 21

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.

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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.

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

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

Watermark Publishing Group Inc.

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EDITOR’S

Ryan Williams-Jent MANAGING EDITOR Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com

F

DESK

OR ALL ITS FLAWS, I LOVE THE

internet. Social media and other sites keep us connected with each other and, if you know where to look, can provide us with a constant source of levity and light.

That’s important in an increasingly dark world, wide web or otherwise. You don’t have to be the managing editor of a newspaper to know that headlines across the globe can be pretty bleak.

It’s why in recent years I’ve personally chosen to follow news sources that prioritize facts, like Watermark, and have actively worked to engage with more people and pages which hope to lift our spirits. Thankfully that grew a lot easier after our nation blocked its commander-in-tweet.

Minus a few family members still somehow mourning his loss, my social media feed these days consists largely of loved ones and others who share my passions in life.

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

That includes actors, artists and authors I admire, changemakers trying to make this country a better place and plenty of pages about plants and adorable animals.

Who doesn’t love videos with penguins or a duck befriending a dog? It’s been great for my mental health.

I also follow a number of comedians, either aspiring or those in actual practice, whose various one-liners tend to go viral. One recent tweet that made me genuinely laugh out loud simply read “thinking about how scared the founding fathers would be if they saw a Furby.”

It’s funny because it’s true.

The talking robots were first popularized in 1998, and per my research – thanks again,

internet – the toys were designed to resemble a “hamster or owllike creature.” An army’s worth of more than 40 million units were sold during its initial production alone.

The Furby is a thing of nightmares. Beneath its set of dead eyes is a beady, plastic beak, ready to emit its shrill and robotic “Furbish.” Their native tongue is used less frequently as time goes on, however, as the creature adapts to speak in more than 20 different languages. Horrifying.

I appreciate humor with a point and the tweet was also timely. It went viral in response to the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the decision that had secured abortion rights in America since 1973.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” the conservative court’s majority opinion reads. “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including … the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution,” it continues, “but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and ‘implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.’”

I’m no Constitutional scholar, but the document’s predecessor – the deeply rooted Declaration of Independence – asserts that Americans have the unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That should certainly include someone’s right to make decisions about their own body.

Even if it didn’t, it’s easy to recognize that the Constitution was created by imperfect men in 1787. Men who look nothing like the majority of Americans 235 years later and who would

fear even the technological advancements of a Furby were they alive today.

On that last fact we may agree, but I draw the line at interpreting their words so literally. Doing so fails to serve the very people the Constitution was designed to protect.

The reversal of Roe undermines the liberty of every American. It is a devastating blow and disservice to this nation, but I still have hope. We can fight back.

We the People – of 2022, not 1787 – can make a difference at the ballot box this year. Every election matters, as trite as the

The Furby is a thing of nightmares.

statement’s become, so please make sure you and everyone you know is registered to vote.

In times like these it’s also important to rely on one another.

In this issue we detail new efforts from Central Florida’s Peer Support Space to open Florida’s first LGBTQ-focused respite, a growing part of the modern recovery movement.

The sixth annual Tampa Fringe Festival will also offer an escape from July 28-Aug. 7, presenting peace and love in celebration of the region’s performing arts scene. We detail the shows by or for the LGBTQ community from this year’s outing.

In news, Zubrick Magic Theatre celebrates its first year in St. Petersburg and the city’s current and former mayors endorse Eunic Ortiz for state senate.

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

Administrative Assistant: Alina Alvarez • Ext. 100 Alina@WatermarkOnline.com

Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com

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

Creative Designer: Kyler Mills • Ext. 301 Kyler@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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JULY 21 - AUGUS T 3, 202 2 // ISSUE 29.15 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

CONTRIBUTORS JASON LECLERC

is a near lifelong resident of the I-4 corridor, currently in South Tampa. He publishes poetry online at PoetEconomist. blogspot.com. His first book, “Momentitiousness,” was published in 2014. His book, “Black Kettle,” was published in 2016. Page 19

DR. STEVE YACOVELLI

is owner of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a learning and development, change management, and diversity consulting practice based in Orlando. He’s also the Chief Inclusion Officer of LGBTInclusivity.com, a consulting group focused on LGBTQ equality in the workplace. Page 21

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

DAYTONA BEACH TEEN KILLED BY GUNMAN OVER FEAR OF BEING OUTED Yasmene Warren

D

AYTONA BEACH, FLA. | Just as Pride Month was nearing its end, a 19-year-old was fatally shot in Daytona Beach June 23.

The gunman, Jakari Webb, also 19, was arrested June 29 in connection with the shooting of Telan Mann, police said. Daytona Beach police announced that Webb has been charged with first-degree murder in Mann’s death.

According to police, Webb shot Mann to death because he thought Mann was going to out him as gay. The two had been talking on social media since February and it was on June 23 that they had planned to meet for the first time.

Police said that it was during that meeting that Webb shot Mann to death.

Police arrived just before 2 a.m. at Forest Glen Boulevard and Oak Tree Circle where Mann was found dead on the sidewalk “in a pool of blood and with multiple bullet wounds on his body,” they said.

“There was some concern that Telan either had or was going to post something on social media kind of outing the suspect,” Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young explained at a news conference.

Instagram messages detail the moments leading up to Mann’s death, according to a charging affidavit released June 30 by the clerk’s office.

The two teens’ conversation begins with Webb asking Mann when they can see each other and then discussing where to meet. Mann attempts to get Webb to meet him at the Sunoco gas station on the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Nova Road.

Webb fails to go to the gas station and Mann later suggests at 1:33 a.m. the two meet at Oak Tree Circle instead. Moments later, Webb told Mann he was “outside” at 1:49 a.m. and Mann told him he was as well. The last message Mann sent stated: “That’s you hiding.”

Mann’s final message was undeliverable due to Webb disabling his Instagram account, according to the affidavit.

Video surveillance showed Webb “walking from Nova Road and westbound onto Forest Glen Boulevard. The suspect is observed kneeling down behind a grass hill located at the corner of Oak Tree Circle and Forest Glen Boulevard to conceal himself from the victim,” according to a police report.

Some of Mann’s friends, who did not want to be identified, considered him to be the peacemaker of their group and said he was a happy, caring person.

“He never wanted nothing bad for nobody. He always wanted everybody to be on good terms. He always was the positive one around the group. He never wanted any bad energy at all,” a friend of the victim said.

Webb is being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail and face three charges including first-degree murder, resisting an officer and a probation violation. The addition of a hate crime charge being tacked on is under evaluation.

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COMMUNITY SINGERS: Members of the Orlando Gay Chorus perform during the Orlando VA Medical Center’s Pride Month Celebration in Lake Baldwin last month.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

Sing Outloud OGC announces new director Charlotte Skipper

O

RLANDO | After nearly eight years, Orlando Gay Chorus has said farewell to artistic director James Rode and hired long-time OGC contributor Harold Wright to the position, effective July 1. “(Hiring Wright) is just such a breath of fresh air into this organization that I think is only going to let us continue to grow,” board of directors’ chair Sean Mundyschein says.

Wright began his journey with OGC in 2014, working as associate director alongside Clay Price until 2018. Now, four years later, Rode is moving on to new opportunities and Wright is returning to OGC to take his place.

Wright has taught music to people of all ages and backgrounds, from toddlers to seniors and from church choirs to community clubs.

He spent 11 years working for Florida public schools, teaching music to students in grades kindergarten to 12th grade.

“Adults are just children in older bodies,” Wright says. “Being in community groups, you have a lot of

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

different upbringings and a lot of big personalities. But I’m still keeping the foundation of building a warm, welcoming culture and environment within the learning environment of the chorus.”

As artistic director, Wright says his main roles include choosing music, building show ideas, perfecting the chorus in rehearsals and connecting with other LGBTQ organizations within Orlando.

Despite smooth sailing with Rode, Mundyschein says he looks forward to seeing OGC evolve with a new person leading the way.

“James Rode left us in such a great place in order to move forward with the chorus. Harold has the knowledge and experience of this chorus, he knows the inner workings, he knows how we sound, and he’s been a part of our family for so long now,” Mundyschein says. “He knows what’s going to work for us and what’s going to make us great.”

As Wright assumes his new position as artistic director, he sees plenty of opportunity to build upon what OGC has already done over the last 32 years. As an already prominent program in the nation, Wright sees OGC rising even higher to the top.

“I’d love to grow OGC to be even bigger than what they are now, so the number one goal will be to recruit and retain,” Wright says.

“We’re one of the largest mixed LGBTQ choruses in the nation, and I’d love us to be the largest and the best.”

Mundyschein says after the announcement of Wright’s hiring, many former OGC members have decided to return to the program in order to perform with Wright again. His goal of increasing member recruitment and retainment has already begun, not even three weeks into the position.

“Harold is so beloved in our family, of course, and some people are coming out of the woodworks and coming back to join us because they said, ‘Ah, I love Harold. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to sing with him,’” Mundyschein says.

In addition to growing the community from within, Wright hopes to build more connections across Orlando. OGC continually performs and volunteers at various charity events throughout the year, and Wright says increasing this outreach will benefit nearly everyone involved.

OGC is hosting auditions for anyone who wants to join the chorus on Aug. 3. These auditions will then follow a whirlwind of holiday performances, including a spooky “uncut” cabaret for Halloween and a holiday spectacular in December.

JULY 21 - AUGUS T 3, 202 2 // ISSUE 29.15 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

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tampa bay news

ST. PETE MAYORS ENDORSE ORTIZ Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, St. Pete Beach Mayor Alan Johnson and former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman have each endorsed Eunic Ortiz in the race for state Senate District 18.

Ortiz will become the first openly lesbian state senator in Florida if elected, making LGBTQ history in the process.

District 18 includes parts of Clearwater, Gulfport, Largo, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg.

Welch, Johnson and Kriseman detailed their endorsements July 12, joining more than 50 other activists, leaders and organizations in doing so.

They made the announcement with Ortiz July 12 via social media.

“By running for this seat, we want to elect bold leadership to office to represent us in Tallahassee from my hometown in Pinellas County – and hopefully when we win in November, we’ll do just that,” Ortiz shared in a livestream. Welch detailed his support first.

“As a former county commissioner and current mayor of St. Petersburg, I understand how much of a policy-impact decisions in Tallahassee make for our city,” he shared. “Decisions regarding our voting rights, human rights and a woman’s right over her own healthcare decisions.

“I am honored to support Eunic Ortiz in her race to be our next state senator in District 18,” Welch continued. “Now more than ever, leadership matters and elections matter.”

He was followed by Johnson, who advised Tallahassee’s decisions “overwhelm” local municipalities, something Ortiz can help change. “She will let us control the things that we need to in our municipalities, so I’m very much in support of her candidacy and will do anything I can to help her win,” he said.

Kriseman, who in addition to serving as mayor of St. Petersburg previously served in the Florida Legislature, shared his position next.

“During my time as mayor, I knew how important it is to have leaders in state office who are true partners of the city. Someone who believed in empowering cities and not preempting away our ability to represent and serve our residents,” he said.

“I am proud to support and endorse Eunic Ortiz for state Senate, District 18,” he closed. “I know Eunic and knows she has a heart for service. She will be ready to serve day one and truly wants to do the work to make our community a better place.”

Welch and Kriseman’s statements were subsequently released to the press, along with Ortiz’s thanks.

“I am so proud to have the support of mayors from across the district,” she said. “St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson and former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman are all a testament to how working with local government is key to ensuring we have a brighter future for our community.”

