Watermark Out News Issue 32.07: Hope Amid Hardship

AZupka Counseling

ARTS FOR FOR ALL

ARTS.

The Collaborative Campaign is a united effort involving 40 local organizations in our region, serving artists and community members of all ages.

By donating and supporting the arts together, you can make the most impact. Contributions designated to the United Arts Collaborative Campaign for the Arts partners listed on our website will be eligible to access a matching funds pool of up to $1,250,000 until April 30th.

— FELIPE SOUSA-LAZABALLET,

Late Tampa Bay native Marquis Floyd on touring with “The Lion King.” PHOTO BY JALISA MARIE LENS VIA THE STRAZ CENTER

Hosted By:

Rick Todd

Jeremy Williams

Rick Todd

Rick@WatermarkOutNews.com

PUBLISHER’S DESK

Attitude of Gratitude

I, LIKE MANY OF YOU, FIND IT HARD

to get through the day lately. I know we have to stay informed but sometimes it’s hard to watch or listen to the news.

Reports have surfaced of the gay hairdresser, known as Andry, who was deported to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center then shaved and beaten without due process. A gay Venezuelan who opposed the Venezuelan president detained because of tattoos — who was legally in America. It was reported that while he was being beaten in prison he was crying, exclaiming that he was a gay hairdresser and not a gang member.

Let him be a lesson to us all. Will my gayness, tattoos and opposition to the American president land me in prison one day?

It isn’t just the national news that is tough lately. I got news of a dear friend who lost his partner of 17 years. My heart breaks for his loss.

The other night I ran into an old friend and ex-boyfriend. He was wandering the streets where he has been living for months. He was a little dirtier, with a longer beard than the last time I saw him there. He seemed oblivious to the addiction that landed him where he is and uninterested in any meaningful assistance. My heart breaks for him and his family so desperate to hear from him.

How do you get through times like this, when the days wear you down? I’ll let you in on a little trick I learned in a certain 12-step

program, it’s called an attitude of gratitude. I know it sounds trivial, but it helps. You think of 10 things that you are grateful for. It doesn’t take away the hurt, but it helps you realize that the hurt isn’t all that exists in the world.

Here are my 10 things I am grateful for.

First and foremost is my husband, Dylan. He is my person. Lately I have been pulled in many directions with events and conferences, and I don’t get to spend as much time with him as I want, but I am so grateful to have him in my life. He is funny, kind, smart and beautiful.

I am grateful to have my best friend, Jen. I feel she bears the brunt of my negativity at times, yet she is always there to encourage me and laugh at my stupid sense of humor. We have cohabitated for over 30 years and I can’t imagine these hard times without her.

Every time I drive back and forth from Orlando to St. Pete, I have the privilege of calling my mom. I am grateful to have her in my life. She was my best friend growing up and has been my strongest champion ever since.

This next one counts for two: I am grateful to be able to play softball at 50 and do it well enough. The second part of that is I get to play with my brother, Jason. He is one of the best men, fathers and wisest people I know. He is always willing to lend a hand when I have some crazy home improvement project that I am completely incapable of doing.

Next on the list are Amber Atkins and Rebecca Ann Lehman — my dogs, not the “Drop Dead Gorgeous” characters. For a dog lover there is nothing more joyous than

coming home and having your babies be so excited to see you. It makes any day a good day.

I am grateful for my job. It’s hard and requires a lot, but it’s meaningful and it gives me purpose. I am grateful for those who came before me, who mentored me and who trusted me to carry on this important work.

I am grateful for my community. That includes my community of co-workers who

It doesn’t take away the hurt, but it helps you realize that the hurt isn’t all that exists in the world.

care as much about Watermark Out News and the work we do as much as I do. It also includes the community we cover, the brave people who become activists because they exist. It isn’t easy, but it is important. Any list of what is great about my life wouldn’t be complete without the music of Air Supply. Like me, they celebrate 50 years this year and I am grateful I can see so much of the band whose music has meant so much to me for most of my life.

Finally, I am grateful to be sober. Without sobriety I would not have the things on this list, nor would I be able to enjoy them.

Stay visible, stay strong and support each other.

MARTIN “LEIGH SHANNON” FUGATE is a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer. He is a past candidate for local political office. Page 15

REV. JAKOB HERO-SHAW is the senior pastor of MCC Tampa. He is a proud husband and father in a family that was legalized through marriage equality and adoption. Page 17

HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, SABRINA AMBRA, STEVE BLANCHARD, DEBORAH BOSTOCK-KELLEY, JOHNNY BOYKINS, MARTIN “LEIGH SHANNON” FUGATE, BIANCA GOOLSBY, JAKOB HERO-SHAW, LORA KORPAR, JASON LECLERC, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, MELODY MAIA MONET, TATIANA QUIROGA, TIFFANY RAZZANO, SISTER JUANA REACTION, MOMMA ASHLEY ROSE, TREVOR ROSINE, BRYANA SALDANA, GREG STEMM, SYLVIE TREVENA, MICHAEL WANZIE, MULAN WILLIAMS, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI

BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, J.D. CASTO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARCUS MOSLEY, DYLAN TODD, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT PHOTOGRAPHY

ORLANDO GAY MAN AMONG 16 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN CHILD PREDATOR STING

Christopher Klimek

ORLANDO | A member of Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community was one of 16 individuals arrested as part of an undercover sting operation conducted during Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Joseph De Lustro, 43, was arrested by the Port Orange Police Department on March 9 and charged with obscene communication with a minor-traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child., according to a Facebook post made by the Port Orange Police Department.

De Lustro graduated from the University of Tulsa in 2009 and has since been an active member of Central Florida’s LGBTQ+ community, working for Walt Disney World for roughly seven years until early 2014, according to De Lustro’s LinkedIn profile. De Lustro was also involved with the Orlando Ballet for a year and later sold tickets for Florida Citrus Sports and the Florida Theatrical Association.

De Lustro was released on $25,000 surety bond after spending two days in custody according to the Volusia County Clerk of Circuit Court.

The Port Orange Police Department completed the sting operation under the name “Full Throttle” to hunt child predators seeking to engage in sexual acts with minors. Investigators posed as young children online to interact with individuals whom authorities suspected to be child predators. Once the suspect took the bait, they traveled to meet what they believe to be a child but are met with police instead. Videos of each arrest were published to the Port Orange Police Department’s Facebook page.

Over the span of Bike Week, which ran Feb. 28-March 9, the operation took into custody 16 accused child predators who were all booked with the same charges: obscene communication with a minor/ traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child and obscene communication/use of a computer to solicit/lure a child. One of the 16 taken into custody was Jeffery Summers, an employee at Horizon Elementary School, according to the online report on Facebook by the POPD.

Operation Full Throttle used the help of the Southwest Volusia Regional SWAT team as well as numerous other law enforcement agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Lake City Police Department, City of South Daytona Police Department, Orlando Police Department and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

De Lustro’s arraignment is scheduled at the Volusia County Court House on April 1 at 1:30 p.m. where the court will repeat his charges and rights while he enters a plea.

central florida news

Hate Speech

Orlando Pride denounces transphobic, racist fan

Lola Fontanez

ORLANDO | The National Women’s Soccer League, Orlando Pride and Gotham FC have denounced reports of “hateful language” directed at Pride forward Barbra Banda following the March 23 match at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.

The statements released March 24 were in response to reports of inappropriate fan behavior during the match between Orlando Pride and Gotham FC. A Gotham season ticket holder who witnessed the event posted on Reddit that Banda was subjected to racist and transphobic comments by a Gotham fan. The season ticket holder also noted that the fan was taken aside by security.

“We are united in our message: This behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our leagues and in our stadiums,” the NWSL statement said.

Orlando Pride defended Banda, who is currently in her second season with the club and also played for her native Zambia in

comments

two Olympics and in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, releasing a statement on its social media.

“The Orlando Pride has been made aware of the incident involving hateful language directed at Barbra Banda during the team’s match against Gotham FC. The Pride are united in this message alongside the NWSL and Gotham FC: this behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our league or in our stadiums,” the statement reads. “Barbra is an outstanding role model and an influential advocate for soccer both in Africa and here in the United States. We look forward to continuing to celebrate and support her on and off the pitch. As a club, the Pride will collaborate with the NWSL and with Gotham to ensure that the proper action is taken to hold individuals accountable when violating the league’s standards.”

