1
100
7
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/23288d20d38c0f7e671f6412e62d4b87.mp3
55a3af9e40b4b44c9a4a0ad9c247159b
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/663dc00c96defba98cdc99ec779a8f3e.pdf
42d0c3d670181b55b0a681f04154e110
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Altamonte Springs Collection
Alternative Title
Altamonte Collection
Subject
Altamonte Springs (Fla.)
Description
Collection of digital images, documents, and other records depicting the history of Altamonte Springs, Florida. Series descriptions are based on special topics, the majority of which students focused their metadata entries around.
In 1870, Dr. Washington Kilmer of Cincinnati, Ohio, became the first Euro-American to settle in Altamont. In 1882, the area was renamed Altamonte Springs. The Altamonte Land, Hotel and Navigation Company was one of the major developers of the area. On November 11, 1920, residents voted in favor of incorporation.
Contributor
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.altamonte.org/" target="_blank">Altamonte Springs, Florida</a>." Altamonte Springs, Florida. http://www.altamonte.org/.
Robison, Jim. <em><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49963391" target="_blank">Altamonte Springs</a></em>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 1999.
Shofner, Jerrell H. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/32274737" target="_blank"><em>A History of Altamonte Springs, Florida</em></a>. Altamonte Springs, Fla: City of Altamonte Springs in association with Tabby House Charlotte Harbor, Florida, 1995.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
Motta, Daniel
Interviewee
Hattaway, Bob
Location
<a href="http://www.adulttoystorage.com/" target="_blank">Adult Toy Storage</a><span>, Altamonte Springs, Florida.</span>
Bit Rate/Frequency
14111kbps
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Oral History of Bob Hattaway
Alternative Title
Oral History, Hattaway
Subject
Altamonte Springs (Fla.)
Ferns--Florida
Casselberry (Fla.)
Sanford (Fla.)
Zellwood (Fla.)
Oviedo (Fla.)
Airports--Florida
Description
An oral history of Bob Hattaway, conducted by Daniel Motta on June 14, 2012. Hattaway was born and raised in Altamonte Springs, Florida. In the interview, Hattaway discusses growing up in Altamonte Springs, working in the fern industry, his real estate and agricultural endeavors, his family's influence in Altamonte Springs and Casselberry, the greenhouse business, local politics, and the air travel industry.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:46 Altamonte Springs during Hattaway’s childhood
0:04:26 Hattaway’s father
0:05:36 Childhood memories working in the fields
0:08:27 Education
0:09:58 Life after high school
0:13:16 Rivalry between Seminole County and Volusia County
0:15:24 Decline of the fern industry
0:19:20 Fern industry in Zellwood and shift to the tropical plant business
0:23:24 Interest in agriculture
0:24:11 Influence of the Hattaway family on Altamonte Springs and Casselberry
0:25:51 The Casselberry family
0:29:14 Greenhouse business
0:34:25 Local politics and involvement in the air travel industry
0:42:30 Evolution of the fern industry
0:45:28 How Altamonte Springs has changed over time
Abstract
Oral history interview of Bob Hattaway. Interview conducted by Daniel Motta at the <a href="http://www.adulttoystorage.com/" target="_blank">Adult Toy Storage</a> in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
Type
Sound
Source
Original 49-minute and 20-second oral history:Hattaway, Bob. Interviewed by Daniel Motta. June 14, 2012. Audio record available. <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Requires
Multimedia software, such as <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" target="_blank">QuickTime</a>.
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/118" target="_blank">Altamonte Springs Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Coverage
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Lyman High School, Longwood, Florida
Winter Park High School, Winter Park, Florida
Winter Garden, Florida
Oviedo, Florida
Zellwood, Florida
Casselberry, Florida
Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida
Orlando-Sanford International Airport, Sanford, Florida
Opp, Alabama
Adult Toy Storage, Altamonte Springs, Florida
Creator
Motta, Daniel
Hattaway, Bob
Contributor
Vickers, Savannah
Date Created
2012-06-14
Date Modified
2014-12-10
Date Copyrighted
2012-06-14
Format
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Extent
498 MB
175 KB
Medium
49-minute and 20-second audio recording
22-page typed transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Daniel Motta and Bob Hattaway, and transcribed by Savannah Vickers.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=2876&SessionId=50/" target="_blank">Representative Bob Hattaway</a>." Florida House of Representatives. http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=2876&SessionId=50.
"<a href="http://www.altamonte.org/" target="_blank">Altamonte Springs, Florida</a>." Altamonte Springs, Florida. http://www.altamonte.org/.
Robison, Jim. <em><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49963391" target="_blank">Altamonte Springs</a></em>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 1999.
Shofner, Jerrell H. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/32274737" target="_blank"><em>A History of Altamonte Springs, Florida</em></a>. Altamonte Springs, Fla: City of Altamonte Springs in association with Tabby House Charlotte Harbor, Florida, 1995.
Transcript
<p><strong>Motta<br /></strong>This is Daniel Motta.I am interviewing Mr. Bob Hattaway at his business, Adult Toy Storage, in Altamonte Springs.To start, Mr. Hattaway, could you tell me where you were born?</p>
<p><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I was born in the city of Altamonte Springs in 1936, which today, the location is on Lake Orienta, which at one time was called Orienta Ferneries, later in years.And the Hattaway family lived on that property for a number of years, probably 30 years, or something.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So you were born on the property?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I was born on the property, yeah.At that time, when I was born, 1936, a lot of people did not go to hospitals.They couldn’t afford it.So I was born at home.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And could you tell me a little about the neighborhood, the house, property?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>The property, basically—it was 150 acres of property.Thirty acres of the property was into a fernery slat shed growing tropical foliage and plants, mostly <em>asparagus plumosus</em> fern, and then another fern called leatherleaf fern, which came on in a later date, which became very popular in the flower industry.But we were growing plants and flowers and a lot of different products back at that time, to sell.So it was a very rural area.Altamonte Springs had one road leading in and one road leading out, and it was Highway 436 [Florida State Road 436].If you wanted to go shopping, you would get on 436 and travel [US Route] 17-92 to Downtown Orlando, because there were no stores in Altamonte Springs, or Casselberry.You had to go to Orlando to shop.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And I imagine 436 looked a lot different then.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah, 436 was probably a two-lane road, and going through the middle of Altamonte Springs was a four-lane road divided in the middle by two very large rows of oak trees, from about where the Altamonte Mall is today, all the way to the railroad track in Altamonte Springs.That’s going from west to the east.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Were any of these paved roads?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It was paved, yeah.Sometimes.But Maitland Avenue also was there, which was a two-lane road itself.But very rural.I mean, there was really nothing out here.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And you said, on the property, only part of it was ferns?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.Of the hundred acres, a lot of it, 30-something acres of it was slat shed fern itself, and the other was open fields, and we were growing <em>plumosus</em> or <em>podocarpus</em>, and were using that.We’d grow the podocarpus and cut that as cuttings and ship that to the northern market, to flower shops as well.So, and everything at that time, back when the fern business back in the [19]50s, and [19]60s, most of the freight was moved by rail, and not by truck.So there was a big depot in Altamonte Springs, and the depot itself, the major portion of it, was people like us—Hattaways, Casselberrys, Vaughns, etc.—shipping boxes and boxes and boxes of cut fern to the northern market, to flower shops.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And that would all take place here, or would it go to Sanford first, and go from there?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Just directly?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>There was a direct stop in Altamonte Springs and a direct stop in Casselberry, and also a direct stop in Longwood and Maitland.So they were little whistle stops, but most of the time they were stopping to pick up a product, like the fern product, and then some passengers.But there were no 7-Elevens, and there was absolutely nothing out here at that particular point in time.Not any tourists as well.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>About how many families lived in this area, you think?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Well, you know, on the Orienta Fernery side, which was known as the Royal Ferneries at one time, there were probably—it was a housing development there, row houses for the migrant workers, or the workers, to live on the premise and work there, and [inaudible] 40-something houses with a church, [inaudible] on Hattaway Drive today, this long, long, long, then gone?.But they provided housing for people, and they were not great to live in and to be able to work.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And did your father build the houses and the church?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No, those were built back in the—golly.My father went in, they bought from Hibbard Casselberry, 1951.They bought what at that time they called the Royal Ferneries, and they bought that from Hibbard, and Hibbard bought it, I think, in 1946—‘45.And then my father worked for Mr. Casselberry, and my grandfather worked for Mr. Casselberry, and my two uncles, also, worked for Mr. Casselberry. All of them in stooped labor, cutting ferns by hand and taking it to the packinghouses, and then being able to ship the product to the northern market.And there were no Kmarts, and there were no big Walmarts, and those kind of things.Flower shops were flourishing.That was the mainstay of the fern business at that time, corsages and bouquets and things of that nature.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So what year did you say your father procured the property?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>He bought the property from Hibbard in 1951.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay. So, when you were born, he was working in the industry?He just didn’t…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway <br /></strong>He was working with Mr. Casselberry.Yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay. And what were your experiences like as a child? Did you also have any contact with—did you work in fields at all?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yes, yes.Oh, yeah<em>[laughs]</em>. Those were wonderful moments.<em>[laughs]</em></p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Could you tell me a little about them?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Out there with stooped labor, working in the—I would work in the summer months when I was out of school, high school and grammar school.I would pull weeds in the fernery.And they would hire a lot of young people like myself at that time—ten, twelve years old.And our job was—the fernery was full of weeds of various kinds, and so we’d line up ten, fifteen, or twenty of us in rows.We’d go down through and pull the weeds out of each row.That was a terrible job.I knew when that was happening I didn’t want to stay in the nursery business, or fern business.I darn sure didn’t want to be a stooped laborer in the field.But that’s where my family came from.I mean, they worked for every Casselberry.And Hibbard brought my grandfather and my father both out of the fernery, out of the field, and put my grandfather in charge of the fernery over[?]—which was the Royal Fernery at that time, Casselberry Ferneries as well—and put my grandfather in charge of that side of the fernery, and then my father went over to the main plant over in the middle of Casselberry, and he became the main foreman over there, in an office, working for Mr. Casselberry.And so Mr. Casselberry brought him out of the field, very little education, and put him in charge of a number of people.At that time, you know, back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, the fern business, it was a big business, and they were employing probably two, three hundred people.So it was a lot of people depending on the Casselberrys and the Foleys[?] in the fern business at that time as well.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So when you were in the fields doing that work that you loved so much, were you paid for that, or was that just something expected of you?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Oh, yeah.Yeah, we got paid for it.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Do you remember…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Twenty-five cent an hour.And I was, you know—I’ve always loved to work.That’s been my mainstay, and I’ve got great work habits.And I think most people back then did.I’m not sure what they have today.I know it’s not as good as it was back then.But Mr. Casselberry provided a lot of employment for young people when school was out, that they could work during the summer.And pulling those weeds was part of what you did.And I would get out, and we’d help with the repair of the slat sheds, repairing the irrigation systems, just to keep the fernery back in good repair, so we could grow the fern itself.But it’s hard work.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>I’d imagine.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>But, you know, I did that every summer.When I got out of school, the following week I’d be working in the field.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Could you tell me a little about where you went to school?Did you—high school, or did you go to college after?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Sure.I went to Lyman High School, grades one through twelve.I went to Winter Park High School the 10th grade to the 11th grade, and then came back to Lyman for the 12th grade itself.So I was actually grade one through ten at Lyman High School, the old school.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>It wasn’t called Lyman High School then?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It was called Lyman High School, yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>But it was one through twelve?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway </strong>One through twelve, yeah.There were, when I graduated, in 1954—’55 there were twelve boys and one girl in my class.Thirteen class.And the class behind us, I think, had 25.So it was a very small school back then, and grade one was, you know—all the way through.And I think they stopped that just before—no, it was still going on in 1955.It was still grade one through twelve, I think, at that time.But Lyman today is probably graduating one thousand kids at one whack.And you got Oviedo, and etc., etc.Great changes, but, you know, we had small classes.Probably the max in a class was 20, 25.Teachers were very personal.Teachers knew us all, and it turned out, had a good education.When I graduated from Lyman, I think there was only two people in our class went to college, and the rest of us went into the work field.And I immediately, when I graduated, I started buying real estate, starting my own fernery.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Graduated from high school?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah, high school.I didn’t go to college. Didn’t go to college.And I was working—I got a job in Winter Garden with Continental Can Company, and they were making small cans to put orange juice into, frozen orange juice, and that was a—you’d put three cups of water with it…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>The concentrate?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Concentrate, and do all those.I worked there at night, the night shift from 3:30 ‘til 12:00 or something of that nature.And then during the day, I bought a piece of property in Oviedo on Chapman Avenue[sic], and built my first nursery under oak trees.And I started my own business back in 1956—I guess ’57, ’58, something like that.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Where did you say the canning company was?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway <br /></strong>Continental Can Company.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Where was that?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>In Winter Garden.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Oh, okay.So those…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It was a big canning company.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Pretty far from each other, the two?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I’m sorry?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>The two jobs you had were pretty far from each other.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.Yeah.One was working in the can company, the other was working in the field, in a nursery.And started my own place.I bought an oak tree hammock.And we’d found by that time, in the nursery business, in the fern business, that slat sheds were very expensive, and you couldn’t keep them up because of cost, wood rot, and it became—they were falling down.So, we started…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>How often do you have to replace those?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Oh, you were constantly working on the building, on the fields themselves, and you’re talking about 30 acres of slat shed.Just slats are, you know, four inches wide.And sometimes they would kind of fall down.If you’re tall like I am, you’d run into a slat and hit your head and etc.So we went from the slat sheds into buying oak tree hammocks, and putting fern under the oak tree hammocks.And we also started planting in the ferneries—the old ferneries, oak trees inside of the fernery itself—to grow up through the slat sheds for shade.You were looking for a certain amount of shade.And so we started that, and that’s where the slat sheds kind of disappeared, and everybody, especially Mr. Casselberry, his whole side was nothing but oak trees.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Oh, really?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>The side we had, and my father and grandfather had, over on Orienta Fernery side, they planted orange trees, which was a really, really smart move, because they always had orange trees—they also had the product of fern under that.The problem was, when they planted the orange trees, they budded the orange tree to Valencia, navels, or whatever it’s going to be.When they sprayed the orange tree spray on the fern, to kill worms, etc., it killed the buds on all the orange trees.Ended up with 25 acres of sour orange trees, and there’s not a lot of market for sour orange trees.So it was just a good concept, but it didn’t work.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So, by that time, there was pretty much the natural solution of replacing the slats with the trees?Like, is that what all the fern owners pretty much moved to?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.Yeah.Everybody was doing that.Everybody was doing that.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Fern business was big not only here in Central Florida, in the Orlando area, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Fern Park, but it was big up in Crescent City and Pierson, which it still is today.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It’s the mainstay up there as well.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Was there any kind of rivalry between, like, here and Volusia County?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Oh, yeah.Oh my god.Yeah.Yeah.They would—and I’ve heard my father talk about the stories that the price of the ferns had become very cheap—and so the industry got together and met someplace up in DeLand or something, some little community, with the main growers all meeting at one concept.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Woman<br /></strong>Excuse me, do you need anything before I go to lunch?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No, I’m good.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Unidentified<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I’m good.They all went back to discuss the pricing, and I guess they were trying to do what you’d call the price fixing.But the typical agriculture business, they all got together, they all decided, shook hands, and this is what we’re gonna charge to the fern.All of them couldn’t wait to run back to the phone and call their customers in Chicago[, Illinois] or New York or where it is, and say, “Hattaway’s going up on the price of his fern by three cent.I’m gonna stay the same price” or “I’m gonna drop the price.”It never worked.And so they cut their throat time and time again.But there was great rivalry, especially, that I’m familiar with, between the Barnetts, the Casselberrys, the Vaughns.And there was a rivalry there because Mr. Casselberry started the tax-free town of Casselberry, and the Barnetts were a big, very wealthy family, had a lot of ferneries in the Fern Park, Casselberry area, and they didn’t like Mr. Casselberry, because he was so aggressive, and he was a new guy in town.And they got into a hell of a rivalry.So it was always a shootout.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And the Vaughns, you said?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Vaughns.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta <br /></strong>They were also in Seminole County already.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>That’s right.Yeah.They were up in Casselberry—which you would never say “Casselberry,” you would say “Fern Park”—which today is the location of the Home Depot.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Near Lake Concord?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>On 17-92 and Concord.That area.So yeah, there was a real rivalry going on between the small families with the Casselberrys.And those three, those were the three players.So.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta <br /></strong>And this was like the ‘50s, early ‘60s?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah, ‘40s and ‘50s.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So when did the fern industry kind of start slowing down, in the area?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Oh, god.My father—I read this this morning—and it had so many ups and downs that I wasn’t even aware of—when I read his notes.And the, you know, just the price of fuel became so high, and labor became so expensive, that we really saw it when my father bought the place in 1951 from Hibbard, like 130 acres, Orienta Ferneries.He, within five years, was subdividing the fernery.And he became involved in real estate, which was a really smart move.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And these, the plots, were they designed for the houses and also, like, partially for ferns?Like, if somebody wanted to grow, like, a little on the side…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No. That was way before that ever happened.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Oh, okay.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>That was a lot of little nurseries that were back in the ‘20s and ‘30s.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So this was purely real estate?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah. purely real estate.Yeah.He started taking the fernery, which had a hundred and some odd acres, and started selling the land off itself to people that wanted to move.By this time, Altamonte Springs and Casselberry and the community started growing, and so people were starting to migrate, if you want to say that, from Orlando out into the country.And we were selling real estate lots on Lake Orienta—that was a fernery—and we took some of the slat sheds down and were selling real estate lots 100 feet wide, anywhere from 250 to 300 feet deep, for $2,000, for a lot, on paved road.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Around what year was this?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>In the ‘50s—’58, somewhere along there, ’57, ’58.That area where Hattaway Drive is today, that drive that was all Orienta Ferneries, all the property that my father bought from Mr. Casselberry.But he went in like Hibbard.Hibbard went into the real estate business big time.He had a lot of land.And he saw the handwriting on the wall itself.The fern business was just not thriving.There was—and, a lot of artificial stuff coming down the line.People were using <em>podocarpus</em>.People were using [?], using a lot of fillers instead of using the fern.It was cheaper to buy a filler and put inside, in that corsage, for the price.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Oh.I was about to ask what were some of the reasons it kind of went down.That was pretty much just the artificial—were other parts of the country…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It wasn’t artificial, then.It was just shrubs and things they were cutting that they could stick into a bouquet of flowers.Bouquet of flowers won’t last, you know, a week, four or five days.So they could take <em>sphagnum</em> moss, or they could take a <em>ligustrum</em>, or something that’s leafy and green, and put it in a corsage at a cheaper rate than they could a sprig of fern, or a sprig of leatherleaf fern.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>But if people did want those kind of ferns, were they still dependent on this area, or were there other parts of the country, do you know of?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Not from what I remember.It was mainly this area, plus the Pierson-Crescent City area, that was the mainstays.Later on, it became, everybody started to go off—not everybody.Several of the nurserymen started going off to Costa Rica and islands, and growing fern down there.In fact, one of the largest growers, probably still today, moved from Zellwood.Name was John Marcell.He moved to Costa Rica, and the last I heard, and I haven’t seen John in a long time, he had over 1,000 acres of saran shade cloth, growing leatherleaf fern, and ferns shipping all over the world.Actually, I’ve been told he controls the fern market in Costa Rica.This[?] big.<em>[laughs]</em></p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Was Zellwood into the fern industry, or were they in other agriculture?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>And actually Zellwood was—it was a small little town, still today.Marcell was the main grower at that time of leatherleaf fern.Went over to Lockhart, there was another grower over there, name of Joe Wofford, and he had a small fernery, probably ten or fifteen acres.He was growing leatherleaf fern.And Apopka itself had started transitioning over from the fern business—the Ustlers, Mahaffeys—golly, some other families there.But they were more into the tropical foliage business, and growing—building—greenhouses, taking slat sheds and growing tropical plants, which were now becoming very popular.So they shifted from the fern business over to the tropical plant business.And I shifted, also.I saw the handwriting on the wall.The one I built over in Oviedo, myself, it was only small as ten acres.But I sold that to another fernery guy out of Crescent City, took the money of that and started buying property in Altamonte Springs, off Hattaway Drive, and built my first greenhouses.And I went in the greenhouse business.So I shifted from the fern business over to the tropical foliage business.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>More broad[sic].</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah. broader opportunity of selling to a greater amount of people.And my first greenhouse I built was out of used lumber, and I took a saw mill myself, and cut the two-by-fours and four-by-fours out of used lumber, and built my first building, which was 30 feet wide and a hundred feet long, which I have pictures of it there.And, gosh, over the years, became a pretty good size.<em>[laughs]</em></p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And where did you say this first one was?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It was over just off of Hattaway Drive there in Altamonte Springs.Small place.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay.So how long were you—your property in Chapman, you said it was on Chapman Road?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.I was over there—I was in Chapman, probably, I had that nursery probably ten years.A good while, long enough that I’d made enough money working at night.At the Continental Can Company, they were paying me union wages, and I never joined the union.But I was making big bucks, and I was able to buy the land and do the things I’d need to do to get a business going.And it was pretty successful, but when I had the opportunity of selling that property to another person, then take that money and come back over into Altamonte, and go into a different business—although I was still in the agriculture business, it was a good shift.I ended up—well, the fernery there had 20 acres there on Hattaway Drive, and greenhouses—had probably ten acres of greenhouses there.And grew there for a number of years.To build the buildings, [?], build the buildings, I was—to get the lumber for that place—I was going, also to get the used lumber, I was going up and down the railroad tracks.They were taking down power poles and telephone poles, and I would cut the telephone poles and take the arms.At that time, they had arms going out with wires on them, and those were like three-by-fours, and they were like eight feet long, and I would use those for posts, as I gathered used stuff to build my whole nursery.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Were they just, like, the ones that they left there?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Was it okay that you took those?<em>[laughs]</em></p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah. definitely.They knew I was doing it.They were taking them down.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And, so, you pretty much built all those house, the original houses, yourself?It sounds like you’re a jack of all trades.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway</strong>I am. <em>[laughs]</em></p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Did you enjoy the growing aspect?Like, did you have a green thumb, or was it like…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Oh, yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Did you enjoy the business?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I enjoyed the business, and I definitely did not have a green thumb.But I enjoyed the business, and I didn’t know anything else.What else could a guy do?There wasno—there was nothing out here.You either worked for the Hattaways, you worked for the Vaughns, you worked for the Casselberrys, or you worked for the Bradshaws in the grove business.This was agriculture community.There was nothing to do.Or, work at the dog track, something like that.So it was, you know—happy as a pig in slop.<em>[laughs] </em>What else can you do?This is what it is.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>This might be going back a little bit, but did your family have any influence on early Altamonte Springs, like developing and like with the government?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No, my father did.He was elected a constable.He worked for Hibbard.And when Hibbard incorporated the City of Casselberry—I’ve heard my mother and father talk about that the night that they did the incorporation, they had a town hall meeting before it was ever incorporated in Mr. Casselberry’s office.There was a—had to have a certain amount of people in the meeting to have a quorum and to be able to appeal to the legislature for incorporation.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And this—as a town?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>As a town.As a town.And they didn’t have four[?] people…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>This was around 1940?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>In the room, so my father left the meeting, went home—we lived on Concord Drive—and brought my mother to the meeting, and she voted, and that’s how, that was part of the process of incorporating the City of Casselberry.My father was elected in 1941 as the first constable of the City of Casselberry.And it was a, I guess, kind of a window-dressing job, but he was constable for eleven years in the City of Casselberry.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And that’s kind of like the police chief of the town?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>That’s right.Yeah.He was the police chief.<em>[laughs] </em>I don’t think he even had a badge.<em>[laughs] </em>But that’s old time there.</p>
<p class="Body">Yeah.But you know, again, you know, this was small town, U.S.A.Hibbard would have—and I can remember this so well—he would, at Christmas time, he would have a big Christmas party on the front lawn of the offices, and for all the employees that worked for Mr. Casselberry, his entire operation.And he would get every kid a gift at Christmas time.And this was black, white, whatever it was be.He would always throw this big Christmas party.Big deal.You’d either get a knife or get a yo-yo or something like that.<em>[laughs] </em>But, and he was quite a—he was a good man.A lot of people, you know, just—vision, had great vision.And smart, wasn’t hard to talk to.He was a young man at that time.He was just good to us.He was very good for the community.Barnetts won’t tell you that.And the Vaughns won’t tell you that.But the Hattaways damn sure will tell you that real quick.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Did you know Mr. Casselberry personally, as a young man?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Mm-hm.Yeah.I knew him.He, and especially Leonard [Casselberry]. I don’t know if you’ve interviewed Leonard, Jane [Casselberry]?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Yeah. about a week or two ago.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Leonard used to come to my mother and father’s house, and Leonard would love to read comic books.<em>[laughs] </em>He—he wasn’t too energetic.<em>[laughs] </em>But he would come in and read the comic books, and Jane—they lived over off of the old race track road [Dog Track Road], at the horse track.He probably told you that’s what they built there, as well.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta <br /></strong>Yeah.Was knowing the founder and, I guess, owner at that time of Casselberry, was that like a—in this year, that seems kind of, like, strange, or maybe not strange, but—was it, did it seem like a big deal, or was he just like any normal citizen?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No. It was—to the normal person, it was probably a big deal.But because my father worked for him, and with him, I would go into my father’s office, and Mr. Casselberry’s office was right there.And he had a big picture window that he could look out into my father’s office, and then be able to look out into the grading there.They graded fern—longs, shorts, mediums, whatever you were looking for in the size of fern to ship.And, you know, he was just there all the time.He had a—I can remember so well—he had a big, big tarpon fish mounted in his office in back there.He would go to—my father, in fact, I’ve seen some pictures of him—he would go to the flower shows in Chicago or New York, where they might be, and Martha [Casselberry], his wife at that time—he married three times—Martha would wear, he would wear white riding pants—horses, cows?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Mm-hm.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>And boots, real knee boots up there.With a big coat on.All in white.And a fern spray on this thing.Promoter.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Yeah. representing his…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.He was a promoter, as well.Promoted, and he had a knack about doing that, much better than the Vaughns and the Barnetts, as well.But, yeah, he was a good man.I can’t tell you that enough times.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So you started getting into the nursery, would it be considered nursery business or the greenhouse…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Greenhouses.Yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>How long were you involved with that before you looked more towards retail?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I started in the fern business when I got out of high school, 1954-55.I was in the fern business by 1960, with the fernery over in Chapman Avenue in Oviedo.And then started the first greenhouses and then grew that business.And I went out of the business in 1988, of the foliage business.So I graduated, basically, from the fern business over to the foliage, from the foliage into the foliage business itself.Ended up with this place, which is 500,000 square feet of what was greenhouses.But I built steel structure buildings, I told you.And today it’s now the steel structure buildings that are storing boats, cars, and recreational vehicles.1974-75, I bought a farm in Puerto Rico, and I started out with thirty, three thousand, building 3,000 square feet—300—yeah, 3,000, 30-feet wide and 100-feet long.And I bought a farm in Puerto Rico that was 80 hectares of greenhouses.And I was shipping fern or foliage plants from Puerto Rico, by sea freight, to Europe.So I moved from 33,000 square feet, to a farm here, and a farm in Puerto Rico.And I farmed in Puerto Rico, foliage plants, for twenty years, twenty-two years.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Did you sell that land, or still…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah, I did.I sold it.I sold it.I wanted to go out of the nursery business.My brother, and then, by then graduated from University of Florida, had a degree in horticulture, and he wanted the nursery in Puerto Rico, so I sold the nursery to him in Puerto Rico.And he farmed in Puerto Rico for, I don’t know, another eight,-nine years.And we had three major hurricanes hitting back to back.First time we had insurance.We rebuilt.Second time, had insurance.Insurance company went belly up, and we rebuilt.And the third time, we said, “That’s it.”And we sold it.And then I was here all the time, and I just started converting all the buildings over to what you see today.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So about what time did you decide you wanted to get out of that business?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>1988.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.I already had another vision, what you see today.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Works out for you.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah, it worked out.Yes.Yeah.It really—what was my whole plan at that time, was—I had roughly 30 acres here—was to add on a trailer park in front of me, which today is a public shopping center.And I was trying to buy their property, and I wanted to build a big industrial park, 40-45-acre industrial park.And I couldn’t buy that trailer park, and made them some ridiculous offers.I’m glad they didn’t take it, ‘cause the market went to hell in a handbag.I ended up, you know, basically looking at what they were doing, and I said, “If they will pay $35.00 a month to park a boat outside in an open field, with grass and grasshoppers, what will they pay to put it inside the building?”And from there, you know, it grew from there.So, in 1988, I was in the foliage business.In 2012, I’m now in the storage business.And the place is doing fairly well.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>That sounds like a pretty brilliant idea, just converting the fields to this.Do you know if any other growers have took that...</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No, no.They can’t.They all built buildings that were not convertible.They couldn’t do what I did.In fact, I saw Earl Vaughn two weeks ago. Had a funeral up in Apopka, and went over and we were talking—and I know Earl.Great guy.I like Earl.I don’t know if you’ve met him or not.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>You need to meet him.You need to meet Earl Vaughn.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>I would love to.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Vaughn Greenhouses.They’re in the book.He’s no longer in the foliage business, but he has a farm, a foliage place up on [Florida State Road] Highway 46 up in Sanford.And saw him, and I said something, and he said, “Hattaway, what you did is brilliant.”He said, “I’ve been trying to do the same thing, except I can’t get my zoning.I’m in the Wekiva [River] Protection Area.”And so, he can do nothing other than what he’s doing.So, you know, fortunately, when I started building the buildings, I then started working politically to change the zoning on this place.And so I did it back early.If I tried to do it today, I’d probably never get it done.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Are you still involved in local politics?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /> </strong>I just write checks.<em>[laughs]</em></p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong><em>[laughs] </em>Well…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>No, I’m still involved.I have a lot of friends in the political scene.I help them.You know, I served eight years in the [Florida] Legislature.Loved it, and had fun with it.Eight years at Orlando International Airport.That’s a full-time, non-paid political job, and did that for eight years.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>And what was your—for the airport, what was your…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I was the—actually, I was chairman for four years, and vice chairman for two years, and on the board for eight.And the governor appointed me.Lawton Chiles appointed me.And so, I served there, and when I went on the board, there was $10 million worth of construction going at the Orlando International Airport.When I left, eight years later—yeah, eight years later it was—it was $500 million worth of construction going.And they had another $500 million committed to build the south terminal, and the new board decided that they didn’t want to do that, and so the new board today is trying to figure out how they can get the money to build the south terminal for international rivals.And, you know, that was a group of Democrats—John Rich, Bill Miller, Howard McNelty, myself—four really strong Democrats.We got in and got aggressive, said, “This place is gonna grow.”And we went from 22 million passengers—eight years later, it was like 31 million passengers.That’s growth.And all we did, we went out and started marketing the Orlando International Airport, as a board, as a group of people, with the mayor of Orlando, Linda Hood, and the county chairman, Linda Chapin.And we were a hell of a team, and we moved around this country, all around this world, basically.And brought airlines in, British Airlines[sic], Southwest [Airlines], Virgin [Atlantic].Those were all new carriers that came in that eight-year period of time.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Were you involved in the [Orlando-] Sanford [International] Airport or the…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>That was my first venture.Back when we did that one, Kay Shoemaker was the chairman, and John—what was the name—Steve, he was the executive director.I can’t think of his last name now.But he came to me, I was a new board member, and he said, “You know, we need to go after international passengers for the Sanford airport.”So we went to Kay Shoemaker and talked Kay into letting us fly, I think it was, Toronto, Canada.And the concept that Steve had—and I was just the baggage, went along with him—that we need to go to Holiday Travel, and talk to them about direct flights from Toronto to Sanford, and not from Toronto to Orlando.And we met with the Holiday Travel, they thought it was a good idea, and he was very much in favor of it, but the issue was that the travel time coming from the Sanford Airport to [Walt] Disney [World], you didn’t have the 414, I think it is, or 4…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Oh,[State Road] 408, [State Road] 417?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>417, yeah, coming across the lake.You didn’t have that segment built, and, so, that was a stopping point.When that segment was built, Holiday Travel and a lot of those guys started flying into Sanford, and bypassing Orlando.Well, in the meantime, I moved from the Sanford Airport board, over to the Orlando Airport.<em>[laughs] </em>So, it was quite a conflict there for a while.<em>[laughs] </em>And Larry Dale—and I don’t know if you know Larry—but Larry Dale and I had some real knockdowns and drag-outs about the airports.He’s the executive director of the Sanford Airport.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Oh, yeah?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah.Yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>I’m curious how you, how did you even get involved with the airport, like the industry?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>The governor.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>The governor.Yeah, I—when Lawton was elected—Lawton Chiles—I’d been in the Legislature.I knew him very well, and I worked with him for his election.And he was elected.He appointed me to the lottery commission.I didn’t believe in the lottery.I didn’t like the lottery.When it was approved, I was in the Legislature.I voted against it.And was opposed against it then, and Lawton told me, said, “I want you to be on that board.You’re the first Democrat to be appointed, and I want to get rid of the executive director.”I forget her name.She was really good, too.But he wanted to get rid of her and he wanted to change the entire board.He wanted to make changes.And so, I did that for a couple of years.And I was tired of it, and finally we just got enough Democrats on the board that I went to the governor, said, “I’m out of here.I don’t want to do this anymore.”In the meantime, when that happened, the [Greater Orlando] Aviation Authority thing came up available in Orlando, and I was supporting a Republican, Sue [inaudible] was her name, and Sue wanted to be appointed to the board.And I went to the governor to appoint her from Seminole County, and the governor says, “No, I’m not going to appoint a Republican.But I will appoint you if you want to take the job.”So I said, “Well, okay. I’ll do it.”</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Did you have an interest in air travel?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Yeah, I did, because of Sanford.And I knew that it was a very, very important job.The Orlando International Airport is the economic engine that really runs this community today.And the things they’ve accomplished, and the size of the airport.This is number one around the state of Florida, certainly, that I enjoyed that.But I did, I was able to go into that segment having eight years in Tallahassee being a legislator, that I knew a little bit about politics, and I knew that a lot of my newfound friends that I found in Tallahassee, of eight years, when I was no longer elected, they didn’t know my first name or my last name.And when I was appointed to the Aviation Authority in Orlando, I told my wife, Charlotte, I said, “This is altogether different.We’re going to have a lot of brand new friends, and they’re going to love us for eight years.And when we’re gone, they won’t know our name.So we’re gonna do this different.We’re gonna do what the hell we want to do, and we’re gonna do the things that we think are right, and eight years from now, we’ll be good.”And that’s how we prefaced that.So it was fun.It was, like I said, it was a full-time—as a chairman—non-paid, political job.But would I do that again?Probably not.It was the right time.You know, I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve lived at the right time, when things were just starting to peak or things were really going smoothly, and everybody was getting along.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>It seems like you’ve always been able to do what makes you happy.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I’ve been lucky.You’ll never sit across the table from a more blessed, lucky guy than me.Life has been good.With high school education, I’ve competed with all of them.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Work ethic.Whistling[?] away[?].</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It’s worked out, worked out fine.<em>[laughs] </em>So, and I laugh about. In fact, I’ve brought my report cards in today for some reason, and I looked at those report cards, looking through stuff, and I said, “Man, I was a straight-F student.”<em>[laughs] </em>So, but, it’s been fun.Life’s been good, been good.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>I wanted to ask you, for the Sanford Airport, when did that start becoming—when was it under construction?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>It was, you know, it was a naval base [Naval Air Station Sanford], and then they converted over into a commercial airport, and I don’t remember the years.But I was on that board—phew.It wasn’t in the—must have been in the late ‘70s when they started converting it over.Yeah, I can’t remember the dates on that one.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>So, did—it might have been the fern industry—I mean, it might have been kind of already low at that time, but was there any kind of transition?‘Cause you said the railroads, in the early days, that was like the artery.Was there, like, did the airports start to be more of a central thing with transportation?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>With ferns, no.No.With the fern business, it became trucks.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Everybody moved from the—we did some air freight, not a lot.Most of it was done by—the whole industry changed from trains and rail over to the trucking industry.So there was a—trucking lines were moving strictly either foliage plants or ferns by truck itself to the destination.The fern business itself—the labor, cost of labor, the cost of materials, the cost of land—all those things just became cost-prohibited to be able to do anything with it.You asked a question earlier about, you know, do I miss it?I loved the plant business.I really enjoyed it, and still today would like to be in the business, except I know I can’t make any money at it.And I’m not gonna fool around with something I can’t make money at as well.But, you know, the guys in Apopka and the guys that been in the fern business, and growing something, you know, a plant or product, I think they all will tell you, you know, it’s just a great place to—it’s a fun thing to do.And it’s really rewarding to put a little plant on a stem into a piece of <em>sphagnum</em> moss, and grow it to a finished product, and ship it.If I had a nickel for every plant that I’ve grown, I’d be a very wealthy man.Rick [Hattaway] enjoyed it.My brother enjoyed it very much.And I kept telling him, “You don’t want to go into the greenhouse business.You want to stay out of it.”My mother told me that as well.But, you know, he followed the family trade and did that as well.But, it’s a good life.It’s a good opportunity.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>That whole watching something grow, that seems almost kind of like a good metaphor for your, all your business [inaudible].</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong><em>[laughs ] </em>Yeah.Yeah.I read an article today, an old one, gosh, about when I developed that orange grove over there, and it was—Phil [inaudible] was the city manager.It was quoting him about what I was doing over there, and how I environmentally was taking care of Lake Lotus, and all the things I did back then.But, you know, to see the growth, or where we were back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and where we are today, people have opportunities.There were no opportunities when I was growing up.Either you worked in a fernery or you worked in an orange grove.There wasn’t high school education.People weren’t going to college.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>You had to find your own…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>You had to find your own, you had to make your own way at that particular point in time.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Since you brought that up, I’m curious what you think about how this area—I probably can’t imagine what it was like when you were a kid.What do you think?How do you think it’s progressed?Are you…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>I’m for growth.I’m growth.Opportunities.I mean, I had a farm, sold it a couple years ago up in Alabama, little town called Opp, Alabama.And it was heavy agriculture, farming area.And today—Opp, Alabama—you can take a shotgun down the main street and not hit a soul.There’s just nothing to do there.And that’s the way it was here.The growth has been really, really, to me, healthy.It’s been giving good opportunities to people having good jobs.Our way of life—there are no poor people in this community today.You see some not as well off as others, but everybody either has a television, or everybody has food on the table.Everybody has an opportunity to make something of themselves, you see, if they want to take that opportunity.And back then, there was no opportunities.You had to make it yourself.And today there’s many doors open for employment, and it’s not all agriculture.At that time, it was.But am I in favor of growth?Absolutely.Has it been good for this community?Absolutely.Has it been good for this state?Absolutely.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Is there anything that you see in this community, that you don’t find good about—<strong>l</strong>ike, obviously, there’s a lot of good growth brings, but is there anything you lament that has changed, or any nostalgia?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway <br /></strong>I think the one problem that we have in our community is that we have not been able to keep up with the road—the growth with our road network—and mainly because of the lack of proper leadership from the Legislature.We’ve never had the political voting power to be able to build a road network they have on the south coast, South Florida—they have on the west coast.And our group has been splintered—Democrat, Republican— and many times have not worked together to have the power base in Tallahassee to get the state dollars to build—FDOT [Florida Department of Transportation]—to build our community.So we’ve not done a good job on our roads.And you have one major road going through this entire community, from Daytona Beach into Tampa, and that’s I-4.Other than that, you have very limited roads.If it wasn’t for the East-West Expressway [SR 408], the [Central Florida] Expressway Authority, we wouldn’t have any roads.So that’s been a blessing to us, but I think that’s our biggest problem.Our growth has been handled with zoning—comprehensive land plan—where the commercial’s going to be built, where the residential’s going to be built—all those things, I think, have been handled very well.We have a great water system, sewer system in Central Florida.We have all the things conducive to solid development, except the roads.And you get on these roads, and you know what it’s like.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Gridlock.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>But I’m kind of surprised to hear that—weren’t a lot of the old, like ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, Florida Republicans, weren’t they kind of pro-growth and infrastructure?Wouldn’t they…</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong>Well, when I was in the Legislature back in the ‘70s, the [Florida] House [of Representatives] and the [Florida] Senate was controlled by the Democrats, and the Republicans were along for the ride.And then, when power shifted chains, we didn’t see a lot of growth coming here.I mean, we’ve had—I don’t want you to write this.</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Motta<br /></strong>What’s that?</p>
<p class="Body"><strong>Hattaway<br /></strong><em>[laughs] I</em> don’t want you to write this.This is off the record on this one.Yeah.</p>
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9e5993333a282c616be0520443c4fdb4
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Watermark Collection
Alternative Title
The Watermark Collection
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/" target="_blank">RICHES Program</a>
Type
Collection
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/">The Watermark</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
O'Neal, Rhiannon
Hearn, Nikki
Greene, Quintella
Rodriguez, Sharon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 3, September 28, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 3
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The third issue of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on September 28, 1994 and continued to focus on family-orientated LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) issues. The front page was dedicated to two articles, one about the rapidly increasing gay marriage movement, and the other focusing on National Coming Out Day. The third page included a half page obituary for Charles W. Hummer III, who died of AIDS of September 19, 2016. The paper continued to publish more national stories this time including, New York’s push to include "significant others" on insurance benefits, the limitations put on lesbian mothers in Utah, and a dental discrimination case in Texas. The paper also continues to discuss discrimination in schools that had started in the previous issue.<br /><br />Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Type
Text
Source
Original 24-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 3, September 28, 1994: Publications Collection, <a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/203" target="_blank">The Watermark Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 24-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 3, September 28, 1994.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Salt Lake City, Utah
Atlanta, Georgia
Albany, New York
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Houston, Texas
Miami, Florida
Hilton Walt Disney World Village, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Dyer, Tom
Fowler, G. K.