Ortiz added that she looks forward to working with the local leaders as a member of the Florida Senate.

For more information about Ortiz’s campaign, visit EunicForFlorida.com.

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MAKING MAGIC: Chris (L)

and Ryan Zubrick (R) flank assistant Marlana LaCivita. PHOTO VIA ZUBRICK MAGIC THEATRE

Authentic Act Zubrick Magic Theatre celebrates 1st year in St. Petersburg Ryan Williams-Jent

S

T. PETERSBURG | The Zubrick Magic Theatre will celebrate its first year in St. Petersburg July 29, a milestone that follows more than 170 public performances, exclusive shows and private parties.

Illusionists Chris and Ryan Zubrick brought their unique brand of magic to Tampa Bay after a 13-year run overseas. The husbands performed over 7,500 shows together in Saipan and Guam.

“It’s been a dream of ours to open a theater,” Chris said last year. “When you look at the word show business, business is the larger word; it takes the most effort. But the reward comes at night when we get to be on stage, finally perform and relax.”

The Zubricks have done that ever since, welcoming audiences to mostly sold-out shows.

“A very special moment each evening is meeting patrons in the lobby following our performances,” Ryan says. “Many pose for photos with us and share their exclamations of disbelief and heartwarming comments.”

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One such guest was a woman visiting from out of the country. “She had just completed a significant procedure at the Moffitt Cancer Center and wanted to celebrate and recover with magic and laughter,” Ryan recalls. “That was a very poignant moment and one we will not forget.

“We’ve also had a gentleman attend our performance after his younger brother passed away unexpectedly,” he continues. “He just wanted to escape reality and enjoy an evening of entertainment during a very tough time.”

The theatre’s staff includes Tampa native Marlana LaCivita, who recently joined as choreographer, dancer and magic assistant. “She is doing a fabulous job,” Chris says. The Front of House staff includes team members Linda and Diana.

The Zubricks’ 5-year-old son has also joined the illusionists on stage, which Ryan notes has led him to become “quite the celebrity. People love that and we love performing together as a family!”

That’s reflected in their reviews.

The Zubricks recently earned a 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice

Award for the theatre’s positive reviews on the platform, ranking them number one in St. Petersburg among the city’s other local concerts and shows.

“We’re especially grateful to all our patrons who took the time to write positive reviews about their experiences at the Zubrick Magic Theatre,” Ryan says. “We are honored to have the opportunity to bring smiles to so many faces.”

To celebrate their first year in St. Petersburg, an audience member will be chosen at random this summer to receive a Zubrick Magic Theatre birthday gift bag.

It will include an official T-shirt, magic set, gift certificate for a future performance and more.

Each 70-minute performance is currently held without an intermission Thursday-Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., with select Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Additional shows will begin next year.

“We are grateful to the St. Pete community and visitors who have patronized our theater over the past year,” Chris says. “The reviews have been so positive and heartwarming.

Seeing our loyal patrons return for a second, third or even fourth visit brings us so much happiness.”

The Zubrick Magic Theatre is located at 1211 1st Ave. N. in St. Petersburg, with box office hours Thurs.-Sat. 6-8:30 p.m. Single tickets are $40 and VIP packages are available for $147. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 1-866-ZUBRICK and visit ZubrickMagic.com.

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state news

ANTI-BULLYING LGBTQ VIDEO TAKEN DOWN Washington Blade Staff, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

L

ess than two weeks after Florida’s newly minted “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law went into effect July 1, a 12-min training video aimed at teaching middle and high school students how to prevent bullying and support their LGBTQ peers in Duval County Public Schools has been removed from student access.

Jacksonville Today journalist Claire Heddles reported July 10 that besides the video, the district is

planning to dramatically reduce its LGBTQ support guide.

The video is now inaccessible and, in response to questions from Jacksonville Today, Duval Schools District spokesperson Tracy Pierce said, “The materials you referenced have been removed for legal review to ensure the content complies with recent state legislation.”

A Gay Straight Alliance faculty sponsor, Scott Sowell, said that now-removed video, specifically created for students, was developed using funds from a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant.

“The video was co-written by some students, and so it had very student-appropriate and student-specific language that was,

you know, teenagers talking to other teenagers,” Sowell told Jacksonville Today. “It’s one critical resource that is now no longer available to teachers to help support students.”

In addition to the disappearing training materials, Duval school board members are also set to vote on a policy change requiring schools to send emails to parents if there’s a change in student services, which would include if students want to change their name or pronouns in unofficial school records, like ID cards and yearbooks, according to proposed district guidance.

According to the draft policy, schools would send the email to parents, unless there’s a risk of “abuse, abandonment or neglect.”

Pharmacy, say one aspect of the fight that needs to be addressed is how the communities most affected by the HIV infection rate increase in the state traditionally mistrust the messages that health care organizations send them.

Stevenson says that another reason for the high number of infections in the state is the millions of tourists that come to Florida and have sex while they are here, some not even aware they are HIV Positive. He says the state has strategies to bring the pandemic under control, but it will take work from many different organizations.

“Here, at The University of Miami, we just formed a partnership with Walgreens,” Stevenson says. “To create a PrEP Clinic in Miami Beach, one of the epicenters of AIDS in the U.S. We offer counseling, PrEP, STD testing and wraparound services.

Everything free.”

Brad McElya, Director of Specialty Health Solutions at Walgreens, has overseen Walgreens HIV treatment and prevention efforts for four years. He says that during the COVID pandemic, HIV testing fell around 50%.

“One in seven individuals living with HIV in the United States do not know,” McElya says. “If they don’t know that, they can’t get into treatment, and if they don’t get into treatment, they can consistently transmit HIV to other individuals.”

The partnership with the University of Miami is one way Walgreens is continuing to overcome barriers for individuals within the community. McElya says the location is a prime area because there is a pharmacy across from the clinic, where individuals can walk in and test for HIV, and depending on the results, either get into treatment or start taking PrEP. Everything is within the same block.

This proximity is essential, he says, because individuals were abandoning their PrEP prescriptions and he believes that the clinic and the pharmacy being next doors will help to avoid that.

When treatments and medications first became available for those living with HIV, obtaining them were extremely complex.

Nowadays, while there are still challenges, it is more accessible and scientists have created medicines that have fewer side effects and are easier and safer to use.

According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, in 2020, Almost 38 million people worldwide were living with HIV. In the U.S., CDC estimated 1.2 million people with the virus at the end of 2019, of which 120 thousand were in Florida. The cases dropped by six thousand the following year; however, it was still high.

“Working together,” Shaw says, “we can end this epidemic.”

NATIONAL PHARMACIES ADDRESS HIV INFECTIONS Jheff Mathis

D

ata released in 2021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that more than 50% of the estimated 35,000 new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2019 were in the South. Florida had the highest new infection rate.

In 2020, the state reached 114,000 people diagnosed with HIV, of which more than 4,000 were new cases. This increase has several companies working to combat these numbers.

CVS Health partnered with Gilead Sciences to offer free HIV screenings in the Orlando area this month and Walgreens partnered with The University of Miami to create an HIV clinic in Miami Beach.

Professor of medicine at the University of Miami Medical School, director of the Center for HIV and emerging Infections and co-director of the Center for AIDS research, Dr. Mario Stevenson, says Florida has five of the 20 hotspot cities with the highest HIV infection in the country.

They are Miami, Jacksonville, Palm Beach, Tampa and Orlando.

“Miami is the epicenter of the epicenters of the AIDS pandemic in the U.S.,” Stevenson says. “And different factors are causing this problem.”

Stevenson and Drexel A. Shaw, National HIV Liaison for CVS Health

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LGBTQ+ CAUCUS RELEASES ENDORSEMENTS Ryan Williams-Jent

T

he Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus released its first round of 2022 endorsements July 15, candidates throughout the state the organization says are committed to equality.

The caucus represents the interests of LGBTQ Floridians to the Florida Democratic Party, with 25 chapters from Pensacola to Miami. Endorsed candidates thus far include seven congressional incumbents and 11 challenger candidates without primaries.

The incumbents are U.S. Reps. Al Lawson of District 2, Darren Soto of District 9, Kathy Castor of District 14, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of District 20, Lois Frankel of District 22, Frederica Wilson of District 24 and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of District 25.

Endorsed challengers include U.S. House hopefuls Kimberly Walker in District 12, Eric Lynn in District 13, Jan Schneider in District 16, Dr. Cindy Banyai in District 19 and Christine Alexandria Olivo in District 26. Statewide endorsees include Adam Hattersley who is running for Chief Financial Officer and five candidates seeking spots in the Florida Legislature.

That includes Eunic Ortiz, who could make LGBTQ history this November by becoming the first openly lesbian state senator in Florida. Rounding out the endorsed candidates are State House hopefuls John Navarra in District 28, Lindsay Cross in District 60, Janet Varnell Warwick in District 61 and Forest Blanton in District 84.

“At a time when the LGBTQ+ community is facing a relentless onslaught of hateful attacks from Republicans, it is critical that we elect leaders who will fight for LGBTQ+ equality at all levels of government,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill said in a statement. “We urge voters to elect these candidates because without you, we lose. LGBTQ+ lives and families are hanging in the balance.”

“We are proud to endorse these candidates, incumbents and challengers both, who have demonstrated a commitment to full equality for LGBTQ+ Floridians,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus Campaign Director Dave Cutler added. “We look forward to assisting them in their campaigns in whatever way we can and encourage voters to elect them.”

The caucus will hold its summer conference in Fort Lauderdale July 22-24, welcoming congressional candidates U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Commissioner Nikki Fried among other elected officials and hopefuls. It is designed to highlight the stakes of the 2022 election.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Orlando will also receive the Congressional Leadership Award for her work on the Jan. 6 committee and Tampa Bay’s trailblazing LGBTQ State Rep. Michele Rayner will receive the Legislative Leadership Award.

For more information about the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus and its endorsed candidates, visit LGBTQDems.org.

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national news

GEORGIA WOMAN ALLEGES HARASSMENT, FIRING FROM CHICK-FIL-A BECAUSE SHE IS TRANS Jeremy Williams

D

ECATUR, GEORGIA | A transgender woman alleges she was terminated from her job as Director of Operations for a Chick-fil-A because of her gender identity.

The lawsuit, filed by law firm Morgan & Morgan in Atlanta’s north district court on June 29, alleges sexual harassment, discrimination and unlawful retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The suit states that Erin Taylor — identified in the lawsuit by her legal deadname — was hired at the Chick-fil-A in downtown Decatur, Georgia, in August 2021, and starting from her first day of employment was subjected to sexual harassment from a fellow employee — identified in the suit as Sammy Canady.

According to the suit, Taylor went to a shift manager and advised her of the sexual comments made to her by Canady. The shift manager advised Taylor that “she did not feel comfortable addressing the situation”

and advised Taylor to reach out to franchise owner Joe Engert.

The suit alleges that during a meeting between Taylor, Engert and the location’s kitchen director, it was revealed that Taylor is transgender, leading Engert to tell Taylor that “it should be an honor that with [Taylor] being a transgender woman that someone liked her enough to hit on her.” The suit also alleges that during the same meeting, Engert explained that if the harassment continued, “they would have to focus more on the person claiming the harassment to see if there is an issue.”

A meeting was then held with Engert, Canady and the director of operations in which Taylor’s gender identity was revealed to Canady, according to the lawsuit. After the meeting, Canady continued harassing Taylor but this time with anti-LGBTQ remarks, the suit states.