Last year, Banda was subject to transphobic online abuse after she was named the BBC’s Women’s Footballer of the Year, stemming from a mishandled sex eligibility case that disqualified Banda from the African championship in 2022. FIFA declared the following year

HATEFUL LANGUAGE:

Orlando Pride, along with the NWSL and Gotham FC, issued statements after slurs from a fan were hurled at Barbra Banda during a recent match.

that she was eligible to participate in the World Cup.

Banda was assigned female at birth and does not identify as transgender. The 2022 case concluded that there was no suggestion that Banda’s testosterone levels were anything but naturally occurring.

Gotham said security responded to the incident once it was reported. The team and the NWSL are investigating and will take action under the league’s fan code of conduct, which prohibits fans from using “threatening, abusive, or discriminatory words, signs, symbols, or actions based on race, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural identity, nationality, citizenship status, age, appearance, disability, and/or religion.”

Gotham also reached out to apologize to the Orlando Pride.

“Barbra Banda is both an exceptional player and person, and the NWSL is immensely proud to support her as a member of our league,” said the NWSL in their statement. “As a league, we remain committed to holding individuals accountable for conduct that violates our standards and values, and to reinforcing the inclusive spirit of the NWSL community.”

The NWSL Players Association announced it too was standing against “hateful behaviour.” The NWSLPA went on to call Banda a “generational talent” who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

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ST PETE PRIDE DETAILS 2025 EVENTS

Julia Ferrara and Ryan Williams-Jent

ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride has announced details about this year’s 23rd outing, sharing the theme for Florida’s largest Pride celebration and information about its signature offerings.

Utilizing the symbol of a banyan tree, a St. Petersburg staple, St Pete Pride announced this year’s theme is “Rooted.” They noted the tree “symbolizes wisdom, longevity and interconnectedness.”

The tree “is both blooming above ground and rooted beneath the ground with the beautiful colors of Pride,” they noted. “… we are ever reaching for growth and basking in the sun, while being firmly rooted in history and the pioneers like Marsha, Sylvia, Harvey and so many more whose fight earned us the right to our authenticity today.”

The LGBTQ+ community faces “familiar obstacles but unprecedented challenges” in 2025, they also noted, making it “more important than ever to remember that your pride is ROOTED.”

This year’s signature Pride events will begin May 2 from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. with the return of Shades of Pride featuring TS Madison at Coastal Creative. General admission is $10. The 2025 Mx St Pete Pride Pageant will follow May 25 from 5-11 p.m. at The Palladium and tickets begin at $20.

Pride Month will commence with St Pete Pride’s Kick-Off Party in the Grand Central District June 1 from 7-10 p.m., a free event in the celebration’s birthplace. Their fifth annual Youth Pride and Family Day will follow June 7 in North Straub Park from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., also at no charge.

On June 12, the Stonewall Reception will be hosted at the Museum of Fine Arts from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $75. The organization will then partner with the Tampa Bay Black Lesbians for the fourth year for Get Nude, with tickets beginning at $25 on June 14 from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at Nova 535.

This year’s Transtastic will be June 18 from 6-9 p.m. at the James Museum with $10 admission. On June 21, “Womyn in Comedy” will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts from 7-10 p.m. Tickets begin at $20.

St Pete Pride’s signature weekend will close this year’s celebration June 27-29. The Friday Night Concert will welcome Pridegoers to a ticketed Jannus Live June 27 while hundreds of thousands are expected to attend this year’s parade and festival June 28 at no cost. The street festival will return to the Grand Central District June 29, also free.

Registration for this year’s parade and festival is now open. “It is more important than ever for our community to be PROUD and SEEN,” organizers shared March 17. “It is an opportunity for every org, business and individual to rise to the moment and not just be allies but accomplices in PRIDE.”

For more information about St Pete Pride 2025, watch future issues of Watermark Out News, check out the official guide coming later this year and visit StPetePride.org.

tampa bay news

Lasting Legacy

Milk brings uncle’s hope to Tampa

Ryan Williams-Jent

TAMPA | LGBTQ+ advocate

Stuart Milk will partner with the Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus before being recognized as a Tampa Pride grand marshal this month.

Milk co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation in 2009 to honor its namesake, his trailblazing uncle. The late politician became one of the world’s first openly gay elected officials in 1977 before his assassination the following year.

His “dream for a better tomorrow filled with the hope for equality and a world without hate” guides HMF’s work. Milk has helped amplify that message worldwide for decades, both as the not-for-profit’s president and a champion of human rights.

It’s why he’s proud to partner with the Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus for its LGBTQ+ Rex Fund Pride Fundraiser March 28. Named for late Tampa politico Rex Maniscalco, the scholarship helps local candidates access critical education through the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Their training teaches them how to run campaigns and get elected.

“Participating in any county and local community’s LGBTQ group always rejuvenates not only me but my commitment and my passion for the Democratic Party’s long-standing principles of progress on LGBTQ and human rights overall,” Milk says. “As a party, I don’t think it’s news to anyone that we have a lot of work to do … I always stand ready to do that work in any way that’s helpful as a 25+ year resident of the state of Florida.”

Luis Salazar, caucus president, Watermark Out News’ social media coordinator and another Tampa Pride grand marshal, says the group is “deeply honored to welcome a distinguished guest like Stuart Milk.”

“Events like this reaffirm our dedication to advancing the missions of both Harvey Milk and Rex Maniscalco to work towards a more just and inclusive world,” he explains. “They help us raise the crucial funds needed to empower diverse voices in leadership and ensure their election to office.”

Tampa Pride is also thrilled to welcome Milk, “who like his uncle … has dedicated his life to advocating for the LGBTQIA community,” organizers shared this month.

“Stuart is not only an activist in his own right but also the co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation, continuing the legacy of his beloved uncle,” Tampa Pride noted. “We are beyond proud to [have] Stuart Milk in our parade … spreading a message of love, acceptance and equality.”

“To be recognized by the Tampa Bay area is particularly meaningful as I have had the privilege to work with so many of the inspiring community leaders and wonderful elected officials that have advanced our community there in the past several years,” Milk says.

He also notes that while “we face many challenges in the U.S. on human rights and there is no diminishing these challenges,” Pride celebrations — which began as “protest rallies” — remain critical for LGBTQ+ visibility.

“I think the most important message that we send at the Harvey Milk Foundation around the world is that no one is alone,” Milk says. “… as my uncle famously said, although you cannot live on hope alone, without hope life is not worth living and it’s up to each of us to every day bring hope into our communities.”

Stuart Milk will headline the Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus’ LGBTQ+ Rex Fund Pride Fundraiser March 27 from 6-8 p.m. at 1920 Ybor. Tampa Pride is March 29. Learn more at HillsboroughCountyLGBTQDems.org and TampaPride.org.

DISTINGUISHED GUEST: Stuart Milk will partner with Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democrats and be recognized by Tampa Pride this month. PHOTO COURTESY THE HARVEY MILK FOUNDATION

HUNDREDS ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQ+ CIVIL RIGHTS IN TALLAHASSEE

Ryan Williams-Jent

TALLAHASSEE |

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Floridians and their allies attended Equality Florida’s Pride at the Capitol March 18-19, advocacy that continued with the second annual Let Us Live March on March 20.

This year’s PATC Kick-Off began with training and a legislative briefing from lawmakers. Attendees from across the state subsequently participated in team building exercises, meetings with stakeholders, press conferences and committee hearings.

PATC “is our campaign to show up and fight back against Gov. Ron DeSantis and his legislative allies’ bills aimed at taking our freedoms, censoring our voices and infringing on our rights,” Equality Florida shared ahead of time.

State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith was among the lawmakers to welcome his fellow community members to Tallahassee.

“Everyone is here to stand up for the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ people across the state,” he told Watermark Out News. “It is so great to have everyone here. Your voices matter, your voices are making an impact.”

State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, who is currently running for Orlando mayor, echoed her colleague. “We have so many issues that we’re fighting right here in Florida that need your time, your attention, and they need your passion to defend equality,” she said. “To make sure that every person regardless of who they love or their gender identity can reach their fullest potential and be respected and celebrated here in Florida.

“So please come join us in Tallahassee and for everyone who’s already here, thank you,

we appreciate you,” Eskamani continued. “We’re going to keep fighting.”

Equality Florida Deputy Director Stratton Politzer was among the speakers at a press conference March 19. He noted that “Florida has been ground zero in a national escalation of attacks against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and especially the transgender community,” adding that there are fewer bills specifically targeting LGBTQ+ Floridians in 2025.

“Maybe, just maybe, more legislators are growing tired of the cruelty, the distractions and the endless culture wars pushed by these extremists,” he said. “Maybe they’re ready to focus on the real challenges that Floridians are facing. But make no mistake, the bills that have been filed are still extraordinarily dangerous, and as long as they’re on the agenda, we will be here to fight them.”