Gustetter, April L.
Kilgore, Michael C.
Kundis, Ken
Maines, Ted
O'Lay, Lola
Schultz, Toscas, Dimitri
Nan
Williams, R.M.
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-09-28
Date Issued
1994-09-28
Date Copyrighted
1994-09-28
Format
application/pdf
Medium
24-page newspaper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Publishing Group</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Transcript
FLORIDA' S DISTINCTIVE CAY AND LESBIAN PUBLICATION.
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3 SEPTEMBER 28,1994
SOMETHI
SOMETH!
NG OLD,
NGNEW
THE BOOM IN GAY MARRIAGE
by G. K. Fowler
Carol Bartsch met Kim Newton at a nightspot “and yes, it was love at first sight. We had just met and it was amazing how many people came up to us that night and made comments
like ‘how long have you two been together?’” Within six weeks they were sure of their feelings and within a few months had moved in together “to build our lives.” Last August, after ten years of successful partnership, they exchanged formal vows.
Carol is a cool and intelligible community activist, but she describes her wedding like a bom romantic. “It was perfect. My perfect day.” She and Kim had long celebrated the night they met as a private occasion (“it seemed unlikely we would ever have a wedding anniversary,”) and gradually decided on formal commitment for their tenth. “We wanted it all. We wanted a full ceremony to affirm our relationship and share the feelings we have for each other with our families and friends.
“And there was another reason. I was raised thinking in terms of falling in love and getting married. Finally it just seemed like something we should not be denied because we were lesbians, something in life we didn’t want to feel we’d missed out bn. I’d like to see it become legal of course, but in the meantime I wasn’t going to waste my life waiting. In the meantime, while we’re still young and so much in love, why not marry?”
Bemie LaTour was an occasional customer at the upscale Orlando store Eric Boyd manages. Interest wasn’t lacking, but they had no occasion to speak until Bemie managed a third-party introduction. Conversation led to dating and dating to romance.
A few months later Bemie let slip the word “love” while speaking of other things. Sly Bemie. Eric nearly missed it. “You know,” he says, “he wasn’t going to say anything in order to see if I’d caught it. And I said ‘wait a minute, just stop. Stop the truck! What did you say?”’ Cornered,
Kim Newton (left) and Carol Bartsch: “Something we should not be denied.”
Continued Page 8
THE COMING OF NATIONAL
COMING OUT
BAY
For more than a decade, Rob Eichberg has been one of a handful of activists standing at the forefron* of the gay rights movement. Through his books, speaking engagements and television appearances, Rob has passionately carried the
about your life. Live powerfully* not fully. Come out of the closet.
Those who saw him in Orlando last spring, when he addressed the Metropolitan Business Association, know that he is a brilliant communicator, sincere, intelligent, charismatic, and inspiring as only true believers can be. But Rob’s greatest value to the gay community may be as an “idea person,*’ He is one of those rafb people capable of creating a grand vision and then making it happen. National Coming Out Day may be his best idea, his best vision so far.
Celebrated each October 11 since 1988, National Coming Out Day is when millions of lesbians and gay men recognise how important it is that we share our lives with our families, friends and co-workers. That we not hide. That we put a face on gay and lesbian experience.
“Ultimately, visibility is the key to the success of our movement,” says Eichberg. “Studies show that those who know agay or lesbian person support our issues 70% of the time. Bo what do we need to do? We need to make sure that everyone knows a lesbian or gay man, and die way to do that is to come out.”
Eichberg acknowledges that the idea for a celebration associated with coming out was not his alone. But the need became apparent to him when he md Advocate magazine editor David Goodstein founded “The Advocate Experience” in 1976. “The idea behind The Experience was to empower lesbians and gay men , to function lovingly and openly with
Continued Page 20
WATERMARK / September 28,1994 2
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WATERMARK / September 28,1994 3
LOCAL & STATE NEWS
CHARLES “CHUCK” W. HUMMER III
Orlando lost a rare and bright light when Charles “Chuck” W. Hummer III succumbed to AIDS on September 19. Volunteer, activist, and friend to many, Chuck brought enthusiasm and energy to each of his many projects and relationships. He had a rare ability to be diligent and responsible.. .a force to be reckoned with.. .while also outrageous and childlike. Chuck truly had gifts to give; the love in his heart and the twinkle in his eye. With a sturdy shoulder, a disarming wink and an off-color joke, Chuck helped many, many people through difficult times.
Chuck Hummer was the first and only Executive Director of the Hope & Help Center of Central Florida. He first joined Hope & Help in 1988, when the agency was formed to provide support services to those affected by the HIV disease. Chuck started as a volunteer, subsequently became the first paid
1962 -1994
staff member, and ultimately oversaw expansion to a present staff of 23.
As a person living with HIV, Chuck had to overcome many of the obstacles facing people with AIDS: job discrimination, access to medical treatment, loss of health insurance. His positive attitude toward life and living with AIDS, stressing living rather than dying, was indelibly woven into the fabric of Hope & Help.
Chuck advocated a holistic approach to life and health, believing that care of the body was inextricably tied to mental and spiritual health. Chuck was active in drug studies and HIV related research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland since 1988. This involvement increased his medical awareness and understanding of HIV Disease.
Over the years, Chuck was instrumental
in assisting clients to enroll in drug studies at NIH. Currently, 32 local clients participate in NIH studies and are able to network with other clients by sharing the most current medical information. The availability of otherwise unreleased treatment protocols motivated his strong and continuing participation in the NIH research effort. He was deeply committed to finding effective treatments for HIV/AIDS.
In addition to his administrative role at Hope & Help, Chuck actively supported outreach efforts to the community at large. He lectured in Hope & Help’s unique teen peer education program, in the risk reduction distribution program, and the general population outreach program.
Chuck was born in the Republic of Panama, where he lived and went to school. He moved to the United States with his parents in 1979. He was a student activist in high school, and a thespian since his first appearance on stage at age 7. A graduate of Balboa High School in the Panama Canal Zone, he attended Canal Zone College and then Northern Virginia Community College. He received his Bachelors degree in International Studies from the American University in Washington D.C. in 1985, and was seeking a Masters Degree at Rollins College.
Chuck is survived by his mother, Greta N. Hummer, of Reston, Virginia; his father and stepmother, Charles W. Hummer, Jr. and Sandra Hummer, of Haines City, Florida; his longtime companion, Mark Steffy, of Davenport, Florida; and step-grandmothers, Sarita Chiari de Selee, of Panama City, Panama, and L. Phyllis Hummer, of Pinellas Park, Florida.
For those who may wish, a donation may be made in Chuck’s name to the Hope & Help Center of Central Florida, 1935 Woodcrest Dr., Winter Park, Florida 32792.
SUE YORK, LOCAL LESBIAN ACTIVIST: 1943 - 1994
Sue York, a lesbian activist and Central Florida resident, died on September 15, 1994. She was 51 years old.
According to friend Barb Fallon, York was a soft-spoken woman with an unwavering belief in human dignity and equal rights for all. She was involved in the civil rights struggle in the south during the ’60s, and has long worked for equal rights for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in both Orlando and Daytona Beach.
York offered her wealth of experience to
the LCN Express, a monthly newspaper with a large and devoted readership among Central Florida’s lesbian community. At LCN she served as editor, contributing writer, and in the words of Fallon, “continual inspiration.” Fallon adds, “I remember during the March on Washington, when all of us were tired and weary, Sue let us know with just her smile that everything was going to be alright.. .both that day and afterward.”
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Although difficult to measure, the gay and lesbian vote has been recognized as potentially influential in some local races. The Orlando Sentinel stated in a September 10 article that a strong gay and lesbian vote in east Orange County may have helped County Chairman candidate Fran Pignone there.
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WATERMARK / September 28, 1994 4
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
LESBIAN ALLOWED ONE VISIT WITH CHILD OF FORMER PARTNER
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A lesbian seeking the right to have regular visitation with the child of her former partner has been granted a single, two-hour visit next weekend while the matter remains under consideration. The visit was granted by 3rd District Judge Leslie Lewis.
The plaintiff, identified in court only as A.I., has not seen the 4-year-old boy of her former partner, C.D., since July. “I’m ecstatic right now,” A.I., 43, said Monday. C.D., 27, did not comment.
Witnesses said A.I. was present at the boy’s birth, shared daily duties such as bathing and clothing him, helped give him asthma treatments and took time off work when he needed medical attention. They said she helped support C.D. and her family.
The defense contends the woman’s role was like that of a baby sitter and that the court did not have the right to grant visitation.
STATE PATROL ASSIGNED TO GEORGIA POLITICIAN AFTER GAY HARASSMENT
ATLANTA (AP) - Republican Lt. Governor nominee Nancy Shaefer recieved a State Patrol bodyguard after complaining about harassing phone calls from gays and lesbians.
Public Safety Commissioner Sid Miles said that the harassment was serious enough to warrant protection even though there had been no threats of bodily harm from any specific group. “We decided it would be in her best interest to assign someone to her,” Miles said. The extra security will continue through the Nov. 8 election.
“I’m sorry we have to do something such as this,” Schaefer said. The 59-year-old candidate said she, her husband and campaign workers have received harassing calls in recent weeks. She said several callers telephoned the Doubletree Hotel on Friday and threatened a picket by gays and lesbians if Schaefer didn’t cancel a fund-raiser there.
Schaefer has drawn criticism for her statements that heterosexual and homosexual domestic partnerships are illegal and immoral. Her organization, Family Concerns, helped finance a lawsuit challenging city of Atlanta legislation to authorize health benefits for the unmarried partners of city employees. The ordinance was declared unconstitutional by a Fulton County judge.
NEW YORK PLAN OFFERS INSURANCE BENEFITS TO “SIGNIFICANT OTHERS”
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The new year will bring health insurance benefits to the live-in mates of unmarried state prison guards and public university professors who qualify under a new agreement.
The move will make such coverage available to homosexual or heterosexual partners. The deal announced Friday was the result of negotiations between the staff of Gov. Mario Cuomo and two public-sector unions _ United University Professions and Council 82 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Vermont is the only state that currently provides such coverage for domestic partners, but New York City, Rochester and Ithaca do so for city employees. “It’s part of the movement to equalize the way we cover the people who are left out of the system,” said Joseph Bress, director of the state Office of Employee Relations. “We do not feel one set of employees should be deprived of benefits others are entitled to.”
To qualify for the program, which would start on Jan. 1 or soon after, domestic partners must be adults unrelated by blood or marriage, involved in an exclusive and “committed” relationship and living together for six months, and can demonstrate financial interdependence. Bress said partners would be certified through the use of financial documents such as bank accounts and mortgage statements.
Some state workers who would not be affected by the program have questioned the timing of it, saying they believed the governor was seeking votes in November’s election. They claim Cuomo is pandering to downstate gay voters while keeping the issue quiet among the more conservative upstate voters who might be cool to the idea of using government money to cover homosexual couples.
The Public Employees Federation, New York’s second-largest state workers’ union, was also close to signing its own agreement, the Albany’s Times Union reported.
The Civil Service Employees Association is also considering the plan, he said. The unions represent more than 100,000 of the 162,000-member state workforce eligible to apply for domestic partner benefits under the program. Bress said the projected cost for the program ranges from a low of $249,000 to a high of $2.1 million. The latter figure is based on if all unions agreed to the plan.
NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN JOURNALISTS’ GROUP MEETS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Four years ago, says Leroy Aarons, most gay journalists were “still in the closet or just peeping their heads out.” Now, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, which Aarons founded in 1990, has about 1,000 members in news organizations across the country. About 400 of them attended the group’s national conference in Minneapolis, at which U. S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was the featured speaker.
While last year’s gathering was held in New York City, this year, Minneapolis was chosen to help attract journalists from smaller communities, said Aarons, who worked for the Washington Post in the 1960s and 1970s. The theme was “Out on Main Street.” Members compared how gay and lesbian issues are covered in their communities, and also how work environments differ, he said.
Kim Severson, entertainment editor at the Anchorage Daily News in Anchorage, Alaska, a city of about 250,000, formed part of a panel discussion on those differences. She said extra challenges exist in smaller communities, where “issues of gays and lesbians are really hot.” Severson recalled an article she wrote about closeted gays in Alaska state government that caused a local uproar. “If you tried to do a story like that in New York or San Francisco, editors would say, ‘So what?’ ” she said.
Elders addressed homophobia as a public health issue, especially as it relates to gay teenage suicide. The conference agenda included an ethics seminar, a discussion on homophobia in sports with California psychiatrist Dee Mosbacher, a panel on news coverage of health issues and another on the career effects of being openly gay.
Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton gave the welcoming address. Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, one of two openly gay members of Congress, addressed a Saturday lunch session, and gay comic Kate Clinton also appeared.
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FLORIDA JURY AWARDS $600,000 TO WOMAN MISDIAGNOSED WITH HIV VIRUS
MIAMI (AP) - Vemelle Lowder gave up her children, moved back to her Georgia hometown and made plans to kill herself after being told she had the HIV virus. It was all a mistake.
A Dade Circuit Court jury has awarded $600,000 to Lowder, 49, for pain and suffering after her 1990 AIDS test was misread. Dr. Homer L. Kirkpatrick, who gave anti-AIDS medication to Lowder, settled for $250,000 on the eve of the trial.
Although AIDS cannot be transmitted by casual contact, Lowder worried about touching her children, now ages 17,19 and 21, her attorney, Steven Mitchel said. She gave legal custody of her children to her mother - who would wash her daughter’s dirty dishes with bleach.
Finally, she returned in October 1992 to her hometown of Waycross in Georgia. At an AIDS hospice clinic in Waycross, she was retested and learned she was HIV-negative.
Lowder went to the Family Health Center in Hialeah for a checkup in November 1990. She decided to be tested for AIDS because she had received a blood transfusion in 1980. After being told she was HIV-positive, Lowder took medication prescribed by Kirkpatrick for several months that made her nauseous and weak, her attorney said.
MAN AWARDED $100,000 IN DENTAL CARE DISCRIMINATION CASE
HOUSTON (AP) - A Houston man who was refused treatment at a dental center after disclosing that he was infected with HIV will receive $100,000 as part of an out-of-court settlement of a discrimination lawsuit.
The U.S. Justice Department said the settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act is the first of its kind. Last year, the department sued the Castle Dental Center in Houston for violating the act by telling Harrison J. Totten it would no longer treat him.
Totten, 30, said his orthodontic treatment was discontinued in May 1992 when he revealed that he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
“This settlement is more than just a slap on the wrist,” Totten’s attorney John Paul Bamich said. “The message I would like to go out is that if people are going to be intentionally ignorant, we’re going to make it as painful as possible.”
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination from the offices of health care providers. Testing positive for HIV and having AIDS are disabilities under the act.
The Justice Department became involved in the case when Bamich contacted them after filing a 1993 lawsuit in state court on Totten’s behalf. The suit alleged that Totten went to the center in 1991 to get braces. When he went back in May 1992 to have his teeth cleaned, he was given a form to complete that asked if he had AIDS or had tested HIV-positive.
After writing that he had tested HIV-positive, Totten waited 45 minutes without receiving services and then left. “The word that Harrison Totten was infected with HIV spread around Castle Dental Center. His patient file was conspicuously marked with a red sticker saying ‘AIDS,’” the suit stated.
The following month, Totten called Castle to confirm an appointment and was told he should have received notice that the dental center would not treat him again, Bamich said.
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BUSINESS
COMPANIES VALUE CULTURAL DIVERSITY
by Ken Kundis
It was a simple act, really. Something that most of his fellow employees at Federal Express did without thought. Ted placed the photograph of his lover on his desk and went about his work, wondering what his new associates would say. To his surprise, they said almost nothing at all.
This simple act of assertiveness fifteen years ago by Ted Maines, now a senior manager at Federal Express, was the beginning of a path that would culminate in his inclusion on Federal Express’ Cultural Diversity steering committee. He discussed not only his positive experiences at Federal Express but also the climate for gays and lesbians in corporate America during a presentation at the Rainbow Democratic Club meeting held, Monday, September 19.
According to Maines, a growing number of companies are adding the words “sexual orientation” to their equal employment opportunity (EEO) statements and offering equal treatment to gays and lesbians. However, most companies in America still do not have written policies protecting the rights of gays and lesbians, and do not offer equal benefits to their gay employees.
The list of companies that do have such protections, however, is impressive. It includes Disney, Microsoft, Lotus Development Corporation, DuPont Chemical, Xerox, Apple Computers, and Chase Manhattan Banks. Maines indicates that these companies and many others are offering fair and equitable treatment to gays and lesbians in one of the following areas.
Inclusion in EEO statement All companies, large and small, have EEO statements - that is, a short proclamation that the company does not discrimination against specified minorities. By adding the words “sexual orientation” to the list of protected minorities, companies can take the first step in protecting the rights of gays and lesbians, Maines said.
“Most important, it makes the policy clear to all the employees of the company that harassment or discrimination of gays and lesbians will not be tolerated,” he said.
A Safe Work Environment Maines defines this environment as a workplace free of homophobia and AIDSphobia. According to Maines, one company that is leading the way in providing such an environment is telecommunications giant AT&T.
“They have instituted a training seminar entitled ‘Homophobia in the Workplace,’ designed to educate middle and upper management as well as hourly employees on the issues associated with homophobia, and how it can negatively influence a workplace,” Maines said.
Another step toward providing a safe workplace is the use of inclusive language in all company communications. An example of this would be to use “significant other” or “partner” instead of “spouse” in corporate communications.
Equitable Benefits Programs
Maines feels that gays and lesbians should be offered equal compensation for equal work. This extends to the disbursement of benefits, particularly regarding domestic partners.
These benefits can include such things as allowing domestic partners to be included on medical and dental plans and allowing fora non-married significant other to receive survivor pensions. However, providing equitable benefits can be something as simple as providing bereavement pay or family leave to domestic partners.
Public Support
Some companies are also publicly lending their names and financial support to gay and lesbian causes. For example, during the referendum in Colorado on prohibiting the protection of civil rights for gays and lesbians, companies such as Apple Computer, Microsoft, US West Telecommunications and Philip Morris wrote letters and contributed money to defeat the initiative.
According to Maines, gay and lesbian employees also have a responsibility in the struggle for equality in the workplace.
“The best thing you can do is come out at work. Put a face on the issue. Don’t allow yourself to be treated like a second class citizen in the workplace,” Maines said.
Also at the meeting:
• Carol Bartsch of the Federal Advocacy Network (FAN), affilialecl with tlie Human Rights Campaign Fund, spoke about the attempt by the American Family Association (AFA) to overturn legislation in Alachua County designed to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. The AFA, which attempted something similar on a statewide level under a different name last year, has chosen Alachua County to begin again their battle against legal protection of gays and lesbians.
• A videotape of Senate committee hearings regarding ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1994) was also played for attendees. The act, sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, would prohibit employment discrimination based solely on sexual orientation. The short program also featured the testimony of a gay man and a lesbian who were each discriminated against in their workplace. Thus far, 31 senators and 136 representatives have signed on as co-supporters of ENDA.
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MARRIAGE
From Page 1
Bemie answered: “it slipped, but I do love you.”
Eric had been in love awhile himself by then, but was wary of raising the issue until he could be “certain, absolutely certain, that Bemie felt the same way. Well...we were both crying.” Last April, after eighteen months of true courtship, they formally committed themselves to each other in Holy Union.
These couples have what most people want: the house where love lives. In marrying, however, they have done something few gay people, until recently, considered possible or even desirable.
In the early 1970’s, when Kim, Carol, Eric and Bemie were kids, the dominant avant-garde of the young gay rights movement were not, to put it mildly, the marrying kind. Michael Sherry, a professor of gay and lesbian studies at northwestern University, interviewed in the June 2, 1994 edition of Chicago’s Windy City Times, characterized their attitude as principled rejection. “The idea of wanting to join the institution of marriage was anathema.
“It wasn’t just a sense that it would be impossible legally or politically, but that you wouldn’t want to do so even if you could, because marriage is at the center of the circle of oppressive institutions. Marriage was seen as oppressive to women, and oppressive to the gay men caught in it.” He might have added that, in the rhetoric of the time, marriage was a central pillar of the culture of hatred oppressing all minorities.
Indeed, formal religion was justly held in contempt as the fountainhead of gay and lesbian persecution. A judge upholding an anti-sodomy law can honestly say “The Bible tells me so” - as indeed many have. In such a context a politically-aware gay couple seeking religious union had all the social cachet of freeborn black abolitionists moving south to make a killing in the slave trade.
Things have clearly changed. Men and women who proudly identify themselves as gay; people who are out to stay, who witness, who march for freedom, nowadays march down the aisle as well. Some, like our newlyweds, even pose in tuxes and gowns for the Wedding Album photos. They speak of marriage as an institution in terms of meaningfulness, completion, and human possibility rather than oppression, exploitation, or conformity. They talk about freedom and happiness - precisely what Gay Lib promised.
How to account for this revolution in sensibility? Of the many factors at play the most potent is doubtless the increasingly public presence of gay men and lesbian women in America’s communities of faith. This presence and the dialogue it necessitates must rank among the most remarkable religious developments of our time.
Chief among the movers and shakers have been The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC), the Unitarian Church, and the Society of Friends (Quakers). Also significant are the increasingly vocal lay organizations Integrity (Episcopalian) and Dignity (Roman Catholic). The Jewish faith is vocally represented by congregation Beth Chayin Chadashim, the outreach synagogue of Los Angeles, New York’s Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, other affiliates of The World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations such as Congregation Beth Ahava (Philadelphia) and Congregation B’nai Haskalah (Boston). The United Church of Christ (UCC) also boasts a Lesbian/Gay Coalition. At present, Orlando claims only a few representative organizations. But these are enough to tie us into the mainstream of the Gay Nineties.
Rick Effinger, an activist in the local chapter of Integrity, considers marriage as less a religious than a political issue because of its obvious benefits to individuals and the community. The blessing of a union, he says,
solidifies a relationship. Men and women clearly benefit from the stability and growth long-term relationships provide, and “when you’re talking about two people who are in a loving, caring, mutually-sustaining relationship, the gender of those two people is essentially irrelevant.”
Gay couples can reach the mark, “but it’s very difficult. One of the reasons is that we have so few socially-instituted and recognized, sanctioned events that reinforce relationships in the way such events do for heterosexuals. And that’s crucial for relationships.” According to Effinger, two-person union is a legitimate human goal, perhaps even biologically-determined. In most species, dating (attracting a partner) occurs so that mating (commitment) can occur. It’s lunacy, he says, to expect that homosexuals simply date forever, or would be satisfied doing so. Yet although gay people obviously share with heterosexuals the same biological drives and social needs, they have traditionally been denied the prospect - even the conception - of the dating ritual’s logical outcome.
Personal fulfillment and health issues aside (he is an MD), there is, unavoidably, a theological layer to Effinger’s argument. “The ultimate long-term goal is to have unions because they allow all persons in the community of the faithful full access to all the sacraments. You can’t have groups of people isolated from certain sacraments simply because of human dictate. The idea, from a Christian perspective, is to include everybody. That’s a mandate we have, to include everybody in the arms of God.”
Joe Curtis, Chairman of Dignity Orlando, the Catholic outreach organization, makes the same argument by putting theology first. “In our community in Orlando, couples are married within the Church. Formally married with a priest. We don’t dance a the thing as far as it being a ‘holy union.’ It’s Holy Matrimony. It’s sacramental. It’s their spiritual right. It’s their spiritual inheritance, if you will, from the Church. It’s part of that treasure we’re promised at Baptism.”