The harassment continued between August and November 2021 from Canady and several other employees who would intentionally misgender Taylor and harass her about her gender identity. On Nov. 1, Engert terminated Taylor’s

employment alleging Taylor walked off one of her shifts and was repeatedly tardy.

“Erin went into this job with the reasonable expectation that her coworkers and managers would accept her as part of their team and work together to successfully operate the restaurant,” wrote Morgan & Morgan attorneys Ryan Morgan and Jeremy Stephens in a statement.

“Ms. Taylor alleges that, instead of the ‘positive and productive place to work’ Chick-Fil-A says they strive for, she found a cesspool of hate and discrimination.

“Rather than address the alleged discriminatory and illegal work environment,” they continued, “the franchise owner allegedly piled on before eventually firing her. We are committed to seeking justice for Ms. Taylor and accountability for the horrifying treatment she suffered through and hope to ensure all Chick-Fil-A franchises never treat another employee this way again.”

According to the suit, Taylor is seeking general, punitive and special damages as well as reinstatement.

posts or accounts that push hate speech or harass LGBTQ users.

“The reality is, there’s very little transparency and very little accountability,” said Jenni Olson, GLAAD’s director for social media safety and author of the report. “And people feel helpless.”

Hateful or violent speech directed at members of the LGBTQ community is prohibited on the platform, YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said.

A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement that the company was discussing the report’s findings with GLAAD. A statement from TikTok did not directly address the report but said the company is working to create an “inclusive environment.”

GLAAD recommended that the platforms start releasing the training methods for content moderators as well as the number of accounts and posts the companies remove for

violating rules designed to protect LGBTQ users.

GLAAD’s report examines the policies and actions Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter have implemented around LGBTQ issues.

All of the social media platforms have outlined policies that are designed to prevent LGBTQ users from being harassed, threatened or discriminated against by other users because of their identity.

Only Twitter, however, has a specific policy against intentionally misgendering, using the wrong pronoun to describe someone, for example, or deadnaming, which involves reviving a transgender person’s name from before the person transitioned to a new identity.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it removes similar posts upon request.

LGBTQ HARASSMENT ABOUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA Wire Report

W

ASHINGTON | Social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok are failing to stop hate and threats against LGBTQ users, a report issued July 13 from advocacy group GLAAD found.

Those are some of the internet’s most vulnerable users, with a majority of LGBTQ people saying they’ve faced menacing posts or comments when they’re scrolling through social media. But it’s unclear how social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube are handling those threats.

Instead of protecting their users, GLAAD says in the report, the tech companies are safeguarding information about how they respond to those attacks, revealing few details about how often they take down

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IN OTHER NEWS PENALTY CUT FOR OREGON BAKERS In compliance with a state appeals court ruling, the Oregon Labor Commissioner said July 12 that the Bureau of Labor and Industries is ordering the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa to pay $30,000 damages instead of a $135,000 fine issued in 2015. Lesbian couple Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer filed a complaint in 2013 saying the bakery refused to bake them a wedding cake. The Oregon Court of Appeals twice upheld a ruling by the state civil rights division that found the bakery illegally discriminated against the couple. The court in January found the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries did not exhibit religious neutrality in issuing the fine.

LGBTQ SENIOR HOUSING PROJECT TARGETED BY VANDALS

Signs around a Boston construction site for what’s been called the first LGBTQ-friendly senior affordable housing project in New England were vandalized with threatening graffiti, drawing quick condemnation from civic leaders.

The messages in black spray paint were left on signs on the security fence around the former school in Hyde Park that will become a 74-unit complex known as The Pryde.

The vandalism was reported to Boston police July 10. The matter was referred to the department’s civil rights unit.

There had been no arrests as of July 11. In response to the graffiti, about 100 people, including Mayor Michelle Wu, attended an afternoon rally at which the vandalism was covered by signs of support.

US AGENCIES TEMP BARRED FROM ENFORCING LGBTQ GUIDANCE

A Tennessee judge, in an order July 15, ruled for 20 state attorneys general who sued last August claiming Biden administration directives that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces infringe on states’ right to enact laws. The judge agreed with the attorneys generals’ argument and issued a temporary injunction that prevents the agencies from applying that guidance on LGBTQ discrimination until the matter can be resolved by courts. The Department of Education guidance from June 2021 said discrimination based on a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity would be treated as a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that protects sex discrimination in education.

UTAH ASKS COURT TO THROW OUT CASE AGAINST TRANS SPORTS BAN

Utah has asked a state court to throw out a lawsuit challenging its ban on transgender kids who want to compete in youth sports. In the Utah case, three transgender girls and their parents claim the outright ban passed by the Republican-majority Legislature this year wrongly keeps their children from participating in the sports. Their attorneys argue it violates provisions of the state constitution that prohibit discrimination and guarantee equal rights and due process. Utah argues the state constitution has never been interpreted to ensure transgender student-athletes can participate in leagues that correlate with their gender and says the ban “reinforces a longstanding standard” governing participation in sports — biological sex.

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world news

FRENCH MINISTER’S REMARKS SPARK ANGER Wire Report

P

ARIS | Pressure is mounting on a French government minister to quit over comments stigmatizing homosexuality and LGBTQ people, in the latest challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership.

Caroline Cayeux’ remarks have hurt and angered many — including her colleagues — and prompted broader discussion around persistent discriminatory attitudes by people in power.

More than 100 prominent figures published an appeal in the newspaper Journal du dimanche questioning why she’s still in government. Signatories included parliament members, senior officials, an Olympic medalist, doctors, artists, an ex-prime minister, a former top Macron adviser and

others from within Macron’s centrist political camp.

Cayeux was asked in an interview this week about her opposition to France’s 2013 law authorizing gay marriage and adoption, and comments at the time saying they were “against nature.” Speaking to broadcaster Public Senat, she said she was being wrongly painted as prejudiced.

“I maintain my remarks. I always said that if the law were voted, I would apply it,” she said. “I have a lot of friends among all those people, and I’m being targeted by an unfair trial. This upsets me.”

The remarks set off shockwaves among LGBTQ people and those who fight against discrimination and abuse, and provoked calls for her resignation. A legal complaint was filed against her for public insult.

Cayeux then tweeted her regrets, saying her words were “inappropriate,” and sent a letter

to anti-discrimination groups to apologize. She told newspaper Le Parisien that the comments “do not at all reflect my views.”

Many question the sincerity of her change of heart, and say the damage has been done.

But her bosses appear to be sticking by Cayeux. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that Cayeux’s remarks were “clumsy” but welcomed her apology, and said Cayeux would be “vigilant” going forward to support the fight against anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

The issue has divided the government at a time when Macron is politically weakened after losing his majority in parliament.

Transport Minister Clément Beaune, who is gay, called Cayeux’s comments “extremely hurtful.”

Government spokesman Olivier Veran called them out of touch with the times.

homosexuality as their leader shouted prayers into a microphone pleading that God “save the Republic of Korea from anti-discrimination legislation.”

Some of the protesters denounced conservative Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon over the city’s unwillingness to block the “lewd” Pride parade.

Gay rights activists are also unhappy with Oh, who in an interview with a Christian newspaper last week said the city may prohibit the Pride event from using the city hall plaza starting next year if this year’s participants “exhibit indecent materials or overexpose their bodies.”

Following a standard they’ve maintained for years, the Pride parade’s organizers required photojournalists to take pictures of participants from the “farthest possible” distance and obtain the consent of every individual whose faces are identifiable in photos — a measure to protect participants from backlash as their images may circulate on the internet.

“I first realized a I was sexual minority when I was in kindergarten but I didn’t come out until 2021,” said Jang Yong-geol, 29, one of the few who was willing to speak to reporters. “This is my first time

participating in the festival and I really love it. I don’t know why people hate (sexual minorities) when we are all humans.”

Thousands of police officers from nearly 60 units were deployed to watch the demonstrators from both sides, said Kim Man-seok, an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Police didn’t immediately provide a crowd estimate but had previously forecasted a turnout of around 40,000 for the dueling events.

While major South Korean politicians avoided the Pride parade, the event drew a number of foreign diplomats, including newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg, whose endorsement of gay rights has raised the ire of conservatives and Christian groups. Some protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in recent weeks, denouncing Goldberg’s appointment as part of the Biden administration’s “homosexual cultural imperialism.”

Goldberg tweeted during the Pride parade that “no one should be discriminated against because of their identity,” and that he stands with President Joe Biden in applauding “all those working to advance the human rights” of sexual minorities in South Korea.

SEOUL CELEBRATES 1ST PRIDE PARADE IN 3 YEARS Wire Report

S

EOUL, SOUTH KOREA | Thousands of gay rights supporters marched under heavy police guard in the South Korean capital July 16 as they celebrated the city’s first major Pride parade in three years after a COVID-19 hiatus.

Police were on alert because church-backed counterprotesters rallied in nearby streets, highlighting the tensions surrounding the rights of sexual minorities in the deeply conservative country. There were no significant scuffles or disruptions.

Revelers wearing or waving rainbow banners cheered during speeches and swayed to music from a stage in front of city hall at the Seoul Queer Parade. They later formed a queue of umbrellas as they marched toward a downtown business district amid drizzling rain, calling for laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Police established perimeters to separate them from conservative Christian protesters, also numbering in the thousands, who marched in nearby streets. They held up banners and chanted slogans opposing

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IN OTHER NEWS IRAQI LAWMAKERS PLAN TO INTRODUCE BILL TO BAN HOMOSEXUALITY Middle East Eye, a website that covers the Middle East and North Africa, reported July 8 that MP Aref al-Hamami told an official Iraqi news agency that members of his Parliamentary Legal Committee have agreed “to collect signatures after returning to session to legislate a law prohibiting homosexuality in Iraq.” “[The] legislation of such a law will be reinforced by legal provisions that prevent homosexuality and the perversions associated with it,” said al-Hamami. Homosexuality has been legal in Iraq since 2003, but violence against LGBTQ and intersex Iraqis remains commonplace.

BATHROOM DISPUTE THREATENS TOP OAS MEETING IN PERU

A dispute over a gender-neutral bathroom has endangered Peru’s plan to host the next gathering of the Organization of American States’ top decision-making body. Peru’s congress, dominated by social conservatives, voted July 14 to deny authorization for the scheduled Oct. 5-7 General Assembly of foreign ministers from across the hemisphere. Its theme is supposed to be: “Together against inequality and discrimination.”

The OAS had requested at least one gender-neutral bathroom be available and Peru did permit bathrooms open to people of any sex during the 2018 Summit of the Americas in Lima. Peru’s foreign minister appealed to lawmakers, urging them to reconsider.

SLOVENIA COURT RULES SAME-SEX COUPLES CAN MARRY, ADOPT

Same-sex couples in Slovenia can now marry and adopt children after the country’s Constitutional Court on July 8 ruled a law that limits marriage and adoption to heterosexual partners is unconstitutional. Media reports indicate the court ordered the Slovenian National Assembly to amend the law within six months.

Slovenian voters in 2015 overwhelmingly rejected a law that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Same-sex couples have been able to enter into civil unions since 2017.