The second annual Let Us Live March followed March 20, specifically advocating for transgender Floridians. Over 20 transgender-led groups organized the rally, which saw participants march to Tallahassee’s Old Capitol steps and welcome a series of trans leaders as speakers.

Lead organizer Angelique Godwin, also Equality Florida’s Director of Transgender Equality, told Watermark Out News ahead of time that it was designed to amplify trans voices amidst the state and nation’s ongoing attacks.

“Our stories matter and people showing up, fighting and expressing themselves makes a huge difference,” she shared. “It’s always worth telling your story because an untold story goes nowhere. If you tell yours, you can inspire others to change and to tell their own. To come forward and be a part of the movement that creates real change.”

“The 2025 Florida Legislative Session is in full swing, and extremist lawmakers — emboldened by Trump — are pushing dangerous bills designed to censor, criminalize and erase our community,” Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith subsequently shared with supporters March 21. “But there’s one thing these extremists forgot — they’ll have to go through us.

“We are the frontline of resistance in Florida,” she noted. “… This was already evident this week at Pride at the Capitol, where we had 400+ grassroots volunteers with us, pushing back against harmful legislation. This is our moment to fight back, to protect our future and to show them we will never be erased.”

For more information, visit EQFL.org. View Watermark Out News’ photos and videos from Pride at the Capitol and the Let Us Live March at WatermarkOutNews.com.

In Memory of John “Tweeka” Barber 1972 - 2011

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S TRANS MILITARY BAN

Staff Reports from the Washington Blade, courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

On March 18, a federal judge in D.C. blocked President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender service members, which was scheduled to take effect March 21.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued the preliminary injunction, saying the policy violates the Constitution.

“Indeed, the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender service members have sacrificed — some risking their lives — to ensure for

others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes wrote.

The legal challenge to Trump’s trans military ban executive, Talbott v. Trump, was brought by LGBTQ+ groups GLAD Law and National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Reyes found that the ban violates equal protection because it discriminates based on trans status and sex and because “it is soaked in animus,” noting that its language is “unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.”

The lead attorneys in the case are GLAD Law Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights

Jennifer Levi and NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter.

“Today’s decisive ruling speaks volumes,” said Levi. “The court’s unambiguous factual findings lay bare how this ban specifically targets and undermines our courageous service members who have committed themselves to defending our nation. Given the court’s clear-eyed assessment, we are confident this ruling will stand strong on appeal.”

The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more at NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.

NEW HUNGARIAN LAW BANS PRIDE MARCHES

Michael K. Lavers of the Washington Blade, courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

Hungarian lawmakers passed a bill March 18 that would ban Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them.

The Associated Press reported thousands of protesters gathered outside the Hungarian parliament in Budapest, the country’s capital, after MPs approved the measure by a 136-27 vote margin. The protesters later blocked traffic on the nearby Margaret Bridge over the Danube River.

“Not only does this law introduce discriminatory and simply evil restrictions on freedom of assembly, but it was also adopted in a highly undemocratic manner, through an extraordinary procedure that did not allow for any real debate,” said Tamás Dombos of the Háttér Society, a Hungarian LGBTQ and intersex rights group, in a statement that Outright International released after the vote. “They proposed it yesterday, and the parliament adopted it today.”

Amnesty International Hungary Director Dávid Vig also criticized the vote.

“This law is a full-frontal attack on the LGBTI community and a blatant violation of Hungary’s obligations to prohibit discrimination and guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Vig.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and members of his government in recent weeks said they would ban public Pride marches in Budapest.

The 30th Budapest Pride is scheduled to take place on June 28.

Orbán and members of his ruling Fidesz party over the last decade have moved to curtail LGBTQ and intersex rights in Hungary.

A law that bans legal recognition of transgender and intersex people took effect in 2020. Hungarian MPs that year also effectively banned same-sex couples from adopting children and defined marriage in the constitution as between a man and a woman.

An anti-LGBTQ propaganda law took effect in 2021. The European Commission sued Hungary, which is a member of the European Union, over it.

MPs in 2023 approved the “snitch on your gay neighbor” bill that would have allowed Hungarians to anonymously report same-sex couples who are

raising children. The Budapest Metropolitan Government Office in 2023 fined Lira Konyv, the country’s second-largest bookstore chain, 12 million forints ($33,001.94), for selling copies of British author Alice Oseman’s “Heartstopper.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, who is gay, participated in the Budapest Pride march in 2024 and 2023.

Pressman was also a vocal critic of Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ crackdown.

“We will not be intimidated, we will not give in to bullying,” said Dombos. “We are celebrating Pride for the 30th time in Budapest this year.”

“There was Pride before the Orbán governments, and there will be Pride after,” he added.

Elections will take place in Hungary in 2026.

Budapest Pride spokesperson Johanna Majercsik earlier this month said the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a Budapest-based human rights NGO, has offered their organization legal advice.

The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more at NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.

IN OTHER NEWS

KENTUCKY LAWMAKERS VOTE TO PROTECT CONVERSION THERAPY

Kentucky’s Republican lawmakers passed a measure to protect conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youths as part of a bill that also would outlaw the use of Medicaid funds to pay for gender-affirming health care for transgender Kentucky residents. The House vote occurred late March 14, less than an hour before the midnight deadline for the GOP-supermajority legislature to pass bills and retain its ability to override gubernatorial vetoes. GOP lawmakers voted to remove restrictions that Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear placed on the practice last year. He banned spending tax dollars to pay for the practice on minors, saying his executive order was needed to protect children. The measure, denounced by Beshear, cleared both chambers by veto-proof margins. Lawmakers will take up vetoes while wrapping up this year’s session in late March.

JUDGE ORDERS RETURN OF TWO TRANS INMATES TO WOMEN’S PRISONS

A judge ordered March 19 the federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer two transgender women inmates back to federal women’s prisons after they had been sent to men’s facilities in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order that truncated transgender protections. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington issued a preliminary injunction after the women were added as plaintiffs in ongoing litigation over the impact of Trump’s executive order on transgender women in federal prisons. Lamberth ordered the federal Bureau of Prisons to “immediately transfer” the two women – identified in court papers by the pseudonyms Rachel and Ellen Doe – back to women’s facilities and said the agency must continue to provide them with hormone therapy treatment for gender dysphoria.

JAPAN’S REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

A Japanese high court ruled March 7 that Japan’s refusal to legally recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the latest victory for same-sex couples and their supporters seeking equal rights. The decision by the Nagoya High Court, in central Japan, marks the ninth victory out of 10 rulings since the first group of plaintiffs filed lawsuits in 2019. The decision was also the fourth high court ruling in a row to find the current government policy unconstitutional, after similar decisions in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Sapporo. After a fifth court ruling expected this month in Osaka, the Supreme Court is expected to handle all five appeals and make a decision. The Nagoya court said that not allowing same-sex couples the legal right to marry violates a constitutional guarantee of equality.

tampa bay’s

trans film fest

march 28-30

film | events | community | joy

tickets: tiglff.com/trans

sponsored by

Location: Green Light Cinema 221 2nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Read It Online!

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

Opening Night Reception @ Thrive DTSP | 5:30 pm

saturday friday | 7:30 pm

Connection | Isolation | 3:00 pm with filmmaker G. Chesler joining us for a post-film Q&A

Saturday Shorts | 6:00 pm

Pooja, Sir | 8:00 pm

sunday

Community Picnic @ Public Park | 1:00-4:00 pm

Email transfest@tiglff.com for location

PROUD, The Pacific Way | 2:00 pm

Sunday Shorts | 4:00 pm

Heightened Scrutiny | 6:00 pm with a post-film legal Q&A by Nathan Bruemmer

Closing Night Reception @ Green Light | 8:00 pm

LEIGH’S VIEW

DID THE TITLE GRAB

your attention? Good. These days, the truth itself feels like a forbidden topic — something too raw, too uncomfortable, too “Rated X” for the political climate we live in. Not because this article is explicit in any way, but because conversations about sexuality, race and self-acceptance have become controversial battlegrounds. What should be natural parts of life are now considered radical, even dangerous, by the right.

There was a time in my life when I thought I had it all figured out — who I was, who I loved and the future I wanted. But as life often teaches us, self-discovery is rarely that simple. It took me decades to fully understand myself.

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, in a family that, like many in the South, held tightly to rigid, traditional values. My early attraction to boys, like Rocky — the one I met at summer camp in Paducah — was something I struggled to comprehend. There was no room for questioning, no space for exploration, the fear of what I had been raised to believe was “wrong.” So, I buried it.