Asked whether marriage is, as the Church holds, the only permissible context of sexual activity, he says “We don’t mince words. We advocate matrimony. We say that it is actually the preferred condition for gay couples in the scheme of things. Because people have responsibilities to be in committed relationships. We talk about sex being exploitative and abusive or non-exploitative and honest. Holy Matrimony is the best expression of the fact that two people are giving themselves fully with full commitment to each other... .All people are called to chastity. It’s just as wrong for gay Catholics to screw around as it is for straight Catholics.”
The Church, Curtis says, has the truth. But laws were made for men, not men for laws. He agrees with Effinger that marriage is desirable as much for its human as its sacramental benefits. “Hopefully Holy Matrimony will become common for Gay Catholics...in the next century, probably. Obviously there’s not enough critical mass to have a pre-Cana program [Church-led premarital counseling]...down the road, hopefully, we’ll have something like that. Because those programs have value to couples.
“There’s a great deal of value in having someone think through whether they want to marry. Unfortunately in our community you see quite the opposite.. .and there’s a lot of hurt, broken gays for that reason. While I don’t want to impose a vast structure on the gay community, I think a lot of those mechanisms would be useful.”
Carol Hale, Associate Pastor at Joy Metropolitan Community Church (Joy MCC), performed the Holy Union Service at which Eric and Bemie were joined. She agrees that couples have to look carefully at their reasons before accepting Holy Union. (MCC requires that couples receive pre-Union
Continued Page 9
WATERMARK / September 28,1994 9
COVER STORY
MARRIAGE
From Page 8
counseling.) “One of the first things we ask a couple is ‘why do you want to have a Holy Union?’ If they think it’s going to mend a relationship, they’re in trouble.”
For Rev. Hale, communication is the key. “Are they pretty much set on their goals together? Are they communicating with each other when they’re sitting here? My primary interest is, are they communicating about what they both want from the relationship, long-term.”
“I don’t think that gay relationships are any different than straight relationships ...they’re two people living together who face the same worldly problems that any couple faces. So they’re facing the same stresses - if not more, because of the gay
“Now in my own thinking there are two very legitimate reasons for Holy Union. One is, it offers a very public opportunity for two people to make a commitment to each other. For example, if I discover someone who is special to me and with whom I want to enjoy a long-term relationship, why shouldn’t I make a public proclamation of that? The other reason is, if I discover someone who means this much to me, why not celebrate that? And Holy Union is an opportunity to celebrate what has happened to us.”
In Brock’s mind the absence of secular arrangements reinforces the spiritual meaning of Holy Union. “We affirm that this is a Christian ceremony. Therefore I don’t do a secular ceremony. I don’t just say ‘here are two people who love each other’; what I say is based on the Bible. So it is a reli-
Eric Boyd (left) and Bernie LaTour: “The thing to do.”
and lesbian lifestyle. The dynamics of being gay and lesbian don’t affect the couples so much as the dynamics of family relationship enter into it.”
So she speaks to couples about safe sex, communication, boundaries, and finances - the worldly stresses that destroy relationships. “Have they set the boundaries in the relationship and do they understand where each stands? How do they discuss finances? If they buy property together, how are they going to handle that? How they handle their checkbook...you know, I don’t care how they handle these things, only that they talk about them.”
MCC has been performing Holy Union services since the year of its founding, 1968. The Reverend Jimmy Brock, Pastor of Joy MCC, is very clear about what, exactly, the couples he unites are doing. “I try to make it clear to people in my Holy Unions that we’re not imitating a marriage ceremony. You cannot get married. Marriage in our culture is a secular contract...which requires a marriage license issued by a governmental agency. It’s a secular union. Therefore, since they won’t give you a marriage license, you can’t get married.”
He is equally straightforward when considering the reasons couples unite. “I think there are a lot of wrong reasons for having Holy Unions, and I try to say this in counseling. I think some people have a need to have pious words said over them - and that’s not much of a reason for having a Holy Union. Having a Holy Union is not going to make a relationship better, just as a marriage doesn’t by itself make a relationship better for heterosexuals. It’s not going to be any better the day after the Union than the day before you have it. The relationship depends on you, not on what someone says.”
gious experience for us. And if people don’t want that.. .1 don’t do the ceremony if they don’t want it to be a Christian ceremony. We’re a church, not a social club. We’re dead serious.”
Theological distinctions aside, Effinger, Curtis, Hale and Brock agree with Kim, Carol, Bernie, and Eric that love is what it’s all about and that God likes love.”
God gave me Kim,” Carol says. “God is definitely in our lives. God brought us together. My life has been better, Kim’s life has been better, our families are better, everything is better. God wouldn’t have given us so much goodness in our lives if He didn’t love us.”
And if He didn’t want us to get married, I’m sure He would have found some way to circumvent it. And instead, not only did everything go beautifully, it went beyond beautifully. It was perfect. My perfect day. And all the people at the ceremony, the straight people there, my friends, the family, all of them felt the same thing. It was just a glowing.. .how can I describe it? Everyone was starry-eyed, all loving, even a week later.”
It’s a cliche, but Bernie and Eric are so in love it shows. Even seated across a room from each other they seem joined; the space between them something they own and share. They speak for each other and finish each other’s sentences. Everything they do says This Is What It’s All About. “It’s just become a form of our life to accommodate each other,” Eric says. Of marriage, Bernie says, “It was the important thing to do. When you finally have met that right person, before God, before friends, and to each other, that’s the thing to be done. I think that’s the way it was always supposed to be, but something got lost.”
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WATERMARK / September 28,1994 10
VIEWPOINT
SORT OF
COMING OUT DAY
bj R. M. Williams
I walked by the little gazebo where I was to meet a group of people, all strangers to me. There was a bench nearby hidden by an oak tree, so I sat down to gather my thoughts and watch the strangers furtively. God, how I just wanted to drive away and forget the whole affair. But what would I be running to? The same closed and solitary life I know so well? The same strangling self-pity? I would loathe that decision before my foot ever touched the gas pedal. So I stood up, stomach knotting, and walked to the gazebo. With reddening face - my signature -1 met the supervisor and a few of the members of the Delta Youth Alliance (DYA).
DYA is a group designed for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth, and is but one in what I’ve come to realize is a vast array of support groups and regular social events specifically designed for the homosexual community.
I had come across an advertisement for DYA by chance, and kept it in the bottom of my desk drawer for several months; a concealed symbol of incipient courage. I am not proud to admit the number of times I called the phone number and hung up, but my courage grew a little each time. I was paranoid, to put it mildly, but I spoke and I listened. I learned about Gay and Lesbian Community Services (GLCS). Community? There’s a community? And I began to discover the plethora of opportunities for me to find places where I would belong.
I go to DYA meetings, but why haven’t I embraced more of the programs available? Good question. I suppose my answer is true for a lot of young homosexuals. It’s the double whammy of shame instilled by family and culture, and the universal and ever-present fear of rejection by peers.
Joining DYA, an immense step in my
coming out process, took much thought and, modestly, bravery. This was a first open acknowledgment of my homosexuality. I needn’t tell anyone how frightening that is. But I’m stuck at this first step. Because of my embarrassment or self-esteem issues or whatever, I have not yet experienced the friendship and freedom that the larger gay community offers me. I see it in others, but I am not ready yet. I have learned, however, that I am not alone; this joyful knowledge sustains me for now.
I feel lucky. I stumbled upon the “circuit.” But there are many young and not-so-young homosexuals who have not made this discovery. They have not landed in Oz, and the world for them remains black and white. They will continue their personal battles alone. Some will bare deep scars and, I suspect, some won’t make it. Others may find their own unique formula for individual happiness. But I wish the gay community could rent a big flatbed truck and drive through every neighborhood announcing on loudspeakers, “Here we are! You’re not alone! We’re waiting for you!”
Like many, I grew up in a homophobic family and, like many, I’m afraid of losing my family to gain my freedom. Using the resources I now know are available to me would be evidence of that freedom. I am
afraid. What if someone recognized me going into Out & About Books and then “outted” me? What if I couldn’t find a plausible alibi if I encountered some acquaintance at a gay event? If I fully utilize groups like DYA and GLCS, and places like Out & About, I will have taken a step toward my homosexuality that I can no longer hide in my bottom desk drawer.
Sure, I yearn for companionship and comfortable gay friendships. I want to walk down the street, head held high, with my life-long love. I want to talk with my family about what I really did while I was supposedly at the library. Maybe it is the youthful strength of my mental walls that keeps me from breaking my self-induced chains; that keeps me from embracing the gay community in all its richness.
Ignorant family? Deep rooted shame? Self-esteem? It certainly isn’t lack of opportunity. Perhaps one day I will arrive at a point where self-acceptance means more than acceptance by others. But for now, I hope everyone struggling with their sexual identity could at least know what I know; that a wonderful gay and lesbian culture awaits us. It’s easy to find, and there are wonderful people to welcome you...even if you need to sit on the park bench and watch for a while.
WATERMARK
Watermark Media, Inc.
©1994
editor / publisher Tom Dyer layout / managing editor April Gustetter account executive Keith Peterson contributing writers Michael L. Kilgore, G. K. Fowler, Harmony Brenner, Nan Schultz,
R. A. Bach, Dimitri Toscas,
Jim Crescitelli, Mark Lawhon, Yvonne Vassell, Ken Kundis,
Rafael Gasti, Leslea Newman, Rosanne Sloan, Joe Sarano photographers & illustrators Alison Bechdel, Eric Orner,
Russell Tucker, student contributors Robert Holland, Katie Messmer,
Tera Kenney, Mike Williams
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 is WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations (unless, of course, sexual orientation is stated specifically).
WATERMARK is published every second Wednesday, except the first week in January and the second week in July. Subscription rates are $35.00 (third class).
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 that have such errors.
WATERMARK P.O. Box 533655 Orlando, FL 32853-3655 TEL 407.481.2243 FAX 407.481.2246
LETTERS
EDITOR
The article in the Watermark of Sept. 14 concerning “good fences/neighbors” is somewhat in error and lacking in coverage of the complete story.
Your unnamed reporter is incorrect when stating that the fence was constructed “in compliance with a legal settlement agreement between the establishments” (the Parliament House and the Full Moon Saloon). The building permit to construct that fence was obtained by the Parliament House and they alone are responsible for its construction.
Patrons of both establishments were quoted as “outraged, calling the action childish and further evidence of divisiveness within the gay community.” They are uninformed - and perhaps the gay media should fill that void...
Jeff Campbell
Editor’s Note:
We apologize for any statements in the “ Fences” article (Issue 1.02) which may be innacurate or misleading. Although spokesmen for the Parliament House and the Full Moon Saloon both indicated that a settlement had been reached over disputed matters, neither party would discuss the nature of the dispute or the settlement. Neither party stated that an agreement had been reached to build a fence. As of September 26, the only building permit presently at or near the fence in question was issued to the Carolina Moon Trailer Park.
letters are snbjeet to | editing for content and ||| leiigtli.:Iyetters should be sent to:
R0. Box 533655 . Orlando, WL 32853-3655
HEADDRESS BALL: She’s got legs...but who noticed?
WATERMARK / September 28,1994 11
VIEWPOINT
THE
RADICAL RIGHT’S SCHOOL DAZE
by Nan Schultz
The most daring experiment of American democracy is under attack. America’s public school system, the first in the world to propose liberal (as in “liberating”) arts education for everyone, is the object of an intense and frighteningly successful campaign to undermine its religious neutrality and its pluralistic outlook. So, what? You’re not a teacher; you don’t have any kids in school, or maybe you do. But still, why should you care about what goes on in the public schools? Because they are the site of the religious right’s most successful campaign against, let’s see, what are they calling it this year...Secular Humanism?... Atheistic Socialism?...New Ageism? Well, it doesn’t matter. They mean you.
According to Janet L. Jones, writing in the American School Board Journal, groups representing the far-right such as the Christian Coalition, Citizens for Excellence in Education, and Focus on the Family are engaged in a “well-orchestrated cultural war for control of the public schools.” As any good propagandist knows, a successful war calls for an easily identifiable and infinitely evil enemy. In their continuing quest for a sufficiently alarming “scourge of the month,” the leaders of the radical right have run the gamut from the New Math to the New Age. But despite the fickle nature of their hatreds, these warriors have consistently trained their sites on the “homosexual lifestyle” as a primary target.
Rest easy, my friends, we may be targets, but we are in good company. Among the individuals and organizations named by various far-right writers as likely to under-
mine the morals of America’s youth are Mother Teresa, Ralph Nader, and the Muppets. And I feel I would be remiss if I did not also warn you that according to some on the radical right, the following practices may lead to your moral downfall: aerobics at the Y, positive thinking, net-
.. .we may be tabut we are in good company... among.. .Mother
Ralph Nade; and the Muppets.
working, and the Save the Whales Movement. And you thought homosexuality was your major problem.
But seriously...very seriously, the success of these groups is alarming, and increasingly gays and lesbians are their focus. According to Jones, programs which emphasize diversity and promote respect for other cultures, “especially if the curriculum includes information on homosexual lifestyles,” are drawing as much heat from the right as those believed to promote satan-ism and witchcraft. A recent example is the Children of the Rainbow curriculum, removed from New York City public schools through the action of the national Christian Coalition and the local Family Defense Council. Most prominently, they cited information on gay and lesbian parents as
morally objectionable material.
The radical right is not large, but it is well-organized, well-funded and immeasurably aided by our ignorance and apathy. If you don’t believe it, consider the following case-in-point.
In December of 1992, a fund-raising letter from Citizens for Excellence in Education (CEE), a group determined to restore its version of Christian values to education, asked its members for money (a measly $15,000!) to “work for legislation to outlaw the teaching of homosexuality/lesbian-ism as a normal lifestyle.” In March of this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act” (ESEA) with an amendment (proposed by M. Hancock, R-Missouri) that “prohibits educational agencies from using money in the bill to distribute material to students that encourage or support homosexuality as a positive lifestyle.” Not long after, the bill passed the Senate with a similar amendment, sponsored in that body by none other than Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina).
A further amendment allows local school districts to determine the acceptability of
educational programs, which is very good in districts where an educated and alert electorate have put on the school board those with children’s best interests at heart, and very bad in places like our own Lake County where three of five school board members have ties to the Citizens for Excellence in Education.
What can you do? First of all, call your elected officials and let them know that the Helms-Hancock amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is unacceptable. The bill is currently in conference committee and can be stopped there. Call (202) 224-3121 and speak to your congress-persons, senators, or committee members William Ford (D-Michigan) or Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts).
Second, recognize that the radical right is your enemy. They are not going to go away. Their current strategy is local elections, especially low-turnout races like school board and county and city commissions. Inform yourself, particularly regarding these low-level, low-glamour positions.
And by all means, vote.
FEMME
FATALE
by Michael C. Kilgore
One of the best parts of being gay is the opportunity (some might say duty) we have to create and re-create ourselves. Having few positive role models and usually no one to talk with while growing up, when it came to sexual orientation, our inner voices were our main mentors. One result of this isolation is our originality. When it comes to those pivotal decisions in life, both creativity and cussedness is a gay hallmark: how we relate to others, how we express ourselves, and for some of us, most importantly, what we wear.
As a community we have perfected the theater of dress. There is every sort of drag conceivable. From fashion fetishist to radical faery, diesel dyke to lipstick lesbian, leather devotee to fitness freak, conservative suit to screaming drag queen, each of us has a need to create that perfect expression of who we are, or who we would like to be. Sometimes the results are outrageous, sometimes droll, but almost always there is a level of consciousness about the way lesbians and gay men dress that is rarely evidenced in the nongay world. So whenever I encounter a gay brother or sister in some extreme manifestation of dress, I regard their effort with both appreciation and respect, occasionally awe.
One of the best of these creations whom
I’ve encountered recently was Carmella Marcella Garcia, whose show I stumbled into late one night at the now-shuttered Tracks Orlando. A sixty something, but timeless, drag queen, her act was polished in the same way furniture picks up a patina from admiring touches. Having rubbed up against countless audiences, her patter never missed a beat, intuitively going for the jugulars of the obviously self-conscious in the crowd. Unlike many less talented performers, however, her comments were never mean spirited. Her barbs were more like an arrow waiting to fly: the tension released as frequently by turning the remark back on herself as on the hapless bar patron. Her between costume changes go-go boys were squeaky-clean, polished dancers with good choreography. Her costumes were outstanding—a half-century of sewing lessons and deep closets were hot lost on the appreciative audience. Picking up her dollar tips as she moved effortlessly from patron to patron, her show was professional, well-staged and witty: in effect, drag at its outrageous best.
So it was with some surprise that I saw her pause, after receiving one of her tips followed by a whisper. The man who gave her the $20 bill was young, drop dead gorgeous. He was with an older gentleman.
Both had expensive designer clothes. After the tip and the whisper, the young man retreated to his older companion. Raising
the twenty to the crowd she announced, “It’s
.. .someone yelled “Roll, bitch, roll. ”.. .Suddenly, the show had moved from performance to public spectacle.
his birthday, and he’d like to have the audience choose something special for the next number. So what do you want?” Anticipating that people would yell out a favorite lip-sync song, I waited for the first voice. But there were no words. Instead there was a buzz, almost like a generator charging, which became louder until finally someone yelled out, “Roll, bitch, roll.” Others picked up on the phrase, and soon almost everyone had joined in the chant, “Roll, bitch, roll.”
What had happened? Suddenly, the show had moved from performance to public spectacle. But always a trooper, and it was, after all, a twenty, Carmella began a shimmy which ended with a few turns on the floor in her sequined gown. Looking a little ruffled, but none the worse for wear, she started to resume her show, only to have the young man return with yet another bill and whisper. Clutching the new bill in her hand, Carmella stared first at the older man wearing the Versace shirt, and then the bill. Almost inaudibly, she announced to the crowd, “This is almost half a month’s rent. Do you know what this means to an
old drag queen?” The older man nodded at her, and the young man returned with another whisper.
Without knowing the request, the audience tensed. Like piranha swimming through blood, they’d had a taste but now wanted flesh. Carmella, addressing only the older man, said quietly, “You don’t want that. I’m an ugly old bitch. I’m nothing without these clothes.” His response was only a nod. The crowd went wild, “Take it off, take it all off.” Plunging the bill into her bosom, the music shifted, and Carmella began her strip. The crowd chanted and cat-called to the beat of the music. The contract was sealed.
Time took on a freeze frame character as Carmella removed the first layer of her identity. Every nuance of her striptease was captured on the large screen video as the crowd continued to chant. First the dress, then the slip, then the heels, then the bra and underwear, and finally, the long red wig. From the comer of my eye, I noticed the designer duo leaving the room. In front of us stood a flabby, older man with only wisps of gray hair remaining on his balding head. All that remained of Carmella was the red wig covering his genitals, and the flash of green between his breasts. The crowd grew quiet. What now?
Looking at himself on the giant video screen, he announced in a steady, sure voice, “You wanted a freak show, you got a freak show. Not a pretty sight.” And with that he left the stage, leaving the remains of Carmella on the floor behind.
As the audience began to disperse, I sat stunned. What had just happened here? What code had been broken? Why had we been so eager to humiliate one of our own? And who, exactly, were the freaks?
H For Christ’s sake, open your mouths; don’t you people get tired of being stepped on?
u■ ■
T80F
WATERMARK / September 28, 1994 12
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WATERMARK / September 28,1994 13
Theatre Review. by
limitil
flcscas!
SIX
DEGREES ©F
Ain ATiriki
Orlando,^eatmDowhi)^
ing and cbntrovifersial |^ic|igp|;; Most of die time, Ifsjnst plain oP :' “Good Thea^ran^;|i^liWi: :;; of Separation i$no exception. ' This production can be described in ;
(the kandmski^paint&g |b«b^jebb- 'of ;J^;.|i^^||||| p^ihMtai
ordered, and the back is abstwt)»| Director Tim :|l|i||:r|||||||| stirred up a world where reality and illusion run back to back, just like the Kandinski spinning above the. set; On one side the produc-| tion is well ordered and direct, and ; on the reverse Side it’s an abstract collage of lost dreams and values, hidden desires, and terrify ing buj man experience.; |;
Of course, John Guam's script lays out quite an exceptipnal rbad : map for all of this to happen, but Muldrew’s personal vision ocea^
..stonally; succeeds in pushing j Guare’s play even were monients when 1 wished llrr;, a little more time to see both sides
: ally
wrenching. A little more time to ' see the- “backside” of these events ■ wouki bate driven the emotions home.
-^e bpsi stkc^s^tej
ee$ of the evening were consistent %jth, this' two-sided vi$jpi|^e? characters became 1 lying kan-f dinskis.
As Ouisa, the upperclass wife and mother, Peg O’Keef was direct and witty, then desperate and yearning, revealing a woman uncomfortable with who she had
: M. Wegman was pb^ssed Mth : wealth and fame, but also consumed with a desire to be real and creative.
Ill As the unexpected intruder Paul, Jim Braswell was intelligent
. Continued Page 21
Leigh Shannon, Forever Young Florist
Bruce Ground, Gaiy Bailey
Art Grindle, Cameron Matthews, Co-Chair Sam Odom^ Mardi Gras’ King Apollo XVII
Erin Sommers
Commissioner Fran Pignone
Dancer
On Saturday, September 17, over 700 gowned and tuxedoed partiers converged on the Hilton Walt Disney World Village for the Headdress Ball. Fittingly, this year’s Headdress was dedicated to Sam Ewing and Hattie Wolfe for helping make the five-year-old fundraiser for the Hope & Help Center one of the most anticipated events of both gay and straight social seasons. And the most fun. ^
Where else could you join a dazzling array of local luminaries, including Linda Chapin and Fran Pignone (sitting at opposite sides of the room), to watch an amazing display of costumes, pyrotechnics, half-naked dancers and singers...and 99%-naked Stephanie Shippae! The centerpiece (no pun intended) of the event, the Floral Headdress competition,was captured by Greg Brown and B-Wear.
PHOTOS BY RUSSELL TUCKER ♦
Debra Sanders, Co-Chair M. VVhyne Gebhart, Sam Ewing, County Chaiiman Linda Chapin, Hattie Wolfe
Steve Cummings
WATERMARK / September 28,1994 14
ARTFUL LIVING
SPEC'S, OMNI MUSIC AND RECORD HUT
OR CALL:
(407) 839-3900
Fai?tasn?a Productions Presents
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SANDRA
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TUESDAY • OCTOBER 11 Doors Open at 8PM Show at 9PM
Tickets On Sale Now at
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JAixEd MeM
AT THE MOVIES: Caught David O’Russell’s Spanking the Monkey at Enzian during its brief run in Orlando. This low budget film won the Audience Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Essentially a coming-of-age movie with a twist, Spanking deals with the taboo subject of incest. Newcomers Jeremy Davies and Alberta Watson bring the characters of an MIT student and his bed-ridden mother to life...the audience is simultaneously disturbed and amused by these characters. The outstanding performances of the two leads make this an unforgettable character study that haunts you after you leave the theatre. An impressive debut for director O’Russell.
MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC: So often it seems movie soundtracks are nothing more than a compilation of songs you don’t even remember were in the film. Not so with the disturb-ing-as-the-movie soundtrack to Natural Born Killers, Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) produced this CD and, as you might expect from Reznor, it pushes the envelope. Spliced between pieces of dialogue from the film are songs from Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails, and Jane’s Addiction. The experience you get from listening to this soundtrack matches the film (if you’re up to reliving it). Track for track/frame by frame.. .a rarity and a gem.
Isn’t it great that CD prices are finally coming down in O-Town? Following the lead of discounters Circuit City and Best Buy, Peaches is actually slashing the prices on their Top Twenty releases to $10.99 (CD) and the unbelievable $6.99 (cassettes). Now we can take some risks and try out some new music.
AND ON VIDEO: Recently rented Rock Hudson's Home Movies. This has got to be the cheesiest piece of trash ever assembled to cannibalize a dead celeb!! First of all, let’s make one thing clear: there are no home movies.. .just clips from his films slapped together in a way to make it SO OBVIOUS HE WAS GAY. Gee-whiz.. .maybe a revelation to someone who spent the 70s and 80s in a coma. This video is so incredibly bad that it verges on camp, but it’s simply too awful to merit even that assignment. The absolutely creepy monotone narration by Eric Farr, the poor film quality, and worse yet, the evidence that the closeted star was nothing more than a once-handsome-but-mediocre actor amounts to an unbearable, unforgivable 90-minute video. One moment worth seeing: when the smarmy narrator from hell bursts into song - singing, yes, I’m not kidding - “I’m Too Sexy”! YUKH
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WATERMARK / September 28,1994 15
IN REVIEW
|yL ME AND MY GIRL
Theatre Review by Dimitri Toscas
Out I went to enjoy an evening at the Civic Theatre, for the MainStage Production of Me and My Girl. I had never heard the music or seen the show before, so my outlook was fresh. Besides, everyone knows Civic’s “Opening-of-the-Season Musical” is traditionally...well...BIG! So, that’s what I expected.
The set was big. Sometimes too big, and too clumsy, and not painted very well, but it still was a rather impressive thing: turning around, and flying in, and rolling on, and opening up. In fact, it was the first thing to really make an impression. But this show can’t revolve around the set, it revolves around a traditional, Musical Theatre subject: love.
A charming, yet crass couple take on the upper class, when Bill Snibson (Roy Alan) discovers he’s heir to royalty. He tries to adapt and gain their approval. The lovers are torn apart. Then, after Bill’s “Girl”, Sally (Gail Bartell) goes through a Pygmalionesque transformation, they gain the acceptance of the upper crust.
Sounds like a familiar formula, right? An easy sell..
Unfortunately, the couple never really bubbled over with the excitement of young love. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Alan and Bartell were adequate centerpieces for this high spirited song-and-dance show. Roy’s physical comedy showed a strong technical agility, as did Gail’s vocal work. Individually, they maintained energy while displaying their theatrical strengths, but they never really came together as a genuinely charming couple, and that’s the basic foun-
dation of this piece.
Even though that fundamental base wasn’t established from the get go, it didn’t stop the charm of this production from shining through. It was found in the great performances of the supporting roles and ensemble.
Key Howard, as the drunk Sir John Tremayne, was astonishingly well grounded. Audrey McMahon’s portrayal of Lady Jaqueline Carstone had the style and sophistication of a high class, 1930’s vamp, with legs for days and a great beige costume in the second act. Gregg Birkhimer seemed more than comfortable as the high class, thinned lipped, nail breaking, almost “ishy” Gerald Bolingbroke, and with only a few brief moments on stage, Hilda Philips, as the eavesdropping, loud screaming Mrs. Brown, developed a character that nearly stopped the show.
But, hands down, one of the funniest moments of the evening came from Jay Schoonover, who caught the audience off guard, as Herbert Parchester. Well deserving of the applause he received in the middle of his musical number, his bouncing, skipping, light-in-the-ol’-loafers routine was quite endearing.
The charm of the show gleams on the faces of this supporting cast and through some big numbers, like “The Lambeth Walk”, but that only made it more obvious that the core relationship of the show was missing.
Director Alan Bruun could have helped the lead couple with some intimate blocking and deeper character development.
Gail Bartell and Roy Alan star in and My Girl
Also, the contrast and tension between classes was not defined well enough to give us a sense of struggle. At moments, like in the Kitchen scene, the servants appeared more refined than the upper class, which more than likely was due to the efforts of choreographer, Paula K. Gale.
A little more balancing may have corrected these fundamental problems, but in the end, Alan’s direction moved the show along at a nice quick pace...until the end, when it came to a screeching halt.
Something snaps at the very end of this production, leaving the audience with a bit
of whiplash. The finale quickly approaches. All the company rushes center stage. Boy gets Girl back. Big climax.
Then, silence.
Big set change. Big costume change. Finally, when all that is done...sing the big showstopper, again.
Sometimes BIG isn’t good. This is one of those times.
Everyone knows what to expect from Civic’s opening productions, but the opener for Civic’s new season came crashing in on itself, right at the last moment, leaving Me and My Girl a bit shy of that tradition.
NEXT ISSUE available October 12;
CAYS AND THE LOCAL MEDIA: why we make them
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TOM WOODARD: how his landmark lawsuit changed his life
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by Elizabeth Swados
September 29 thru October 16,1994
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T The most recent issue of Vanity Fair features an article about Grace Kelly. Flash! She was a human being. She had weight problems. She had a difficult menopause. She had problems with her children. She and the Prince (whom she called “the Dodo”) grew apart. She drank sometimes. And for many years she was the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in the world. Only Audrey Hepburn has since offered the same level of grace, elegance, and class. Think for a second. Can you name anyone today who even compares? Grace Kelly died the same day as Anwar Sadat. A very, very bad day. We wish the Vanity Fair article had more pictures.
▼ Speaking of beauty, have you seen pictures of RuPaul “unmasked”? We wish The Advocate article had fewer pictures.
▼ Whatever movie studio is responsible for It’s Pat, the full-length feature about Julia Sweeney’s androgynous Saturday Night Live character, has decided to pull it before it even opens. And after massive prepublicity. Hope they hadn’t made too many talking “Pat” dolls. Pull the drawstring and it says, “This is my friend Kelly.”
▼ We are sadly underwhelmed by this year’s Broadway Series at Bob Carr. Four, count them, four revivals: Jesus Christ Superstar, Hello, Dolly!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Grease. Then there’s Phantom, making the entire series musicals. Sadly underwhelmed.
▼ This new book is being advertised everywhere. Bob and Rod! “A stunning, landmark portrait of love between two men.” Is it somehow different than the many other stunning, landmark portraits of love between Bob and Rod? Is arching angularly off large pieces of driftwood with no clothes on what men in love do? Blech.
▼ Baba Wawa interviewed Babs Bush on television recently. Baba quoted Babs in her new book as saying that A1 Gore was “dogmatic.” Baba then asked Babs what “dogmatic” means. Babs didn’t know. Babs was highly overrated.
▼ Overheard at the Headdress Ball... Erin Somers has been approached about syndication. Big surprise.
▼ Headdress Ball Co-Chair Sam Odom was a little nervous when he found himself seated near County Chair Linda Chapin while the almost naked Stephanie Shippae waxed philosophic about her “titties and dick.” Was Mrs. Chapin amused, or was she “appalled with two p’s?” We think the former. She busted a gut when Stephanie ended her number by declaring that it was time to “go backstage and Free Willy.”
TRANSITS & LUNATIONS
BY MARK LAWHON, MARA
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): Your efforts at work are still being unexpectedly and undeservedly scrutinized. This will pass, but keep a low profile, stay focused, and let the bullshit roll off your back. The New Moon on the 5th may reveal some innovative compromises. Just don’t go too far. If a parent decides to move in with you, be gracious but firm (you can do that, Aries). Don’t get involved in your friends’ messy finances.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): Heaps of energy around family and home. Like too much Prozac, this could lead to agitation; particularly between boys and their Mommies and girls and their Daddies. Its only temporary, so chill ‘cause you’ll never be able to take back those spoken words. Your philosophical and spiritual realignment is well under way. Partnerships require every bit of your limited patience until January, 1995.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): C’mon, make whoopee! Good times are in store as the New Moon trines the Sun. It will pass, but take advantage because in this challenging world, thirty good days are still thirty good days. Double your fun by telling your friends everything - in great detail. They’ll go green. Just don’t loan them any money.
CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): There may be war on the homefront early this month...or at least a skirmish. The end result will be positive, so let the bodies fall where they may. If possible, make a Gemini your Secretary of Defense. And remember, war is romantic. Use it. If you’ve been procrastinating on legal or school stuff, now is the time to dive in.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Phew...it’s hot. All kinds of fire sign action, and it all points to dirt. Real estate. So secure that mortgage. Close that deal. As your realtor has no doubt told you.. .for the last six months.. .NOW is the time to make that dream a reality. There are always glitches, but don’t be dissuaded. Commissions should be earned.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): You are the master manipulator. You know it. You can’t help it. But like a good chess player, you must think several moves ahead to avoid negative consequences. A word of advice: sidestep any discussions about who spent what for whose benefit. It’s a trap, and you may be a few moves behind.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): Brace yourself, Librans. You’re in the middle of an aspect that occurs only once every 19 years! There is tremendous potential for personal growth and reevaluation. But it will be like liver.. .looks bad, tastes bad, but sooo good for you. Consult your Leo and Sagittarius brothers and sisters, but focus on yourself...like that’s ever been a problem for you (cough).
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): Your “fear nothing” facade is just that - but you need it right now. You have deep feelings that need evaluating, and as you attend to that, your emotions are uncomfortably close to the surface. The process is worthwhile however, so gut it out, Scorpio...and trust your fine-tuned intuition. Lingering affairs of the heart may finally be resolved.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): Many things are ending rapidly, but this will leave you with a clear path. Don’t be scared or deterred. Spend time with friends while you experience this transition. As a constant in your life, they’ll be of great comfort to you now. Look closely at these people for useful examples of how to.. .or how not to.. .adapt.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Are you, by chance, noticing that your best friend also has nice legs? Acute butt? Jupiter and Venus have co-joined, so this special relationship is protected. Take a chance. Friends CAN become lovers. Meanwhile, bend that friend’s ear about all that crap going on at work, including your boss’s unexpected lack of candor.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): You say po-tA-to, she says po-tAH-to; you say retirement account, he says hot-tub/jacuzzi with deluxe decking. This is an excellent time for you and your partner to resolve issues regarding differences in basic values. Be prepared to compromise, but don’t commit to any final decisions until after the Full Moon on the 19th.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): What would you say to O.J. to cheer him up? “Accentuate the positive.”? “You’re lawyer has nice suits.”? Look hard, Pisces, and you too will find things to feel good about. If nothing else, compare your life to those of your friends, then be supportive...even condescending if that’s what it takes to make you feel better. But don’t push it too far. “Detachments” are highlighted this month.
Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of Astrologers,and is available for consultations by calling 407-894-1506.
WATERMARK / September 28, 1994 18
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▼ The Destiny off We continues at The Acting Studio through Sunday, Oct. 16. Destiny is Larry Kramer’s 1993 Obie Award-winning sequel to his earlier AIDS play, The Normal Heart. Tickets are $12; seniors and students $10. Call (407) 425-2281 for tickets.
y The 5th Annual International Pride film festival in Tampa begins on Sept. 30 and runs through Oct. 9. The festival will be held at the historic Tampa Theatre, as well as other venues.
Highlights include: an appearance by Perry Watkins on Monday, Oct. 3, in conjunction with SIS: The Perry Watkins Story, the award-winning video about Watkins’ 15 years as an openly gay man in the U.S. Army; the Central Florida premiere of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, on Sunday, Oct. 9; appearances by comic and singing duo Romanovsky and Phillips and Orlando’s Improvabilities on Sunday, Oct. 9.
T The Orlando Gay Chorus begins their fall season with a concert and party at the Maitland Art Center on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 PM. Recording artists, The Rhythm Method, an a capella women’s group from Boulder, Colorado, will also perform. Tickets are $15.00. Call (407) 645-5866 for more information.
V Lewis Routh’s outrageous WhorCS Off a Different Color returns to Orlando after a five year hiatus. The off-beat comedy played to packed houses at the Parliament House last time around, and in fact, the play is set on the Parliament House stage, as six gay actors rehearse a play based on a Greek myth about male/male love. According to Routh, the play is a “fun-filled romp that still packs a punch with its message.” Tickets are on sale now and limited to 100 seats per performance. Opening night, Thu. Oct. 13, will be a benefit for Gay & Lesbian Community Services. For more information, call (407) 521-8134.
T GTCS sponsors their first annual GAY-TO^Tf f N, Sun. Oct 30, at the Orlando Marriott Downtown (formerly the Omni). There will be a cash bar, a raffle, and a costume contest. Festivities begin at 8 PM. Admission is $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers, and $35 at the door. Call (407) 425-4527 for tickets or more information.
T Parents FLAG, Delta Youth Alliance (DYA), and the Rainbow Democratic Club
(RDC) are selling a new and expanded 1995 Entertainment Coupon Book. This year’s book contains hundreds of coupons offering savings of up to 50% off purchases at restaurants, businesses, and entertainment outlets. Coupon books are only $30. Many who purchased books last year claim huge savings. Proceeds can be designated for the organization of your choice. To place an order call Allene Baus at (407) 896-0689, or send your check for $32 to: “Coupon Book,” P.O. Box 141312, Orlando FL 32814-1312.
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The Civic Theatre of Central Florida opens its SecondStage season with the cabaret musical Nightclub Cantata by Elizabeth Swados. Conceived as a musical revue, Cantata features the poems of such writers as Carson McCullers, Pablo Neruda, Sylvia Plath, Frank O’Hara and Delmore Schwartz set to music by Swados. Eight performers and two musicians bring the show’s 18 musical numbers to life under the direction of Orlando Opera Director of Education Robin Jensen. Cantata runs from Sep. 29-Oct. 16. Ticket prices are $12. Call the Civic Theatre Box Office for reservations. (407) 896-7365.
DEEE LITE &
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Retro-pop-funk-dance band, Deee Lite will perform at The Club on Friday, Sep. 30. Polyester and platform heels optional. Tickets are $15, and showtime is midnight.
Then on Tuesday, Oct. 11, Sandra Bernhard will bring her “Excuses for Bad Behavior”tour to The Club. Bernhard, who plays a lesbian character on ABC’s Rosanne, will be backed by her band, The Strap Ons. A self-appointed chronicler of the times, Bernhard is expected to share her life while flirting with issues in true Sandra style, “sassily and with a big (but always entertaining) mouth.” Doors open at 8 PM. Tickets are $20 and are available at Ticketmaster or The Club Box Office. Those who have purchased tickets for the previously scheduled Tupperware show must refund and rebuy new tickets.
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Comedy Central repeats TV history with its second queer comedy special, “Out There II,” debuting October 11, on National Coming Out Day.
“Out There II” will be hosted by Orlando’s Amanda Bearse, and will feature performances by today’s hottest gay comics. The hour-long show will feature a mix of stand-up comedy, comedy performances and celebrity roll-ins including Whoopi Goldberg, Cybill Shepherd and Patrick Stewart. Performers include Karen Williams, Frank Maya, Maggie Casella, Scott Silverman, Mark Davis, Kate Clinton, Elvira Kurt and John McGivern. Check local TV listings for exact times.
WATERMARK / September 28, 1994 19
OUR CULTURE
29 30 1 CM CO 4 5
RAINBOW DEEE LITE AT THE ORLANDO GAY TAMPA GAY FILM DELTA YOUTH jjjijij O.B.B.A. Orlando’s FAMILY VALUES.
CONNECTION. CLUB. See article, CHORUS. See Local FEST. Featuring ALLIANCE. Support largest gay & lesbian Gay & lesbian radio
Group for teens & p. 18. Color, p. 18. Queer Animation Fest group for gay, lesbian bowling league. 9 PM. on 91.5 FM. Talk,
young adults from 18- at 4 PM. See Local & bisexual youth 644-2244. music, news, inter-
25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. ORLANDO Color, p. 18. under 22. 6 PM. views, community
425-7450. FRONTRUNNERS. 236-9415. events. 8-9 PM. 646-
9 AM. See Oct. 3. 2398.
LUCKY LADIES ORLANDO
BOWLING. Fair OUT LOUD RADIO. FRONTRUNNERS. ORLANDO
Lanes Indian Hills. See Oct. 8. Meet at the red pagoda FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. 293-8849. GLBL. Bowling at Fair Lanes Indian Hills. 831-7171. at Lake Eola. 6:30 PM. 857-1777. 7:30 PM. See Oct. 3.
THR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
o> 7 8 9 10 11 12
MBA MEETING. THEATRE OUT LOUD. CENTRAL || GAYSKATE. NATIONAL FAMILY VALUES.
Downtown Radisson. SELECTIONS. Lesbigay talk radio. FLORIDA BEARS. Semoran Skateway in COMING OUT DAY. See Oct. 5.
6:30 PM. 420-2182. The Destiny of Me. 1300 AM in Cocoa; Full Moon Saloon. Fern Park. 9:15 PM.
1600 AM in Orlando 4:30 PM. 657-1817. 425-4527. SANDRA ORLANDO
THE Six Degrees of 4-7 PM. 290-1600. BERNHARD AT FRONTRUNNERS.
IMPROVABILITIES. Separation. TAMPA GAY FILM DELTA YOUTH THE CLUB. See 7:30 PM. See Oct. 3.
Eola Theatre. 8:30 PM. ORLANDO FEST CLOSING ALLIANCE. article p. 18.
521-7499. Me & My Girl. FRONTRUNNERS. PARTY. See Local See Oct. 3.
9 AM. See Oct. 3. Color, p. 18. OUT THERE II ON
LADIES BOWLING. Nightclub Cantata. ORLANDO COMEDY
See Sep. 29. BOWLING. FRONTRUNNERS. CENTRAL.
See Oct. 1. 6:30 PM. See Oct. 3. See article p. 18.
RAINBOW
CONNECTION. TENNIS. See p. 22. BOWLING.
See Sep. 29. See Oct. 4.
THR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
Q: Is one of you “butch” and the other “femme”?
A: Yes , but we trade off every time we roll over.
A commonly asked question of lesbians (and the answer you may never hear) from the book, LESBIAN LISTS
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WATERMARK / September 28, 1994 20
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EICHBERG
From Page 1
their family and friends, and to teach them to lead powerful lives.” At that time, he points out, “there was such resistance to coming out... to being visible.”
Graduates from The Experience went on to help found the Gay Games, the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), the Stop AIDS Project, and many local community awareness programs. A component of each was the importance of coming out and living pridefully.
But for Eichberg, the need to motivate gays and lesbians to come out crystallized at the ’87 “March on Washington.” As he walked among the estimated half-million in attendance, Eichberg conducted a three-question survey: Are you out to your family? Are you out to your friends? Are you out at work?
“Almost everyone I talked to said they were not. So I took this message home with me and decided to work toward putting coming out squarely at the forefront of the gay and lesbian movement.” The driving vision, and for Eichberg there is always a vision, was that “it would be OK to be gay before the year 2000.”
Eichberg points out that the AIDS epidemic had a paradoxical effect on his vision. “On the one hand, AIDS turned attention away from the issue of visibility and toward ad-
Rob Eichberg, Co-Founder of National Coming Out Day
dressing the crisis at hand. But AIDS also drew many, willingly or not, out of the closet.” Rock Hudson is the most obvious example.
In October, 1988, the first National Coming Out Day was celebrated in 16 states. According to Eichberg, the reception was mixed. While the gay press and most activists and community leaders were enthusiastic, negative reaction came from two fronts. Many who were already comfortably out thought the concept was silly and unnecessary. Author Randy Shilts and Outweek editor Gabriel Rotello fell into this camp; both later told Eichberg they were glad he had not listened to them. Others were angry, feeling like they were being pushed out. For many in this group, National Coming Out Day was an unwanted reminder of rationalization and failed courage.
That first year, only Oprah used the event to bring attention to the impact of the closet on gay lives. But in 1990, Eichberg published Coming Out: An Act Of Love, now widely recognized as essential gay reading. By then, Eichberg and National Coming Out Day were in great demand on TV talk shows and in the gay and straight press. By 1992, Co-Chairs Eichberg and Jean O’Leary had turned the running of National Coming Out Day over to the HRCF Foundation. It is presently recognized in all 50 states.
One of Eichberg’s goals was always to convince celebrities to come out publicly. It’s happened. Since 1988, a previously unimaginable lineup of high-profile individuals has talked openly about being homosexual, demonstrating courage and offering role models for millions of clos-
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EICHBERG
From Page 20
eted lesbians and gay men. Eichberg has himself accompanied actors such as Orlando’s Amanda Bearse and Dick Sargent from Bewitched as they came out to television audiences.
But Eichberg notes that not everyone can be an activist. After reading his book, a “very famous actor” called to tell Eichberg that he disagreed with his contention that people, famous or not, face exactly the same difficulties in coming out. “He pointed out that if he came out, everyone on the street would know he was gay, automatically subjecting him to the prejudices of everyone he encountered. This wouldn’t happen for most people, and I had to agree with him.”
Eichberg’s own coming out occurred in 1970, and was complicated by the fact that he came out as bisexual and not gay. A student at UCLA and engaged to be married, Eichberg also accompanied his gay best friend to gay bars near campus. And like his friend, Eichberg found that he was attracted to some of the men he was meeting. He deferred his marriage and began dating both men and women, never hiding his bisexuality.
“For me it was a ‘freedom of choice’ issue,” he says. He also points out that, as a bisexual, he made both hetero and homosexuals uncomfortable. “In some ways it’s more difficult being bisexual. Gays think you’re closeted or in denial; straights just don’t get it... they don’t understand.”
When asked whether he thinks it’s easier to come out now, Eichberg points to another paradox. “Generally, it’s easier,” he says. “So many more people have come out, there are support groups in most communities, and there’s a more widespread acceptance of the lifestyle. But specifically... individually... it is no easier. For those in the process of coming out, it is not significantly different than it has always been. And that’s because it is largely an internal process involving issues of self-acceptance and self-truth.” “I never forget the process,” he adds. “It still takes courage to tell the truth.”
Eichberg feels that leaders in the gay and lesbian movement must learn to take the long view. In that context, he feels the struggle for gay rights in the military reveals much about progress made in the last decades. “This was the first time a national political figure, much less the President, has publicly and articulately raised our issues. There is no turning back from that.”
Eichberg is pleased with the progress toward his vision for the year 2000, when it will be “OK to be gay.” “We are now a very long way from the depths of the closet,” he says. “Bars are no longer fires waiting to happen, as they truly once were... hidden in back alleys with no windows. I don’t ever forget how deeply closeted we were in the 70s.”
Rob Eichberg, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is the author of Coming Out: An Act Of Love. He is also the co-creator of “The Experience," a weekend workshop held regularly throughout the country. More information regarding dates and locations for “The Experience" may be obtained by calling 1-800-966-3896.
SIX DEGREES
From Page 13
and self-realized, then unbalanced and terrified of being an unloved nobody.
As Paul’s gullible victim Rick, Bill Patterson was honest and optimistic, struggling and confused by his homosexual encounter,thus revealing a man living in shame and failure.
The rest of the company worked as an ensemble, creating a viable reality for these contrasts to be played out. Lined up like watercolors in a case, the ensemble sat in the first row. Always visible, they became ever present in the lives of these main characters.
The minimal set worked as a blank canvas upon which these living Kandinskis were painted, and the lighting always helped the colors of the story appear to be more vivid. The technical and artistic work of this cast and company came together to enhance the script, helping this production live up to the quality that is expected from Theatre Downtown.
NOTE: Due to the popularity of this production, the scheduled evenings are close to capacity. There is the possibility of an extension, so please call the Theatre Downtown Box Office for information. (407) 841-0083.
Rosi'.Y viisirrs
MOOREHELDS...
NEXT ISSUE
vya i fiiviviAKn / September 28,19V4 22
SPORTS
GAY
TENNIS
GROUP
GROWS
by Tom Dyer
OBTA members, Jeff Horn and Mary Boothby
At 10:30 on the second Sunday morning of each month, around twenty lesbians and gay men converge on the tennis courts at Rosemont Country Club. Some are bright-eyed and ready for the first serve and volley. Others, showing signs from the previous night’s activities, are trying to figure out how to swing a racket with a cup of coffee in hand. All are looking to make friends, get some exercise, and if possible, improve their tennis game.
The Orange Blossom Tennis Association (OBTA) was started three years ago by a group of avid... and good... tennis players. According to co-founder Jeff Horn, “we all knew each other from the tennis circuit, and became friends that way. It’s a cliche, but none of us knew the others were gay until we ran into each other at the Parliament House.”
Inspired by bowling and volleyball groups, they began talking about the viability of a gay tennis league. “In fact,” notes Jeff, “we ripped our name off from the Orange Blossom Bowling Association... I guess its too late to ask them if its OK.”
The group began meeting on the tennis courts at Edgewater High School, but they soon outgrew that location. They moved to Rollins College, and then last year to Rosemont, where Horn is the resident tennis professional. They are currently considering adding another day of tennis
each month.
At present, OBTA has more men than women, but Mary Boothby hopes that situation will change. “It would be more fun for everybody if we had as many women as men... straights too.” Horn points out that “Orlando/Winter Park has what may be the strongest lesbian tennis community in the world. There are a number of nationally ranked amatuers... mostly former pros, who live here. I wish they’d join us.”
OBTA is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Tennis Association (IGLTA), and regularly sends competitive teams to IGLTA sanctioned tournaments. The most recent was in Atlanta earlier this month. Indeed, OBTA has some excellent tennis players among their membership, including co-founder T.J. Jones, who captured two gold medals at the Gay Games in New York.
Horn himself is a certified tennis professional who competed professionally for two years. However, he and Boothby are quick to point out that most members of OBTA “are in the beginner to intermediate range.” “Everyone is welcome. It’s just a lot of fun, and all you have to do is show up with a racket.” Membership dues are $25 annually or $5 per Sunday. OBTA will meet again on October 9 at Rosemont Country Club. For more information call Jeff Horn at 895-3722.
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DOWNTOWN HOME-For sale/rent-charming 1930 Southern Tudor in historic Eola. 5/2, 2 fireplaces, oak floors, 10’ ceilings, remodeled kitchen, alarm, sprinkler, garage, central heat & A/C. Avail. Nov. 1. Must see. 625 Hillcrest St. $172,500 or $1400/ mo. Call for appt/info 648-4154.
Altamonte/Capistrano Condo. 2/2 on ground floor. Near pool & tennis. Has all appliances and screened porch. Assumable no-qualify loan. $2,000 down plus small 2nd moves you in. Call Bill @ 834-0203.
Bank owned and HUD homes. $ 1,000
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NO TAN LINE. Beautiful 3/2 pool home. SE location. Will share with neat, employed, liberal M/F. $425/mo includes all but phone. Call (407) 282-3024.
HOME TO SHARE. 3/2 w/ full house privileges. Quiet neighborhood. Washer/dryer. Cable. Avail, immediately. Prefer female. $330/mo includes utilities. Deposit. Call (407) 293-2961.
SERVICES
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR -Missing persons, background checks, asset checks, service of process in Orange county. 644-8057. Agency no. 93-00111.
BOOKSTORE - NEW & USED. Enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere of Acorn Books. Hot/cold cappuccino, etc., intelligent conversation and a large selection of books in every subject. Publisher orders & out-of-print service. (407) 647-2755.
MEET SOMEONE TODAY! Find that special guy or girl with the "Telephone Matchmaker.” Always a free call and anonymous. Call in Orlando at 648-9047. (Gay owned & operated).
NEON/INTERIOR NEON. Mood lighting; Neon Sculptures, customized to your needs. LET ME LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHTS! BERND’S NEON - licensed & reputable. Telephone & Fax (407) 644-0553. References available.
IN YOUR HOME one on one fitness experience designed to fit your personal needs, including weight loss, body, shaping, cardiovascular aerobics conditioning. Flexible hours & payment plans available. Call 932-4319.
YOUR IMAGE. Needs a professional
look - to get the job you want or to complete that college project. Put 14 years of experience behind your resume, documents, and word processing. Great prices and quick quality results. Call Patti at (407) 898-4237,_________________________
LOVING LAWN CARE. Help to support a new family business. Blue Skye Lawn Service is a licensed, professional business that specializes in all aspects of lawn maintenance. Call (407) 629-0302.
MR. DOMEZTIC. Home and pool cleaning set to your individual parameters. Fast, convenient service. Call (407) 628-6110.
GAYLINE ONLINE. GayLink (BBS) has gone computerized. Our national network went online August 1 st. For a free software package and a 30-day Free Membership, contact the Genesis Foundation. Call (407) 857-5444. Fax (407) 438-3695.
MISCELLANEOUS
Healthy, loving, stable, long-term professional gay couple seek lesbian
to function as surrogate mother. Flexible regarding nature of future involvement with child. SERIOUS RESPONSES ONLY. Will pay all medical and associated expenses. Reply c/o W. Thomas Dyer, Attorney at Law, 701 E. Washington St., Suite 2oo, Orlando, FL 32801. (407) 648-1153.
Gorgeous AKC Registered DALMATION puppies. Available Oct. 6. Parents on premises. (6) males $300, (4) females $325 and up. Call Rick at 682-6096. All come with certificate of health.
REAL ESTATE WANTED: Need 3/ 2 home within reasonable commute of Disney. Around $80,000. Can pay 10% dwon on a no-qualify mortgage. Call Frank @ 834-0989.
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/f8b4e7440b3f974aceff788b2697332e.pdf
a16e43831cf8678a401100905936b744
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Watermark Collection
Alternative Title
The Watermark Collection
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/" target="_blank">RICHES Program</a>
Type
Collection
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/">The Watermark</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
O'Neal, Rhiannon
Hearn, Nikki
Greene, Quintella
Rodriguez, Sharon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The sixth issue of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on November 9, 1994, and discusses community reactions to several LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) issues. Notably, the major issue covered was a discussion of Tom Woodard, a police officer who five years earlier revealed he was gay and fought for the right to remain employed despite that. This issue also addressed community reactions to the death of Marion Baker, who was a larger than life gay activist, even though she was straight. The paper also continues its trend of publishing international articles this time focusing on, the Supreme Court consideration to ban gays from adoption, a lesbian couple in Utah being denied family housing, a man who was shot in San Francisco for holding another man’s hand, and Russia’s requirement for international visitors to be tested for HIV/AIDS. Another article focuses on southeast exclusive grocery chain, Publix attempting to convince its voting customers to vote in alignment with the Religious Right. An important note is that this issue is missing two-pages, pages 15 and 16.<br /><br />Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Type
Text
Source
Original 28-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994: Publications Collection, <a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/203" target="_blank">The Watermark Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 28-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
San Francisco, California
Washington, D.C.
Ottawa, Canada
Honolulu, Hawaii
Salt Lake City, Utah
Richmond, Virginia
Miami, Florida
Moscow, Russian Federation
New York City, New York
Thornton Park Café, Orlando, Florida
Creator
Barber, Keith
Crectitelli, James A.
De Matteis, Stephen
Dyer, Tom
Kersey, Keely A.
Kundis, Ken
Maines, Ted
O'Lay, Lola
Saranno, Joe
Sloan, Rosanne
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-11-09
Date Issued
1994-11-09
Date Copyrighted
1994-11-09
Format
application/pdf
Medium
28-page newspaper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Publishing Group</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Transcript
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 6
NOVEMBER 9,1994
COMMUNITY...............
CHAMPION MARION BAKER
TITTTQ '
by James A. Cresciteili
Por those who’ve been active in Orlando’s gay community for some time, the name Marion Baker conjures a very specific image: a feisty, silver-haired woman with an attitude and a tongue to match. She was a woman who could handle the roughest gay hot-line caller, or run the most difficult discussion
i
and kind understanding.
Not gay herself, Marion be-. came involved in our community ||Pf result of her volunteer work. Back in 1076 she was one of tire standard bearers of a new organization, Gay Community Services. GCS, as it was called then, has become the thriving and multi-faceted GLCS, an organization many of us use frequently and often take for granted, in those early days, Marion was a consistent presence at sparsely-attended meetings, and she always volunteered to take calls and run groups at whatever location was being used by the nomadic early GCS. Her strong presence and no-nonsense approach were much needed in those days.
Marion Baker died otvNovember 2nd at her home in Orlando. She will be missed by the many who loved and respected her, and by the gay community as a whole.
1 first met Marion at a GCS rap group held at Pasadena Place. As was often the case back then, Marion was the only woman in a room filled with gay men. Nobody minded.
AIDS had just begun its insidious scourge and many of us were bewildered and frightened by this new horror. There, amid the tattered couches and chairs leaking stuffing, Marion would hear our concerns. She was never shy about
Continued Page 8
LIFE FOLLOWS SUIT
TOM WOODARD: FIVE YEARS LATER
by Ken Kundis and Tom Dyer
A cop is a cop of course, of course and his private life is his own resource. Unless, of course,
He’s on the force Of the Amazing Sheriff Walt!
Because he’s the top dog
flic Iojtcc
You must li'"* a lifestyle That he’ll endorse Or else you’ll not the law enforce For the Amazing Sheriff Walt
Work real hard and do your job And earn your weekly pay It matters not to Sheriff Walt Not if he learns you are gay!
Sung to the theme from Mister Ed.
It was 1989. This clever penned
by then-featured columnist Bob Morris, appeared in The Orlando Sentinel. The song satirized the ludicrous situation that had turned an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy into the biggest news story of the day. Underduress from his employer, Tom Woodard admitted having sexual relations with another man. Despite a spotless work record, he was asked to resign by the Orange County Sheriff at that time, Walt Gallagher, and as headlines would soon reveal, he was fighting back.
“/just instinctively knew that it was wrong,” Woodard now says, looking back. So he found a lawyer a lawsuit.
The ensuing legal battle received national media attention, galvanized Orlando’s once-slumbering gay community, and created a hesitant but defiant activist in Tom Woodard.
"Inever, never thought it was a mistake,” he says, adding with a laugh, just didn’t know it would take so long.”
In fact, it would be an emotional three-and-a-half-year rollercoaster ride, with the media covering every swoop and curve. For
a time, stories appeared in the Orlando Sentinel almost daily. Local TV news covered rallies held on Woodard’s behalf. Nationwide, both gay and straight newspapers and magazines such as The Advocate featured the story prominently.
Ultimately, Woodard prevailed, getting his job as a Sheriff’s Deputy back and setting important legal precedent in the process. In finding that Gallagher had violated WoodarcTs ri^ht to privacy, Judge
Reflecting 6n the events of 1989 and beyond, Tom Woodard sees himself as a changed man. Motivated simply by the desire to work in law enforcement, as his parents had before him, Woodard sought only to retain his position as a deputy. What his case developed into, however, was something more far-reaching, sparking a national debate on the fundamental employment rights of gays and lesbians.
mmmmmmmmmrnmm
dence that [Woodard's] job or public life was affected in any respect by such conduct. ”
Aimk
I W'ASL fining if
Continued Page 0
TOM WOODARD TODAY: "When all this started I had never been to a gay bar."
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 2
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WATERMARK / November 9,1994 3
LOCAL & STATE NEWS
SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS GAY ADOPTION BAN
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Gay couples should have the same rights anyone else does to adopt children, attorneys for a Sarasota man told the state Supreme Court.
But state attorneys argued on Nov. 4 that lawmakers have the power to bar gay adoptions, and social services authorities are entitled to delve into the sex lives even of heterosexuals planning adoptions.
“There is simply no basis to conclude that homosexuals are in any way less capable than heterosexuals of being good parents,” Nina Vinik, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney from Miami, argued on behalf of James W. Cox.
The court is considering an appeal by Cox, who, with his companion, Rodney M. Jackman, also of Sarasota, sought to adopt children with physical, mental or emotional handicaps.
The two, who acknowledged their homosexuality, were told by HRS officials in 1991 that state law prohibited homosexuals from adopting children.
Cox, 32, a professional pianist, and Jackman, 28, a state Department of Revenue collection specialist, challenged the law in Circuit Court in Sarasota. Circuit Judge Scott Brownell declared it unconstitutional in March 1993.
But Brownell’s decision was overturned in December by the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland.
The state Supreme Court didn’t rule after hearing oral arguments, and the justices have no deadline for making
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The state prison system will save millions of dollars by opening a nearly $1 million, 133-bed AIDS treatment center next year, corrections officials say.
But some question how the state will use the facility, designed to deal more efficiently with the disease that has become the biggest killer of Florida prison inmates.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome has claimed the lives of 392 Florida prison inmates in the past six years. In the 1993-94 fiscal year ending June 30, when the prison population averaged 53,512 inmates, 103 died of AIDS.
State Corrections Secretary Harry Singletary said the center would provide a cheap and humane approach to treating AIDS sufferers. “It really does make good correctional sense,” Singletary said.
But prisoner rights advocates with the American Civil Liberties Union worried about inmates infected with human
a ruling.
“Our Legislature has imposed a per se exclusion of only one class,” Vinik told the justices.
That violates Cox’s state constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law, she said. “We ask that HRS make an individualized determination in his case like any other.”
“In excluding members of a particular class, wouldn’t one need to show that all members of the class are unfit to adopt?” Justice Gerald Kogan asked Anthony DeLuccia Jr., attorney for the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
“Suppose you said anyone who is black can’t adopt, or anyone who is Jewish can’t adopt?” Kogan asked.
DeLuccia responded that race and religion are constitutionally protected, but “the Supreme Court of the United States has said homosexuality is not one of those fundamental rights that are deeply rooted in the nation’s history.”
Vinik said the law also violates constitutional guarantees of privacy.
By making adoption conditional on sexual orientation, she said, “This statute violates Mr. Cox’s right to intimate decisionmaking.”
New Hampshire is the only other state with a state law barring adoptions by homosexuals.
immunodeficiency virus who haven’t developed AIDS.
Jackie Walker, AIDS information coordinator for the ACLU’s National Prison Project, said such a center could be used to segregate HIV-positive inmates - even though the virus can remain dormant for years - and reduce their access to services.
“If it’s actually a move by Corrections as they’re describing it, as a compassionate way to treat inmates with AIDS, that would be good,” said Walker. “But it’s something that’s going to have to be monitored.”
John Burke, chief of health services administration for the Department of Corrections, said the center, scheduled
to open late next summer, would offer care for only 10 to ^
15 percent of the 530 inmates already suffering from AIDS.
By easing health-care burdens on individual prisons, Burke said, the center is expected to save the prison system $ 1 million to $ 1.5 million a year.
Jm. DAYTONA BEACH ■ ■ AIDS OUTREACH JSgg§& JOINS NATL
fundraiser
Outreach, Inc, of Daytona Beach has joined other AIDS support agencies throughout the country in an ambitious national fundraising ': project, “The Caring Tree” will beneftt AIDS 1 service organizations through the sale of holiday trees and wreaths. These items, decked with a symbolic red ribbon, will be shipped directly to the contributor’s home or designated delivery site on their choice of delivery dates.
- -jBy' : lor a Caring |
Tree AIDS service organization such as Outreach, • Inc., the contributor not only receives a holiday ; : decoration, but also makes an important and sub-stantial gift. Half of the tree or wreath’s price remains with the organization to help provide services to those infected or otherwise affeeted by HIV.
Caring Tree holiday trees are Premium grade
the Blue;Ridge
Mountains, Holiday wreaths are made from freshly cut Fraser Fir Boughs. Both are guaran-" | teed to be shipped to the contributor’s door on one of four shipping dates, from Thanksgiving to December 16.
Proceeds from Volusia and Flagler Counties’ pahicipatidn in the Caring Tree project will help Outreach, Inc. of Daytona Beach continue to provide services to HIV positive individuals and their families. To purchase a tree or wreath, call • {904)672-6069.
NEXT ISSUE
AVaNaKIa MAVAml,A.
A LOOK AT ELECTION RESULTS AND THE GAY VOTE
STATE PRISON SYSTEM TO OPEN AIDS CENTER
PUBLIX DISTRIBUTES RELIGIOUS RIGHT
VOTING GUIDE
by Tom Dyer
For approximately two weeks directly prior to last Tuesday’s mid-term election, Publix Super Markets distributed voter’s guides compiled by a conservative religious organization. The voters guide was published by the Florida Family Council, a Tampa-based organization whose stated goal is “to strengthen the family... and to promote Judeo-Christian values in our culture.”
According to Todd Simmons, a Tampa gay rights activist, the Florida Family Council is affiliated with Colorado’s Focus on the Family, and the Oregon Citizens’s Alliance, both organizations which have spearheaded anti-gay ref-erendums. “These organizations are virulently homophobic,” says Simmons.
The 16 page guide, which asked candidates their religion and marital status, printed questions and answers to such questions as:
“Do you support or oppose legislation or constitutional protection for individuals based on their sexual preference?” “Do you support or oppose legal protection of a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion.”
“Do you support or oppose legislation prohibiting an increase in welfare benefits for women who continue to bear children out of wedlock?”
“Do you support or oppose legislation permitting voluntary prayer by students at public schools?”
Earlier this month, Publix removed the guide from 150 stores in southeast Florida, where consumer complaints were substantial and vehement. Boca Raton resident Harry Westen was among those offended.
“It seems to be strictly propaganda,” Westen said. “I don’t think it’s a function of this kind of retail organization to be going into politics.”
According to Publix spokeswoman Jennifer Bush, the large super market chain had no plans to remove the guide from the chain’s other 274 stores prior to the election. When contacted on Friday, Nov. 4, a Publix customer relations
representative stated, “We have had so many calls on this issue that all I can do is find out whether you support the guides or oppose them and take your phone number.”
300,000 copies of the voter’s guide were initially made available at Publix Super Markets. Publix has over 60 outlets in the Orlando/Daytona Beach area.
Nationwide, organizations similar to the Florida Family Council distributed voter guides prior to the election in an attempt to educate and motivate conservative voters. The majority of these organizations are affiliated with the Christian Coalition, an offspring of religious broadcaster Pat Robertson’s 1988 presidential campaign.
A sampling of guides across the country, including the one published by the Florida Family Council, indicated that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the Republican candidate’s views were most in line with those espoused by the guide’s publisher.
Coalition leaders deny picking sides, which would violate their tax-exempt status. They say questions and answers were carefully worded and presented fairly in the guides, and the choice was then left to the voter.
“We know the rules and we play by them,” said coalition spokesman Mike Russell.
But many Democrats complained of distortions in the voting guides. In Oklahoma, for example, Democratic House candidate Stuart Price said the coalition’s guide was full of “mistruths” about his views on abortion, school prayer and homosexuality. He urged Oklahoma churches not to distribute it.
Leaders of the Interfaith Alliance, an organization founded to monitor the so-called religious right, accused the Christian Coalition of twisting candidates’ records and said late release of the guides proved the organizations’ bias by not giving candidates time to respond.