RUSSIA ACQUITS FEMINIST ARTIST

A court in Russia’s far east handed a rare acquittal to a feminist artist who was charged with disseminating pornography after she shared artwork online depicting female bodies. The charges against feminist and LGBT rights activist Yulia Tsvetkova, 29, in the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur had elicited international outrage, with human rights groups linking her prosecution to the Kremlin’s aggressive promotion of “traditional family values.” In a 15-month trial that went on behind closed doors, the prosecution had sought a prison sentence of three years and two months on the charges of disseminating pornography. The charges are reportedly related to Tsvetkova’s group on the popular Russian social media network VKontakte, where stylized drawings of vaginas were posted. Tsvetkova is not allowed to disclose details of the criminal case against her. The judge acquitted the artist July 15.

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viewpoint

Jason Leclerc

THE OTHER SIDE

OF LIFE

I

Catch-2022

N JOSEPH HELLER’S 1961

novel “Catch-22,” the author writes—regarding self-diagnosed insanity—that “There was only one catch and that was Catch-22.”

It “specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.” In his protagonist Captain Yossarian’s world, empathy was postlogue to insanity: an entirely different conversation.

Empathy, at mid-century, was the ability to feel the pains and joys of others. It wasn’t a demand upon them, it was a psychological anomaly that resided within a special individual who knew, among other things, that not everybody had the shine.

In 2022, empathy is manifest differently. In 2022, we are all imbued with some bit of empathy—a physical firing of neural synapses—and expect others to honor us, not for our actual emotions, but rather for our externalized empathy itself. Across time and across our competing conceptions of empathy—we are both empathetic (individually) and non-empathetic (socially) at the same time.

This is as much a study in linguistics as it is in psychology, history and politics. In Yossarian’s mid-century, the meaning of empathy (like “insanity”) was in flux. When the word “empathy” first entered the English lexicon (meaning “feeling-in”: to enliven an object: to project one’s own imagined feelings onto the world) in the early 20th century, it meant almost the opposite of how it was used in Yossarian’s Cold War world of letters and aerial sorties.

At mid-century, “empathy” transformed from “projection onto” to “internalization from.” Sometime during the subsequent half-century, it transformed again into what we have today: inverting the subject/object relationship: demandingly “feel like I feel”: an impossible perversion of the rubber and glue maxim.

Thus, when the semi-devout, semi-originalist Cold War generation—Yossarian’s direct descendants, Heller’s comrades—is told, in 2022, to be empathetic to the

problems of a new era, they flop: “How can I feel that? May I retreat to compassion and altruism? I’m sympathetic!”

Thus, when the semi-woke, semi-progressive post-Reaganite generation demands, in 2022, that others be empathetic to their problems, they know immediately to follow up: “No! Not enough! We need you to experience, not merely feel.” Today’s empathy demands Jesus without deity, Teresa without faith and King Jr. without compromise.

We find that there exists a physical and genetic link to both senses of empathy.

When an empathetic person sees another person who is experiencing a range of emotions, the empath’s neural circuits respond with the same brain activity to physically feel what the other person is feeling.

Therefore, the confusing difference between Baby Boomers’ empathy versus 2022’s empathy is not so much in what empathy does, but what empathy triggers: what follows.

Fancying oneself empathetic in the mid-century sense is akin to self-diagnosed insanity in the 2022 sense: reflexively impossible: Catch-2022: “I feel what you feel,” the mid-century empath might whisper. “No, I insist that you feel what I feel,” the 2022 empath will demand.

At this linguistic crossroads, do we seek out a new word to replace “empathy” or do we continue to shout at each other from our entrenched linguistic spaces? “Love hasn’t changed, though.”

“Of course it has.” At least the way we talk about love has changed over 2,000 years, over 150 years, and even over 50 years.

“Jesus hasn’t changed.”

“Of course he has.” At least how we talk and think about him has.

Or are we just insane?

We are a cross-generational nation of upside-down flying bombardiers, both

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wondering why the bombs haven’t hit their targets and also wondering why the bombs haven’t detonated. We are caught in a constantly breathless state of empathetically inspired interruptus.

A bombardier who flies upside-down drops bombs upon themself. We learned this as we fought to replace communism with technocratic oligarchism

empaths is sure to crumble beneath its own frustrated intransigence: to scorch the earth with hypocrisy reified by delusional self-importance.

A semi-devout nation of mid-century Christs-on-cross-empaths is sure to crumble beneath its own frustrated post-millennial myopia: to dissolve the social contract through hypocrisy and reified delusional self-importance.

let’s breed our hill on love: let’s make love our bunker. Glue: Rubber.

A semi-woke, semi-devout nation of individuals who love others with no expectations of being loved back have the best potential for real, meaningful, sustainable, and scalable evolution within the boundaries of shared values, shared laws, and shared expectations.

I’m looking forward to

in the mid-century Cold War. A bombardier who does so under the orders of a technocratic oligarchy in 2022 is championed as a patriotic martyr whose own fragility is defined by what lies un-birthed within his own belly.

A semi-woke nation of self-identified 2022

And then that frustration gives way to either defeatism or inflexibility. We can neither exist in a nation without people exhibiting some sort of empathy, nor require— spiritually or legislatively— others to feel what we feel.

Rubber: Glue.

While we work out this linguistic impasse,

catching the new version of empathy in 2022.5: organic, love-infused empathy without reciprocating demands. Rubber: Rubber.

I know, I know, I’m probably insane.

Today’s empathy demands Jesus without deity, Teresa without faith and King Jr. without compromise.

Guest Host:

Jason Leclerc (@JLeclercAuthor) is a chief economist and has published two short story collections.

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viewpoint

Dr. Steve Yacovelli

YOUR QUE E R C A R E E R :

WORK ADVICE FROM THE

GAY LEADERSHIP DUDE Not feelin’ the hybrid love at work

I

N HIS LATEST COLUMN, DR.

Steve Yacovelli, (a.k.a. The Gay Leadership Dude) shares his expertise on submitted workplace questions from members of the LGBTQ community. Have a question? See below!

HEY GAY LEADERSHIP DUDE: LIKE SO MANY I’M IN A HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENT THESE DAYS, I MAINLY WORK FROM HOME BUT GO INTO THE OFFICE ON OCCASION. RECENTLY I’VE REALIZED THAT MY BOSS SEEMS TO BE FAVORING MY COWORKERS WHO GO INTO THE OFFICE MORE OFTEN. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS THIS REALLY COOL PROJECT THAT NEEDED PEOPLE AND MY BOSS PUT ALL “ONSITE” TEAM MEMBERS ON IT, NOT US MORE VIRTUAL. I’M NOT FEELING THE LOVE BEING ON THIS SIDE OF THE COMPUTER. ANY ADVICE? — NO-VIRTUAL-LOVE

This is such a great (and timely) question, No-Virtual-Love. It’s funny though, it makes me think of a situation many years ago when I worked at a world-famous cruise line in the home office. We “shoreside” human resource folks would support the awesome efforts of our shipboard HR peeps through a variety of talent management goodness. We would often have meetings between the two groups via teleconference. The most challenging parts of our team conversations were two-fold: (1) We all tended to give preference to those who were in the room “where it happened” (thanks “Hamilton”!) and (2) the slight satellite delay on the phone made synchronous communication a bit off (think of those old cell phone commercials, “Can you hear me now?!”). These biases worked on both sides of the conversation, as

I witnessed when I’d be sailing on one of the ships and we had these group calls.

I’m reminded of this story today because you’re experiencing the same thing in this post-COVID world. We’re already seeing a workplace that is very different and remote working won’t be a random one-off but an arrow in the quiver of our workplace to be used to engage employees, recruit best talent and be more successful.

The challenge is that some people will still opt to go into the office. Having been a remote worker way before COVID hit, I’ve seen that it’s absolutely not for everyone.

Some people like the in-office routine, the free office supplies and just the ability to compartmentalize work life from home life.

One of the downsides to this new era is “proximity bias” will be all too prominent in our “new normal” and we’ll need to educate leaders like your boss on being mindful of it and how to not succumb to having biases for those in our physical spaces and against those virtually. So, what exactly is “proximity bias”?

It’s where we — usually unconsciously — favor things that are closest to us in space, time and ownership while undervaluing things that are farther away. We focus on the “in our face” and ignore what’s not “in the here and now.”

So, what can we do?

Here’s a few strategies to mitigate proximity bias from taking root in the workplace.

1. Start with awareness.

Help others be aware of this potential bias. Have the conversation with both remote and in-person team members about this potential bias and to be on the lookout for it. If you’re experiencing it now, let your boss/leader know how you feel.

2. Create a culture of accountability. It’s one thing to be aware, it’s another to hold each other accountable.

Is your workplace culture one of providing effective

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feedback consistently? If so you’re in a good space for people to respectfully share their feelings in regard to this proximity bias. Is your workplace culture not so good at feedback? Then start the work to foster a culture where feedback is encouraged.

ways for all people to engage, and allow for anonymous sharing of perspective.

4. Be creative in keeping remote folks at “top of mind.”

If using video, encourage distance participants to use it. It’s hard to ignore someone you can actually see. What about in the office or when

Our challenge is to include everyone, regardless of proximity. Any bias within our workplace needs to be acknowledged and mitigated if we’re to foster a workplace where everyone can feel they belong. It shouldn’t matter if they’re in the office or working remotely. As a leader

3. Leverage the tech.

Ensure remote workers engage as much as they can via the technology tools you’re using. Zoom, Teams or other video chat capable system? Set your workplace standard to turn on that camera. Encourage people to use the chat feature to also engage in the conversation.

Pre-set polling questions can spark conversations, provide

video isn’t an option? Go old school and have pics of your on-the-phone colleagues on the wall or better yet use some sort of frame so they can sit by the phone speaker or mic.

5. Finally, ask the remote employee if they feel part of the team. Smart leaders will check in on the distance folks often.

create that sense of team and trust.

Any bias within our workplace needs to be acknowledged and mitigated if we’re to foster a workplace where everyone can feel they belong.

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HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE GAY LEADERSHIP DUDE? Submit at YourQueerCareer.com Please note the advice shared is for informational use only. It is not intended to replace or substitute any mental, financial, medical, legal or other professional advice. Full disclosure can be found at the website listed above.

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talking points I claimed a dream and space for myself while so much of the world is trying to erase me … I get to be that person I wish I had to watch on TV growing up. So never tell yourself it can’t happen because it can, in ways you never dreamt possible.

– “RAVEN’S HOME” ACTOR JULIANA JOEL ON PLAYING DISNEY’S 1ST TRANS CHARACTER

RAPINOE AWARDED MEDAL OF FREEDOM

P

RESIDENT JOE BIDEN AWARDED THE NATION’S HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR TO 17 RECIPIENTS JULY 7, including LGBTQ soccer star and activist Megan Rapinoe. He began the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony by joking that he hoped Rapinoe and fellow recipient Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in American history, will find room the award among their other medals and trophies. Biden also praised their leadership in championing issues of pay equity and more. As he medaled Rapinoe, a military aide advised that she is “a World Cup Champion and Olympic gold medalist who has been named the world’s best women’s soccer player.” They also highlighted her as “a champion in protecting the rights of her fellow LGBTQI Americans and a leader on the US women’s national team – perhaps the most dominant of any team in any sport in their successful fight for equal pay.”

NEARLY

1,600

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REMOVED

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ERIVO REFLECTS ON COMING OUT

C

YNTHIA ERIVO DISCUSSED HER SEXUALITY in the August issue of British Vogue, advising in their Pride-themed edition that it took her a long time to come out as bisexual because of societal pressures. Many members of the community “still feel the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings, when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently,” Erivo said. “Rather than being chastised for that, we should be commended for being brave.