Then, there was her.

She was everything — bold, flashy, full of life. When she told me I was hot, something inside me lit up. We talked for hours, falling asleep on the phone, dreaming

about a life together. It was young love in its purest, most passionate form.

And it was real.

We spent our days entangled, dreaming of marriage and children — Bennie Martin and Tammy Lynn, our imaginary perfect boy and girl. But beneath the love, there was something I could not ignore. I wasn’t just in love, I was hiding.

I told myself this was my life, that I could be the husband, the father, the man she deserved. But the truth kept clawing at me. If I stayed, I would be trapping us both in a future that wasn’t real.

So, I walked away. I broke her heart with the lie that I just didn’t love her anymore. The truth was, I loved her too much to keep lying to myself.

After that, I drifted. I sought friendship, validation, distractions, anything to keep my mind from the gnawing guilt. An older woman took an interest in me, lavishing me with attention and gifts. I went along with it, convincing myself that maybe I could force the pieces of my life to fit. But when she tried to push our relationship beyond friendship, I couldn’t go through with it.

One night, a male coworker invited me to a honky-tonk. There, I found myself in the company of another older woman, someone I barely knew. What started as a night out turned into a moment I never consented to.

She kept saying, “I could never date you; you are the age of my grandchild.”

I was intoxicated, barely conscious, unable to move and before I knew it, I was being forced into something I had no control over.

I fought my way out and ran — literally ran — down a highway in the dead of night, shaken, confused, violated. That was the moment everything became clear.

I wasn’t bisexual. I wasn’t confused. I wasn’t broken. I was a gay man. But knowing that didn’t make the journey easier. The weight of my Southern Baptist upbringing bore down on me, the shame and guilt pressing so hard that I could barely breathe. When

fear of losing my rights, my marriage, my dignity as a gay man has never fully disappeared. We are witnessing a resurgence of hate, emboldened by those who seek to turn back time on progress — on LGBTQ+ rights, on racial equality, on the very

-Be in the streets.

-Be in the voting booths. -Be in conversations that make people uncomfortable. Don’t only protest on your social media feed. That is not enough.

Because if we don’t fight for our future, someone else will decide it for us.

I wasn’t bisexual. I wasn’t confused. I wasn’t broken. I was a gay man.

I finally came out, my family turned their backs on me. I was shunned, cut off and left to navigate a world that suddenly felt both freer and lonelier than ever.

Moving to Florida was my salvation. It was there that I found my true self, my community and ultimately, the love of my life — my husband. I knew he was my future.

For all the years I have lived authentically, the

foundation of freedom.

I predict my marriage with Joey will probably be overturned within a year under this vile president.

To every young person reading this: your voice matters.

Don’t just exist in the world — stand up, fight and make noise. The rights we have today were fought for with blood, sweat and tears. And they are not guaranteed forever.

And they are. And it is moving quickly.

Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate is a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer. A strong advocate for getting out the vote and creating political change, he is a past candidate for local political office. He’s been happily married to his husband, Joey, for 37 years.

Brownie Wise’s dress Circa 1954

Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw

QUEERLY BELOVED

A Call for Solidarity

IWAS ON A FLIGHT THE DAY

after the presidential inauguration, seated near a passenger who was struggling to connect his tablet to the plane’s Wi-Fi.

I was raised on “Mr. Rogers,” so I know the value of kindness and being a helper. I leaned over to help and went back to reading my book as he started streaming a certain cable propaganda channel that calls itself news.

He seemed to have no interest in the use of headphones, therefore sharing the propaganda with everyone around him, and I became instantly, horrifically mesmerized. My ADHD brain refused to allow me to concentrate on anything other than the sound of Fox News.

In general, few things annoy me as much as people in public spaces using their devices without headphones — I know, I sound like I should be shouting “Kids, get off my lawn!” — but I wasn’t even annoyed this time. I felt like an anthropologist conducting a study.

I hadn’t even considered what this network would have to say on the day after their guy was back in office. I was surprised by what I heard. There was very little celebrating, it was all fearmongering. The talking heads focused on the candidate who had not been elected, and the threat she would have — in their view — posed to this nation.

Among her greatest threats, her support of the so-called “trans agenda.” They explained that trans people are one of the most dangerous forces in the United States.

As a trans person myself, I do not think about trans people nearly as much as these fearmongers do. As a Floridian, I am concerned about the insurance crisis, global warming and the increase in severity of hurricanes, I feel like I must take out a small loan to buy eggs, and I’m worried about many other issues that we all face, regardless of gender identity.

It is bizarre to me that two months ago, at 10,000 feet in the air, I learned that I am one of the biggest threats to this country. All this time, I have just been living my life, raising a family, pastoring a church, blissfully unaware that my very existence threatens the fabric of our nation. The man on the plane and millions of people just like him are being spoon-fed hate. They think they are being nourished by this message, but they are being poisoned by fear. It is funny to me that this man had no idea that one of these dangerous trans villains was right there, breathing his same air and providing him with tech support. Eventually, a flight attendant came by and told the man to put on headphones, thus concluding my anthropological study for that day.

I’ve had a handful of additional unfortunate moments in the past few months, in which I found myself exposed to the irate rantings of Fox News, in waiting rooms and other unavoidable spaces. Each time, I again discovered the coverage centers on fearmongering about trans people.

Most recently I just about fell out of my chair when Fox News said that trans people are the only people in this nation who have rights, while we oppress everyone else. They spoke of the current administration and what this network sees as the incredible work they are doing to protect this nation from trans people.

The current conservative obsession with such a small percentage of the population is more dangerous than many might realize. The hatred and lies spreading about trans folks extend beyond the viewership of any one network or the supporters of one group of

others. What can we do to cure this problem and stop hatred from tearing the LGBTQIA+ community apart? The answer is solidarity.

We all need to care about each other. We need to care about racism. We need to care about reproductive

are throwing rocks at you, I commit to standing close enough that the rocks will hit me too. When they come for one of us, let’s understand that they are coming for all of us.

We must inoculate our community against the virus of transphobia.

elected officials. We can see it infecting the ethos of our entire country.

Ignorance and hate are contagious. Transphobia is spreading even faster than measles on a playground of the unvaccinated. We must inoculate our community against the virus of transphobia.

Unfortunately, many among our community have been infected for years and have been spreading it to

rights. We need to care about protecting immigrants, whether documented or not. We need to care about each other, which means caring about everyone’s rights to live, love and work. We each need to care about other people’s survival as much as we care about our own.

We could change the world if we just care enough about one another’s issues. Let’s care in a way that transforms us. When they

Let’s be all in. Let’s be a community of solidarity. We might not fully understand one another, but we can fully fight for each other. The time is now for us to give it all we’ve got. The time is now to love one another so powerfully that our love can overcome the hate that harms us all.

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

The Good Page

Wide Sky showcases quirky and inclusive St. Pete

Tiffany Razzano

THE GOOD PAGE FEATURES

positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue, we check in with Wide Sky, which has showcased St. Petersburg’s inclusivity through T-shirts and more for over a decade.

Founder Sara O’Brien worked in TV for years, making the commute from St. Petersburg to Tampa. She realized she wasn’t happy with her career and dreamed of a creative side hustle, maybe something she could eventually focus on full time.

This is how Wide Sky was born in 2014.

Known for designs like “It’s My Way or the Skyway,” “I Like St. Pete and Maybe 3 People” and a variety of LGBTQ+focused offerings, the company celebrated its 10th anniversary last December. Its ever-expanding “collection of quirky local designs” reflect “the vibrant spirit of our community.”

“I always liked funny shirts and wore funny shirts, and at the time, I felt like nobody was doing anything funny in our area,” O’Brien says.

When launching Wide Sky, she admits she didn’t know much about running a business, let alone printing T-shirts. At first, she worked with screen printers

around the country before finding local companies.

“I realized, wait, if I’m going to be all about local and do local stuff, then I need to be fully local,” she says, noting that she grew “frustrated with printer hopping.”

That’s why in 2018, O’Brien invested in the equipment needed to print products on her own.

“I felt like no one really took as much care of the T-shirt as I would,” O’Brien explains. “If printers are going to make mistakes on my orders all the time, I can mess up just as bad on my own.”

She adds, “It’s freaking hard. Screen printing’s hard.”

At first, she operated out of a friend’s garage, eventually moving into a workshop. This led to O’Brien printing shirts and other items for her own clients.

She also opened a Wide Sky kiosk at the St. Pete Pier three years ago. Her shop is open Fridays through Sundays.