But even the coalition’s fiercest critics give it a begrudging respect.
“They have a lot of very good lawyers,” sais Arthur Kropp, president of the liberal People for the American Way. “While they don’t come right out and endorse, it is very clear, at least from the perspective of the Christian Coalition, who you should vote for.”
Those wishing to register their disapproval with Publix over distribution of the Florida Family Council’s voter’s guide may call Publix customer relations in Lakeland at (813) 688-1188, or contact their local Publix Super Market directly.
Wire service stories were used in compiling this article.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 4
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NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS OPPOSE OREGON, IDAHO, FLORIDA MEASURES
WASHINGTON (AP) - Coretta Scott King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson are urging voters in Oregon, Idaho and Florida to defeat anti-gay initiatives on the ballot there next week.
The civil rights leaders said last week that the ballot measures would restrict the rights of gay and lesbian people.
“Campaigns are under way to undermine civil rights and institutionalize discrimination through referenda that will appear on ballots this Election Day in Oregon, Idaho and Alachua County,” said Mrs. King, wife of the late Martin Luther King Jr.
“It is truly ironic and tragic that the rights for which Americans have fought so hard can be taken away at the ballot box,” she said.
“If the basic rights of one group can be taken away at the ballot box, all groups are vulnerable,” she said in a letter distributed by the Human Rights Campaign Fund.
Jackson, the head of the National Rainbow Coalition who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1988, said radical right groups pushing the measures have tried to divide people of color over the issue of equal rights for gay people.
“Let us not fall into the ‘divide and conquer’ trap of the enemies of social justice,” Jackson said.
“It is telling that those who are now leading the charge on these initiatives are the very same forces that oppose the advancement of the civil rights agenda - affirmative action, majority-minority districts and economic setasides,” he said.
Oregon’s Measure 13 would overturn existing local gay-rights laws and bar state and local governments from enacting specific protections for gays and lesbians in the future.
It also places restrictions on how public schools teach about homosexuality and bars governments from establishing affirmative action or hiring quotas based on homosexuality.
Jackson said equal protection under the law is a “God-given right, not a ‘special right.’”
“We must recognize the diversity of our human family and affirm our humanity by safeguarding the legal and civil rights of all human beings,” he said.
Douglas Hattaway, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign Fund’s Americans Against Discrimination, said the support from Jackson and Mrs. King is a big boost for gay rights.
“These right-wing groups have tried to divide the African American community over gay rights issues, even though these groups have a long history of hostility toward African American groups,” Hattaway said.
“This undercuts that hostility to have leading civil rights advocates coming out against these measures,” he said.
MAN SHOT FOR HOLDING BOYFRIEND’S HAND
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Just blocks from the heart of San Francisco’s Castro district, an almost mystical safe haven for gays, Victor Rohana was pinned to a wall and shot in the chest.
His crime? Apparently, he was targeted because he was holding hands with his boyfriend.
Civil rights advocates say the shooting is an example of the growing ferocity of attacks on gays and lesbians.
“Whereas in 1992, somebody may have just yelled faggot, now they’re yelling faggot and clubbing you or raping you,” said Leslie Addison of Community United Against Violence, a victim advocate group.
On October 28th, 24-year-old Victor Rohana and boyfriend Steven Damron were walking to their car after dining in a neighborhood restaurant. Just after 10 p.m., two men in a white Suzuki Samurai drove by and yelled at them.
“We were gay and they didn’t like that we were holding hands,” said Damron.
Rohana said something to the men before turning to catch up with his friend. The driver backed up about 100 feet to block their path, jumped the curb onto the sidewalk and pinned Rohana against a wall.
The jeep’s passenger stuck a pistol out of window and shot Rohana.
- “At first I thought he was okay, because he was still standing up. But then he started screaming that he’d been hit and I realized that they’d shot him,” Damron said.
The bullet pierced Rohana’s lung, missing his heart by about an inch, Damron said. Rohana underwent surgery on both Saturday and Sunday.
He is in satisfactory condition but remains critically injured, the hospital where he is being treated reported on Tuesday. The name of the hospital has been withheld to protect him from possible retaliation, police said.
It was clearly a hate crime, a shaken Damron said Monday.
“I don’t think they thought we were Italian. They thought we were gay. They clearly made a decision that they were going to shoot a gay man. They went to a lot of effort to get the car in position to shoot him point blank.”
Rohana wasn’t the type to look for a fight, said a friend, Steven Underhill.
“He’s very quiet and shy, certainly one of the most sweet, kind individuals I’ve ever met,” he said.
Police have developed a composite sketch of the suspects, described as white males in their late teens or early 20s. Officer Sandy Bargioni of the city’s police Hate Crimes Unit spent Monday stuffing fliers and the drawing of the attacker into mailboxes near where the attack occurred
San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.
“It is dismaying to think that in a city that is known for acceptance of individual freedom that this senseless act of violence still occurs,” Jordan said Monday.
The shooting happened just a few blocks outside the Castro District, the center of San Francisco’s gay and lesbian community, one of the largest in the country.
Last year there were 366 anti-gay attacks and incidents of harassment reported in San Francisco, said Lester Olmstead-Rose, executive director of Community United Against Violence.
The group believes that only about ten percent of harassment is actually reported to police. Advocates say attacks on gays are very deliberate and premeditated.
“People come in from outside the city to attack people. A group of kids get in a car in Walnut Creek and decide to drive into the Castro to get some fags. It’s not like someone’s walking down the street and sees a gay person and gets upset,” Addison said.
“Maybe they just thought it was macho to shoot a gay guy,” said Damron.
“They made a judgement that being gay was bad and their way of expressing that was to shoot Victor.”
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 5
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TOP COURT HEARS GAY COUPLE’S BID FOR SPOUSAL BENEFITS
OTTAWA (AP) - The Supreme Court of Canada recently heard arguments on whether an elderly gay couple - together for 46 years - should be eligible for federal spousal pension benefits.
“It’s the capstone of a lifetime of gay activism,” said 73-year-old James Egan of Courtenay, British Columbia.
Egan, who began getting his pension in 1986, applied for spousal benefits for his partner, John Nesbit, 67.
Spouses of pensioners can get an allowance - now a maximum of $687.88 (about $516 U.S.) a month - if they are aged 60 to 64 and the couple’s yearly income is less than $20,688 ($15,516 U.S.).
Ottawa refused Egan’s request, saying the Old Age Security Act defines spouse as someone of the opposite sex. The couple lost their case in a split decision last year at the Federal Court of Appeal, but have appealed to the top court.
The court, following its usual practice, was not expected to rule for several months.
KIMURA NAMED CHAIRMAN OF GAY MARRIAGE STUDY COMMISSION
choice. Heterosexual couples do,” she said Tuesday.
Norman Chambers, director of the university’s Auxiliary Services, said the housing policy is in line with those of most schools around the country.
The policy states that legally married couples residing together with or without dependent children, or single parents residing with dependent children, are eligible for University Village.
Kees might have been eligible for an apartment in the Medical Plaza because that is open to married couples or roommates with or without children. But in the plaza, each adult resident must be a student, and Kees’ partner does not attend the university.
University counsel Karen McCreary said the non-discrimination policy does not conflict with the housing rules. No courts have ruled that marriage requirements are unconstitutional.
The couple plans to appeal to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, said Kees.
Kees now lives in West Valley City. Her daughter is in daycare at the University Village.
Housing costs at University Village are comparatively low. The three bedroom apartment Kees wants is $450 a month, utilities included.
“It would be very convenient,” she said. “They offer this housing to the students to save them money and time. I feel that I have the same rights as other students on campus.”
Chris Ryan, president of the Utah Log Cabin Club, said many colleges and universities allow homosexual couples among their heterosexual counterparts, and, “The University of Utah has no business defining what constitutes a family.”
HONOLULU (AP) - Retired Circuit Judge Shunichi Kimura has been named chairman of the 11-member commission set up by the Legislature to study proposals for legal and economic benefits for same-sex couples.
The delay in naming the chairman has stalled the work of the commission, drawing some fire from at least one member.
The commission was established earlier this year as a compromise in the highly-contro-versial issue of same sex marriages. The Legislature notified the state Supreme Court that Hawaii’s current laws on marriage apply only to opposite-sex couples.
The commission is to recommend to next year’s Legislature changes in the law that might give same-sex couples some of the same legal benefits enjoyed by married couples.
Senate President Norman Mizuguchi and House Speaker Joseph Souki on Tuesday jointly named Kimura, who is a former Hawaii County mayor and who served as a Circuit Judge on the Big Island for nearly two decades.
The law said the head of the family law section of the Hawaii State Bar Association was to serve as chairman, but that person reportedly rejected the appointment.
The 10 members already appointed include theologians and doctrine teachers from the American Friends Service Committee, the Roman Catholic Diocese and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, representatives of civil rights groups and legal experts.
Member Reinette Cooper earlier this month complained that the delay in getting started would affect the commission’s product which is supposed to be ready for the Legislature’s convening in January. ir'tiwriM’Mi
LESBIAN COUPLE DENIED FAMILY HOUSING
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A University of Utah student with a lesbian partner and a 4-ycar-old daughter has been denied family housing at the school.
The school bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, but also has a policy of renting only to married couples or to single students either living alone or having roommates who are also university students.
Kathy Kees, the student, says she and her partner were married in a ceremony in July 1993 but the state docs not recognize homosexual marriages.
**I can’t be legally married and that is totally based on sexual orientation. I don’t have a
LAWYER ASKS HIGH COURT TO HEAR APPEAL
RICHMOND (AP) - A Virginia Supreme Court ruling on whether a lesbian deserves custody of her son would clear up confusion about the state’s child custody laws, a lawyer have told the justices.
“We need to know. The judges in this state need to know,” Richard Ryder, who represents the 3-year-old boy’s grandmother in her effort to keep custody, said Friday.
Ryder asked the court to review a state Court of Appeals ruling that granted custody to the boy’s mother, Sharon Bottoms.
The justices will issue a written ruling later. If they take the appeal, arguments would not be held for months.
In a case closely watched by gay rights groups, Ms. Bottoms has been fighting with her mother, Kay Bottoms, over custody of Tyler Doustou, 2. The boy’s father is not involved in the case.
The child remains with his grandmother while the appeal is pending. A court order allows Sharon Bottoms to visit her son two days a week.
At the heart of the case is a 1985 Supreme Court ruling that a homosexual was an unfit parent because he broke the state’s law against sodomy. Henrico County Circuit Judge Buford M. Parsons Jr. relied on that case when he ruled in September 1993 that Kay Bottoms should have custodj
emum s''"priVciKT’sexuai
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though illegal, did not make her an unfit parent.
“The Court of Appeals has by its decision changed, without benefit of the legislature, the laws of this state,” Ryder told a four-judge Supreme Court panel.
Justice Barbara Keenan noted there was no evidence the boy has been harmed by seeing his mother with her live-in lover. Sharon Bottoms had testified that she and her female lover hugged and kissed in front of the boy but did not engage in sexual activity in his presence.
Ryder said returning the boy to his mother would be bound to have a bad effect. “What will happen to this child when he’s 9 or 10 years old?” he asked.
Lawyers for Sharon Bottoms did not present arguments because the court only hears from the attorney seeking the appeal.
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 6
HEALTH & HIV NEWS
GROWTH HORMONE HELPS AIDS PATIENTS GAIN WEIGHT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Injecting AIDS patients with a growth hormone can reverse the “wasting” effect caused by tissue loss, a nationwide experiment found. The therapy may also help people with cancer and other diseases gain weight.
AIDS patients averaged a gain of 3.6 pounds during the first three months of the two-year study, and some eventually put on 30 pounds, Dr. Morris Schambelan of the University of California at San Francisco said Thursday.
“We had people who were severely wasted and in wheelchairs,” he said. “But one guy, by the summer, went up to Yellowstone and climbed a small mountain.”
Unlike other weight gain therapies, use of the bioengineered growth hormone increased lean tissues such as muscles, organs and bone mass, rather than fatty tissues, Schambelan said. The average increase in lean tissue was 6.6 pounds during the first three months because many patients continued to lose some fatty tissue. Treadmill tests confirmed improved muscle performance among the subjects, said Schambelan, who coordinated the study from San Francisco General Hospital.
“Having their legs being able to take them further on a treadmill suggests growth hormone might help them get around day-to-day,” said Kathleen Mulligan, a UCSF endocrinologist at San Francisco General Hospital.
The improvement was so dramatic the experiment was interrupted and placebo patients were given the growth hormone, which was manufactured by Sereno Laboratories, Inc. of Norwell, Mass. The results follow previous successes in treating bum and cancer patients with growth hormones, said Jeffrey Laurence of Cornell Medical Center. He also is a consultant with the American Foundation for AIDS Research in New York.
Problems with side effects have been minimal, although diabetics and people with high blood pressure may not be able to take hormones. Still unresolved is the question of whether the therapy will prolong the life of AIDS or cancer patients.
“The data are very promising, and the FDA is reviewing the data with exactly that question in mind,” Schambelan said.
The double blind experiment included 178 patients in hospitals and community treatment centers in several states. Results were released last week at the Third International Symposium on Nutrition and HIV-AIDS in Philadelphia.
AIDS FEAR BRINGS FLORIDA SYPHILIS DECLINE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Rising awareness of AIDS has led to a sharp drop in syphilis in Florida, which led the nation in syphilis cases until 1990.
“We can never say ‘Let’s pack up and go home,”’ said Dan George, a senior public health adviser with the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
Florida is now 16th in the nation in its rate of syphilis with 1,187 cases reported last year - the lowest level in 30 years.
“I’ve been in the field 17 years, and I never thought we’d get a handle on it,” said Bill Drahos of the Volusia County Public Health Unit. “People weren’t listening and the rates were going up, up, up.”
Like syphilis, the vims that causes AIDS can be contracted through sex. But while syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea are curable, AIDS isn’t.
“When we were dealing with traditional sexually transmitted diseases, there was kind of a feeling that you could get a shot for it; you didn’t have to worry about it,” said Ed Carson, communicable disease program coordinator for Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Brevard counties.
“With AIDS around, people are not so willing to take a chance,” Carson said.
The state distributes about 7 million condoms through its county public health units. Apparently many are being used, said Drahos. “With HIV, it got a little scary not to.”
Florida’s syphilis rate peaked in 1988 at 8,292 cases and has been decreasing ever since.
Syphilis, which can lead to blindness, insanity, paralysis or heart disease if untreated, still worries public health officials.
“We have to remain skeptical. If we’re ever complacent, it may come and sneak up on us again,” George said. “Syphilis is potentially very explosive if left unchecked.”
YOUNG AIDS EDUCATOR PEDRO ZAMORA DYING OF AIDS IN MIAMI HOSPITAL
MIAMI (AP) - Pedro Zamora, a young Cuban-American man who has left national audiences in tears as he pleaded for more-humane responses to people afflicted with AIDS, is dying of the disease in a Miami hospital. A doctor said he has a severe neurological disorder, cannot walk, speak or eat and often cannot recognize family and friends.
The 22-year-old got the HIV vims that causes AIDS in 1989 when he was 17 and trying to deal emotionally with the death of his mother from cancer three years earlier.
He has testified in Congress, made a TV spot for the Centers for Disease Control and appeared earlier this year on episodes of the MTV series “Real World.”
Steinhart said it is impossible to say how much time Zamora has left, but he made it clear it won’t be long: “The deterioration is continuing and unrelenting.”
Zamora was preparing for an interview on CBS’ morning news show on Aug. 17 when he was found wandering the streets of New York, dazed and confused. He was taken to a hospital. It was discovered that he had a neurological condition marked by an increasing inability to walk, talk or eat. Where many AIDS patients survive 10 years, the neurological condition leads to rapid deterioration, Steinhart said.
After finding out five years ago that he had the HIV vims that causes AIDS, Zamora began a national lecture tour, telling school audiences how he practiced unprotected sex in high school.
After being found to have full-blown AIDS when he fell ill in New York, he returned to Miami and was hospitalized. He left the Miami hospital last month, but entered again last week.
The doctor said the neurological disorder is Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, which causes dementia. Only about 5 percent of AIDS patients have PML, but it is showing up increasingly, Steinhart said.
Once Zamora declared: “I’d like to say I am not afraid, but that’s not so. 1 don’t fear death itself, because death is something very natural. What I fear is the process of illness, the preamble for which we’re not prepared.”
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 7
AIDS NO. 1 KILLER OF SAN FRANCISCO MEN
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Richard has seen it countless times - the anger, the sorrow, the bravery of critically ill AIDS patients. Soon, he says, he’ll know exactly how they feel.
“Not everybody is courageous in the face of AIDS. Some go kicking and screaming and are horrible to everyone around them,” said the former heroin addict-turned counselor. “I’m not sure how I’m going to act.”
Richard, an AIDS counselor who declined to use his last name, was diagnosed HIV positive in 1985.
“So I’m panicking.”
He isn’t the only one.
The San Francisco health department recently announced that for the first time in any U.S. city, AIDS was the leading cause of death among men in 1992 - the first time any illness passed heart disease as the No. 1 killer.
In a tragic coincidence, 1992 was the same year health officials celebrated hitting a plateau in the number of new cases.
What’s even more unfortunate is that many here weren’t surprised by the numbers.
“We’ve lost so many friends,” said Richard Chavez, former program coordinator for activities at the Shanti Project who is HIV positive.
“It’s frightening to think that nobody is surprised by it,” Chavez said. “Maybe some people who have been hiding in the sand might say, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”
Over the past few years, AIDS has been the leading cause of death among men age 25-44, but 1992 was the first time it crossed all age lines.
The largest increase in deaths came in men age 35-44.
In 1992, the latest year data is available, of the 8,143 total deaths in San Francisco,
1,195 men died of AIDS, while 1,094 men died of heart-related disease.
In 1991, of the total 8,345 deaths, heart-related disease killed 1,189 men and AIDS kdled 1,152 men.
“In traditional medicine, you go to the doctor and get better. In AIDS, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor - and die,” Richard said.
“AIDS had been inching up as the leading cause of death. ... It didn’t go from being No. 12 to one overnight,” said Mitch Katz, director of the city’s AIDS office.
“Between 1981 and 1984, there were 8,000 new infections each year. Those were entirely among gay men. And now we’re seeing, 10 to 12 years later, the consequences -the high rate of death,” Katz said.
While the numbers for 1993 were still being compiled, AIDS was expected to remain the leading cause of death. The death rate wasn’t likely to decrease until the late 1990s, Katz said.
The health department warned that while the number of AIDS cases among gay men has decreased, AIDS could show a resurgence because of the growing number of cases among youth and intravenous drugs users.
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WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government is opening a toll-free telephone number Monday to provide treatment information by telephone or computer to people with AIDS, their families and health care providers.
The HIV-AIDS Treatment Information Service was scheduled to begin taking calls at 9 a.m. EST. The number is l-800-HIV-0440 and the hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
The service will be staffed by health information specialists who are fluent in English and Spanish. Deaf access is included, and all calls are confidential.
The service’s staff will not provide treatment advice. Staffers will, however, provide information the latest research and treatment options to physicians and patients who call.
"In addition to assisting health care providers, the AIDS Treatment Information Service will help people living with H1V-AIDS extend and improve the quality of their lives by helping them make informed decisions about their health care with their providers,” said Philip L. Lee, the director of the U.S. Public Health Service.
The service’s data base, which is housed at the National Library of Medicine, will be updated to include all federally approved HIV and AIDS treatment information.
The data base can be accessed tree via computer. Users can call l-800-272-4787 for directions on how to access the system with their computer.
NEW LAW WOULD REQUIRE HIV TEST FOR FOREIGNERS GETTING VISAS
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian parliament’s lower chamber has approved a measure that would make foreigners seeking Russian visas present proof they do not have the AIDS virus. Foreigners found to be infected with the virus while already in Russia would be deported.
The law, which must also be approved by the upper chamber and the president, also would give medical authorities broad powers to conduct mandatory testing.
Critics said the law would be hard to implement and would violate human rights.
“That law is an attempt to create a new Iron Curtain,” said Kevin Gardner, chairman of the Moscow-based HIV Educational and Information Research Center. “Massive tests won’t stop AIDS since it’s a global epidemic.”
He said the requirements for foreigners would “only succeed in creating a black market for false certificates.”
Dr. Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the national anti-AIDS center, told the ITAR-Tass news agency that widespread coercive testing might provide statistical information but would not help fight the epidemic.
As of the first half of 1994, more than 740 people in Russia had tested positive for the AIDS virus, according to the Interfax news agency. It said 105 had died.
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MARION BAKER
From Page 1
contributing, and armed with articles and statistics, she had a knack for steering the discussion into rational channels. She was often one of the few sane voices when the discussion grew heated or overly emotional.
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City had just been printed, and I recall several people saying that Marion was “our own Anna Madrigal.” A tall, commanding presence, Marion Baker turned heads when she entered a room. I was always struck by her no-nonsense demeanor; you could tell right away that this was a person who would listen, but who also believed in common sense and certain, uncompromised values.
From the beginning, I was nagged by a question regarding Marion: Why would a heterosexual woman who wore black boots and swore a lot (her seven-year-old grandson eventually cured her of the swearing) want to give so much to the gay community? Marion and I talked just before her death, and she was happy to reminisce with me.
“I was on the phone at We Care starting in 1976,” she said. “We naturally got calls from gay people needing support, or who just wanted to talk. I got to thinking...here is a whole population whose needs are not being addressed.” As I came to learn, Marion was driven by this sense of compassion and acute sense of social justice.
“I would read in the newspapers every week about police entrapments and harassment going on in town. I thought, my God...gays are people too.
I was outraged. This wasn’t fair at all, but nobody seemed to care. Who was worrying about you people? I wanted to start a discussion group even then, because I could tell there was a definite need for one. Of course, there were some bars, but what was lacking was a quiet place for people to meet and talk.”
Courageously.. .unbelievably.. .Marion started hitting the bars to drum up interest for a group. “I put up signs and notices and slowly got to meet people. I’d go to the Parliament House and Odds & Ends, but it was tough. Nobody responded to this old lady.”
Marion told me the story like a mystery writer unraveling the plot from her latest novel. “Well, one night I ran into someone who knew about a ‘secret society’ called GCS. It’s hard to imagine, but back then it was very secretive, very clandestine. Meetings were held in different people’s houses each time so that a pattern wouldn’t be established. David Slaughter and Charlie Hogan were very instrumental in getting and keeping things going back then, and it was through them that I found out about Charlie’s rap group, and about the Hotline they were developing.”
One can only speculate that it was a secret for all this to have eluded Marion Baker’s notice for so long. Marion went on with her story, tired from illness, but clearly energized by the opportunity to relive these most meaningful memories.
“Everybody who wanted to come to groups or meetings had to be vouched for,” she said. “Back then, most gay people were much more paranoid about losing jobs or having their families find out. Even when I started sitting in on Charlie’s rap group in 1979, it was very easy to see, to feel just how scared people were.”
“Listening to the problems people had... with lovers, families, whatever... showed me what I had always instinctively known; that gay people are just like everybody else, except with almost no support.”
Marion spent ten crucial years with the rap group, watching it grow from a secret society to a thriving, open forum. All the while, she continued her volunteer work at
We Care. She was diagnosed with hypoglycemia in 1981, but she says, “since I had already stopped drinking and smoking, I just changed my diet and took better care of myself. I had to. There was so much to do; so much to be busy with.”
In 1993, it was discovered that Marion had colon cancer. She took chemotherapy, and after the treatments her hair grew back in pure white. She decided to have pictures taken, “smiling, with my mouth wide open, just like people know me and just like I feel.”
I will never forget Marion’s unwavering loyalty to the gay and lesbian community, nor the sharp retorts directed toward people who choose to see us in a negative light. Before she died, I asked her if she had anything she wanted to say to Orlando’s lesbians and gay men. Marion didn’t miss a beat.
“Think the best of each other and love each other,” she said.
Indeed. Simple, direct, honest words spoken straight from her heart.. .one of the many attributes of a woman I’ll always love and always be grateful to.
Feisty but loving, Marion Baker was Orlando's own "Anna Madrigal."
Janice and Marcia, who shared their experiences with artificial insemination in our second issue, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Taylor Jeanne, on October 1st. Taylor was born at 5:12 PM, weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, was 20-1/2 inches long, and apparently arrived with a fully developed set of vocal chords. Please join us in congratulating Janice and Marcia on this joyous occasion.
Watermark's “Gayby Boom” story appeared in Volume 1, Number 2, published on September 14.
“Transitions” may include memorials, remembrances, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, and other announcements. Please send submissions with photo to WATERMARK * P.0. Box 533655 • Orlando, FL 32853-3655. Announcements are free of charge.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 9
BUSINESS
n A T.T.TKTft
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Your Long Distance Calls Can Benefit the AIDS Quilt
by Joe Saranno
Phoning friends and family could not be more charitable* now that your long distance dollars can go towards increasing AIDS awareness, World Telecom Group, Inc, has generously paid production costs for two AmeriVox phonecards that will benefit the AIDS Memorial Quilt through its keeper, The NAMES Project Foundation. 100% of the proceeds from the phonecards will be contributed to The Foundation as well
Gracing the front of each phonecard will be thematic works by two leading artists, David McLimans and Mary Bngelbreit, known for their past artistic contributions to The Names Project ; Foundation, McLimans’ art will be
3636 cards* each providih| $5 bf phone time — the equivalent of approximately 16 minutes of domestic long distance calling. The other phonecard, which features Engelbreit art, will be released in a limited edition issue of 1000, each with $20 of phone time—a value of about 67 minutes of calling time.
Reflecting on artistry and industry, Anthony Turney, executive director of The NAMES Project Foundation explained, “Our goal has always been to educate the public about AIDS anti HIV prevention while providing a creative form of expression dedicated to the memory of those who have died from this disease. We are pleased that the wonderful art work of McLimans and Engelbreit can be portrayed on the phonecards to help achieve both of these objectives.”
Town! Xkeda, President of World Telecom Group, Inc. added; “We are hopeful that these special edition AmeriVox phonecards will help in . some to iripease publiclv^bness; of the AIDS pandemic and encourage HIV prevention, as well as raise additional funds for the important work of The NAMES Project Foundation.” Ameri Vox is the top-selling brand of prepaid phonecards in the United States, providing long distance telephone service to the entire nation and 200 countries worldwide. Its owner, World Telecom Group, Inc., is a fully integrated telephone company, with its
own digital central office switches, company-employed operators, and independent sales force.
. Using a prepaid phonecard is on most occasions less costly than other methods of calling long distance, however they are a bit tricky to master because of the extra dialing. For instance, if you were at a hotel, you would first have to get an outside line to dial a 1*800 service number which is printed on the card. A computer generated voice will then ask you to dial your personal identification number which is 9 digits in length (alsoprinted on the card). After the computer tells you the present balance on your card, you finally get to enter the area code and number you want to reach. Ouce ; a connection has been made, the computer will quickly tell you how much time you may remain on the line. Near die card’s limit, it will also interrupt with a warning before your time expires.
So with a little added dexterity, you can save money while making a valiant contribution to a most noteworthy organization. The AIDS Memorial Quilt was conceived in June of 1987, and has since grown to be recognized worldwide as a testimony to those who have died of AIDS ^ tactile media to help people understand the devastating impact Of the disease.
^Orc than 5 hnilton people have;: visited the Quilt in over l,000 displays. Through such displays and related ac-;-: rivlties, The NAMES Project Foundation has raised more than $1,400,000 for AIDS service organ!- i zations throughout North America,
Prepaidphonebdrds are only ava able by writing The NAMES Project '' PoiMdatiqhTSlb Suite 310, San Francisco,C4 94/07;| Enclose a personal check or money order made payable to The NAMES Project Foundation of either $5 or $20 for each card you are .
member, the phonecards are intended for renewable use. When its value depleted you can call a toll free service dumber fintM on
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MBA PLANS FOR ‘95 EXPO
The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will hold their second annual Business Expo on Saturday, February 4, at the Bahia Shrine Auditorium in Maitland. Last year’s Expo (at the Maitland Civic Center) featured more than 80 exhibitors and was attended by over 1000 people.
According to Dr. Sandy Fink, this year’s Expo will be larger in every respect. “The Shrine Auditorium is a beautiful facility, and we’ve moved there to accomodate more exhibitors and guests.” Exhibit space is open to non-MBA members, and is expected to sell out early. To obtain a registration form, or for more information, contact Dr. Fink at (407)299-3969.
ADVERTISERS REACH OUT TO GAY CONSUMERS
NEW YORK (AP) - Companies in the corporate mainstream are gradually coming out of the closet.
Attracted by the enticing consumer profile of gays and lesbians, a steady parade of companies such as AT&T, American Express, Ikea and Saab have started and expanded marketing campaigns aimed at the gay community.
“Our research tells us that these are affluent, well-educated, brand-loyal consumers who want high-quality products,” said Dick Martin, vice president of advertising at AT&T.
Aiming at that market, AT&T mailed brochures last spring which depicted three smiling couples in affectionate poses - two men, two women, and a man and a woman. The slogan was “Let Your True Voice Be Heard.” AT&T declined through a spokeswoman to comment on the effectiveness of its direct-mail effort, but lesbian activist Susan Horowitz says it was effective.
“These companies are ‘coming out’ because they see payoffs going to their competitors,” says Horowitz. “When people are choosing a long-distance carrier they’ll look at the brochure on the table and think, AT&T? MCI? AT&T because they care about me.”
Other companies such as Saab, the first national auto marketer to reach out to gays, have started running their usual advertisements in gay publications.
In California, a small group of investment advisors - Progressive Asset Management of Oakland - help gay investors steer their money toward companies with good track records on gay issues.
All this newfound attention is welcomed by many gays and lesbians, who have historically been ignored by advertisers. “Very often we march down 5th Avenue in a protest,” Horowitz adds, “but now Madison Avenue is marching down to Greenwich Village to find us.”
Other companies have directed images at the gay market that are dramatically different than their usual ads showing All-American heterosexuals. , — —--------
American Express has advertised travelers checks with the signature of two men or two women. Ikea, the home furnishings chain, ran a television spot last spring showing two men shopping for a table.
While companies doing these types of commercials have conducted in-house research on the gay market, few systematic surveys have been made public. One recent study, conducted by the Westport, Conn.-based market research firm of Yankelovich Partners, gives perhaps the most precise portrait to date of gay consumers.
The national survey found people who identify themselves as gay or lesbian - approximately 6 percent of the U.S. population - are twice as likely as heterosexuals to hold a graduate degree. Their income is “roughly equivalent” to that of heterosexuals, contradicting other less-accurate studies which suggest gays are more wealthy than average.
Although AT&T, Ikea and American Express have used openly gay people in some advertisements, companies who want to reach these consumers do not necessarily have to include overtly gay images to be effective, says the study’s director, Rex Briggs.
“Gays are a more stressed out population,” he says. “They are also more technologically savvy and are very concerned about control and security of the home.” Marketers who push those “hot buttons,” he says, will get their message across whether or not the image shows openly gay people.
In addition, Briggs says inclusiveness is a powerful theme that marketers such as Ikea, which has run ads featuring gay men and single mothers, have used to unite fragmented constituencies.
“You can say ‘We respect individuality’ and make no statements about age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or anything,” he says. “When you add that up, you are talking about not six percent of the population but 40 percent.”
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COVER STORY
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WOODARD
From Page 1
deserved to have it and if that helped the gay community.. .great. But I wasn’t really in it for political reasons,” Woodard said.
However, as the lawsuit came into focus, Woodard began to see the impact his fight could have for others in his situation. He also began to feel more comfortable as a member of the gay community. Five years ago, Woodard made a point of clarifying that he was “bisexual.” No more.
“When this first began, I had no ties with the gay community. I didn’t even go to a gay bar until a year after I was fired. But now I’ve joined GLCS...I’m a changed person. I’m gay and I’m part of the gay community now.”
Woodard’s saga began more than five years ago when, during an investigation into allegations that he had sexual relations with another man, Woodard admitted to Deputy Sheriff John Butler Book, Jr. that he had had a gay affair about a year-and-a-half before. Book’s report concluded that Woodard’s bisexuality could possibly compromise his position as a deputy sheriff and could bring “dishonor or disrepute to the sheriff, who holds that homosexuality is unnatural, immoral and inexcusable.”
Major Buck Buchanan then gave Woodard the option of resigning or being fired. Buchanan also asked Woodard to identify other gays and lesbians in the department. While Woodard refused to name anyone else, he did submit his resignation on April 27.
However, after resigning, Woodard couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been grievously, fundamentally wronged. His friends and former co-workers agreed.
“I just instinctively knew that it was wrong,” Woodard said. Apparently, so did prominent Orlando attorney Bill Sheaffer, who took up Woodard’s case along with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF). With Sheaffer’s assistance, Woodard withdrew his resignation and began the legal battle to be reinstated. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Legally, Woodard’s case sets a precedent against the termination of government employees solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. “This Court finds the action of the Sheriff, in constructively firing [Woodard], unconstitutional,” stated Judge Gridley. “While [Woodard] was a Deputy Sheriff, none of his actions could be construed so as to bring disrepute or dishonor on the Sheriff’s office.”