That’s the most important thing: giving people the space to show up fully as who they are.” Erivo will appear in Disney’s new “Pinocchio” and star in the “Wicked” films.

NETFLIX CANCELS ‘Q-FORCE’

N

ETFLIX’S LGBTQ ANIMATED SERIES “Q-FORCE” will not return for a second season, making it the sixth show to be cancelled after only one season this year. The news was confirmed by series writer and voice actor Matt Rogers on the podcast “Attitudes.”

The series was animated by Titmouse Inc. and heavily criticized by some for having “stereotypical characters.” It featured LGBTQ and ally actors like Sean Hayes, Wanda Sykes, Patti Harrison, Laurie Metcalf and Gabe Liedman in lead roles, as well as several other guest stars. “Q-Force” introduced audiences to a secret agent and his team of LGBTQ superspies as they embarked on a series of adventures.

Season one remains available on the streaming platform.

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LEA MICHELE REPLACES ‘FUNNY GIRL’ FELDSTEIN

A

CTRESS AND SINGER LEA MICHELE WILL LEAD THE BROADWAY REVIVAL OF “FUNNY GIRL” this fall. The announcement came hours after the show’s current star Beanie Feldstein shared she would leave sooner than anticipated, July 31 instead of Sept. 25. She cited the production’s decision to “take the show in a different direction.” Feldstein shared July 10 that “I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to [see the show] for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew.” Michele started her career on Broadway in “Spring Awakening” and frequently sang music from “Funny Girl” as a lead on “Glee.” She begins Sept. 6.

700 LIBRARIES ACROSS THE NATION

IN 2021.

MOST WERE WRITTEN

BY OR ABOUT

BLACK OR LGBTQ

PERSONS. – State of America’s Libraries Report 2022

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 TICKETMASTER.COM 26

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Peer

to

Peer

Peer Support Space to open Florida’s first LGBTQ-focused respite

P

Jeremy Williams

EER SUPPORT SPACE WAS

launched in 2019 by Yasmin Flasterstein and Dandelion Hill as a way to help those in marginalized communities, who have experienced harm from the mental health care system, by offering non-clinical support and resources from individuals who have shared lived experiences in mental illness, substance misuse challenges, neurodivergence, disability, grief, trauma and other obstacles to mental wellness. The nonprofit organization is 100% peer led and focuses on those communities traditionally underserved in mental health care.

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“Dandelion and I first worked in response to the Pulse tragedy, and it was really highlighted through that how mental health resources are traditionally inaccessible unless you’re affluent, and even then, they cater predominantly to white, cisgender, able-bodied people,” Flasterstein says. “We had to find counselors that were trauma informed and experienced working not just with LGBTQ+ communities, but also Hispanic communities and Black communities. It was really hard to find and the resources just didn’t exist.”

Flasterstein points out that even when they were able to locate counselors, people from

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| uu | Peer to Peer FROM PG.27

marginalized communities were not using them.

“There was a lot of history of distrust using resources within those communities for really understandable reasons,” she says. “So they did what most people do when systems fail them, they turned to each other. Which informally is peer services.”

Flasterstein then learned about a more formal peer recovery movement happening in other states.

“It took these traditional mental health services and really centered them on those not usually centered, those who have gone through the trauma,” she says. “Nobody understands a community like the community itself.”

Flasterstein then reached back out to Hill, who had over a decade of experience in peer services, with the idea to start a new organization focused on peer-led recovery.

“I was just like ‘I have an idea.

I have no plan and no funding but do you want to work on it full-time?’ And I’m so grateful that they said yes,” she says.

Peer support has been a part of mental health care and substance misuse for years, usually in the form of support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Recovery and more, but peer recovery expands on that idea.

“Quite literally, a peer is just someone who has something in common with you. People helping people is as old as time,” Flasterstein says. “But within the modern peer recovery movement it does come with training approved by the Florida Certification Board called Certified Recovery Peer Specialist.”

According to Mental Health America, the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all, peer support specialists have been shown to Improve quality of life, improve engagement and satisfaction with services and supports, improve whole health including chronic conditions, decrease hospitalizations and inpatient

28

RESPITE TEAM: The Peer Support Space Respite is expected to open by the end of the year in Orlando and will be a three-bedroom space where anyone 18 and older experiencing a crisis can stay for up to seven days. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

days, and reduce the overall cost of services.

“I have my Master’s in social work,” Hill says, “and I’ve had so many experiences where I was supporting somebody but noticed people turning toward each other. So when I sat down with folks from a place of lived experience — I’m also a domestic violence survivor — when I took my therapist hat off and actually

“Personally, I’ve been traumatized by the clinical health system,” Hill says. “As a survivor of domestic violence there’s a lot of misconceptions about survivors.

A lot of victim blaming happens in the treatment modalities, so I really found a lot of solace and comfort and healing through connecting with other survivors and that really set the framework for how I wanted to do care work

which is called Holding Space,” Flasterstein says. “It is different from traditional peer trainings in that it was curated by queer, trans, people of color, Asian and autistic adults; communities that aren’t really centered in the traditional training.”

Holding Space teaches peer support specialists how to set boundaries, what to do if somebody is expressing

Quite literally, a peer is just someone who has something in common with you.

People helping people is as old as time.

— YASMIN FLASTERSTEIN just sat with people and was vulnerable and authentic, it cultivated a sense of community and healing that I didn’t see when I was in clinical spaces.”

Both Hill and Flasterstein say that they have had negative experiences with the clinical health system that have really solidified for them the importance of peer-led care.

“In 2017, I experienced back-to-back traumas, and my experiences left me with so much anger toward the mental health system, so peer recovery finally allowed me to channel that anger into a solution that cost very little overall compared to traditional mental health services,” Flasterstein says.

moving forward. Not from a place of authority or hierarchy, but from a place of where we all have aspects of our identity and lived experiences that can connect us and that we can use as conduits to help us heal together.”

Peer Support Space offers one-on-one peer support as well as holds community events and daily online gatherings. In Feb. 2020, the nonprofit opened a drop-in center in Osceola County that not only offered its peer support services but also offered training for anyone who wanted to become a peer support specialist.

“Along with the state certified training, we also created our own Peer Support Space training,

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suicidality, how to work from a place of mutuality or nonjudgement, how to gently redirect something and more.

“We really created it in a peer-led process where we brought together about 50 peer supporters and for over a year we would meet multiple times a month,” Flasterstein says. “We continually, as we talk about different topics, add to this Holding Space guide which is a living, breathing document of people from underserved communities saying this is how we want to hold space for each other.”

After having their drop-in center open for just and month,

a world health crisis had them close it down.

“We opened and saw more than 70 people in that month,” Hill says, “so we knew the need was there. Then history happened and in March 2020 we realized we have to shut this down because it is no longer responsible to be convening in person.”

Peer Support Space shut their doors and started with all virtual services.

“At the time, we didn’t know how long it would have to go on,” Hill says. “We started virtual in response to COVID but what we learned is that this is an accessible resource to our disabled comrades, to queers living in rural areas where they are not connected to an LGBT Center or community at all, for people who are closeted. We now have friends in 22 countries.”

As the state began opening back up, Peer Support Space realized, while there are many benefits in having virtual services, there are benefits lost in not having in-person access for those in need. That’s when they started to look into a peer respite.

“So I think it’s a really novel concept for our area, and for Florida, but it’s actually something that has been very successful nationally which is wonderful because then we have all of these wonderful mentors and resources to look toward in other states, and that’s how we’ve developed this space and how it would look like,” Hill says.

A peer respite is “a voluntary, short-term, overnight program that provides community-based, non-clinical crisis support to help people find new understanding and ways to move forward.

It operates 24 hours per day in a homelike environment,” according to PeerRespite.com, a resource page dedicated to informing people about peer respites in the U.S. There are currently peer respites in 14 states, with only one in Florida.

None are currently queer-led and focused.

“Quite literally, the word respite means a break from hardship,” Flasterstein says.

“There are many types of respites, a peer-led respite tends to be more focused on mental health and is led for and by peers, so it’s staffed by people with lived experience versus clinicians.”

Andres Acosta, who has been a part of Peer Support Space as a board member since 2020 and

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PEER ADVOCACY: Dandelion Hill, co-founder of Peer Support Space. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

has worked with several Orlando advocacy organizations including Contigo Fund and Maven Leadership Collective, came onboard as Peer Support Space’s director of respite operations.

“When I started doing advocacy work in the community, I felt like I had this split of who I was,” Acosta says. “This put together person that is doing all these great things, and then this person that is constantly in and out of crisis.”

In December, Acosta had a moment of crisis that led to him leaving his job and going to a mental health facility.

“So I went in voluntarily, but once I signed those papers, even when I was out of crisis, I was stuck there,” Acosta says. “You end up being put in a room that is just concrete and you for 72 hours, and they’re just staring at you like you’re this specimen. It’s like the combination of feeling like a criminal and at the same time like you did something wrong just by being there. Anything you ask and anything you do, you’re being noncompliant. There has never been a time when I’ve been in a mental hospital where I’m like ‘thank god I don’t have access to my life.’”

Acosta says what did help was his support system around him.

“Having a network of people that can take care of you is important. If it wasn’t for my mom and dad, I would have never

HEALING SUPPORT: Andres Acosta, Peer Support Space’s director of respite operations. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

gotten through those periods of my life. They were the ones that basically had to pick up the brunt of it,” he says. “When those times came up, it would have helped if there was a place where I could go when I was in crisis, and still retain my autonomy. I think that’s the biggest thing, this idea of how I want to still be a person, even when I’m in crisis. That’s my reason for why I needed to be here. That’s what this respite is going to be.”

“When someone experiences crisis, I don’t know about you but if my rights are taken away, I am hospitalized and I can’t leave, I might lose my job, if you have children your custody can be compromised — which is a very real reality for caregivers that isn’t often talked about — and so these stressors get stacked on you,” Hill says. “On top of already not being well, now you are kind of losing your funding, you could lose your home, your job, perhaps custody, and that’s perpetuating the issue. So having an alternative option where I can focus on me and still work, and still keep my housing and make sure my rent is being paid. Some people’s rights are completely taken away, and they are infantilized and treated poorly. The minute you say you’re in crisis, you just lose all that autonomy and it’s really dehumanizing.”

The Peer Support Space Respite, which is expected to

open by the end of the year in Orlando’s SoDo District, will be a three-bedroom space that anyone 18 and older experiencing a crisis can stay for up to seven days.

“It is totally free of charge,” Flasterstein says, “and while it is open to anyone, we are focusing on centering around communities that are not normally centered.”

The space will include a living room, a game room, a meditation garden, a garden for plants, a food pantry and an art pantry. It will also be staffed with specialists who understand what you are going through.

“You can be surrounded by people that have been there before and feel less isolated with whatever you’re going through, and we’ve all been at a point in our lives where we just needed to get away from home for a little bit,” Flasterstein says. “And sometimes that means staring at a wall for three days. Which if I was in a traditional mental health clinic, I’d be noncompliant if I didn’t go to group. But here people can come and stare at a wall, or they can socialize, they can partake in our activities, our field trips, our workshops, or they can just meet their needs whatever that looks like. But it’s being able to go somewhere and keep the autonomy of your decisions. You’re not handed a treatment plan; you’re just supported in whatever day-to-day healing looks like for you.”

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INCLUSIVE SPACE: Yasmin Flasterstein, co-founder and executive director of Peer Support Space. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

While stays at the respite are limited to seven days, that renews each month.