“Last year was tough” for the company, as it was for many small business owners, she

notes. “Summer’s always slow. Nobody is shopping at the pier for three or four months. Then the hurricanes coming through was like a double whammy.”

O’Brien hoped for a robust holiday season, but while “the holidays were ok, they didn’t meet the expectations as they have in years past.”

By the end of 2024, not wanting to spend so much on a separate space and wanting to prioritize Wide Sky’s roots of focusing on fun and creative offerings, she made the tough decision to rethink the business and move out of the workshop.

In fact, she left the screen-printing business entirely and sold her equipment.

“It’s bittersweet. I think as a business owner, you have to make the hard decisions so you can keep going,” O’Brien says.

She’ll continue heat press printing, both for her own designs and her clients.

“Heat press printing is becoming mainstream,” she says. “It’s super efficient. The quality is great. It’s super soft on the

shirt and you can print pretty much anything.”

Printing 50 shirts takes way less time now, she adds — about an hour-and-a-half compared to four hours when screen printing — and doesn’t require a separate 1,200-square-foot workshop space.

She’s currently operating out of a spare bedroom at her home, but down the road she might find a much smaller space for the outfit. Custom printing for clients also continues to make up “a good portion of business.”

O’Brien adds that Wide Sky can print as few as 10 shirts for

clients, all at affordable prices. The website also ships all orders without any extra cost.

“I’m a fan of helping the little guy because I’m a little guy,” she says. Learn more at WideSkyLife.com.

Interested in being featured in The Good Page? Email Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Williams at Jeremy@WatermarkOutNews.com in Central Florida or Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent at Ryan@ WatermarkOutNews.com in Tampa Bay.

PHOTOS COURTESY WIDE SKY

LGBTQ+ immigrants organize, battle against Trump’s executive orders

Felix E. Rodriguez III

ON MARCH 15, DONALD TRUMP

invoked the Alien Enemies Act — a 1798 law that allows the president to deport noncitizens from a country the U.S. is at war with — against hundreds of immigrants, claiming they were all members of a Venezuelan prison gang.

The Trump administration, which has proclaimed the members of these gangs “terrorists” and an “invading force,” has not identified who was deported, provided any evidence they are gang members or that they committed any crimes in the U.S.

This is one of the most recent moves in Trump’s plan to remove undocumented immigrants from the

country by any means necessary. Since taking office for his second term on Jan. 20, he has issued nearly a dozen executive orders related to immigration, declaring “an invasion” of “illegal immigrants” were coming across the U.S.-Mexican border.

Trump’s immigration-focused orders include “Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion,” which suspends all physical entry

into the U.S. at the southern border; “Securing Our Borders,” which directs the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to “take all appropriate and lawful action to deploy sufficient personnel along the southern border … to ensure complete operational control”; and, most controversially, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.” It attempts to redefine how an individual receives U.S. citizenship at birth.

The order proposes that the 14th Amendment “…has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States”; however, many legal experts argue that the 14th Amendment clearly states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the

jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

“Not only is the Constitution clear but it says all persons born in the United States are subject to its jurisdiction. It is based on no authority at all. [Trump] has authority to run the State Department, and possibly the administration of passports, but not to contravene a constitutional amendment,” says Stephen Shaiken, a criminal and immigration attorney from Tampa.

Shaiken has practiced law for over 35 years and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a national organization for lawyers in the same field of law.

AILA provides resources for practicing attorneys including

access to available government documents, various types of administrative or court cases and liaisons for assistance.

With the organization, Shaiken, who represented clients faced with deportation due to being convicted of criminal offenses, has been working pro bono this year representing clients affected by the Trump administration’s executive orders.

“Most of them are absolutely terrified,” says Shaiken. “People are afraid that if they send their kids to school, will their kids come home? Even if the kids were born here because Trump is saying if they are not citizens, they are deportable.”

The previous administration approached the enforcement of

PHOTO BY CAITLIN SAUSE

federal immigration laws differently as executive orders were enacted by the Biden Administration to aid what they called “legal immigration.” In February 2021, former President Joe Biden issued an executive order that required the White House Domestic Policy Council to re-establish a Task Force on New Americans to organize integration and inclusion efforts for immigrants, including refugees. His administration also sought to preserve and fortify Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a program that allows undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to work and live in the country without fear of deportation.

Someone who understands these struggles is Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet. Sousa-Lazaballet came to the U.S. from Brazil when he was 14 years old, losing his immigration status six months later. As a Dreamer — a child brought to the U.S. without documentation — Sousa-Lazaballet has been a voice and advocate for the approximately 653,000 other Dreamers in the U.S.

In 2010, Sousa-Lazaballet was one of four students — and the only LGBTQ+ person — who participated in the Trail of Dreams, a 1,500-mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. to promote human rights, stop the deportations of current undocumented students and to support the DREAM Act.

“I know exactly what it’s like to get in your car and not know if this is the last day you’ll get to live your American dream,” Sousa-Lazaballet says. “I know what it’s like to graduate from high school and cross that stage hopeless instead of filled with hope.”

According to the Williams Institute, there are an estimated 289,700 LGBTQ+-identified individuals among the adult undocumented immigrant population, representing approximately 3% of undocumented adults in the U.S.

“Living in the intersection of xenophobia, racism and homophobia or transphobia has an exponential impact on a person’s life. Many people have to go back into the closet to find services, support systems or things of that nature, and the closet is destructive to the human spirit,” Sousa-Lazaballet says.

As executive director of the Hope CommUnity Center, Sousa-Lazaballet and the

organization serve about 20,000 people every year through the organization’s various programs. They provide service learning that invites young people from across the country to immerse themselves in different cultures and learn about the lived experiences of immigrants. In addition, there is a leadership development program that teaches organization, advocacy and trains the youth to become leaders in their community.

Through his lived experiences as well as in his day-to-day job, Sousa-Lazaballet has observed how the current administration’s immigration plan is impacting real people. Simply put, he says “folks are afraid.”

“Every day, I go to work, I hear heart-wrenching stories of people who are being deported, detained families torn apart and children left with no one to take care of them. And it’s difficult to see that happen because I know them. They are my friends and even my own family members. That becomes a driving force for my advocacy,” says Sousa-Lazaballet.

The current political climate, both in Washington and in Tallahassee, has led Sousa-Lazaballet, who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, to recently announce he is running for the Florida House.

“The truth of the matter is that folks in Tallahassee are focusing on the wrong things,” he says. “They are focusing on demonizing LGBTQ+ people, demonizing trans people, demonizing immigrants, instead of focusing on what we actually deserve — an opportunity to thrive.”

If he wins the race, Sousa-Lazaballet would become the first Dreamer to be elected to the Florida House.

Fidel Gomez Jr. is another advocate for immigrant rights at Hope CommUnity Center. They are the organization’s LGBTQ+ immigrant justice organizing manager. As a transgender Latinx first generation born in Washington, D.C., Gomez has seen firsthand how immigrants are affected by the recent legislation.

“As a child of immigrants, it’s important for me to make sure I am helping my community,” Gomez says.

Gomez operates a variety of initiatives at Hope CommUnity Center, including the social group Queer Transgender Immigrants, called QTIs for short, a monthly meeting that acts as support and a safe space. Gomez says the attacks on the immigrant community have added additional challenges to the transgender community, which has also been under attack by the Trump administration, especially in health care.

“It has been a lot on top of advocating and helping people get connected to different resources, especially if they are an immigrant and are transgender looking for a gender-affirming clinic,” Gomez says. “As somebody from the Latin community, there are already a lot of challenges navigating your LGBTQ+ identity, Latinidad, and finding acceptance. The spaces that exist now are morphing into safe spaces where people are being intentional on how we’re showing support and showing up for those communities.”

gives informational cards written in various languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole.

“With ICE raids and people being deported, there are ways to get information as well as attend trainings that emphasize knowing your rights,” says Gomez. “We here at the Hope CommUnity Center are offering workshops so people can better understand, such as what is the right thing to do if ICE shows up at your door, what are the right questions to ask and if you don’t know how to say it, there is a card you can show the officer.”

With so many policy changes and attacks coming from the Trump administration, what can LGBTQ+ immigrants do to help safeguard themselves?

Shaiken urges undocumented immigrants to make sure they understand their constitutional rights, such as the right to remain silent and their right to an attorney. As frightening as the scenario may be if an undocumented immigrant is confronted by law enforcement, Shaiken says, do not lie or resist under any circumstances. Shaiken adds that most judges understand you have the right to remain silent but not the right to lie.