While Gridley left the issue of whether gays deserve special protection from discrimination, he clearly indicated that he feels such discrimination exists: “It is the conclusion of this Court that known homosexual persons are included in a class of persons who are inherently threatened with prejudice by a large number of people in our society.”
Woodard has been back to work for just over two years now. In the beginning, he was concerned about the kind of reception he would get. Gallagher was still Sheriff, and Woodard thought he might have to “watch my back at every turn.” But that was not the case. “I was received very well. No one has said a single negative thing to me.”
Today, Woodard is happier than he has ever been. He feels a sense of security in his position, and justified pride in his courage to battle what he felt was an injustice. He realizes that he has cleared the way for others in the same situation to feel less intimidated.
“While I don’t know of anyone else [in the department] who has come out, I’m sure my case has had an impact. There are a number of deputies who are fairly open with their peers about it. They’re not trying to hide it.”
Since the ouster of Walt Gallagher as Sheriff, Woodard feels the environment for gays and lesbians has improved even more at the Sheriff’s department.
“[Current Orange County Sheriff] Kevin Beary is great. He’s been real supportive through the whole thing. He has made it a
“It is the conclusion of this Court that known homosexual persons are included in a class of persons who are inherently threatened with prejudice by a large number of people in our society.
point to check with me,” Woodard said.
Woodard indicated that the Sheriff’s office has also appointed a liaison to the gay community. He feels that if people in our community don’t know this, it’s because there is less controversy attached to the issue these days.
“I won’t take credit for it. I think people in general are just becoming more tolerant and understanding,” Woodard said.
As evidence, Woodard describes a recent on-duty situation involving a married couple reporting their son missing. The couple recognized him, but couldn’t place him. “When I gave the husband my card,
he looked up at me and then yelled at his wife, ‘Honey...we have a celebrity in the house. This is the detective who got fired for being gay.’ Both of them told me they’d followed the case and were glad to see me back on the job.”
While there arc not currently plans to actively recruit gays and lesbians into police service as is done in many large cities, Woodard is still hopeful.
“I think we’ll get to that point. We’re probably not ready for that right now.”
Changes are also evident in Woodard as well.
“When all this started I had never been to a gay bar. Now that I’ve come out, I’ve become a lot healthier and happier.” Apparently, Woodard has lost nearly 70 pounds. He admits to a much less stressful life now.
The comfort Woodard now feels came at some cost, however. He views the three-and-a-half years of limbo as a very painful time in his life, both professionally and personally. He becomes emotional when discussing the effect the lawsuit had on his family.
Continued Page 11
Klan protestors at a 1989 pro-Woodard rally.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 11
COVER STORY
Woodard and altorney Bill Sheaffer: "I know I did the right thing."
WOODARD
From Page 10
“My bills were really backing up. I had to depend on my mom to help me get through the whole thing,” Woodard said.
He also explained that coming out so publicly was a shock to his family.
Woodard’s mother was the first female detective in the Polk County Sheriff's department. His dad also worked in law enforcement.
“It was all new to them. No one in my family knew that I was gay * until two days before it hit the newspapers. I had to tell my mom I had been fired and then why I had.
It was rough on her. There were times when she’d just sit in her office and cry,” Woodard said. “Now she’s very proud of me.
My parents were great.
They stood behind me the whole time, but it has taken time for them to accept fully.”
He has not spoken to Walt Gallagher since his reinstatement and Gallagher’s subsequent defeat in a re-election bid. While the lawsuit may have uncovered a number of Gallagher’s weaknesses, Woodard doesn’t think that he was the sheriff’s undoing.
“People have said that he made a mistake with the way he handled my situation but it was just one of many mistakes.” Woodard himself has no regrets about what he did.
He offers this advice for those considering coming out at work. “Be prepared to accept yourself first.” Woodard also recommends books on coming out, including Gay Cops. “Every cop who’s gay should read it to prepare themselves for what might or might not happen.”
Finally, Woodard reflects, “It was a bad time for me but it also let me learn from life. It think I’m a better person for that, and now I can accept myself. I know I did the right thing. Without a doubt.”
METROPOLITAN
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 12
VIEWPOINT
CROSSING THE LINE IN BOBBY SOCKS AND SNE AKERS
bv James A. Creseitelli
Lola O’Lay, move over.. .Leigh Shannon, step aside.
I finally crossed the line; that sartorial Maginot breastplate that separates men from girls. I got into a dress and paraded myself through Orlando this Halloween. I only want to know one thing. How one remove mascara build-up the next morning?
The compulsion to parade “en drague” had been building for some time. I’d done it before in a safe way.. .nun, nurse.. .but never simply as a “woman.”
But the nagging desire surfaced again during a recent Miss America party. Miss Alabama won and my friend Jamie, ecstatic that the young lady from his home state ’ ad captured the crown, vowed to essay her for Halloween, with me in tow.
I agonized for weeks. Did I dare look bad in the eyes of my fellow revelers? Did I dare violate one of Gaydom’s commandments: “Thou shalt not leave the house in bad drag.”? Then again, it was Halloween. There’s no absolute requirement that one be, well...pretty. I wasn’t going to perform on stage. I wasn’t trying to fool anyone, like
Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. It would simply be me...in a little outfit...and a wig...and some makeup. Simple, fun stuff.
Actually, not so simple. As usual, I left everything to the last minute because I work six days a week and have no life. I needed to shop! So after closing the store on Saturday, I hotfooted it over to Thrift Co. (black hole of the fashion universe). You must go. Miles of clothes racks, all crammed full of cunning items once worn by strangers. Strangers with armpits and all sorts of other private, fungus-breeding parts.
But I can control those thoughts and conquer them. And I was encouraged by the company...the camaraderie really. Incredibly, this pre-Halloween Saturday night found the store filled with guys. Guys buying heels. Guys trying on gowns. Guys searching for matching purses, hats, scarves.. .accessorizing! The checkout ladies never batted an eye. I chucked my excuse about shopping for my grandmother and fought for a changing room.
Later, we met at Jamie’s where a talented friend had agreed to paint us; Jamie, me, and
a friend who was going as that dear old Republican mother hen, Barbara Bush.
We began the transformation. Immediate chaos ensued. Within ten minutes, Jamie’s apartment looked as if “Les Cagelles” themselves had stormed through the place, emptying shopping bags everywhere. Wigs,
.. .the hair?Brunette, teased
and tortured into something the
might have sported on stage at the Apollo.
pearls, foundation, spray net.. .God, its complicated being a woman.
My inability to secure a pair of 10-1/2 heels had determined my iook. Annette Funicello, early ’60s. 1963 to be exact. Straight gray skirt, pink sweater rolled to the sleeves, bobby socks and sneakers. And the hair? Brunette, teased and tortured into something the Ronettes might have sported on stage at the Apollo. A tiara and a five-strand rope of pearls made me complete.
According to our make-up expert, I was done. Perhaps overdone. I looked in the mirror and hardly recognized myself. Perfection. This was the me that had been trying to get out for weeks. But like Audrey Hepburn descending the stairs in My Fair Lady, the real
test awaited.
The Club was packed, and among the costumes was a full compliment of drag... good, bad, great, different, indifferent. I had a brief moment of sublime com fort... right after I realized no one was paying any attention to me, and right before I realized I wanted everyone to pay attention to me.
I ran into several friends (and a few walls) and their comments were gratifying. Apparently even in bobby socks and sneakers, my Annette Funicello looked more like Connie Francis (who was much prettier in my mind). How could I not be pleased? Some acquaintances shrieked when they realized I was me. I felt like a movie star making a rare personal appearance.
I had fun, and the whole evening was well worth the effort and expense. As I doffed my wig, I found rnvself thinking about those distant drag sisters who stood up for the right to be different twenty-five years ago. My experience had been liberating as well. I felt an enormous confidence. I took chances, acted differently, flirted with strangers, and even climbed on stage to dance (in character, of course...my own version of the Madison, and a mean disco Bossa Nova).
I had been both stunning and bad; an effective combination I heartily recommend. It worked -1 know it did because my editor couldn’t stop laughing when he saw me. In fact, he had to grab someone to keep from falling down.
Men!!
WATERMARK
Watermark Media, Inc.
©1994
editor / publisher Tom Dyer layout / managing editor April Gustetter account executive Keith Peterson contributing writers Michael L. Kilgore, G. K. Fowler, Harmony Brenner, Nan Schultz, Bandon Dean, Dimitri Toscas,
Jim Creseitelli, Mark Lawhon, Yvonne Vassell, Ken Kundis,
Rafael Gasti, Stephen De Matteis, Rosanne Sloan, Joe Sarano photographers & illustrators Alison Bechdel, Eric Orner,
Russell Tucker, Jill Porter student contributors Robert Holland, Katie Messmer,
Tera Kenney, Mike Williams
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 is WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations (unless, of course, sexual orientation is stated specifically).
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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 i management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication.
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The fabulous, award-winning La Cunta Sisters, Mona and Davida, make their annual Halloween appearance.
\&
ALLEGED
CAUSES AF LESBIANISM
1, Masturbation (1600s thru early 1900s)
2, Faulty nervous organization, which can also lead to dementia death (1890s)
3, Cerebral abnormalities (1890s)
4, Fear of pregnancy (1890s)
5, Female friendships (1890s)
6, Being allowed to dress like boys (1890s)
7, Being allowed to play with boys (1890s)
8, Feminism (1890s)
9, Separate schools for girls boys (1890s)
10, Women's colleges which encouraged athletics k the “masculinization” of the female mind (1900s)
11, Co-ed colleges (1900s)
12, Childhood trauma (1920s)
13, Being an only child or (he first-born (1920s)
14, Shortage of men after World War I (1920s)
15, World War I: emotional trauma caused by the separation of men women during the war k also, women taking over men’s jobs (1920s)
16, Overfunctioning adrenal gland (1930s)
17, Glandular imbalance (1950s)
18, Poor parenting (1960s)
From LESBIAN LISTS by Dell Richards.
Alyson Publications
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 13
VIEWPOINT
GETTING IT STRAIGHT
by Rosanne Sloan
I am openly gay, yet I don’t shove my homosexuality in others’ faces. Fortunately, I have had the freedom to be “out” wherever I’ve been employed. Over the years, I have noticed that straight men and women react differently to my coming out at work.
I spent six years mostly in the company of straight men. I was the executive vice-president of the largest family-owned chain of car stereo businesses in New Jersey. I
It was as if I’d caused an
earthquake. They listened politely enough, but the aftershocks were explosive.
was also the only woman...and the only gay employee. During the first three months, I was propositioned every day, all day. I had no choice but to reveal that I was a homosexual.
At first, the guys thought it was a ploy to prevent them from harassing me. They disregarded my declaration and demanded hat I prove it. How was I to do that? I lought that bringing my lover to the of-ice would suffice but they wanted action, he “real” thing. Then it hit me - these ma-'ho men would rather die than have sex
with another man, but they’d love to be involved in a sexual tango with two lesbians, or their wives/girlfriends and a lesbian. “Once you’ve had me,” they’d say, “you’ll be a real woman.”
Soon, I became a novelty, a trophy. When a new guy was hired, the boys would say, “Don’t mess with her, she’s our lesbian.” They couldn’t have me, so they made sure no other men would. Soon, their wives/ girlfriends found me to be unthreatening, and by the end of my sixth year, I had become “one of the guys.” No longer was I thought of as a gay just as
Rosanne.
I have worked in Florida for a year now, and have decided that straight women are odd. I’m employed at a mail house business which predominantly hires women. After coming aboard, they’d ask me about my wedding band, what my husband’s name was, what he did for a living, why we don’t have kids, dah-da-dah-da-dah. They wanted to know every detail of my personal life. I thought it was only fair (and certainly less burdensome on me) to be honest with them. So, a month after I started working there - on National Coming Out Day - I decided to tell the women I work with that I’m gay.
It was as if I had caused an earthquake. They listened politely enough, but the aftershocks were explosive. Thankfully, there
were some women who said it didn’t matter, but one woman felt compelled to warn, “You better not mess with me!” Others were hurt that I didn’t tell them right away.
Still others were curious. It seemed as if everyone was telling me stories of a relative or a friend that was gay. One woman told me a neighbor of hers killed himself because he was gay, and did I ever feel that way? Another told me she was approached by a gay woman, and did she look like a lesbian to me? Every conversation for the next few days revolved around being gay or gays and lesbians. “How do you do it?” “Are you the man or the woman?” “Do you use a dildo?” “Don’t you miss doing it with a man?”
Most of the women at work now respect my lifestyle. They see my marriage to Donna as equal to their own marriage in validity, but they think I have it better. They feel the success of my marriage is due to it
being with a woman. I’ve tried to explain that it isn’t the gender but the person; still they disagree.
My closest friend at work, Weezer, told me the other day, “You know, I used to be afraid of gay people - until I met you. I thought they would hit on anyone, straight or gay. And I thought if I liked someone gay, it meant I was gay, too. But knowing you has changed my mind. Gay people are cool.” She smiled and put her arm around me.. .something she couldn’t do a year ago.
There are a couple of women at work who are still afraid to be close to me, afraid of what they might see in themselves, perhaps. But for the most part, the others, like Weezer, have changed their minds about gay people. Maybe they will raise their children or teach their grandchildren to be more openminded about homosexuals. Maybe, some day, there will be a Coming Out Day for straights.
Let me say, a more artistic, appreciative group of people For the arts does not exist.. .They are more knowledgeable, more loving of the arts. They make the average male look stupid. M
BETTE DAVIS, on gay men. ^
••••••• < "■
• * . v - ' 'A''
TO MARK:
MY WAKE-UP CALL
by Ken Kundis
My old college roommate, John, and I still talk on the phone on the average of once a week. Recently, during the hootin’ and hollerin’ about men or bars, movies or old friends from New Orleans, he lowered his tone meaningfully and said, “I got a card today from Rick. He wanted to let me know that Mark passed away.”
Six years ago, during our senior year in college, Mark had been John’s first boyfriend. And now, at 26 years old, Mark was dead.
John had spent his junior year in Paris, while I, for reasons that seem distant now, had been living in my fraternity house (Hoo Rah Rega for Alpha Tau Omega). John’s year in Paris was freeing — he came home centered, secured, evolved. In short, a fully-developed homosexual. I, too, had come a long way in that year. I had finally grown tired of the complicated facade I had been wearing for years. I had finally figured out that the roof of my parents’ house wouldn’t start crashing in on them if I went on a date vith a man.
So, when senior year started, John and I ame roommates again, as we had been omore year, and dove headlong into Orleans’ gay world. While John dove farther and swam a bit faster, the ten-^ steps that I took toward coming out 'ear were some of the most important
y life.
. was during this heady time, as the \ x)l year began, that John met Mark. As \ )uple, they didn’t break any longevity -£)rds — six weeks at the most. But Mark,
19 at the time, was sweet and funny, someone who always seemed open to the new experience, the new viewpoint. And for two attention-seekers like my roommate and me, Mark was a good audience. For some reason, he regarded us as clever. And in his own way, he was quite clever as well.
Mark and I remained friends for the rest of the year after he and John went their separate ways. After graduating from college, I returned to Orlando and essentially lost touch with Mark. About a year later,
As a gay mI was becoming desensitized to seeing a familiar face waste away into a guant, barely recognizable pallor.
however, John told me that Mark and his lover were moving to Orlando. Several weeks later, we ran into each other at Southern Nights and exchanged phone numbers.
Over the course of the next year, I attended a dinner party or two at Mark’s house, saw his lover and him out often and on one or two occasions just called him to talk. I was glad to see that he remained the same person I had known in New Orleans: upbeat, funny, relentlessly reaffirming.
Time and responsibilities intervened, however. I saw less and less of Mark and
when I did see him, we had less and less to say. The things we had in common — John, New Orleans — faded further back into memory. Also as time went on, I could tell something was clearly out of place with Mark. Always trim and boyishly attractive, he suddenly seemed to be packing on weight and aging prematurely. The next time, he would be pale and drawn. Sometimes, he seemed happy to see me; other times, distracted and disinterested.
One evening, I saw Mark at Southern Nights. He looked terrible. He had lost all the weight he had gained plus another twenty pounds. He seemed melancholy and removed. I went home that night and casually mentioned to John on the phone that I had seen Mark and that he didn’t “look well,” with all the proper nuance to let my friend know exactly what I meant.
Strangely, however, I didn’t really feel anything about it. I was just pointing out to John what I saw as an empirical fact. As a gay man, I was becoming desensitized to seeing a familiar face waste away into a gaunt, barely recognizable pallor. What I had not seen, what prevented me from having any real emotion about it, was that I hadn’t actually seen anyone dying.
To date, not one of my close friends, who are relatively scattered across the country, has told me that he is HIV positive. There are some friends of friends that I know of who are ill. And now there is Mark. But for me personally, for my day to day life, AIDS has been an abstraction. My friends and I are the children of Safe Sex. We were the “young people” that were the targets of all the AIDS education materials available in gay bars in the mid to late 1980’s. We were too young to have been sexually active during the worst of times, but were old enough to see the decimation and take it seriously. The rising rate of HIV infection among the 18-25 age group is evidence that the lack of such dramatic examples — seeing people close to one’s own age dying — can foster
a certain complacency about one’s health. My age group, 26-32, was the one that largely got the message. Add to the mix the fact that my friends are generally highly informed and more health-conscious, and I have been insulated — either through luck or design — to the concrete and insidious ramifications of this epidemic.
But since Mark’s passing, I’ve been thinking about it a great deal. My mind seems to be saying to me “Yes, you idiot, people are actually DYING of this.” I know its naive and perhaps even a bit flippant of me to act as though it never occurred to me that dying was the final toll AIDS exacts from people. I made the intellectual connection, of course; but perhaps the emotional one was too much for me. Now I can think of nothing else. I think my good fortune in not having loved ones dying has coddled me, created a false sense of security. Yes, I’ve done academic research on the subject. I know the biology and sociology and psychology associated with this disease. But it was never in context before. Now I see Mark, a man I’ve barely known for the past three years as this fragile bellwether; my first example in flesh and bone of the horrifying impact this disease has had on our community.
And now I feel like I know nothing. No book or academic paper can possibly relate what this disease is really doing. After presenting myself as an expert on the subject now for years, I can’t even pretend to know or understand anything. I can just stand here and watch.
And I can also yell as long and as loud as I possibly can. I can communicate to as many people as possible using whatever skills I may have. I can work against the kind of complacency I’ve been floating through. And it won’t be for Mark, and it won’t be for my friends. It will be for me.
It’s long overdue to get angry. And it’s long overdue to get involved. I’m sorry, I just got my wake-up call.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 14
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 17
OUR CULTURE
^ ..... .... ...>-•%?# '
ION) MYlCSU.lt,CHAPTER17: Joni Mitchell’s 17th release in her 26
year recording career is “Turbulent Indigo,” another treasure from rock’s premier female singer-songwriter. Through her catalog of work, Joni has defined the most complete, fleshed out female character to appear in our contemporary culture. While it has long been assumed that much of her work is semi-autobiographical, Mitchell has taken us on a magical journey through her music and introspective lyrics. Long time fans have followed her through each gorgeous phase of her career: the nostalgic reminiscences of late ‘50s rural Canada; the idealistic and naive dreams of a ‘60s flower child; the willful self-indulgence of the mc-generation ‘70s; her growing maturity amid the rage and turbulence of the ‘80s; and now, not so comfortably settled into middle-age. The specifics of this fascinating musical self-portrait may seem insignificant to some, but her legion of loyal fans feel connected to her in an almost mystical way. For us fans, “Turbulent Indigo” touches the spirit.
“Indigo” is less a departure in style for Mitchell than a balance of all that has worked in the past. A definite highlight is “How do you Stop?” featuring backup vocals by Seal. The CD jacket features several Mitchell paintings, including a Van Gogh-inspired self-portrait on the cover. This long-awaited release is yet another delicious chapter in Joni’s musical saga. For those less familiar with her work, it is accessible, enjoyable music.
A MONSTER TOR R.C.M . :Long before there was grunge, there was R.E.M. Back in the early ‘80s when this band was unknown beyond college radio, R.E.M. produced at least one release per year, and backed each release with endless touring.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, R.E.M. released “Out of Time” and “Automatic for the People,” achieving multi-platinum sales and numerous Grammy nominations. However, the band was criticised for “selling-out” as their popular and more polished sound seemed to stray further and further from their Athens, Georgia roots. As if this wasn’t enough to alienate die-hard fans, the band ceased touring.
With the release of “Monster,” R.E.M. boldly returns to their pure sound Michael Stipe’s vocals are again pushed back into the music, and the band’s “edge” is back. Even better news: a tour is eminent.
The first radio release, “ What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” is in my not so humble opinion the best and most exciting single of the year. The unusual title stems from something that happened to newsman Dan Rather a few years back. For no apparent reason, Rather was attacked on the streets of New York. His attacker kept repeating the phrase “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” The phrase caught on, as things do, and within days of the attack began showing up on t-shirts and the like.
"Monster” is excellent. Long time fans will rejoice, newer fans will be led back to the wonderful, if sometimes uneven, early work of one of today’s best bands.
BUG. Halloween is my absolute least favorite holiday. Nevertheless, I broke down and attended Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights the weekend before Halloween. I’ll be the first to admit it, we all had a blast; the haunted houses, “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Dungeon of Terror,” “Psycho Path Maze,” and "The Boncyard” all brought lots of screams. The live action show "Bill & Ted Meet TimcCop” was also great fun. The fact that it was drizzling and damp the night we went only added to the spirit of the night. Universal had loads of street activities and should be applauded for keeping the park dark enough to maintain the "spookiness” of the event. If you haven’t been yet, make sure you don’t miss it next year!
HCUyilJOlIl} INSIDER : From reliable industry sources comes the word that Neil Jordans Interview With the Vampire, although visually beautiful, is excessively violent and somewhat disappointing. The vampires appear bored and spend far too much time whining about how un-intcrcsting it is to be un-dead. When the characters in a movie are this bored, the audience follows suit. The good news is that Tom Cruise, although not quite the Lcstat conjured by Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles, is effective in his role; a performance full of sarcasm and bite (pun intended). My source tells me that Oscar potential (if any) will favor newcomer Kirsten Dunst as Claudia (the vampire woman trapped in a child’s body), as well as costumes, cinematography, and set design.
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 18
ARTFUL LIVING
EAT WI RO
by Rosanne Sloan
Thornton Park Cafe 900 E. Washington St. - Orlando 425-0033
With its outdoor courtyard just blocks from Lake Eola, the “new” Thornton Park Cafe has great food, great ambience, and a decidedly gay-friendly atmosphere. I first visited the Cafe under its former owners and it was wonderful. However, I remembered the delightful outdoor courtyard more than the food. That won’t likely be the fare with the new Cafe.
Which is not to say that Thornton Park Cafe hasn’t retained its unique charm. New owners Tony and Teddy Costa have brought the fountain to life and spruced up the outside with beautiful plants. The Cafe remains one of the few Orlando restaurants where one can dine comfortably, even elegantly, outside. Inside, photos from Italy have replaced more daring modem art, but this is for a reason. In its new incarnation, the Cafe is the quintessential Italian restaurant, complete with attentive owner chef “Papa” Tony visiting your table to personally ensure that your food is to your liking.
Although Tony is from Naples in Southern Italy, the Cafe has a decidedly Northern Italian flavor. Floridians may find the lighter, whiter creams more pleasing than the traditional Marinara sauces. Add to the mix a Latin texture (contributed by Pablo Felix, another chef and part-owner), and the result is a cultural delight to the palate.
Fresh bread teased our tastebuds, but what really grabbed us was the day’s special appetizer: hearts of palm sauteed in a raspberry balsamic vinegar dressing. Donna and I usually share an appetizer, but to my surprise she also ordered something... mozarella and tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. I’d like to know where Papa Tony gets his tomatoes, because we hadn’t had such a succulent tomato since our last trip north.
The menu didn’t make choosing dinner easy. Thornton Park Cafe offers six pastas, four seafood, and four poultry and meat en-
trees. Our knowledgeable and charming server, Len, sealed our choice by describing the specials for the day. I had Triangoli A1 Fungli, a triangle ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and sauteed in a mushroom and garlic cream sauce.
A descendant of Naples myself, I enjoy comparing sauces. Mine was delicious; even better reheated the next day for lunch. Donna was torn between the Brook Trout and New York Strip, but Len talked her into fish. Although usually served whole, Papa Tony filleted the trout for Donna so that she wouldn’t have fish eyes staring back at her. The trout was marinated in garlic, olive oil and wild mint, then basted with Balsamic vinegar. Donna found it light and tasty, but not remarkable. She’s anxious to return and see what Papa Tony does with steak.
The Cafe’s grand finale is its homemade desserts, prepared daily by “Mama” Teddy Costa. We chose Bread Pudding and Chocolate Mousse (my first time). The mousse had a hint of orange, and was smooth. Donna was talked into the pudding by Papa Tony. It was served warm, with a touch of honey and raisins, covered with a vanilla custard sauce. Donna loved it.
The Thornton Park Cafe is very gay-friendly.. .a place you’re likely to encounter friends...and the waiters are gay and cute. Another change at the Cafe is Fred, the guitar player who performed during the evening. (NOTE; For the next 6 weeks, jazz stylist Juanita Marie will perform at the Cafe during Sunday Brunch from 10 AM to I PM.)
At one point in the evening, Papa Tony stopped to serenade us all with “O Solo Mio.” With gentle breezes blowing, I felt as if we were on the Island of Capri. We were charmed, and happy to become acquainted with the “new” Thornton Park Cafe.
Rating: ****/GGl/2
ROSEY’S ***** Excellent /'t p /T . vrUlr IPs a Gay World
Very Good GG Relax and enjoy
RATING *** Good G You’re on your own
SYSTEM ** '* Fair Poor
Tony and Teddy Costa and Pablo Felix at the Thornton Park Cafe. The Cafe accepts Visa/Mastercard/American Express and is open for lunch and dinner every day (Tue-Thur 'til 1OPM; Fri-Sat 'til 11 PM; Sun 'til 9 PM), and for breakfast on weekends.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 19
ARTFIJI m/mn
Dearest Readers,
I’m still reeling over the Halloween Hoo-Doo in O’Town last week. Your idol managed to hit all the hot spots in town (even a few outside my domain), and I must say, the creative juices were flowing...all over the place. I suspect some girls were creatively “juiced” as well; the only explanation I can think of for some of the outfits I was forced to critique. For those fans who weren’t witness, drag was elevated to a new low in Orlando this Hallow’s Eve. And the rude manners of these fair-weathered frock wearers! When did a big dress and a big wig become a license to kill?
My first stop was the hysteric Club at Firestone, where Mickey Rat had taken over Fairyland and all hell had broken loose. Uncle Walt’s frozen remains were even encased in a fridge along with some
Hungry Man Dinners. H.R.S. is still investigating the Small World Shooting Gallery.
The ambience was very Wally World. Long lines, sweaty multi-nationals, and a screaming audience
clamoring for more drinks, more air, and more time (and they got an hour’s worth at 2 AM). The costume contest resembled a Mr. Universe Pose-off, as a parade of beauties clamored for attention from wild-eyed throngs. Darlings, I know it all too well; that treacherous catwalk to stardom...in
this case, all for a thousand dollar prize. Not a bad price, if you’re going to whore.
There were so many “Absolutely Appalling” Patsy and Edina duos that I can no longer watch my favorite show without losing my lunch. Also expected were the two or three thousand Priscilla, Queen of the Pansticks. Now there are some Drag role models, from the most wonderful Drag film of our day. I sweat at the thought of Americanized versions showing up on my cable TV: Tom Arnold and Michael J. Fox in the cross-dresser, cross-over hit, Druscilla, Queer in a Dresser. Phew! I am sweaty. Let me climb down off my hot rollers and get back on track. Where was I? Oh, yes, the battle
of the scary-boos!
The Mouse House was dementedly well-represented at The Club, with a paunchy Peter Pan, a Tink who needed a tuck, a Cinderella direct from the Home for Battered Princesses, a carload of spotty dogs with Queen Bitch Cruella DeVille, and that cheese-eating-nympho-from-hell...Minnie. Is nothing sacred? Not at this twisted tea party. The Best Costume winner was a barnyard treat-and-trick who left the crowd with a “not so fresh feeling.” I laughed, I cried, I became a complete woman, I passed out
at 4 AM with the vision of sated sheep jumping over my bed.
It was Fright Night II at Southern Nights, where Hollow-weenies ran amok in “Transy-Vania.” Truck
drivers in drag, freaks in frocks, beauties as beasts...it was the Voyage of the Damned! Debriefed and
de-dragged, your Lola watched an endless parade of thrift-store Thelmas get down.
One word of advice to all you Long Island Iced Tea Lolitas: more powder, less cocktails. There’s
nothing pretty about watching a gal’s face sliding off into her glass, or stepping into the women’s sandbox only to find some sister fishing an eyelash out of the toilet. Pretty! Please, girls, take a firm hold of that remaining scintilla of pride and limit yourself to twenty or so cocktails.
Oh, I almost forgot my friends at Twirl. Hostess Cindy dished out a delicious assortment of twisted twinkies in various states of “trans-ition.” It was Three's Company goes Dukes of Hazard, with Carmella twirling, Danielle tantalizing, and the crowd putting their chocolate in my peanut butter. When someone screamed for “Please Mr., Please, Don’t Play B-17,” it was time to dash and
hurl.
As I look back on this past All Hallow’s Eve, the images (and the stains) linger: the smell of Tinkerbell’s cigar; the flawless syncopation of the Winter Park Rockettes; Divine Dan; Steak-N-Streaks a la Lakeland; Brassy Grassy; Skye Madrasses; Fresh Baked Minnie, and all the other fabulous
creatures who dropped their drawers and donned a dress.
/> -
Color me gone,
Confidential to M.J.
“Pink Rabbit?
STREAM
▼ Watermark's, ad guy Keith Peterson attended a reception for Olympia Dukakis at Rollins College a couple weeks ago. When introduced, Ms. Dukakis asked Keith if he was a student.. .apparently she has heard that Rollins has a substantial adult education program...and he said that, no, he worked for a newspaper serving Orlando’s gay and lesbian community. Not missing a beat, Ms. Dukakis pulled back in mock surprise and said, “Orlando has a gay and lesbian community? This seems like such a conservative place!” Ms. Dukakis played transexual earth mother Anna Madrigal in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City on PBS.
▼ What about those campaign mailers from the new queens of negative campaigning, Fran Pisnone and Linda Chapin? This is the battle of the bad photographs! Apparently each camp has searched old files dilligently for their opponent’s worst-alltime-photo. In her mailings, Ms. Chapin found a photo that makes Ms. Pignone look like Bella Abzug, and has used a photo of herself that is positively Florence Henderson. We will rise above this negative stuff. For the record, both are attractive women.
▼ We hate it when we’re enjoying a movie and some self-professed Leonard Maltin begins audibly critiquing it. We saw Priscilla at Enzian recently, ducked in the bathroom, and had to endure a Siskel-Ebert review team standing at adjoining stalls. “It might be amusing if it weren’t so unrealistic.” “I know.. .losers like them would never be able to afford those costumes.” Please.
▼ There have been a number of sex surveys lately that try to determine who’s gay and who’s not. They tend to subdivide sexual desire, e.g. from The Advocate, homosexual desire only; desire and behavior; behavior only; desire and self-identification; desire, behavior and self-identification. This is all unnecessarily complicated. The surveys should ask, “What do you think about when you masturbate?” If it’s someone of the same sex, the person is gay. ‘Nuff said.
T Word has it the LCN campout at the end of October was a big success and a lot of fun. Do lesbians celebrate Halloween? Anyway, one camper tells of overhearing a pair of teenage girls camping across the lake with their families: “Isn’t it weird that all those women are camping together?” “Really...and that they all have such weird haircuts?”
Adam & Steve
bY £rvZc/ CJrvrJV-v ...
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 20
ARTFUL LIVING
ADVICE-O
Dear Advice-O-Rama,
My companion of 15 years and I have a good, solid relationship. We’ve gotten over the major rough spots, purchased a house in the suburbs, and we share a nice, comfortable life together. I guess it goes without saying that our sex life is not as exciting as it once was. This doesn’t bother me a whole lot, but my partner has a need for “sex as adventure,” so we’ve begun doing three-ways. To my surprise we’ve had no difficulty finding guys to join us. Here’s the problem...I’m more or less participating because if I don’t I’m afraid my partner, who I love very much, will do it without me. Should
I hang in there?