“Recovery is nonlinear, our lives are nonlinear,” Flasterstein says.

Peer Support Space will also offer external resources for those who wish to continue their care outside of what is offered at the respite.

“Your time here is whatever you want to make it,” Hill says.

“It could be ‘I really need some downtime to focus on myself, be in a cozy space, connect with others if I want to, have peer support, which is really just having someone to connect to, who empathizes and cares, have a reset and go back to my day to day.’ We can also connect folks to our group services, our one-to-one, so we’re not just like ‘you stay for a week and then you’re out the door.’ We continue that care and that becomes a part of your care routine if that’s helpful for you.”

“What we are currently working on is building those wraparound services,” Acosta says. “As a mental health organization, we understand that we cannot address every single thing that needs to be addressed for people experiencing a mental health crisis, so having those partnerships will be important.

Once you come in here, you are able to have that space where you get one-to-one peer support, and

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we are being very intentional that once you come here you are in the Peer Support Space nest, if you will. We want you to know that when you come here, we know we are not the ‘end all, be all’ in services. So we will be completing a comprehensive guide that people can use and see what resources are around them.”

In the coming weeks, Peer Support Space will be collecting community input on the respite’s official name. They also currently have a Respite Creation Survey circulating on their social media looking for community feedback on all aspects of the respite, from how it operates and what wellness means to you to what personal comforts you have and what failures you see in the current health care system.

“We are really trying to make a space people can be proud to stay at,” Flasterstein says. “We are working hard to make sure as we renovate the space that nothing feels sterile. That it feels homey.

We want people to walk in and feel like this is not traditional mental health services and also hopefully feel like there is a community of people who may not necessarily know them but genuinely care about them.”

For more information on peer-led support services, what they are and how they work, visit PeerSupportSpace.org, MHANational. org and SAMHSA.gov. For more information on peer respites in the U.S., go to PeerRespite.com.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

m r a o n H y n I pa m a T

rin b e g Frin

gs peace and love for

Ryan Williams-Jentasdfasdf

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HE TAMPA INTERNATIONAL

Fringe Festival is an Ybor staple, formed in 2016 to promote the importance of the independent performing arts scene and ensure it remains accessible to all.

It’s only grown in the six years since, adapting as needed to serve artists and audiences alike – even through the pandemic. This year’s 10-day celebration, which will once again give 100% of ticket sales back to entertainers, will return stronger than ever July 28 – Aug. 7 in the Hillsborough Community College Ybor Performing Arts Building.

The 2022 festival features nearly 100 shows from more than 20 companies, produced by local favorites and acts from afar.

Artists were chosen by chance in Tampa Fringe’s lottery system or from the festival’s waiting list beginning last April.

As in years past, applicants were able to enter three diversity categories in addition

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sixt h

yea r

to Tampa Fringe’s general lottery: differently abled, ethnic and LGBTQ. The festival has a longtime commitment to elevating marginalized voices both on and off its stages.

“We can all benefit from expanded perspectives and artistic developments,” Tampa Fringe announced its sixth season June 21. This year’s theme is “Peace. Love. Fringe!” to promote some much-needed levity in the world.

Entering the organization’s sixth year “definitely makes me feel a bit old,” Tampa Fringe Producer Trish Parry muses.

“But seriously, I feel like at this

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point we’re really becoming an institution of the arts scene here in Tampa.”

Matthew Belopavlovich agrees.

He currently serves as the theater department artistic director of the Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory and is the playwright and director of “Going to the Top,” one of this year’s LGBTQ-focused productions.

“Tampa Fringe has intentionally designed an inclusive platform for new work and LGBTQ+ theatre artists,” he says. The show features a cast of LGBTQ and ally performers.

Belopavlovich drew inspiration from Disneyland’s discriminatory policy that prohibited gay men and women from dancing together in its Magic Kingdom until the 1980s. It was reversed in response to high-profile court cases and growing public pressure from patrons of the park’s dance club.

“Many of those removed from the dance floor were friends, so I decided to write a fictional love story about two boys who stood up to ‘The Mouse,’” he says. The show also includes a call to action.

Citing Florida’s recently enacted “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law and “some of the controversy surrounding corporations and their two-faced support of the LGBTQ+ community,” Belopavlovich explains, “it is a message that needs to be heard throughout Florida.”

Orlando’s “Spooky & Gay Cabaret,” first performed as a Halloween event in 2019, will also examine LGBTQ life.

“I love using horror as a vehicle for exploring the queer experience, as reality as a queer person can often be quite scary,” BC Theatricals’ Bruce Ryan Costella says. “So I try to subvert horror tropes to tell stories of queer triumph.”

Costella has performed solo since 2018. He drew praise for the work at the 31st annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival earlier this year and is now touring the show across North America.

The Ashland, North Carolina-based Skysail Theatre will present “Tithonia: A Lesbian Space Opera,” connecting queer identity through space and time. The company “brings a dash of outer space, a splash of humor, a little bit of gay, a lot a bit of silliness and whole lotta love.”

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PEACE, LOVE, FRINGE: Artist hopefuls and Tampa Fringe staff, including Producer Trish Parry (Far R) select

productions at 81Bay Brewing Company last April for the Tampa Fringe 2022 lottery drawing. PHOTO COURTESY TAMPA FRINGE

“Tithonia” drew widespread praise from its sold-out debut at the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival in March. Its creators say that’s because “any audience member, LGBTQ+ or not, can find the show relatable and accessible through its humor.”

“We didn’t set out to create a queer story,” playwright Terran Wanderer explains. “We set out to tell a good story in a queer space.”

Tampa Fringe favorite Vulva Va-Voom also returns this year.

The pansexual, transmasculine,

remember your grandmother mentioning,” they add, “stay for the outrageous hip-to-waist ratio.”

Scott Swenson is also back, having led one-person shows during the last two in-person Tampa Fringe festivals. The entertainer once again promises his unique brand of solo improv.

Swenson will create five characters whose lives connect in one storyline, with stories ranging from funny to filthy.

Performances will begin with audience interaction to ensure

“When this story came along I was just kind of in my own world,” he says. “Elizabeth Nidever who is the other storyteller in this show is also bisexual. Our stories just intertwined.”

He hopes audiences leave with an open mind. “That’s it,” Gianotsos says. “I just want the same rights as you. I don’t want to be looked down upon because I’ve been arrested – once.”

Mikaela Duffy’s “StarSweeper” will also wow audiences, a one-person show which enjoyed

Tampa Fringe has intentionally designed an inclusive platform for new work and LGBTQ+ theatre artists.

— ”GOING TO THE TOP” PLAYWRIGHT AND DIRECTOR MATTHEW BELOPAVLOVICH nonbinary cabaret comedian presented an examination of their gender to great fanfare last year.

This year, they will perform “Vulva Va-Voom: Hollywood Psychic of the Golden Age” in the artist’s “very much R-Rated” style. Audiences can expect “sexy seances, cerebral historical minutiae and highly inappropriate song-and-dance numbers.”

“It’s spooky, nerdy, risqué and wholly unconcerned with the audience’s lack of knowledge about the 1930s studio contract system,” Va-Voom explains. “Is this show just a gimmick to put hilariously problematic statements into the mouths of long-dead starlets?

No, it’s a screwball cavalcade of glam-meets-goth jackassery!

“Come for the bad impressions of celebrities you vaguely

each show is unique.

“Although I don’t know exactly the kinds of characters that will emerge, as a gay man, I’m pretty sure that the LGBTQ+ community will be represented,” Swenson says.

“I’m not afraid to play characters who represent different points along the gender identification and sexual orientation continuums.

I’m not afraid to tell a wonderful ‘coming out story.’ I’m also not afraid to play characters who oppose our community – and make them look foolish.”

“Lockdown” from Lakeland’s Terry Gianotsos is topical and timely. The show “is about being LGBTQIA, disabled and getting arrested during the pandemic,” Gianotsos explains. It stems from Mad Madame Productions, his original production company.

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

an award-winning Off-Broadway run. It intentionally avoids most pronouns and features no romantic interests in its plot.

The show introduces a character named Riley, who falls under the Asexual umbrella, as they travel across the galaxy to rescue stranded travelers. That includes Riley’s nonbinary sibling. “‘StarSweeper’ is about a human – not a man, woman, or otherwise – that is propelled forward by nothing else but their undying love for their sibling, absolute strangers and the humanity they refuse to let go of in the face of every adversity,” Duffy explains. “This show is a show of science, love and determination, but also a great way to showcase a lesser-advertised part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.”

“The Discomfort Zone” which includes comics Jeff Klein and Natasha Samreny round out this year’s productions by or about members of the LGBTQ community. Instead of telling jokes, six standup comedians will tell stories.

“We will spend our show taking turns and telling our individual experiences and stories; whether they relate to what we call home, privilege or our first night club shooting we witnessed,” Klein says.

It was conceptualized by Clark Brooks, who in addition to Klein and Samreny will be joined by Kaiti McCoy, Elijah Hernandez and Cara Millburg.

“I’m excited every time I get to tell a personal story on stage,” Samreny says. “While I feature as a stand-up comedian, I actually got my start in live storytelling years ago. Although it can feel pretty vulnerable up there sometimes, it’s where I feel most myself.”

“We are performing at multiple times throughout the festival and I think, albeit bias as I am, that this show will be a do not miss,” Klein stresses. “We’re out of our comfort zone and being as real as we can be. What’s not to love?”

Tampa Fringe promises that this year will be its most accessible yet, with “everything Fringe” on the first floor of HCC Ybor’s Performing Arts Building.

There will also be a dedicated Fringe Central room with “hippie dippy beverages and snacks, a bigger and more accessible Kids Fringe than ever before and snow cones!”

Parry says organizers are eager to welcome audiences. Tickets are now on sale and include an Eliminator Pass for $250, which allows audiences to see all 23 shows; a ticket 5-pack which saves attendees 20% on admission to five different productions and a 3-pack that saves 10%.

“This year’s theme is ‘Peace.

Love. Fringe!’ because there is a lot of discord in the country and the world today,” Parry notes. “We want to be one place at least this year that folks can go to harmonize with each other.”

The sixth annual Tampa Fringe will be held July 28 – Aug. 7 at the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, located at 1411 E 11th Ave. in Tampa. Free preview shows will be held July 27 and Aug. 3 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Times and ticket prices vary. Read more about this year’s shows by or for the LGBTQ community on p. 33. View a full schedule, make purchase and read more about each production at TampaFringe.org.

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“Going to the Top”

“Spooky & Gay Cabaret”

30 Mins. | $10 July 28, 9:45 p.m.; July 29, 9 p.m.; July 31, 3:30 p.m.; Aug. 3, 8:15 p.m.; Aug. 7, 3:30 p.m.

60 Mins. | $13

Aug. 5, 7:15 p.m.; Aug. 6, 10 p.m.; Aug. 7, 6:15 p.m.

A fast-paced love story inspired by real events and infused with sounds of the awesome ‘80s.

This new one act explores coming out, discrimination and the power of community.

A queer, horror storytelling cabaret written and performed

by Orlando’s Bruce Ryan Costella. Featuring original scary stories, songs and standup perfect for fans of “Goosebumps” and Halloween candy.

“Tithonia: A Lesbian Space Opera” 60 Mins. | $10

Aug. 4, 7 p.m.; Aug. 6, 8:30 p.m.; Aug. 7, 1:45 p.m.