“Remember that you have no obligation to provide any information to an immigration officer,” he says. “They need to have some basis to suspect a person is not here with authorization and there is no requirement to assist them in any way. If they do not have a warrant, you do not have to let them into your place of business, house or any other place that isn’t normally open to the public. You must also understand that pleading and sobbing will do no good, especially if they have a warrant. If you see a loved one or friend taken into custody, observe what is happening and get a lawyer.”

Both Sousa-Lazaballet and Gomez emphasize that there are resources offered in your local community. Hope CommUnity Center is one such resource that can help to prepare individuals and families in case of raids or interactions with authorities.

The organization’s “Know Your Rights” training teaches members about their constitutional rights and

Hope CommUnity Center offers “fairs, workshops and clinics in which members of the community act out different scenarios they may encounter with law enforcement officers or immigration officers. During these community gatherings, families also prepare Dignity Plan and Protection packets that demonstrate their length of time residing in the U.S., the status and needs of their Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen Children, and their good moral character,” according to their website. Additionally, they work with members of the community to ensure the safety of their children, finances and possessions through the preparation of power of attorney documents.

“Take the time to at least study some of the issues,” Shaiken adds. “If you are an immigrant, married to an immigrant or you have friends who are immigrants, that is something you should study. If you are a federal employee or union worker, you should study your rights. Pay attention to what’s going on, at least in the areas that affect you the most and be very careful about the news media you use.”

Despite the new challenges immigrants are now facing, Sousa-Lazaballet says now is not the time to lose hope and know that there are people fighting for you every day, and for those not directly impacted but want to help, he says that now is the time to get involved.

“Alone we are vulnerable but together we are strong,” he says. “Join organizations like the Hope CommUnity Center and many others in our city or region and listen to the stories of those impacted.”

To learn more about how you can safeguard yourself as an immigrant or if you want to learn more about how you can help, visit HCC-OFFM.org.

If you want to report an immigration raid, call the Florida Immigrant Coalition hotline at 888-600-5762.

STANDING STRONG: Hope CommUnity Center’s Fidel Gomez Jr. (L) and Tampa attorney Stephen Shaiken are among those fighting for immigrant rights in Florida. PHOTOS COURTESY OF EACH PARTY

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Part of Their Pride

Late Tampa Bay native Marquis Floyd on touring with ‘The Lion King’

EDITOR’S NOTE: Watermark Out News spoke with LGBTQ+ Tampa Bay native Marquis Floyd about touring with “The Lion King” prior to his death on March 23, one of his final interviews. Disney Theatrical Group confirmed his passing on March 25 and issued the following statement, attributed to “The Lion King” Producer Anne Quart:

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Marquis Floyd, a cherished member of The Lion King North American tour company. In the three years Marquis was with the tour, he brought his extraordinary talent to the stage and shared his warm humanity off stage. On behalf of The Lion King company, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and friends. He will forever be part of our Pride.”

Watermark Out News presents this feature as it was originally written to honor the late entertainer’s words and work.

Shyler Oras and Ryan Williams-Jent

NOW IN ITS 27TH YEAR ON STAGE,

Disney’s “The Lion King” is one of the most popular musicals of all time. Its global productions have been seen by over 120 million people worldwide and amassed more than any other show or film in box office history.

Based on 1994’s Academy Award-winning animated film of the same name, “The Lion King” follows Simba, a lion prince who leaves his life behind after his uncle Scar murders Mufasa, his father and the king. He shirks his royal responsibilities to grow up with “no worries for the rest of your days” before ultimately taking his rightful place as ruler of the Pridelands.

The film has inspired multiple spin-offs on stage and screen, including the 1997 Tony Award-winning Broadway staple and last year’s prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Now the musical is returning to Tampa’s Straz Center for the Performing Arts April 2-20 before a run at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando April 23-May 18.

With a score from the legendary Elton John and Hans Zimmer, the tour’s cast includes Wiliam John Austin as Scar,

Darnell Abraham as Mufasa, Mukelisiwe Goba as Rafiki, Nick Cordileone as Timon, Nick LaMedica as Zazu, Danny Grumich as Pumbaa, Erick D. Patrick as Simba, Thembelihle Cele as Nala and more.

For one ensemble performer, the musical’s Tampa Bay stop is also a special occasion. The show marks a Pridelands debut for Marquis Floyd, a queer Tampa Bay native and Straz alum.

The entertainer is a former Next Generation Ballet dancer and Patel Conservatory student.

“I have so many kids that I mentor and teach in the area,” he explains. “They’ll be able to come see me on stage as a professional instead of watching videos or hearing about it and it can become a full circle moment.

“If it’s one of your own up there performing, it can encourage you to believe, ‘I can do that too,’” Floyd adds. “That’s

what I want more than anything, to inspire the next generation to keep pushing and not to feel limited due to resources or anything of that nature.”

Floyd says working on such a major production in his hometown feels amazing. He calls it “an honor to be able to represent the city at this magnitude,” noting “I stand on the shoulders of so many that came before me.”

Floyd attributes his success in the dance industry to his Tampa Bay roots. “The culture within itself; the grit and the grind alone, the melting pot that Tampa is has definitely shaped me to be the artist that I am today,” he says.

Floyd adds that he can usually tell an artist is from Florida because “there’s this sense of rawness to them.” He also sees

“THE LION KING” ON BROADWAY, PHOTO BY MATTHEW MURPHY

Tampa Bay as his anchor, “a place where I can be my full, authentic self.”

Floyd’s history in dance began at nine years old with the LifeForce Culture Arts Academy in Clearwater. While his focus as a student was West African dance, he says he was “exposed to all forms of art, and it pretty much opened my mind to just the endless possibilities of what I could do.”

The dancer attended John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg and participated in their dance program. As a teenager, he participated in the Pinellas County Center for the Arts Program at Gibbs High School.

“That’s really where I started to hone into my craft for real and get to nurture the gift that I had,” he says. Having focused on West African dance also helped prepare him for “The Lion King.”

“In the West African dance company, there were a lot of artists and company members who studied in many vernaculars, and I had so much inspiration,” Floyd says. It also prepared him for other professional endeavors. Since graduating from the Boston Conservatory with his BFA in 2017, Floyd has performed at the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, during the 2021 VMAs and on Apple+’s “Dickinson.” He credits the diversity of his dance education in Tampa for making it all possible.

It helped him “to be precise when it comes to working under those quick and intense environments, such as the Super Bowl, which is a very short rehearsal period,” Floyd explains. “They need people who are able to adapt and morph quickly.”

Working on “The Lion King” has been a very different experience for the dancer. He calls it “a monster of a show in the sense that there are many, many components and parts that make up the beauty of the it. It’s not just about learning the steps.”

His training also included learning about African culture, the region’s language and dialect and of course, the production’s puppeteering. “The Lion King” utilizes over 200 puppets to bring its story to life and trains its actors to sing, dance and manipulate them on stage.

“I work throughout the entire show, I start off as a zebra and I end as a zebra, but I’m also a male dancing hyena which is part of Scar’s camp,” Floyd explains.

“I’m also the ground roll and the leaves that hide with Pumba and one of the tricksters when Simba performs ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ … there are many different times that the ensemble changes costumes.”

One of Floyd’s favorite moments from the show is Scar’s memorable and villainous “Be Prepared” number.

“That’s when I get to dance together with all of my other male ensemble members, and it’s just very high intensity,” he says. “We’re fighting, we’re showing off our techniques; it’s athletic and grounded, so I really love that number.”

Floyd also says working with the tour’s cast and crew has been an incredible experience.

“My experience with the company has been phenomenal, honestly,” he notes. “It’s such a

harmonious space where it’s like a family that’s rooted in such a deep culture. We’re telling this story that’s coming from the heart every single night.

“It’s just so nice to come together with a like-minded group of individuals and really get this done,” he continues. “It’s not easy to do this eight times a week, so to do it with a unit — in a community of people — is just otherworldly. We’re all in it together, we’re supporting each other and getting through it to just bring light to audiences around the world.”

It’s a sentiment Floyd also experienced as an audience member. “I love all of the movies, but I truly have always had a personal connection to the musical,” he explains. “Growing up, seeing the puppets and how they created them and how they use the human body to become one with the puppet, that has always been so fascinating and cool to me.”

The entertainer also says LGBTQ+ audiences in particular can take something away from “The Lion King.”

“I think people in our community relate to the story simply because it’s a story of perseverance and pushing past what is projected onto you,” he says. “Simba goes through this journey where he has to go find himself all over again. When he steps into that, he thinks that ‘maybe I’m not ready to be those things.’