Signed,
Feeling Insecure
Dear Insecure,
Whether to have a monogamous or an open relationship is a critical issue for many gay couples. When partners are not in agreement, a major issue must be confronted. To begin, it is best to remember that neither monogamy nor open relationships are for everyone. Also, the desire to go outside the relationship for sex is not always the result of an unsatisfactory sex life. Sometimes it is a manifestation of other couple issues.
The fact that you describe your relation-
ship as “good” and “solid” tells me that you and your partner have likely built a good foundation; one that should allow for open, honest communication. Since you are made uncomfortable and insecure by three-way sexual experiences, it is your obligation to yourself and to the relationship to tell your partner exactly how you feel. A sexual experience should be enjoyable and positive, and not a breeding ground for hostility and insecurity. If your partner sincerely cares, he will not force you to experience something that is unhealthy for you. And if you choose to participate only to mollify your partner and protect the relationship, the reverse will happen; he will lose respect for you, and the re-
lationship will be compromised.
It is certainly possible for couples to find romance and sexual pleasure that has been lost. However, both partners must be committed to this process. Tell your partner how you feel. Be honest, and encourage him to do the same. I suspect this is more painful for you than you’re revealing. Please write back and let me know what happens.
Watermark ‘s Advice-O-Rama counselor is Keith Baber, M.Ed.. Keith has a degree in Counseling-Psychology, and is in private practice in Altamonte Springs. He can be reached at (407) 834-3279.
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C *
TRANSITS & ^ fcUNATIONS
* By oifM LfluiHon, mflffl
Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of Astrologers, and is available for consultations by calling 407-894-1506.
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): The next six months will test you.. .a drag or a challenge, depending on your point of view. You’ll see unfinished business wrapped up, but use care with assets recently acquired. Watch for job opportunities, but they won’t fall into your lap. Good news...you and your partner will stop bitching at each other.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): The Lunar eclipse on Nov. 18 will impact you, and Venus is still retrograde. With little effort, you can make things happen in the area of romance. Play it cagy until Nov. 24, then feel free to let that love object know exactly how you feel.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): Fate appears to be working against you. Try to figure out whether the source of your difficulties is internal or elsewhere...possibly work-related. But your emotions are peaking whether you realize it or not. Let go of what you can to avoid health-related consequences.
CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): You are ruled by the Moon, Cancerians, so the eclipse on the 18th will getcha. But put on your rose-colored glasses, cause aspects are favorable. Dates will lead to romance; romance will lead to pairing. Monitor investments carefully, however.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Work-related matters have become clearer for you. Now trust your instincts and act to improve your situation...even if it means relocating. Family irritations may continue, but don’t make the situation worse by losing your temper.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): Your obsessive-compulsive nature has returned from a brief vacation. You are likely making meticulous future plans. If these plans involve relationship changes, let’s hope your partner shares your logical outlook. Take a trip near the water to work things out.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): The eclipse on Nov. 18 may bring money your way, possibly from family, but don’t be surprised if it comes with some major strings attached. You’re a sensitive soul and the next six months may be stressful for you. If it’s affecting you physically, pull back and make necessary attitude and lifestyle adjustments.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): You Scorpios aren’t much for self-revelation, but communications between you and your partner have reached a new low. Open up. Share your secrets. Talk about how you really feel. You have far more to gain than to lose. As painful as it may be, honest self-evalution and communication will be important in coming months.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dee 21): If work seems good these days, don’t get too comfortable, particularly if you’re in a service-related job. Take nothing for granted. You might consider visiting home sometime soon; you and your parents should get along well. In fact, luck is on your side these days, but as hard as it may be for you Sag’s, try to stay grounded.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Lunar eclipse + Jupiter/Pluto conjunction...what does it mean for you? Fun and romance. Unlike your Sag sisters, you need to fight off those tendencies to be cautious, rational, selfless. Things are aligned nicely for you, so let go and have a ball.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Febl8): The eclipse provides you with opportunities to resolvd nagging problems. Be honest and true to your values, and hope that your communications are perceived positively. Be prepared for a surprise, as dreaded outcomes may never materialize. If you’re planning to move, you may want to time it for early Spring.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Accelarate your social calender, because you’re likely to derive a great deal of pleasure from friends and groups in coming months. Just remember, it’s flu season. Get a vaccine and try to avoid those who are contagious. Also avoid written commitments unless you’re absolutely sure what they mean.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 21
TRAVEL
NnilTIVFACT
GETAWAY
ly Stephen De Matt
Now’s the Time to Visit New York, Boston ^ v ^ and New England
There comes a time in everyone's life when you have to just pack your bags and get out of town. If that time for you i$ near or now, then here are several suggestions that might help,
Tor the Northeacst transplants,, this time of year brings back fond memories of Autumn festivals and apple picking. This is a great time to visit the Northeast ~~ the summer heat is gone and the snow hasn’t started yet.
Let the old song call you to "Autumn in New York." The sights and sounds of Greenwich Village are crisp in the fall atr. If you want a "gay" place to stay, the Chelsea Fines Inn on West 14th street is warm and friendly and convenient to everything. They also give you a great continental breakfast every day.
New York has more to offer than you can possibly fit into a long weekend, but do yourself a favor and find time for dinner at Christopher’s (right on Christopher Street at number 115,0 The food is great, the service is enteitaining and the laid-back atmosphere makes for a rC- or :
After dinner, take die short walk up Christopher Street to Seventh Avenue South and the Monster - the Grand Dame of Sheridan Square. The Monster is a fun bar where everyone meets to plan their evening. The downstairs bar is crowded anti noisy, but upstairs is a piano bar where show tunes are play ed and sung by Broadway’s own.
And if: it’s a Broadway or off-B road way show you want to see, don’t forget the half-price TKT’s booth on Broadway and 46lh street. You can get day-of-performance tickets for shows with space available at half-price plus a service charge of $2.00 per ticket. It’s worth the wait in line if you can get the show you want. The list of shows available is posted along the front of the TKT’s booth. They don’t tell you how many tickets they have for each show and you may wait in line for a show that sells out to the person just before you, so have a second choice ready just in case.
While in New York, vviiy not rent a car and lake a
drive up the Palisades Parkway to Bear Mountain and see the great fall foliage? The colors are incredible. At the end of the Palisades Parkway is the Bear Mountain Inn - a great place for brunch (and you won’t be the lone gay traveler in this traditional tourist stop). If you don’t want to leave the city for Sunday brunch, consider Tavern on the Green In Central Park. Located right in Central Park, this glass-walled restaurant and its fall foliage overhead is a wonderful experience.
New York is not the only Northeast getaway .. .Boston also beckons. Both the Chandler Inn and tJie Back Bay’s Oasis Guest House offer excellent accommodations for the gay traveler. There are also two bed <Y break Lee spots for women. The Iris and the Victorian are just outside of Boston with easy access to town. 1 also suggest the Marriott Long Wharf at the end of the Fanial Hall marketplace. While not gay •cxcln-■’ ■ -s Can
us location and service arc lirst rate. And catch the boat at the side of the
Long; Wharf to Provincetown - the Northeast’s answer to Key West.
The bars and clubs in Boston offer everything from the refined elegance of the Back Bay and Napoleon’s Club ( 52 Piedmont St.) to the cute college crowd at Buddies (51 Stewart St.) to the men of leather at either the Eagle (52QTremont St.) or the Ramrod (1254 BoyIston St.). Women are welcome everywhere, but Indigo’s (823 Main St.) is the "women's bar” in Cambridge.
If you’re lucky enough to get tickets, the out-of-town Broadway tryouts make Boston a good theater possibility, and concerts and cabaret are plentiful.
Shopping? Filings Basement will be the shopping experience of a lifetime. We’re talking markdown designer clothes to make your heart flutter. For the “guppy” shopper, there’s the Harvard Cooperative in Cambridge. The “Coop” has the best in college preppie wear and is also the Harvard bookstore.
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Key West Getaways, Entertainment, Dinners, Antiques, Services, Art, Printing, Household Goods. A Festival of gifts and goods for the discriminating bidder. Come on by for fun and bargains at a truly unprofessional Auction. No admittance, just bring your friends and enjoy.
Taste a gourmet’s delight of desserts and Holiday nibbles handcrafted specially for you by Joy MCC’s finest chefs. Sample the array of delicacies before, during or at the Auction intermission Just $5.00
A Benefit for the Ministries of Joy MCC 2351 S. Ferncreek Avenue, Orlando - 894-1081
H
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 22
OUR CULTURE
The English duo of Tracey % Thorn and Ben Watt, known
* as “Everything But The Girl,” I will perform at The Club at
I Firestone on Friday, Nov. 18.
■ EBTG is returning to the U.S. after a string of sold-out shows earlier this fall. This time around, EBTG will perform as an acoustic duo.
After 12 years and 8 albums, EBTG’s latest release, Amplified Heart, has garnered them the best reviews of their distinguished career. stated that “Thom’s voice has an instant sadness, a classicism that relates more to old-school divas like Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick than peers like Liz ot The Club. Phair.” They went on to call Amplified Heart, “the most
beautifully mature album of their career, and one of the sleeper gems of 1994.” The New
York Times said the duo recalls “the best of Fleetwood Mac.” Tickets are available at
Tracey Thorn & Ben Waft
Ticketmaster or at The Club box office.
OCAL
▼ “Florida’s Freshest Fruit,” The Improbabilities, have taken Manhattan as their new home...the Manhattan South Studio Theatre that is, 1012 N. Mills Ave. Shows are every Sunday night at 8 PM. Tickets are just $5. Call (407) 521-7499 for more info.
T The CMC Theatre Off Central Florida SecondStage series presents El Grande De Coca-Cola through Nov. 20, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 PM. See review p. 16.
The Mainstage production of William Gibson’s acclaimed The Miracle Worker, will begin Nov. 10 and run through Dec. 4. This stirring dramatization of the real-life story of Helen Keller is one of the most warmly admired plays of the modem stage. The Theatre for Young People will present Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, from Nov. 26 to Dec. 18. The cast includes Paul Wegman as Scrooge, and Frank McClain as Bob Cratchit. For ticket information on all performances, call (407) 896-7365.
▼ Lesbian singer Laura Chandler will be in concert at The Junkyard in Casselberry on Thursday, Nov. 10. Although influenced by such artists as Joni Mitchell, Ricky Lee Jones, and John Hiatt, Chandler’s musical style is uniquely her own.
Well known on the west coast, Chandler has released two tapes, including her most recent Confession of an Unarmed Poet.
She is preparing to release her first CD. Chandler recently performed at the Gay Games and the Atlanta Pride Festival.
Her performance at the Junkyard begins at 9:30 PM. Tickets are $3. Contact The Junkyard for more information.
▼ The Valencia Character Company will perform Pterodactyls on Nov. 12,13, 18,19,20. Pterodactyls is a dark comedy about the demise of a dysfunctional family, including a son who is HIV+. A portion of the proceeds from tickets will go to the AIDS Resouce Alliance.
Performances begin at 8 PM; 2 PM on Sunday. Tickets are $6 for adults; $5 for students. For more information call (407) 275-1603.
y Theatre K)CE presents The Wake off Jamey Foster Nov. 17, 18, 19, 20, and Dec. 1,2,3, 4. Written by LAURA CHANDLER Beth Henley, Jamey Foster is a richly comic study of a smalltown Mississippi family drawn together by supposed grief. Call (407) 823-1500 for tickets or more information.
y Joy MCC will hold a Gayla Auction at 7:30 PM on Saturday, Nov. 19. This enertaining annual event features an amazingly wide variety of desirable items, from the practical to the exotic. Artwork, musical instruments, antique furniture, vacation packages, and more will all be featured at incredible value. Joy MCC is located at 2351 S. Femcreek Ave. Call (407) 894-1081 for more information.
V “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” is the theme for Wlllow,S annual Black & White Ball, to be held on Saturday, November 19 at the Pine Meadows Country Club in Eustis. Tickets are $35. For reservations call Terry (407) 865-5972, or Peppy (904) 383-0928.
T There will be a fundraiser to benefit the Kathy Stllwell Foundation at 2 PM on Sunday, Nov. 20. The benefit will be held at Faces lounge on Edgewater Dr. An extraordinary athlete, Kathy Stilwell coached and played professional softball until stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. Monies raised will help Kathy and others with MS live better lives. To donate raffle items or for more info, call (407) 291 -3791.
▼ Dec. 1 marks the 7th year of the observance of World Aids Day. Centaur is the local coordinator. World Aids Day will begin with the Ringing of the Bells by area churches at 1:40 PM. At 6 PM the names of local citizens lost to HIV disease will be read, followed by a program of music, dance and song. For more information regarding World Aids Day, or A Day Wiffhouff Art on Dec. 2, contact Kathleen Morrow Aponte at (407) 849-1452. In conjunction, a portion of The NAMES Project Quilt will be on display in the rotunda of Orlando City Hall from Nov. 11 to Dec. 9.
y The 3rd Annual Red Ribbon Ball, benefitting Centaur, will be held Saturday, Dec. 3 at Orlando Fashion Square from 10:30 PM to 3 AM. This gala event will be hosted by WFTV’s Barbara West, and will feature entertainment by Miss Jacqueline Jones. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door. Call (407) 841-2437 for tickets or more information.
y The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will hold their 3rd Annual Holiday Gayla Social on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Moorefield’s Restaurant in downtown Orlando. Central Florida jazz great Miss Jacqueline Jones will entertain. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased from MBA board members, at Out & About Books, or at GLCS. Non-MBA members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Festivities run from 6 PM to 11 PM. Call (407) 420-2182 for tickets or more information.
y The 6th Annual Christmas off Sharing will take place on Friday, Dec. 9 from 6 PM to midnight at the 1st Unitarian Church on Robinson St. in Orlando. Through this event, organizers Jeff Gaul and Michael Pelkowski raise funds, canned goods and toiletries for the Hope & Help Center and other local AIDS organizations. Last year 350 people contributed 7 truckloads of goods. For more information call (407) 578-1157.
COLOfi
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 23
OUR CULTURE
NOVEMBER
10 11 1 12 13 14 15 16
RAINBOW * THEATRE ORLANDO 1 JOY MCC WOR- DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. Orlando’s FAMILY VALUES.
CONNECTION. v\ SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. SHIP SERVICES. ALLIANCE. Support largest gay & lesbian Gay & lesbian radio
Group for teens & Meet at the red pagoda See Nov. 20. group for gay, lesbian bowling league. Bowl on 91.5 FM. Talk,
young adults from 18- El Grande V at Lake Eola. 9 AM. BEARS OF CENT. & bisexual youth America, Winter Park. music, news, inter-
25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. De Coca Cola. 857-1777. FLA. Full Moon under 22. 6PM. 9 PM. 644-2244. views, community
425-7450. Saloon. 4:30 PM. 236-9415. events. 8-9 PM.
Miracle Worker. G.L.B.L. Bowling at 657-1817. UCF GLBSU 646-2398.
LUCKY LADIES Fair Lanes Indian WILLOW. (Lake Co. ORLANDO MEETING. Phillips
BOWLING. Fair Kismet. Hills. 6:30 PM. Lesbian Grp.) Mt. Dora FRONTRUNNERS. Hall, Room 218. ORLANDO
Lanes Indian Hills. 831-7171. Ch. Comm. 5 PM. 6:30 PM. See Nov. 12. 9 PM. 648-0057. 1! FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. 293-8849. > 865-5972. 7:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
i ORANGE BLOSSOM GAYSKATE.
TENNIS. 10:30 AM. Semoran Skateway in If
292-8582. Fern Park. 9:15 PM.
425-4527. -
THR FRI SAT if SUN MON TUE m WED
—— - 1 1 Ji
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
LADIES BOWLING. THEATRE ORLANDO JOY MCC DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. FAMILY VALUES.
See Nov 10. SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. WORSHIP ALLIANCE. BOWLING. See Nov. 16.
9 AM. See Nov 12. SERVICES. 10:30 See Nov. 14. See Nov. 15.
RAINBOW El Grande AM & 7:15 PM. ORLANDO
CONNECTION. de Coca-Cola. G.L.B.L. BOWLING. 894-1081. ORLANDO UCF GLBSU. FRONTRUNNERS.
See Nov. I0. See Nov 12. FRONTRUNNERS. See Nov. 15. 7:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
Miracle Worker. DIGNITY. (Catholic 6:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
LIGHT UP Grp.) Every Sunday.
Wake ofJamey Foster. ORLANDO. GLCS Center. RAINBOW
Downtown. 7:30 PM. 425-4527. DEMOCRATIC
Kismet. 5 PM-Midnight. CLUB. Orlando
p Library. 7 PM.
236-9476.
THR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
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*Side air bags are standard on the 1995 850 Turbos and are optional in the base and GLT models. Always wear your safety belts.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 24
ACCOUNTANT
memou lyidvio
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Personalized Professional Service Business & Individual Income Taxes Accounting & Payroll for Small Business Free Initial Consultation
ATTORNEY
W. THOMAS DYER
ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW
Wills, Estate Planning, Probate Partnership and Parenting Agreements
701 E. WASHINGTON ST. SUITE 200
ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32801
PHONE (407) 648-1153 FAX (407) 841-7501
ATTORNEY
Margaret E. Lederer, P.A.
Attorney At Law • Registered Nurse Personal Injury
227 N. Magnolia Ave. • Suite 200 • Orlando, FL 32801 Phone: (407) 246-0044 • Fax: (407) 426-7227
AUTOMOBILES
Murray S. Brown
Auto Buying Consultants
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/5e05a8a9d3cb57a886d7d1f148bc53fc.pdf
772a32d43d04ee453dad19956ca1c7d9
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Watermark Collection
Alternative Title
The Watermark Collection
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/" target="_blank">RICHES Program</a>
Type
Collection
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/">The Watermark</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
O'Neal, Rhiannon
Hearn, Nikki
Greene, Quintella
Rodriguez, Sharon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 2, September 14, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 2
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The second issue of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on September 14, 1994, and focused on a wider spectrum of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) topics. Kicking off the news was the cover article covering the "Gayby Boom," which was the push for LGBTQ+ members to have children. Continuing a more family-focused set of articles was an article covering the harassment of gay teens at Apopka High School, a look at the LGBTQ+ community housing market, and a new section of restaurant reviews. This issue also included a larger selection of national news stories, including Oregon’s Anti-Gay initiative, Seattle’s Domestic Partnership Registration, North Carolina’s attempt to keep records of unmarried couples, and the U.S. Navy’s reinstatement of a gay sailor are among the highlights. Notably missing are articles covering the nightlife of the area, through advertisements are still present. As the publication ages and spreads, nightlife becomes one of its primary sections so seeing an early issue without demonstrates the evolving nature of the publication during its early years.<br /><br />Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Type
Text
Source
Original 24-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 2, September 14, 1994: Publications Collection, <a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/203" target="_blank">The Watermark Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 24-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 2, September 14, 1994.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Apopka High School, Apopka, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
Salem, Oregon
Seattle, Washington
Carrboro, North Carolina
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Des Moines, Iowa
Tallahassee, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
San Francisco, California
Creator
Barber, Keith
Brenner, Harmony
Crescitelli, James A.
De Mattels, Stephen
Dyer, Tom
Maines, Ted
Newman, Lesléa
O'Lay, Lola
Sloan, Rosanne
Toscas, Dimitri
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-09-14
Date Issued
1994-09-14
Date Copyrighted
1994-09-14
Format
application/pdf
Medium
24-page newspaper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Publishing Group</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Transcript
V
FLORIDA'S DISTINCTIVE GAY AND LESBIAN PUBLICATION.
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2
SEPTEMBER 14,1994
HIGH SCHOOL HARASSMENT
Gay teens are threatened, abused...often ignored.
Vassel JBBliil
Each time Brandon Ethridge returned to " school jt bet^meA-#tat hipi ijjore ^ afraid of the next. What started off as an occa- .. sionai occurrence became a daily thing. A ra-
School and certain students were not w illing to j
let if go, he said. 1
“Ever since seventh grade, minors had been 1 spread and kids started saying things and occa* sionally doing things like flicking me on die ears. But it was my last year at Apopka that things got really bad,’* said Ethridge, 18.
“My close friends knew I was gay, but 1 had tried to keep it secret otherwise. But people I didn't even know would grab me in die halls and punch me. It got so I didn't want to go back/’ he added.
fared, 17, is in the process of studying for his G.E.D. (General Education Diploma) after dropping out last semester from Dr, Phillips >' High School Jared said he was daily taunted jf for being gay and, because of his perception that the administration was both uncaring and able to do little to help him, he never pursued complaints and insteadchose to leave/
Michael (not his real name), a 16-year-old student at Lyman Hign School in Longwood, said he witnessed a fellow student being repeat- I edly harassed because of his “feminine” de- ||g meaner. Although he never witnessed any . physical abuse, he said tie graduating senior was regularly taunted by being called a “child molester”, “germ” and “fag”.
“It happened a lot and people didn't talk to him. I didn't talk to him. I felt very sorry for Mm hut I never said anything,” Michael said.
Several educators interviewed said harassment of kids by other kids is, unfortunately, a regular part of school life. And, in a reflection of the general society, kids will use sexual ori-
Continued Page 5
GAYBY BOOM
More and More, Lesbians Are Choosing To Be Mothers
by Harmony Brenner
Janice and Marcia.
Janice is 36 years old and seven months pregnant. She works as a healthcare manager at a local medical facility. She explained her initial reaction when she discovered she was carrying a child: “I got pregnant on the first try, which is extremely unusual. We were afraid it was too easy.. .like if something comes too easy, it must not be true or important. But this experience gets more significant every day^ Janice’" pirtne : wed zr •
vant, nods in agreement.
This may be a common reaction among expecting couples, but Janice’s situation is unusual. She and her partner Marcia are among the increasing numbers of lesbians who are choosing to be mothers. Like many lesbian couples, Janice and Marcia chose to conceive by means of artificial insemination. Marcia will fully participate in the birth and co-parenting of their unborn baby girl, whom they have decided to name “Taylor”.
To initiate the process of conception, a nurse practitioner at a local birthing center referred Janice and Marcia to The Sperm Bank of California, in Oakland. Reflecting recent trends, this sperm bank states in their marketing literature: “The donor insemination program at our center is for all women, regardless of race, marital status or sexual orientation. Lesbians, single women and women with in-
fertile partners are encouraged to participate.” But Marcia said that at first, “it was hard to find a place to serve lesbians.”
Janice and Marcia’s total cost for the donor insemination process was $276.00, including specimen, shipping, and evaluation fees. This cost was unusually low, however, because Janice conceived after the first insemination.
They first considered asking a friend to donate, but both
women ar* satisfied with their choice to use
dbhbr. Both legally and emotionally, anonymous donors »an make the process less complicated. Taylor’s donor wants no contact with the child until she reaches 18.
Anonymous donors also offer more flexibility and choice. For instance, since Marcia is a redhead with fair complexion, and Janice is brunette, they attempted to blend physical characteristics when choosing a donor.
Awkwardly, Janice will be their daughters only legal parent. Thus far, only two states have allowed lesbian partners to legally adopt their partner’s biological child(ren). Janice and Marcia have no desire to test Florida law in that regard. Instead, they are presently using a local attorney to draft several legal documents which evidence Marcia’s parenting rights in the event Janice dies or becomes incapacitated. They have also drafted detailed wills reflecting their wishes and the nature of their relationship. To avoid
Continued Page 4
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 2
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WATERMARK / September 14,1994 3
Election Results
Orange County Chairman
Linda Chapin Eton Pignone Tom Dorman
wmii»s: 22,W®m
Orange County Deborah Ble
Bruce Nants
wmmim
rnmamm
tzm-nw
Roger McDonald Bob Wattles
wi&imi
2BABS (33%)
Stele House, District 35, Democrat
Susan Pickman %53
Dan Spoone lt30.
LOCAL & STATE NEWS
GAY-SUPPORTIVE CANDIDATES MAKE STRONG SHOWING IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS
Four of five candidates who have openly embraced the gay community made strong showings in the primary races held September 8. Of the five candidates, three won positions in run-off elections to be held November 8, including Orange County Chairman candidate Fran Pignone. One candidate - Susan Pickman - won her election outright.
State House Democratic candidate Pickman won her District 35 race handily against Dan Spoone and will face Republican Bob Brooks in the November 8 election.
Of the five candidates, only Insurance Commissioner candidate Karen Gievers failed to gamer enough votes to claim a spot in the run-off elections.
Orange County Judge Group 5 candidate Deborah Bleckman surprised many political observers by her strong showing in a primary race against George Winslow, Jr. and Bruce Nants. Blechman finished first in the race with 42 percent of the vote, compared to 41 percent for Winslow and 17 percent for Nants. Blechman will face Winslow in the Nov. 8 run-off. (In these primary races, if no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote or more, the top two finishers compete in a runoff election.)
Roger McDonald, candidate for 9th Circuit Court Judge, Group 28, also qualified for the run-off election. His 34 percent placed him above competitors Dan Mathews (32 percent) and Bob Wattles (33 percent).
In the Orange County Chairman race, the most hotly-contested local match-up in this
election, Orange County Commissioner Fran Pignone garnered 31 percent of the vote in an effort to unseat incumbent Linda Chapin. Chapin finished first in the primary with 42 percent, while Republican Tom Dorman finished a close third to Pignone, collecting 27 percent. Dorman is expected to support Pignone in the run-off election.
According to Pignone campaign manager Linda Stewart, Pignone’s chances in the November 8 election are good, although she concedes there is a lot of work to be done.
“We are going to concentrate on areas where we didn’t do quite as well as we should have,” Stewart said. This includes heavily African-American areas such as Washington Shores, Eatonville, Apopka, and Azalea Park, as well as Chapin strong-holds in Winter Park and Maitland.
“Of course we won’t ignore the areas where Fran did well: the working class neighborhoods all across Orange County,” Stewart said.
While Stewart recognized the contribution the gay and lesbian community made to Pignone’s success, she said that without adequate statistics, it would be impossible to discern what impact the gay and lesbian vote had on the outcome of the election.
Strangely perhaps, the Orlando Sentinel stated in a September 10 article that a strong gay and lesbian voting block in east Orange County helped Pignone. The article, however, did not list which communities would be included in that block.
ACLU CHANGES STRATEGY IN SAME SEX MARRIAGE SUIT; PUTS CASE ON HOLD
The ACLU of Central Florida will voluntarily dismiss its action for declaratory judgment in a lawsuit it filed challenging the constitutionality of a Florida Statute which prohibits same-sex marriages.
The suit was filed in July 1993 on behalf of two Central Florida women, Shauna Underwood and Deina Davis, who were denied a marriage license by an Orange County Clerk. Although the case had been recently argued before Orange County Circuit Judge James Hauser, a number of interested groups agreed that voluntary dismissal was an appropriate strategy at this time.
ACLU Cooperating attorney Peter Warren Kenny, who represents the two women says, “We want to coordinate our efforts with theirs as much as we can. After recent discussions with the Florida and national ACLU offices and the LAMBDA Legal Education and Defense Fund, we decided that our efforts in Florida were duplicating the same-sex marriage suit brought by LAMBDA in Hawaii several years ago. We expect a final decision in that lawsuit long before we could get a final decision in Florida.”
Marti Mackenzie, Chairman of the Central Florida ACLU says, “We intend to follow developments in the Hawaii suit closely. Since the lawsuit was dismissed voluntarily, it can be refiled whenever we choose to do so. The ACLU will continue to support the right of any two consenting adults to marry and have the protection and
benefits that a legal marriage can guarantee.”
PROSECUTOR’S ANTI-GAY TIRADE DISMISSED
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Broward County prosecutor accused of shouting anti-gay slurs and trashing a gay bar with a group of fellow rugby players won’t be tried on disorderly conduct or hate-crime charges. Mark McHugh, a felony division supervisor in Broward’s state attorney’s office, and three other men were arrested after about a dozen men wearing women’s clothing raided the Paradise Club in Boca Raton on June 17.
There is insufficient evidence to pursue any charges against McHugh, Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Moira Lasch concluded Wednesday in a nine-page report. Christopher Hynes will be charged with disorderly conduct, and Edward Murphy faces a charge of resisting arrest without violence. Both charges are misdemeanors. Charges were dropped against a fourth man.
Lasch, the losing prosecutor in the William Kennedy Smith case, said in a report she could not prove “that any one individual was targeted as a victim because of his sexual orientation.” But the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association of South Florida believes the state should pursue the charges. “If during the course of a disorderly conduct they say things that evidence prejudice, that’s the definition of a hate crime,” said Mark Leban, a Miami attorney and board member for the 60-member group.
A dozen men were accused of jumping on tables, shouting anti-gay insults, smashing picture frames and pulling down plants at the bar. They went bar-hopping after finishing their rugby club’s annual cross-dressing golf tournament. Hynes was identified as wearing a black cocktail dress with spaghetti straps. Bartenders and a patron described the incident as “a mob scene”.
WILL GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS?
The Parliament House and the Full Moon Saloon sit contiguously on N. Orange
Blossom Trail, near Colonial Drive. Those visiting the adjoining properties this month noticed a new feature; a wire fence, ostensibly separating the two gay entertainment complexes. Although no official explanation has been offered, few seemed willing to accept the barrier as a logical division between separately owned and managed properties. Many patrons were outraged, calling the action childish and further evidence of divisiveness within the gay community.
When contacted by Watermark, representatives of both the Parliament House and the Full Moon Saloon stated that the fence was constructed in compliance with a legal settlement agreement between the establishments. Both parties also indicated that the settlement restricted them from discussing the nature of the disagreement or the terms of the settlement.
The wire fence constructed between the Parliament House and the Full Moon Saloon has not yet been closed off.
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 4
NEWS
GAYBY BOOM
From Page 1
unnecessary complications, Taylor will use Janice’s surname.
Perhaps surprisingly, Janice is concerned about how their gay friends will react to Taylor. “Having a child will drastically change our lives. We just won’t be able to get up and go like we used to. Also, typically in the gay community, kids aren’t around or their parents share custody. There aren’t many women in our church (Joy MCC) with babies. I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose some friends.”
Marcia is more optimistic. “I don’t worry about the gay community, because if anybody should be supportive it’s them. As gay people, we know what being different is like.”
Janice and Marcia are also concerned about Taylor’s acceptance in school. “Children can be cruel,” observes Janice. To prepare her, they plan to involve Taylor in counseling before she attends classes. “We want to be totally honest, and counseling will help us do that. We want her to know that we love her and God loves her,” Marcia explained.
Both Janice and Marcia’s families are pleased about their pregnancy. “They are thrilled.. .ecstatic, really,” Marcia said, and Janice added, “They started sending baby gifts when I reached my first trimester.”
Joy MCC, their church, has also shared their happiness, holding a baby shower for them. Both have received gifts and showers at work, as well.
Lynn, Cathy and Wayne.
Donor insemination via sperm bank is only one method for lesbian couples to get pregnant. Lynn and Cathy decided to ask their close friend Wayne to father their child.
Wayne is a 40 year old gay male, recently separated from a longterm relationship. Lynn is 36 and three months pregnant. They met at a work-related seminar. “Lynn was wearing a shirt with a pink triangle on it,” Wayne smiled. “It’s always been a dream to have a baby. It’s something that’s missing in my life.” Lynn also shared this dream, and after six months of discussion, Lynn, Cathy and Wayne decided to try to conceive.
Wayne feels his desire to father a child contributed to the end of his relationship. “He didn’t want a child. This dream of mine made him look at his own issues,” Wayne explained. His ex-partner was also concerned that the child’s legal rights would supercede his own.
Lynn and Cathy discussed parenting for more than two years. Ultimately, they agreed to share in a mutual parenting relationship and iron out the issue of roles as they went along. But first they had to decide how to father the child. They originally planned to use an anonymous donor, but changed their minds. “My father died when I was very young,” Lynn explained, “and I really missed having that connection.” They also considered using a straight male friend as donor, but Wayne’s circumstances seemed ideal.
Wayne and Lynn inseminated at home without medical assistance. “At first we tried using a turkey baster. Then we used a medical syringe,” Lynn said. Ultimately they were successful by inseminating one day before ovulation, the day of ovulation, and the day after ovulation. It took 19 attempts.
By mutual agreement, Lynn and Cathy will assume custody and support responsibilities and Wayne will have liberal visitation. With the assistance of an attorney, they drafted a co-parenting contract that specified, among other things, that Wayne would never seek custody of the child and Lynn
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would never seek child support from Wayne. Wayne will be listed as father on the baby,’s birth certificate.
Wayne initially hoped that baby would be a girl, but as the pregnancy evolved, he states, “gender preference was no longer an issue.” Lynn however, is hoping for a girl, feeling this would be easier since the child will be living primarily with two women. Cathy hopes for a boy, but has some fears that a boy may be rejected by their lesbian friends. “After a boy reaches a certain age, lesbians may restrict his presence at their events.” A recent sonogram suggests that the baby will, in fact, likely be a boy.