In this musical, two crew members’ survival skills and budding relationship are put to the ultimate test as they traverse the galaxy aboard the Starship Tithonia.

“The Discomfort Zone”

60 Mins. | $13 July 29, 7:15 p.m.; July 30, 7:15 p.m.; July 31, 12 a.m.; Aug. 3, 8:30 p.m.; Aug. 6, 4:30 p.m.

Stand-up comedy is weird and difficult. “The Discomfort Zone” is where stand-up comedians go to be even weirder and more difficult, telling stories instead of jokes.

“ONE FIVE ONE”

45 Mins. | $10 July 29, 7:30 p.m.; July 30, 10:30 p.m.; July 31, 6:30 p.m.; Aug. 5, 8:45 p.m.; Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m.

ONE performer improvises FIVE characters who all connect in ONE storyline. The audience selects the costumes and props and after a short chat, Scott Swenson makes up the rest.

“StarSweeper”

“Vulva Va-Voom: Hollywood Psychic of the Golden Age”

60 Mins. | $12 Aug. 4, 7 p.m.; Aug. 6, 2:45 p.m.; Aug. 7, 8 p.m.

60 Mins. | $10 July 29, 10:15 p.m.; July 30, 8:45 p.m.; July 31, 4:45 p.m.; Aug. 3, 9:45 p.m.; Aug. 6, 6:45 p.m.

A heart-warming and breaking adventure using discussions of humanity and existence to flash a new light into the darkness of today’s reality over the course of a five-year solo mission.

“Lockdown”

60 Mins. | $13 July 29, 9 p.m.; July 30, 5:30 p.m.; Aug. 5, 9 p.m.; Aug. 6, 8:15 p.m.; Aug. 7, 4:30 p.m.

My mother got me arrested, I was attacked by a motherf@cking ghost, my friend turned out to be my cousin and other heartwarming tales from the pandemic.

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

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Gritty cabaret comedian Vulva Va-Voom has a mysterious new gift – or perhaps “grift?”

This nightclub ne’er-do-well’s usual burlesque schtick has been replaced with seances targeting midcentury celebrities.

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THEATER

Theater For Two Decades Winter Park Playhouse kicks off its 20th season with Kevin Kelly in ‘Murder For Two’

(ABOVE)

LOTS OF CHARACTER: Kevin Kelly plays 10 murder suspects in Winter Park Playhouse’s “Murder For Two.” PHOTO COURTESY KEVIN KELLY

W

Jeremy Williams

INTER PARK PLAYHOUSE IS

putting the “laughter in manslaughter” with the return of one of the theatre’s most popular shows, the Off-Broadway sensation “Murder For Two,” starring local legend Kevin Kelly and Boston star Jared Troilo.

The show, which runs Aug. 5-28, kicks off Winter Park Playhouse’s 20th anniversary season.

“This show is so much fun,” Kelly says. “I could do this show for the rest of my life and be happy.”

“Murder For Two” is a whodunit murder mystery blended with a musical comedy that features about a dozen characters but only two actors. One actor — in this case Troilo — plays Marcus Moscowicz, a small-town policeman with dreams of making it to detective, and he is investigating the murder of wealthy novelist Arthur Whitney who has

been killed at his own birthday party. The other actor, Kelly in this production, plays all 10 party guests who are suspects in the crime.

“It’s two actors and a piano,” Kelly says. “We play it ourselves; we play for each other. It really is a laugh-aminute type of show.”

Kelly, who has been performing in the Orlando area for more than two decades, is quite familiar with this show. He has played the policeman in previous productions of “Murder For Two,” including a 2017 production at the Winter Park Playhouse

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

and nearly once at a staging in The Villages.

“I was in rehearsals and we were about to open another production of this in The Villages with a different theatre company and we got shut down the day before we opened because of COVID,” Kelly recalls.

Because of his past involvement with this show, Kelly is able to bring an interesting perspective to this production, knowing the strengths of each role as well as knowing what challenges each actor will come up against.

“If you ask me in this moment, I’m finding it more challenging to be the suspects,” Kelly laughs, “but both roles are challenging. The suspects bring so much to the show, trying to throw the inspector the entire time while he has to keep everything moving forward. But the writing for this show is so brilliant and every character is captured so clearly in the script and in the music that it is just pure fun playing on the stage.”

“Murder For Two” was first presented by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in May 2011 to critical and commercial success, running for six months and being extended four times. The show, which was created by Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian, ran Off Broadway from 2013-14 and had its first national tour in November 2014 which wrapped at the Straz Center in Tampa in May 2016.

The 90-minute production is a tour de force for its actors, especially for Kelly who plays 10 different characters without even leaving the stage.

“There are no costume changes and only two of my characters use a prop: I have a pair of glasses for one and a cigar for another. That’s it, the rest is just physicality,” Kelly says.

“On top of that, we sing, dance and play the piano. It is almost all us.”

It is “almost all us” because the two performers will be joined on stage by Sam Forrest, Winter Park Playhouse’s local percussionist.

Christopher Leavy will music direct and Playhouse Artistic Director

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Roy Alan directs and choreographs this production.

“Murder For Two” will launch Winter Park Playhouse’s historic 20th anniversary season which will see six of the theatre’s most popular shows brought back with new sets, new staging and some new casts.

The season’s next show will be Roger Bean’s “Sh-Boom! Life Could Be a Dream,” a ‘60s-inspired musical about a fledgling doo-wop singing group preparing to enter the Big Whooper Radio contest to realize their dreams. The show will feature hits of the era like “Fools Fall in Love,” “Tears on my Pillow,” “Runaround Sue,” “Unchained Melody” and many more. “Sh-Boom!” runs Sept. 23-Oct. 16.

The Playhouse finishes up 2022 with “Steppin’ Out with Irving Berlin,” celebrating the life and career of the legendary American composer behind such iconic hits as “White Christmas,” “Blue Skies,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.” “Steppin’ Out with Irving Berlin” plays Nov. 11-20 then again Dec. 1-17.

The new year will kick off with Dan Goggin’s “Nunsense: A-Men!,” an all-male version of Goggin’s original “Nunsense,” a show about a group of nuns who discover that their cook has accidentally poisoned and killed all but five of the sisters.

Winter Park Playhouse performed this show last in 2018 with an all-gay male cast. “Nunsense: A-Men!” plays Jan. 20-Feb. 18.

Next, Winter Park Playhouse heads back to the ‘60s with “Shout!

The Mod Musical, A Swinging 60’s Sensation,” an Off-Broadway musical by Phillip George and David Lowenstein. “Shout!” goes back to 1960s London during the liberating days that made England the center of the music revolution. Five female singers — simply called Orange, Blue, Green, Yellow and Red — write to the advice columnist at Shout! Magazine.

The show features musical hits by the likes of Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Lulu and more. “Shout!” runs March 17-April 22.

The season wraps up with “Desperate Measures,” a musical western by David Friedman and Peter Kellogg based on William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” “Desperate Measures” plays May 12-21 and then again June 1-11.

For ticket information on “Murder For Two,” and all of Winter Park Playhouse’s upcoming shows, go to WinterParkPlayhouse.org.

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Fine Art | Portrait | Wedding | Commercial

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announcements

TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS American Stage announced July 6 that award-winning playwright and director Helen R. Murray will serve as the organization’s next producing artistic director.

“I was very drawn to the work American Stage is doing to push for the inclusion of new narratives on their stage,” Murray said. “This is central to who I am as a theatre maker.” Read more at AmericanStage.org.

Pride Bowling celebrated 13 years at Dunedin Lanes July 7.

State Senate District 18 candidate Eunic Ortiz was endorsed July 12 by St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson and former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. Read more on p. 10.

The Tampa Bay Pride Band announced July 14 that longtime member Daniel Stevens will serve as the organization’s executive director. The group is also seeking new members and will hold its orientation Aug. 8 from 7-8 p.m. in Ybor. Learn more about the organization and orientation at TampaBayPrideBand.com.

Fan favorite artist Chad Mize announced July 15 that his “Rhonda Santis” design, a caricature of Gov. Ron DeSantis in drag, has sold 600 stickers benefiting Equality Florida.

“Sometimes we need to laugh before we cry,” Mize shared.

“Using art can be powerful and Equality Florida does such great work.” Read more at WatermarkOnline.com.

Zubrick Magic Theatre celebrates one year in St. Petersburg July 29. Read more on p. 10.

Shade Showcase will return Aug. 5 at The Loft in Ybor at 10 p.m., hosted by Morgan Le Shade and featuring entertainment from Gappie Gee, Sorcha Mercy and Veronica Fox. Search “Shade Showcase – We’re Back” on Facebook to learn more.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Tampa Bay singer Jennifer Real, Tampa Bay actor and Patti herself Matthew McGee, St. Pete’s director of cultural affairs Wayne David Atherholt, Makeup extraordinaire J Cureton, St. Pete dancer Erik Shepard (July 21); Helping hand Jarrod Ketzler, St. Pete sweetheart Natalie Buono, Creative Pinellas chair David Warner (July 22); St. Pete bear Bob Thayer, St. Petersburg mainstay Richard Brixie, Watermark columnist Jason Leclerc, (July 23); Sarasota bartender Noah Guminski (July 25); Auto Advisors St. Pete’s Jerry Dreckman, Prime Timers Sarasota’s Al Doty, Tampa Bay dancer Dustin Goracio Wethington, Equinix, Inc.’s Brian Darragh (July 26); PFLAG Tampa co-founder Nancy Desmond, St. Pete sun lover Christopher Ruch, Jewelry designer Eric Roper (July 27); Gulfport City Councilmember Paul Ray (July 28); St. Pete Bears’ Buddy Chapman, The Spring of Tampa Bay and TIGLFF’s Kayden Rodriguez (July 29); American Stage actor Joseph Parra, Tampa realtor Jeffrey Niptuck (July 30); Tampa Bay activist Cole Foust (July 31); Stage superstar Scott Daniel, Suncoast Softball League legend Ron Frank, Pinelals Suncoast Transit Authority’s Travis Shaw (Aug. 1); former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, Sarasota visual artists and AIDS activist George Box, Pinellas County educator Dwayne Shepherd, Pharmacy technician Tarrin East (Aug. 2)

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PROUD PARENTS: Nancy (L) and John Desmond protest the Moms for Liberty conference in Downtown Tampa July 15.

PHOTO COURTESY HILLSBOROUGH CO. LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS

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SUNDAY FUNDAY: (L-R) Jade Embers, Adriana Sparkle and Ceazia Giovanni Kreshe wow the Cocktail crowd July 17.

PHOTO COURTESY COCKTAIL

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RUNNING WITH RAYNER: (L-R) State Rep. Michele Rayner meets a supporter with State Sens. Jason Pizzo and Darryl Rousson July 7. PHOTO

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COURTESY MICHELLE RAYNER

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ROCKY HORROR PRIDE SHOW: Enchanted Fairytale Hollow’s Amy Sharpe (R) donates a check to Polk Pride’s Scott Guira from ticket sales of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

PHOTO COURTESY POLK PRIDE

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FOR THE YOUTH: The Come OUT St Pete board presents St. Petersburg College with scholarship funding July 11. PHOTO COURTESY COSP

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WELCOME BACK: (L-R) TIGLFF Festival Manager Renee Cossette, Event Producer Kathie Michael, Board President Rob Akins, Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer and Executive Director Victor Gimenez strike a pose after the comic’s Tampa performance of “Welcome Back to Life” July 10. PHOTO COURTESY TIGLFF

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WITNESSING HISTORY: Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith (L) and Press Secretary Brandon Wolf attend the White House ceremony marking the passage of the Safer Communities Act July 11. PHOTO COURTESY EQUALITY FLORIDA

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ON THE TRAIL: (L-R) Eunic Ortiz canvasses with Charlie Fanning, Eve Epstein, Tony and Kathleen and Bryan Beckman July 9.