“In our community, sometimes it takes someone coming into your life and reminding you who you are and of your value,” he continues. “When we do find that, and we do step out and we do become unapologetically ourselves, we are fearless. We are powerful. We are limitless.”

It’s a message Floyd has occasionally needed to hear himself.

“I’ve had issues sometimes where I’m being overly humble or there’s just fear of not wanting to put myself completely out there,” he says. “Sometimes we don’t want to take a leap forward to where our purpose has led us. We don’t want to take that jump forward, which connects to this story.

Since bringing that to life on stage is such an intense process, performance nights require preparation. Floyd goes to the gym before performances to warm up his body and his post-show routine consists of meditation to bring down the adrenaline.

He also doesn’t take the experience for granted.

“‘The Lion King’ is one of the highest honors to book as a dancer,” Floyd says. “You’re constantly working. It’s not easy to get into the show, either — so when you do, it’s like getting into the NFL for a football player or getting into the NBA or going to the Olympics.

“This is a major show to book. It’s one of the top musicals in the world and it’s one of the longest-running shows, so for a dancer it is really a huge deal,” he continues. “That’s why it was always something on my list of wanting to achieve. I’m just thankful that the stars aligned and it was meant for me.”

“Simba knew that he was always going to be the king — and when he left, he didn’t want to go back because he didn’t think he was ready,” he notes. “As soon as he had the strength to do what’s needed he went back and everything came into fruition.”

Outside of that message, “The Lion King” delivers “two and half hours of pure joy and escapism,” he says. It’s something audiences might need more than ever.

“As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I would love for readers to continue to just pour into themselves, to give themselves grace and continue to use each and every opportunity to be their most authentic selves,” Floyd says. “I feel like coming to the show will continue to inspire people to do that.”

“Disney’s The Lion King” plays at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa April 2-20 and April 23-May 18 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando.

For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, visit LionKing.com, StrazCenter.org and DrPhillipsCenter.org.

IN MEMORIAM: Watermark Out News spoke with Tampa Bay native Marquis Floyd about “The Lion King” prior to his death on March 23. This story, one of his final interviews, runs to honor his work. PHOTO BY JALISA MARIE LENS VIA THE STRAZ CENTER

announcements TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

Bradley’s on 7th announced that it will remain in Ybor for at least another decade. Read more soon at WatermarkOutNews.com.

The Morean Center for Clay opened “trans/clay/ body” March 8, the cumulative student exhibition curated by ceramic artist and instructor Dakota-Joan Parkinson. The show runs through April 27. Read more at WatermarkOutNews.com.

Tampa Pride held its 2025 5K Rainbow Run March 8 and 2025 Grand Marshal Gala March 13. The latter recognized Grand Marshal Luis Salazar, Community Allied Grand Marshal Anne-Marie N. Hoeck; Couple Grand Marshals Joe Ebbing and Scot Kleinhanzl; Trailblazer Grand Marshal Diane Haymes; Grand Marshal Trailblazer Couple David Warner and Larry Biddle; Celebrity Grand Marshals Judy B. Goode and Paul T. Brechue and Community Leader Grand Marshal Greg Dee. Read more in Watermark Out News’ Pride in Tampa magazine and view photos at WatermarkOutNews.com.

Friendly City Pride held its second annual event March 23, presented by the Fabulous Arts Foundation, Friendly City Foundation and Oscura Coffee and Cocktails. Read more and view photos at WatermarkOutNews.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

St. Petersburg chef Domenica Macchia, Tampa karaoke extraordinaire Normie Dunn, Sarasota retiree Donald Attanas, St. Pete realtor Aaron Hoffman (March 27); Drag king Silver Foxx, Tampa softballer Randal Spiller, Sarasota equality advocate Jen Drake, Tampa Bay entrepreneur Art Smith, Nail tech extraordinaire Jaime Lucas Irizarry (March 28); Tampa Bay activist Bobbi Lindaman, Watermark Out News columnist Steve Blanchard, Bradley’s on 7th bartender Nate David (March 29); Tampa Bay activist Susan McGrath, Sarasota guitarist Jamie Gee (March 30); Watermark Out News columnist Jillian Abby (March 31); Sarasota paralegal Richard Furlow, Tampa Bay server John Reed Replogle (April 1); Tampa Bay entertainer KC Starrz, Franklynn Visual Marketing’s Frank Clemente (April 2); St. Pete airman Kevin Parker, Tampa Bay flight attendant Trenton Ferris (April 3); Sarasota actor Matt Craft, Disco Donnie Presents production manager James Dinnan, Artist extraordinaire Christine Grossman (April 4); Tampa banker Jeff Baker, St. Petersburg nurse Brian Feist, St. Petersburg entertainer Michael Jones, Tampa MCC activist Mac McGowan, Sage Sarasota’s Jordan Rose, Tampa Bay actor Eric Casaccio, Largo City Commissioner Michael Smith, Shear Excellence owner Denny Newton (April 5); C2Q’s Donny Hill, Public accountant Joel Schmitz (April 6); All Hallows aficionado Nick Okeson; PFLAG Riverview staple Jodi Jacobs Chadwell (April 7); St. Petersburg HIV/AIDS activist Joe Dobson, Avidchick Design president Jennifer Carter, Project Pride co-founder Katie McCurry, Sarasota entertainer Grandma Pearl (April 8).

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LIGHTNING LOVE: Nick Biscardi and Jason Zhou get ready for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Pride Night at Amalie Arena March 4. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

2

HEATING THINGS UP: Come OUT St. Pete leads the organization’s Chili Cook-Off March 1 in the Grand Central District. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

3 DOWN TO BUSINESS: Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber President Rene Cantu welcomes attendees to Out For Business Tampa Bay’s networking social with Watermark Out News, held March 19 at BellaBrava Tampa. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

4

MARCHING FORWARD: (L-R) Mr. E, Christian Hotchkiss and Justine B. Knights participate in the second annual Let Us Live March in Tallahassee March 20. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

5 TAMPA TWIRL: Miss Tampa Pride 2025 Niomi Onassis Knight entertains at Tampa Pride’s 5K Rainbow Run March 8. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

6 TAKING ACTION: Representatives from the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, PFLAG Safety Harbor, St Pete Pride, Drag2Talle, the Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus and more attend Pride at the Capitol March 19. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

7 GALA GALS: Kim Dude (L) and Anne-Marie N Hoeck enjoy Tampa Pride’s Grand Marshal Gala March 13. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

8 BRADLEY’S BASH: Hostess Amy DeMilo emcees the 14th anniversary party for Bradley’s on 7th March 1. PHOTO BY JEREMY SKIDMORE

announcements CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

Pineapple Healthcare hosted the grand opening of its brand-new Kissimmee location March 22. The clinic, located at 1080 Kevstin Dr. in Kissimmee, offers primary care, HIV/STI testing, treatment and prevention, mental health services and various other health care offerings with a specific emphasis on addressing the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Pineapple Healthcare’s newest clinic began seeing patients March 24. For more information and to book an appointment, go to PineappleHealthcare.com.

Keri Griffin, who has has worked as a substance use disorder and mental health provider in the Orlando VA Healthcare System for nearly 20 years, is being honored by Come Out With Pride’s Trans and Nonbinary Task Force as the first recipient of the first-ever Keri Griffin Champion Award. The award, named after Griffin, celebrates the remarkable hero and advocate she is and her unwavering dedication to the transgender community. The inaugural award will be presented to Griffin during Come Out With Pride’s Trans Day of Visibility event at the Central Florida Fairgrounds March 29.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Olde Town Brokers realtor Jay Wood, Orlando dancer Brittainy A. Derden, Orlando counselor Chad Brown, Naked Eye Studio’s John Caroll (March 27); New Church Family of Daytona Beach’s Jerry Corlis (March 28); LGBT+ Center Orlando board secretary Grace PeekHarris, Lead Genetic Counselor at Cooper Surgical Fertility Solutions Nick Charles, Orlando actor Jon Jiminez (March 29); XL106.7 radio personality Sondra Rae (March 31); DJ Lindsey Leigh, Big Bang BOOM! cabaret boss lady Gams D’Vyne, Celebration Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Lena Feliciano, Central Florida musician Melissa Crispo, DJ Twisted Dee (April 1); Form 2 Fashion co-founder Jaison Radcliff, Former cover model Aaron Sanford-Wetherell, leather enthusiast Sir Pharaoh, Orlando-based flight attendant James Sparkman (April 2); Darren Charles aka Bridgette Galore, Bowled Over Promotions’ Karyn Bell, Orlando’s Didi Panache (April 3); Orlando playwright David Lee, SOLE Orlando leader Kate Murray, burlesque performer Kissa Von Addams, Bowled Over Promotions’ Dawn Kallio, Orlando-based flight attendant Sean Wiggins, former TV personality and People Magazine writer Steve Helling (April 4); Orlando Front Runner Scott Feneck, Central Florida hairdresser Anthony Chiocchi (April 5); Orlando accountant Leah James, Opera Orlando and Orlando Sings’ Sarah Purser Bojorquez, Former PFLAG Orlando president Pat Padilla (April 6); Graphic designer Jason Donnelly, Intrepid traveler Jon Taylor, Rollins College costume studio manager Seth Schrager, Applied Veterinary Solutions owner Jean-David Parlier, local theatre artist Cathy Colburn, ally and owner of Dictor Financial Wayne Dictor (April 7); Disney performer David Negrón, Impulse Group member and Contigo Fund Community Board Member Noel Ruiz (April 8); LGBT+ Center Orlando’s Marshall Turner, Orange County Mayor’s LGBTQ liaison Marc Espeso (April 9).

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EPIC DAY: (L-R) George, Danny and Kristan meet “How To Train Your Dragon” characters at EPIC Universe, Universal’s newest theme park, in Orlando March 28. PHOTO COURTESY DANNY GARCIA

2

OFFICE PARTY: Luis M. Martínez-Alicea (L) and Jerick Mediavilla catch up during Florida Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith’s Orlando office grand opening Feb. 25. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

3

FESTIVAL FRIENDS: Jeremy Williams (L) and Rick Todd take time to smell the flowers during media day at Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival March 5. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

4 COMMUNITY LEADERS: Andrea Montanez (L) and Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani grab a selfie during a Pride at the Capitol press conference in Tallahassee March 19. PHOTO FROM ANNA V. ESKAMANI’S FACEBOOK

5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reiner Wolf (L) and Steffen Brandt celebrate Reiner’s birthday in Key West March 20. PHOTO FROM REINER WOLF’S FACEBOOK

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BROADWAY TOUR: Kirk Hartlage moonwalks into the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando like a Smooth Criminal to get a photo in front of the “MJ The Musical” poster before seeing the show March 4. PHOTO FROM KIRK HARTLAGE’S FACEBOOK

7 FOR THE PEOPLE: FiftyFiftyOne rally organizer Jude Speegle speaks to the protesters outside of Orlando City Hall March 4. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

8 WONDERFUL TIME: Brianna Rockmore stands outside The Plaza Live in Orlando during the Central Florida WONDER Award cover photo shoot Feb. 21. PHOTO BY CAITLIN SAUSE

community calendar

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Be Kind to Your Mind

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 6-7:30 P.M. UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, COLLEGE PARK

Be Kind to Your Mind is held every second Tuesday of the month from the Little Red House. This community gathering, which is led by and for peers and is for 18+, is a way to connect with and support one another. Join for fuzzy blankets, light snacks and supportive conversation to connect with one another, show solidarity and give/receive support. This space is a partnership with Bros in Convo and Peer Support Space.

The Pride Chamber’s April Business Connect

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 6-8 P.M. THE NATIONAL ENTREPRENEUR CENTER, ORLANDO

Join The Pride Chamber for its monthly Business Connect social mixer. This month, the chamber is partnering with its RED (Referral Exchange Development) Groups to discuss more about what they do and how they help LGBTQ+ business. The monthly connects are free to members and $20 for non-members. For more information, visit ThePrideChamber.org.

TAMPA BAY

Tampa Bay

Transgender Film Festival

MARCH 28-30, TIMES VARY MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, ST. PETERSBURG

The Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival presents its fifth Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival. All screenings will be held at Green Light Cinema but an opening night reception will take place at Thrive DTSP and a TransFest Community Picnic will close at a public park in St. Petersburg. Read more at WatermarkOutNews.com and TIGLFF.com.

Tampa Pride 2025

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 11 A.M.-11 P.M. YBOR, TAMPA

Celebrate 11 years of Tampa Pride with festivities all day long. This year’s festival will be held 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., the parade will commence at 4 p.m. and Pride @ Night will be held 7-11 p.m. Read all Tampa Pride 2025’s grand marshals, royal representatives and events in Watermark Out News’ Pride in Tampa magazine at WatermarkOutNews.com.

EVENT PLANNER

WORKING IT

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

“Waitress,” March 13-April 6, Theatre Winter Haven, Winter Haven. 863-294-7469; TheatreWinterHaven.com

“Gigolo, The New Cole Porter Revue,” March 14-April 12, Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park. 407-645-0145; WinterParkPlayhouse.org

“Kinky Boots,” March 2130, Cocoa Village Playhouse, Cocoa. 321-636-5050; CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com

Back to Broadway: A Barbra Streisand Tribute, March 28, Athens Theatre, DeLand. 386-736-1500; AthensDeLand.com

“Mean Girls,” March 28-30, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Descolonizarte TEATRO presents “Queer!,” March 29, Renaissance Theatre, Orlando. 407-719-9251; DescoTeatro.org

A&H: The Art Party – A Gala Celebration, March 29, Art & History Museums, Maitland. 407-539-2181; ArtAndHistory.org

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler, March 29, Addition Financial Arena, Orlando. 407-823-3070; AdditionFiArena.com

Peer Support Space’s Cozy Crafting Gathering, April 1, Lakewood Center, Fern Park. 407-332-1711; PeerSupportSpace.org

UCF Celebrates the Arts, April 1-13, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Crystal Envy, April 4, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando

The Neverland Ball, April 5, Four Seasons Resort, Orlando. 407-426-1733; OrlandoBallet.org

“Portrait of Aretha” starring CeCe Teneal, April 5-6, Orlando Shakes, Orlando. 407-447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org

Taking Care of You!, April 9, Hamilton’s Kitchen, Winter Park. 407-998-8090; PeerSupportSpace.org

Very Delta Live! Delta Work Podcast Show w/ Shuga Cain + Orusha San Miguel, April 9, Funny Bone Comedy Club, Orlando. 407-480-5233; Orlando. FunnyBone.com

TAMPA BAY

“trans/clay/body,” Through April 27, Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg.727-821-7162; MoreanArtsCenter.org

“Hair in the Park,” Through April 27, Demens Landing Park, St. Petersburg. AmericanStage.org

“Sister Act The Musical,” March 28-April 6, St. Petersburg City Theatre, St. Petersburg. SPCityTheatre.org Drag Gen Show, March 29, The Garage, St. Petersburg. Facebook.com/ OFCLGaragePage

“The Kids Are Alright” Youth Open Mic, March 30, The Chattaway, St. Petersburg. GirlsRockStPete.org

“Disney’s The Lion King,” April 2-20, Straz Center, Tampa. 813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

Comedy at the Cock, April 2, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-592-1914; CocktailsStPete.com

“Judy B. Goode Cabaret Show,” April 5, Hollander Hotel, St. Petersburg. 727-873-7900; HollanderHotel.com

Buffyfest 2025, April 5, The Palladium, St. Petersburg. 727-822-3590; FloridaBjorkestra.com

1st Saturday Art Party, April 5, Studios@5663, Pinellas Park. 727-313-2250; PinellasArtsVillage.com

Outside the Binary Boardgame Meetup, April 5, Critical Hit Games, St. Petersburg. 727-578-5700; CriticalHitGames.Biz

Orchid Festival, April 6, Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg. 727-551-3102; SunkenGardens.org

“Paris Is Burning,” April 9, Tampa Theatre, Tampa. 813-274-8981; TampaTheatre.org

“Very Delta Live!” with Delta Work, Shuga Cain and Adriana Sparkle, April 10, Tampa Funny Bone, Tampa. 813-864-4000; Tampa. FunnyBone.com

SARASOTA

Trans Day of Visibility Celebration, Mar. 30, Fab LGBTQIA+ Center, Sarasota. FabAF.org

Drag personality Delta Work will present “Very Delta Live!” April 9 at Orlando Improv Comedy Club and April 10 at Tampa Funny Bone with Shuga Cain and local drag artists. PHOTO FROM FLIP PHONE’S FACEBOOK

Best for Kids in Orlando.

There’s only one hospital in Florida ranked as a “Best Children’s Hospital” for the 15th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, a global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. With designations in pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, neonatology, pediatric neurology and neurosurgery, pediatric pulmonology and pediatric behavioral health, Arnold Palmer Hospital provides kids, teens and young adults with compassionate care that’s consistent year in and year out. Learn more at ArnoldPalmerHospital.com