PHOTO COURTESY EUNIC ORTIZ

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announcements

CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS U.S. Rep. Darren Soto recognized leaders and activists Andoni Molina Blanco, Blue Star, Daniel J. Downer, Erika Castellucci, Gabe Csizmadia, Jason Harris, Jose Nieves, Keri Kristine Griffin, Renee Bishop, Ryan Anthony Beck June 30 for their contributions to Florida’s Nineth Congressional District and Central Florida’s LGBTQ community by adding their biographies to the Congressional record.

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Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Jerick Mediavilla were honored as trailblazers by the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden before a performance of “On Your Feet!” July 10.

CONDOLENCES Legendary Central Florida actor, entertainer and event host Doug Ba’aser passed away July 16. He was 62.

Doug entertained audiences for more than four decades throughout Central Florida appearing on Orlando stages including Orlando Fringe and the iconic Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House. He was an award-winning actor who most notably appeared in Michael Wanzie’s “Ladies of Eola Heights,” Jeff Jones’ “The Animatronicans” and “The Golden Gals Live” alongside Ginger Minj, Gidget Galore, Mr Ms Adrien and Divine Grace. Doug was also one of the LGBTQ community’s go-to emcees, hosting everything from trivia and bingo nights to the annual Trash 2 Trends fundraiser and Watermark’s own WAVE Awards. He may be best known for his drag persona Taffy Pinkerbox, a retired sex worker, from his show “A Tired Old Whore.” Doug most recently appeared as Taffy for a one-night only cabaret alongside actress-singer Janine Klein. In his final interview with Watermark, he said of his show, “I want people to just come and laugh for an hour, and go home with a smile on their face.” Doug was a friend to many at Watermark and he will be missed by us all. To the left are a few photos of Doug that have appeared in the pages of Watermark over the last few years.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Beloved activist Rachel Gardiner (July 21); Echo Interaction Group founder and CEO Carlos Carbonell, ACLU communications manager Baylor Johnson (July 23); former Watermark intern Andrew Ramos (July 24); Bliss CARES executive director Juan Rodriguez (July 25); former Watermark business manager Kathleen Sadler, Regional manager for Grey Goose vodka David Chase Harding III (July 28); House of Adonis’ Josh Walker, Dance instructor William Merchante, Former MBA president Nayte Carrick (July 29); local LGBTQ activist Bobby Hermida, PomPom’s manager Kerrie Finn, Watermark founder and guiding light Tom Dyer (July 30); Actress Elizabeth Murff, Orlando Realtor Danny Veal, Central Florida violinist Michelle Jones, Amazon’s Michael Vacirca, Savoy owner Brandon BracaleLlewellyn, performer Donal Noonan, Real Entertainment 4 U CEO Kirk DaVinci (July 31); Orlando bartender James Costello (Aug. 1); Central Florida performer Josh Roth (Aug. 2); dynamite derby girl Kiersten Taylor (Aug. 3).

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AWARD WINNING: Doug Ba’aser with MrMs Adrien, Divine Grace, Ginger Minj and Gidget Galore collect their WAVE award for Favorite Show at the LGBT+ Center Orlando in March 2021. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

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WATCH PARTY: Doug Ba’aser with Gidget Galore host the official “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3” viewing party at Parliament House in January 2018.

PHOTO BY DANNY GARCIA

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HOSTS WITH THE MOST: Doug Ba’aser (L) and Miss Sammy host the Central Florida WAVE Award party at Celebration Gardens in Winter Park in March 2018.

PHOTO BY HAZEL JANDICK

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NO NUNSENSE: Doug Ba’aser, in his best nun getup, hosts trivia at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando in June 2015. PHOTO

BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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3

5

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WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME: Doug Ba’aser mixes up a cocktail during trivia at the Parliament House Orlando in August 2019.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

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TRIVIA TIME: Doug Ba’aser as Taffy says it’s time for Taffy’s Tuesday Trivia, live on Facebook and in the Bear Den, at the Parliament House in August 2020. PHOTO

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FROM DOUG BA’ASER

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CELEBRITY SPOTTING: Doug Ba’aser (L) dressed as Santa Claus and Leigh Shannon as Bette Midler celebrate the holiday season safely in downtown Orlando in December 2020. PHOTO FROM LEIGH SHANNON

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OUR FUNNY VALENTINE: Doug Ba’aser during a photo shoot for Watermark’s Most Eligible Singles issue in February 2020. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

8 watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

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T A M P A

ATTORNEY Attorney Alison M. Foley-Rothrock se habla Español!

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T A M P A

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C E N T R A L

ACCOUNTING + BOOKKEEPING

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C E N T R A L

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C E N T R A L

F L O R I D A

OPTOMETRIST

M A R K E T P L A C E

REALTOR

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Proudly Caring for the Pets and People of the LGBTQ Community since 1955 Open 7 Days a Week!

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community calendar

EVENT PLANNER

CENTRAL FLORIDA Third Thursday

Drag hosted Family Feud, July 27, Salty Nun, St. Petersburg. 727-329-9994; Facebook.com/SaltyNun

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 6-8 P.M. SAVOY, ORLANDO

Open Mic Night, July 27, Mad Hatters Kava Bar, St. Petersburg. 727-800-5030; MadHattersTeaBar.com

Join us for our July Third Thursday networking social, hosted at Savoy Orlando July 21. This free event will feature light bites, a cash bar with your first drink on us and some amazing raffle prizes. Funds raised for the July mixer will benefit QLatinx. For more information on this and other Watermark events, visit Facebook.com/WatermarkFL.

Party for Anna & Carlos TUESDAY, JULY 26, 5:30-7 P.M. BALDWIN PARK, ORLANDO Help to send progressive warriors Carlos Guillermo Smith and Anna V. Eskamani back to the Florida House this election year. LGBTQ allies and advocates Sally Hogshead and Ed Normand host a re-election campaign event for Guillermo Smith and Eskamani featuring beer, wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres. RSVP is required and can be done at Bit.ly/AnnaAndCarlos. Once you RSVP you will be sent the address of the fundraiser. Email questions to Sahlla@AnnaForFlorida.com or Vote@ CarlosGuillermoSmith.com.

The Hunger Games Ball SATURDAY, JULY 23, 4 P.M. METRO INCLUSIVE HEALTH, TAMPA May the odds be ever in your favor as Godmother Kalypso and Godfather Imperial Ninja present The Hunger Games Ball 2022, presented by Trulieve and held in collaboration with The Blunt Space and Metro Inclusive Health. 21 categories begin at 6 p.m. with $7,000 in cash and prizes. General admission is $25 and VIP experiences including tables for established houses are available. For tickets and more information, visit Facebook.com/TheBluntSpace.

Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay Auditions MONDAY, AUG. 1, 7-8:30 P.M. THE PORTICO, TAMPA Join the Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay for the 2022-23 season. Virtual auditions will be accepted through July, with in-person auditions scheduled for Aug. 1 by appointment only. Singers do not have to identify as gay or male but must be able to sing tenor, baritone or bass. Non-singing volunteers are also welcome to inquire. Email membership@gmctb.org or sign up at GMCTB.org/Join-Us to learn more.

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TUCK TIME “Drag Race” alum Trinity The Tuck hosts Drag Brunch at Island Time in Orlando July 24. PHOTO BY DVSROSS, FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT CENTRAL FLORIDA

TAMPA BAY

Minorities in Shark Sciences Bingo, July 26, Punky’s Bar & Grill, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com

“On Your Feet!,” July 8-31, Garden Theatre, Winter Garden. 407-877-4736; GardenTheatre.org “Grease,” July 14-31, Theatre Winter Haven, Winter Haven. 863-294-7469; TheatreWinterHaven.com “We Will Rock You,” July 1531, Osceola Arts, Kissimmee.

407-846-6257; OsceolaArts.org 10th Annual LGBT+ Center Diversity Awards, July 22, Sheraton Orlando North Hotel, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.com Axel Andrews presents Electric Afternoons, July 23 & 30, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando Amor Welcomes Miss Continental Elite, July 23, Irish Shannon’s, Orlando.

Facebook.com/LatinSaturday

Trinity The Tuck’s Drag Brunch for Sparkles, July 24, Island Time, Orlando. 407-930-2640; IslandTimeOrlando.com Maker’s Market – Christmas in July, July 24, Colonialtown Park, Orlando.

ColonialtownNorth.com Harry Potter Trivia, July 27, Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company, Orlando. 407-337-6011; PersimmonHollowBrewing.com Chris Rock, July 27, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Amor’s Biggest Diversity Event, July 30, Irish Shannon’s, Orlando.

Facebook.com/LatinSaturday The Florida Vintage Market, July 31, Ace Café, Orlando. 407-996-6686; AceCafeUSA.com The Garden Drag Brunch, July 31, The Parched Oak, DeLand. 386-873-4976; TheParchedOak.com

Steely Dan, Aug. 1-2, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Charity Bingo w/ Miss Trixie Deluxxe, Aug. 4, Hamburger Mary’s, Orlando. 321-319-0600; HamburgerMarys.com/Orlando

TAMPA BAY “Nunsense: A-Men,” Through Aug. 7, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org CK30 House of Love Ball, July 23, Pro Shop Pub, Clearwater. 727-447-4259; ProShopPub.us Drag Queen Brunch and Summer Mermaid Gala, July 24, Hamburger Mary’s, Clearwater. 727-400-6996; HamburgerMarys.com/ Clearwater LGBTQ+ Summer Camp, July 25-29, Metro Inclusive Health, Tampa. 813-234-3075; MetroTampaBay.org

International Tampa Fringe Festival 2022, July 28-Aug. 7, Hillsborough Community College Ybor, Tampa. TampaFringe.org Brittany Baldwin, July 28, Salty Nun, St. Petersburg.

727-329-9994; Facebook.com/ SaltyNun Tampa Bay Comic Con 2022, July 29-31, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa.

813-274-8511; TampaBay ComicConvention.com Last Friday Showcase, July 29, The Garage on Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

727-235-9086; Facebook.com/ OFCLGaragePage BIPOC Mental Health Community Gathering, July 30, St. Pete Youth Farm, St. Petersburg. 727-565-3930; StPeteYouthfarm.org 10th Anniversary Party, July 30, Big Storm Brewing Co., Clearwater. 727-201-4186; BigStormBrewery.com Charity Bath Day, July 31, Dog Bar, St. Petersburg. 727-317-4968; DogBarStPete.com Equality Mural Kickoff & Ice Cream Social, July 31, Sea Maids Creamery, Tampa.

813-766-1097; EQFL.org NeuroQueer Expression, July 31, The Collective, St. Petersburg. 727-453-9069; TheCollectiveStPete.com

SARASOTA A Night of Drag, July 31, Primo Ristorante, Sarasota.

941-359-3690; Facebook.com/ Primo.Ristorante.9

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

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

JULY 21 - AUGUS T 3, 202 2 // ISSUE 29.15 WAT E R M A R KONLINE .COM

Care you can trust. “ It’s an honor to be able

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“

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PharmD, AAHIVP

Pharmacist at Avita Pharmacy

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