Wayne observed, “I really see this as an ongoing process. We’re going to learn and experience things as we go along.” Lynn
ability to be his or her own person, whatever that will be.” She plans to discuss these issues, “according to the child’s level of maturity and understanding. “Wayne feels, “Since Lynn, Cathy and I are all friends, our child will understand what friendship is about and how important it is. It’s golden.”
The Donor Insemination Process.
Donor insemination, also called artificial or alternative insemination, refers to the process whereby semen is donated by volunteers who remain anonymous to the recipients. These donors are rigorously interviewed and tested for a battery of communicable diseases and for sperm viability. Genetic histories are evaluated, and addi-
JANICE AND MARCIA’S NURSERY IS READY FOR TAYLOR’S ARRIVAL IN APPROXIMATELY 6 WEEKS.
agreed. “We have an open enough relationship to discuss anything that comes up and we’ll address these issues accordingly.”
Addressing the subject of potential discrimination, Wayne stated, “As a gay man of color, I will know how to help my child deal with prejudice.” Lynn appears less concerned. “I haven’t thought about it that much. The people I deal with are my true friends, and my family accepts my pregnancy.”
Wayne added, “Lots of family and friends have opinions [about the baby]. It’s a struggle to differentiate between what someone else wants and what we want. I have to act as an advocate for the baby and myself, and not get caught up in other people’s issues.” He believes the child will be, “healthy in all respects and have lots of opportunities because he or she will have three important people loving and caring for it. This child is wanted and cared about.”
As regards any speculation they may have about the child’s sexual orientation, Lynn said, “I want my child to have the
tional testing is done if indicated. If a donor meets all requirements, their specimens are quarantined for six months and then retested for HIV antibodies. The specimens then remain frozen, available for purchase by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Recipients can select donors for certain physical characteristics, such as height, weight, hair and eye color, and ethnicity. Recipients are asked to choose at least four donor candidates in case a certain donor is unavailable. The Sperm Bank of California limits each donor to contributing to six live births, but this policy varies with each provider.
Currently, about 65,000 annual live births each year result from donor insemination. It is likely that, as technology improves, prices decrease, and success rates soar, donor insemination will be an increasingly popular option, particularly for potential gay parents. As Janice, Marcia, Lynn, Cathy and Wayne demonstrate, all that’s needed is a little extra motivation and flexibility, and a lot of love.
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WATERMARK / September 14,1994 5
NEWS
HIGH SCHOOL
From Page 1
HARASSMENT VICTIM BRANDON ETHRIDGE HAD FEW “GREAT DAYS” AT APOPKA HIGH SCHOOL
entation against someone whenever they feel they can get away with it.
“In the 20 years I’ve been with the school system I’ve only had two children actually talk to me about being gay and getting harassed. The other kids dealt with it and tried to keep it quiet. They did not want to get us (staff) involved,” said Tom Johnston, a guidance counselor at Boone High School.
Ethridge, during his final year at Apopka, did begin complaining to the school administration. But, according to Dr. John Edwards, principal at Apopka High, at no time during his complaints did Ethridge say he was being harassed on suspicion of being gay.
“Brandon never said he was gay or he was being harassed for being gay. This is the first time I have even heard that mentioned. My understanding was he was being bothered because of the clothes he wore and the fact he kept coming to school with different colored hair,” Edwards said.
Ethridge said his clothes and hair were a factor, as he often wore baggy, “skaters” clothes and at one point had his hair dyed purple. However, those were not the only reasons for his torment, he said, and the administration knew that.
He accumulated a lot of absences and his parents talked to Edwards about what could be done to ensure he graduated. Ethridge credits Edwards with being willing to work with him so he would not flunk out of school, but said he resents the fact that nothing was ever done against his tormentors.
“I honestly don’t think they did all they could. They would just tell the kids bothering me ‘You shouldn’t be doing this,”’ Ethridge said.
He eventually finished the last few weeks of school by combining schoolwork done at home with attending classes for final tests.
Edwards said he was unable to discuss specifics of Ethridge’s time at Apopka High but noted, in general, it is difficult to take disciplinary action if specific individuals are not identified and all the details are not given to the school administration. For example, Ethridge alleges he was often hit by other students and at one time was beaten up.
“The only harassment I mostly heard about was verbal. I also heard he’d been pushed and someone flicked the back of his head. Nothing about being beaten up,” Edwards said.
The 130-school Orange County School System annually racks up its share of assaults and battery. According to the system’s 1992-94 incident reports, there were 423 incidents of battery (physical attacks with harm) and 321 incidents of assault (threat of physical harm), said Orange County Pub-
lic Schools spokeswoman, Patty Villane. But during those two school years there were zero incidents of sexual harassment listed.
“I don’t know why that is so. I wouldn’t even speculate,” said Villane, adding that she had no way of knowing if sexual harassment based on sexual orientation was a regular occurrence in the schools. The annual report lists only incidents resulting in some type of disciplinary action, suspension or expulsion, Villane said. Therefore, any sexual harassment complaints not resulting in any of those would not be reported to the school board.
“I’ve overheard talk of individual cases but I don’t know if there’s an actual report anywhere,” she said. “There is no way to track such incidents without it being in reports.”
Rick Johnson, an assistant principal at Lyman High School, said he has the perception it happens everywhere.
“Kids are kids,” Johnson said. “I can’t speak for the school or the school system, but I, personally, don’t know of any incidents at Lyman. We try and keep our eyes and ears open but if they (students) don’t come and let us know, we can’t do anything. If they come to us, we always investigate,” he added.
Villane said the school system, in its training of teachers, seeks to impart respect for the sexuality of students, but said she does not know how focused it is on sensitizing educators to the issue of sexual preference. Within the schools students are sensitized in courses such as Humanities and Life Management, she said.
The stated policy of the Orange County School Board is that no student is to be disparaged or offended because of their “race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, handicap or any other reason prohibited by law.”
The state Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s colleges and universities, goes further in its Code of Ethics by including “sexual orientation or social and family background” as factors no student should be harassed for or discriminated against.
Ethridge said, in the claustrophobic world of the schools, being gay is not something you talk about.
“I wasn’t ever really out. I told my close friends and that was it. I didn’t even tell my parents until recently. The other gay kids kept it real secretive,” he said.
Michael, the Lyman student, said witnessing the other student’s harassment made him paranoid about being thought to be gay.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend. I just can’t bring myself to do that, although I know other gay guys who do that to cover up. But,
I’m very masculine in appearance and I have two best friends who are girls so they (fellow students) assume I’m dating them,” Michael said.
Gay and lesbian Community Services (GLCS) of Central Florida reports it receives calls from gay teenagers on an almost daily basis. “Unfortunately, I get a lot who have been abused physically, psychologically, and emotionally,” said Larry, a GLCS Center volunteer.
Locally, teenagers who are seeking to have contact with other gay teens are referred to the Delta Youth Alliance, which sponsors a weekly discussion group, the Center volunteer said. Up to 30 teens regularly attend the group which, for their protection and privacy, does not meet at the Center.
While Delta has individuals up to 21 years old attending, the Center recently started a new group called Rainbow Con-
nection, a social and discussion group, for 18 to 25-year-olds. It meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. at the Center, 714 E. Colonial Drive.
Such groups are important, Ethridge said, for young people who are trying to come to terms with their sexual orientation in an often hostile world where their friends and, often, their parents and families are in the dark about who they are.
It is through talking that Ethridge can find himself laughing at the irony of an incident he was recently involved in.
“I just started at U.C.F. (University of Central Florida) and I went to the event where you try to get into fraternities. I have a lot of buttons on my backpack that indicate I’m gay. I was going to try for this one fraternity but one of the members pulled me aside and said he’s seen my buttons and I’m not the kind of person they are looking for,” Ethridge said.
SSP policy forbids the sexual harassment of students. It defines such harassment* in part* as any action which “,..cre-afes an intimidating, hostile or offensive school environment,” and this can he from “repeatedremarks to a person with sexual or demeaning implies-
It suggests that signed complaints be made in writing to the principal and include the precise nature of the objection. The principal will acknowl-edge the complaint and collect information relevant to it. After a review, the principal will decide the issue and inform the complainant of the dect~
the district's equal opportunity officer* the policy states,
Patty Villane, an Orange County Public Schools spoke*.......
: : ■ : * ' % : r
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. AH educators interviewed said any complaint, whether written or ver~
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ANTI-GAY MEASURE WILL BE ON OREGON BALLOT
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - An anti-gay rights measure will be on Oregon’s ballot in November after a court challenge failed.
The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday unanimously reversed a lower court’s decision that the proposal unconstitutionally contains more than one subject. Opponents of the measure decided not to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
“On to the campaign,” said Lon Mabon, chairman of the Oregon Citizens Alliance, which sponsored the measure. “I feel really vindicated. Being unanimous says something about the argument they have been pursuing.”
The initiative is a revised version of a more harshly worded measure defeated by Oregon voters in 1992. It would forbid spending public money in any way that promotes or expresses approval of homosexuality. It also would outlaw teaching children that homosexuality is a classification similar to race, religion, gender, age or national origin, and it would allow adults-only access to library books on homosexuality. Opponents contended those prohibitions were separate subjects.
SEATTLE ALLOWS
DOMESTIC PARTNER REGISTRATION
SEATTLE (AP) - Carolyn Sue enjoyed a celebratory piece of chocolate raspberry cake with Linda Gonzalez outside the city clerk’s office after the couple registered as domestic partners. “It’s about time,” said Sue, a 57-year-old health educator for Group Health. “Now it’s official: We are a family.”
The city officially recognized their domestic relationship for the first time when a new Seattle ordinance went into effect, allowing homosexual and heterosexual live-in couples to register at the clerk’s office as domestic partners. About 90 couples, mostly gay or lesbian, registered Tuesday, said Judith Pippin, city clerk.
Mayor Norm Rice signed the Domestic Partnership Registration ordinance Aug. 5, after it was unanimously approved by the City Council. Seattle follows a dozen or so other cities that have similar domestic-partnership laws, including New York, San Francisco and Madison, Wis.
Registrants must certify they are not married, are at least 18 years old, are not related by blood in a manner that would bar their marriage in Washington, are in a relationship of mutual support, caring and commitment, and are each other’s sole domestic partner. The cost to register is $25. Terminating a partnership requires only one notarized signature and costs nothing more. For the $25, the couples receive a certificate, but the document provides no legal benefits. It is not official acknowledgement of a gay marriage, since marriages are regulated by the state.
One of the few opposite-sex couples waiting to register said they wanted to support the concept behind the ordinance. And, they said, domestic partnership suits them better than marriage now.
TOWN DEBATES
REGISTRATION OF UNMARRIED COUPLES
CARRBORO, N.C. (AP) - Carrboro aldermen, who will decide next week whether to allow unmarried heterosexual and homosexual couples to register as domestic partners, heard religious arguments from both sides.
“God’s word teaches us that fornication and adultery are a sin,” Jack Godley said at a Tuesday hearing. Gary Webb, pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Carrboro, said the board will break both the laws of God and North Carolina if it passes laws that condone adultery and homosexuality. “Each of you, when you took office, swore to uphold the laws of North Carolina,” he told the aldermen.
A number of those in favor of the proposal said they are Christians who regularly attend church. Gay activist Doug Ferguson said voting for the measures will promote family values because it would strengthen the commitments of unmarried couples. Gloria Faley, a lesbian activist, said the ordinances would help bring people together in an accepting way. “Let this ordinance be the first step toward what Jesus tried to teach us,” she said.
About 25 cities and a growing number of corporations provide for health benefits to their workers’ domestic partners. An ordinance in Seattle, which went into effect earlier this month, provides for no legal benefits.
The board will vote on whether to approve or reject three measures. The first would allow the town clerk to accept and record statements of domestic partnership of unmarried Carrboro residents. The unions would be considered similar to marriages. The second proposal would require elected officials who are registered as domestic partners to file financial disclosure statements that include their partners. The third proposal would extend health and other benefits to the domestic partners of town employees. Carrboro does not pay health benefits for employees’ dependents, but it would allow employees to pay for their partners’ health insurance through the town’s plan.
REINSTATEMENT OF GAY SAILOR PROVIDES LEGAL BOOST
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - The reinstatement of a homosexual sailor to the Navy is a legal boost for a Camp Lejeune Marine who admitted he was homosexual, the Marine’s lawyer said.
The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals last week upheld the reinstatement of sailor Keith Meinhold, who was discharged after revealing his sexual preference on television after President Clinton announced his intention to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military. The court ruled that the military can bar homosexuals for sexual acts, but not for merely saying they are homosexuals.
“Clearly the Meinhold decision will be very helpful to us,” said attorney Lanny Breuer, who represents Marine Sgt. Justin Elzie. “The court found exactly what we’ve been arguing.”
Elzie disclosed his homosexuality on national television in 1993 after hearing Clinton’s announcement about lifting the ban on homosexuals in the military. An administrative board at Camp Lejeune voted in March 1993 to remove Elzie from the Marine Corps. Elzie filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that the discharge violates his rights to free speech and due process.
Last year, U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin of Washington, D.C., forbade military officials from discharging Elzie or taking any other “adverse action” until Elzie’s lawsuit is resolved. “He continues to serve and do his job every day,” Breuer said.
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 7
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
STUDY FINDS MANY AMERICANS HAVE HAD HOMOSEXUAL STIRRINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) - A survey indicating that nearly one in five Americans has been attracted to someone of the same sex at some time since age 15 illustrates that sexual orientation isn’t a simple question of gay or straight, one of its authors says. “I think in most individuals there is some sort of range,” said David Wypij, a Harvard University statistician and co-author of the study. “You may be more heterosexual, you may be more homosexual.”
The research, conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Center for Health Policy Studies in Washington, has been criticized by some statisticians but touted by gay rights activists. The study found that between 6.2 percent and 20.8 percent of American men and 3.3 percent and 17.8 percent of American women could be considered “incidentally homosexual”. The lower estimates are based on reported same-sex sexual behavior during the previous five years. The higher numbers are based on reported homosexual behavior or attraction since age 15.
“Our perspective is that sexual orientation isn’t just a yes-no, heterosexual-homosexual (question),” Wypij said.
Research that might help define the size of the homosexual community plays directly into the debate over extending civil rights protections to this minority. Congress is considering legislation that would outlaw job discrimination based on sexual orientation. Opponents have cited research that they say shows only 1 percent of the population is gay, suggesting that gay people have little political clout.
The study, which was presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Toronto in August and is being published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, is the first national survey to look at the question of homosexual attraction. Interviewers spoke with 1,288 American men and 674 women, ages 16 to 50, and asked them each to complete questionnaires. The study said 1,200 men completed face-to-face interviews, which included 100 questions, and 1,130 answered 68 questions in the written survey. A total of 634 women completed the interviews and 588 finished the written portion.
Other studies that have examined sexual attraction - such as those published by Alfred J. Kinsey in 1948 and 1953 - were not based on samples that could be extrapolated to the population as a whole. More recent national surveys have focused on behavior, not same-sex attraction.
Randall Sell, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate at Harvard, said he hopes the research will help elucidate the complexity of sexual orientation. “It’s more than just behavior; that’s only one measure,” he said.
Tom W. Smith, a statistician at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, called the study useful, but warned that the question on attraction was imprecise. “They basically asked whether you were ever attracted to a member of the same sex at any time since you were age 15 - which can mean one very fleeting, very trivial sensation or feeling,” Smith said.
Despite such caveats, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force immediately seized on the report, noting the figures are much higher than those last year from the Battelle Human Affairs Research Center, which reported 2 percent of the men surveyed had engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and 1 percent identified themselves as exclusively gay. That report has been used by religious conservatives to argue that homosexuals are a far smaller minority than previously believed.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION WOULD HURT STUDENTS
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - They say it’s silly, unrealistic and would hurt students who need help the most. But they’re not pushing for anything to be done about it. That, Iowa school leaders say, would start a public debate, and that’s just what ultraconservatives want about the amendment they’ve added to a federal funding bill to take money away from schools that teach acceptance of homosexuality.
Cedar Rapids Superintendent Lew Finch says there’s no doubt about it - the amendment would hurt some students’ performance in school. “I’d hate to call it catastrophic, but it would be, at the least, devastating,” he said.
U.S. Sens. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., and Bob Smith, R-N.H., got the Senate in August to add the amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which would give $12.5 billion to the nation’s schools. Under the amendment, schools that distribute instructional materials or offer counseling services that have “the purpose or effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative” could lose that federal funding. So could those that refer students to gay organizations for counseling.
The U.S. House also put a similar statement in its funding bill, and now the legislation has been sent to a conference committee that will work out the differences.
But how do you know a school is “supporting” homosexuality? Iowa leaders say that depends on who is doing the interpreting.
“We’re saying that someone isn’t an evil, sick person who has these tendencies,” said Janelle Cowles, a high school counselor for the Des Moines School District, the largest in the state. “I don’t think that’s promoting.”
Gary Wegenke, the Des Moines superintendent, says that in 1990 the district added sexual orientation to the issues included in its nondiscrimination policy. Others include gender, race, ethnicity and language. The federal amendment violates that policy, he said. “We are an educational enterprise and we do try to remove ignorance,” he said. “In doing so, we do make our young people aware of issues. You have to be educated to what you’re not discriminating against.” He also believes the amendment puts Iowa schools in a Catch-22 because the state requires them to teach AIDS education. That means they have to teach students about the homosexual lifestyle.
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GAY MARRIAGE: more couples are doing It, but why?
TOM WOODARD: how his landmark lawsuit changed his life
ROB EICHBERG: co-founder of National Coming Out Day interviewed
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WATERMARK / September 14, 1994 8
HEALTH & HIV NEWS
CITING DRUG FAILURES, FEDS EXPAND ALTERNATE PROGRAM TREATMENTS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Less than a month after an international AIDS conference in Japan reported little progress in drug therapy, the federal government has launched a $25 million program for alternative treatments. More money and applications are slated to be approved next year, officials of tlje National Institutes of Health said Thursday. They acknowledged that the future of drug and vaccine therapies appears gloomy in the battle against AIDS.
The treatments getting the money aim to strengthen the immune system and genetically attack HIV, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “This effort is crucial because currently available anti-HIV drugs only partially and temporarily suppress replication of the virus, and their use is hampered by toxicity and drug resistance,” he said. More than 14 million people worldwide are now infected by HIV; the World Health Organization projects that the disease could kill 121 million by the year 2020.
The NIH money will be divided among six institutions: The New England Medical Center in Boston, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Stanford University and the University of California at San Diego. All must begin human trials by at least the third year of the four-year grants.
The Stanford team is taking infection-fighting cells out of healthy people, treating them and inserting them into a sibling with AIDS. Along the same line, the New England researchers seek to boost the number of the body’s so-called killer T cells, the AIDS fighters the body initially produces when infected.
So far, the new grants represent only a small part of the NIAID’s $558 million budget. But the agency says it is committed to expanding the initiative.
Experts studying how to halt the AIDS epidemic say this week in the journal Science that a powerful vaccine alone will not conquer AIDS and could even make the epidemic worse, because it might create a false sense of safety and cause people to ignore risks. They emphasize that it will take safe sex and other changes in behavior to stop the virus.
CDC FINDS GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN MINORITY AIDS CASES
ATLANTA (AP) - Minorities continue to outnumber whites in new cases of AIDS, but as the epidemic ages scientists are uncovering differences in how ethnic groups around the country spread the virus.
Fifty-five percent, or 58,538, of the 106,949 AIDS cases reported last year in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands were among minorities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. It was the third consecutive year that AIDS cases were greater among minorities than among whites. In 1992, minority cases accounted for 52 percent of new cases, up from 50.9 percent the year before.
As the epidemic develops, its pace has slowed among gay white men while quickening among minorities, particularly among blacks. But geography also makes a difference in how the virus spreads, said Dr. Teresa Diaz of the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases.
The Northeast - particularly New York state _ has the highest rates of AIDS infection for both blacks and His-panics, while the South and Midwest are generally lower. In some states, vast differences between minorities exist. In Florida, the rate for blacks is almost three times greater than for Hispanics.
Such state-by-state or regional data help CDC prevention efforts, Ms. Diaz said. The CDC is collaborating with state and city officials to design programs that will target groups at highest risk in a specific area. “This way, we have a chance here to prevent it (the epidemic) from getting bigger” and spreading to new groups, Ms. Diaz said.
In 1993, minorities accounted for 45,039, or 51 percent, of 89,165 AIDS cases among men, while minorities accounted for 12,696, or 75 percent, of the 16,824 cases among women, the CDC said. Minority men were most likely to transmit HIV through homosexual contact (39 percent) and IV drug use (38 percent). Among women, IV drug use accounted for 47 percent of cases and heterosexual contact 37 percent. Rates were higher among blacks (162 cases per 100,000 people) and Hispanics (90), and lower among American Indians/Eskimos (24) and Asians/Pacific Islanders (12). The AIDS rate for black women (73) was about 15 times greater than for white women (5), and the
rate for black males (266) was nearly five times that for whites (57).
Last year, the CDC expanded its definition of AIDS to include those infected with the HIV virus who also have a severely suppressed immune system, tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia or invasive cervical cancer. The groups most affected by the expanded definition were women, blacks, heterosexual intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs. The cumulative number of AIDS cases in the United States through Dec. 31, 1993, was 361,164. The number of deaths from AIDS through the same time period was 220,736, according to the CDC.
STATE WANTS DOCTORS TO TREAT PREGNANT HIV WOMEN WITH AZT
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida’s state health officer plans to write thousands of doctors, asking them to treat pregnant women who have the AIDS virus with AZT to reduce the number of babies infected with HIV. “We can spare perhaps 200 Florida children each year the suffering and eventual death due to HIV disease,” Dr. Charles Mahan said.in the letter, which officials plan to mail next week.
More than 1,000 women infected with HIV are expected to give birth this year, according to the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. An estimated 30 percent of their babies will also be infected with the virus. But results from a national study earlier this year documented a two-thirds reduction in the rate of transmission of HIV from mother to child when the woman is treated with AZT.
Mahan also urged doctors to make HIV testing a standard of obstetrical practice. “The stakes now are simply too high to do otherwise,” he wrote.
A bill that would have required that every pregnant woman be tested for AIDS died in the Legislature this spring.
HRS secretary Jim Towey said Wednesday that testing pregnant women and then treating those who carry HIV with AZT “is the first area where we feel we can make a difference.”
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PASSION PHONES’ ERIN SOMERS VISITS MBA
No one at MBA’s September general meeting needed to be told when their guest speaker had arrived. A full six feet tall, Erin Somers is riveting. With long black hair, black dress and black ankle boots, the popular radio host turned even the guys’ heads.
In less than a year, Somers has tripled the ratings of her popular radio talk show, “Passion Phones.” She is at once witty, warm, sensitive, informed and open. Somehow, when Somers talks about sex it seems more... fun. “People are afraid of sex. They take it all too seriously,” she told approximately 100 MBA members and guests. “We weren’t put on this earth to make our parents happy.”
Somers shared that gay and lesian sex has long been a regular feature of “Passion Phones”. And while she’s a master of witty repartee, it usually leads to a more thoughtful response. Responding to a question about masturbation, Somers endorsed the practice. “What do you think I did this afternoon?” But she then pointed out that teenage girls are discouraged from mastur-
bating; possibly one reason that only 30% of women are regularly orgasmic. “With a little practice I have no doubt we’d get it down better than the guys.”
Somers is not an advocate of swinging or indiscriminate sex. Responding to one questioner, Somers stated that, “To the best of my knowledge and experience, only about 10% of non-monogomous relationships really work. For the other 90%, they can be unsatisfying, threatening, and at worst disastrous.”
Somers most difficult call concerned a gay man whose lover had committed suicide after being rejected by his father. Her next caller was the father, inconsolable in his grief. Somers assured him that his experience would move and inform others.
Somers also stated her amazement at the divisiveness she sees within the gay and lesbian community. “You all have some real enemies... some powerful, organized enemies... and you need to stop fighting with each other and get it together.”
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 10
VIEWPOINT
VISIBLE
INVISIBLE
hr Rosaline Sloan
I have always felt that Florida was my home. When I was nine, my family and I vacationed here. Over time, I became enamored with the temperate climate, slow southern charm and unique beauty of the state. Although bom and raised in northern New Jersey, I welcomed the recent opportunity to relocate to Central Florida with my life partner. But here among the palm trees and sultry Spanish moss, I have been forced to accept some drastic changes in my gay lifestyle.
When I began coming out in the late seventies, I could hop on public transportation and roam streets at the center of Manhattan’s burgeoning gay area; all no more than twenty minutes from my straight,
Catholic upbringing. As time went on, I confidently walked the neighborhoods surrounding Christopher Street, often for up to six hours at a time. A decade after first discovering this eastern epicenter of gay culture, I had become so accustomed to its freedoms that I would spend five nights out of seven being gay as I ate at outdoor cafes, browsed in gay stores, and socialized in the many different clubs.
When my partner and I moved here, I eagerly began searching for places where I could experience the same relaxed, friendly openness of the Village. Instead I found that I now belonged to a hidden subculture. I felt as though my struggle to become a truly free lesbian on the streets of New York was
wasted. When I considered what Key West, South Beach, or even Pensacola offered in terms of lifestyle options, I wondered why our community in this part of the Bible Belt had been unable to flourish freely, even in small pockets. After participating in the most recent Pride Parade in downtown Orlando, I realized that this is not because we don’t exist in large numbers.
I want to feel the strength of
our sheer presence in the streets.. .who we are and what we are about as a community...
Is the voice of the religious right really threatening our community in 1994? Is there not enough safety in numbers that we can’t commit ourselves to seek what we deserve; the freedom to walk down the
street hand-in-hand with our lovers, or to roam a park without someone writing down our license plate number? Must we continue to gather only behind closed doors, or at events where there is no risk of exposing who we really are to our neighbors, friends and co-workers?
Now when I visit the Northeast, my first desire...rain, snow, or sunshine...is to go to the Village. I want to feel the acceptance I once took for granted. I want to feel the strength of our sheer presence in the streets. I want to see love in and among lesbians and gay men; open, unrestrained love that requires freedom to attain full expression. I want to feel the sense of who we are and what we are about as a community in our voices and in our hearts.
That community in Central Florida needs to be visible, not vulnerable. We must seek the strength and the will to be free, just like in the Village. Until then, maybe we should just pretend.
WATERMARK
Watermark Media, Inc.
©1994
editor / publisher Tom Dyer layout / managing editor April Gustetter account executive Keith Peterson contributing writers Michael L. Kilgore, G. K. Fowler, Harmony Brenner, Nan Schultz,
R. A. Bach, Dimitri Toscas,
Jim Crescitelli, Mark Lawhon, Yvonne Vassell, Ken Kundis,
Rafael Gasti, Leslea Newman, Rosanne Sloan, Joe Sarano photographers & illustrators Alison Bechdel, Eric Orner,
Russell Tucker, student contributors Robert Holland, Katie Messmer,
Tera Kenney, Mike Williams
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 is WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations (unless, of course, sexual orientation is stated specifically).
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Watermark m&emmymr Letters to the Editor* Ail letters are subject to | editing for content and length. Letters should bg sent to:
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I would like to congratulate Watermark on its premier issue.
I wish to respond to the article ‘TRACKS DERAILS - BOXCARS OPENS”. Several comments that Mr. Barlow made in the article are simply just not true. One, his quote, ‘‘In Tampa, the bars network and work together to benefit each other and the community.” Not once did Mr. Barlow ever make any attempt to contact myself or any member of management at Southern Nights with regard to networking within the gay community of Orlando!
Mr. Barlow further alleges that Southern Nights, The Edge and The Club at Firestone had authorized Tracks’ advertising removed from the publications at our locations. Mr. Barlow’s statement is one hundred (100%) percent false. Southern Nights, The Edge and The Club at Firestone do network together and not one of these establishments ever authorized removal of advertisements.
Maybe, Mr. Barlow and TRACKS/OR-LANDO just did not deliver what the competitive Orlando market is seeking.
Very truly yours,
Daniel J. Fraser, General Manager Southern Nights
I just wanted to write and wish you the best for your new publication. Having seen your ads in other area outlets, I think that you have tapped into a very important niche in the Central Florida gay and lesbian community. It’s about time Orlando supported a higher-end publication such as yours.
Once again, I wish you and your staff the best.
Sincerely,
William J. Gridley Public Relations Editor Rollins College
Bravo!
How grand that there is finally a forum for the diversity of culture that is the gay community. We are not simply visual cliches, but rather an evolution of old and new, traditional and avant garde, private and unabashed. Mostly, though, we are worthy of celebration. Thank you for validating that.
Proudly,
Pam Pratt
What enjoyment and pride I had in reading the newest lesbian and gay periodical to hit Central Florida! It is wonderful to see the diversity of our community mirrored by the many issues and topics covered - political, sports, entertainment, health, and arts. Thank you Watermark for giving our community yet another tool to communicate and learn more about each other. I applaud your sponsors and advertisers for their support and encourage readers to patronize their organizations.
Each one of you should take a deep breath, smile, and be proud of your accomplishments! Congratulations on an excellent premier issue.
Peace,
Michael Hodges
Congratulations on the premier issue of your paper. Great looks and impressive content.
One gentle criticism, though. If your goal is to reflect the positive, non-stereo-typical side of our community, Lola O’Lay is a step in the wrong direction. The general population already thinks we’re campy transvestites with lots of attitude and a tenuous grip on reality. Why reinforce this stereotype?
Other than that, it was nice to read about Amanda Bearse, and I particularly enjoyed your article on Fran Pignone. The Sports page is a great idea. Keep up the good work.
W. C. Slapke
The Orlando Frontrunners gather at sunset at the Red Pagoda on Lake Eola
Homosexuality is always elsewhere
because it is everywhere.
French writer RENAUD CAMUS
WATERMARK / September 14, 1994 11
VIEWPOINT
WHERE WERE YOU IN 1969?
by James A. Crescitelli
Next year I’m going to be forty years old. Forty. Four-O. Well, as Margo Channing said: “That slipped out, I hadn’t quite made up my mind to admit it.” I’m not complaining; they’ve been very good years, but I wonder what it would be like to be a gay teenager in 1994 instead of 1969...
For gay people, the nineties certainly seem to offer a plethora of support systems. Community centers, specialized interest groups, publishers, magazines...We’ve come a long way from the days when checking The Well of Loneliness out of the library was a major psychological ordeal. I remember buying a copy of Playgirl at my local neighborhood newsstand in Brooklyn; I told the vendor that it was for my sister, who was in the hospital with two broken legs. The webs we weave.
What sustained us in those days? Who was there to turn to? I had an idea that I was perhaps not the only member of my ilk walking the earth but, as a late sixties teenager, my resources were limited. Being gay wasn’t something I could casually bring up during supper.
“Dad, there’s this guy I like in school but he doesn’t seem to know I exist. What should I do?”
“WHAT?!”
Fanciful conversations such as these ran through my mind daily like frightened mice. Better, I decided, to keep silent. I had had no problem with my own personal coming out - a realization, really - but I thought others perhaps might: my family, my friends, and the nuns. In other words, everybody.
High school...in September of 1969 I put on my bellbottoms, my Nik-Nik shirt, and took the bus to a Catholic boys’ high school in Brooklyn which, for some strange reason, had a reputation. It was whispered that only fairies and queers went to this particular grove of academe, and I was ribbed unmercifully in my neighborhood.
“I’m only going because it’s close,” I countered to any friend who dared to cast
aspersions on my adolescent masculinity. It was true; the school itself was only a ten-minute bus ride away. Secretly, I was intrigued.
Orientation day brought no major revelations other than the fact that we were not expected to shower after gym; it was optional, and I was relieved. Curious as I was about a high school filled with homosexuals, I was not quite ready to bare it all in a shower room crammed with boys I did not know.
I spent that first month looking at everybody intensely, trying to discern whether or not they were like me. It was a difficult task; I mean, nobody came right out and announced it, and I certainly didn’t ask anybody if they were gay.
I found my peers after a time but did not realize it at first. Some magic radar had conspired to pull us all together, but it took
I will always be amazed at how we “found” each other during those dim freshman months, perhaps groping subconsciously toward the light.
us until our senior year to verbally come out to one another. As I look back, however, it is plain to me just how unspokenly gay we really were.
We went to a lot of movies together, and any one of us could be counted on to know the dialogue from obscure Hollywood classics. Week after week, ensconced in dusty revival cinemas, we immersed ourselves in camp, unwittingly educating our psyches toward a more open future.
Theater matinees - orchestra seats were ridiculously inexpensive in those years -
were another mainstay, as well as the dinners afterward in Broadway restaurants in which we engaged in what we thought was highly witty repartee...I thought, heterosexual men don’t do this as a group. Here we are discussing Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer in great detail. What, I wondered, was up? Could we ALL be...?
Straight men go to the movies and they attend the theatre, and they know about art and literature and even a little bit about fashion, but would they have spent ALL their time discussing the finer points of these subjects? Would a straight man even know that Claudettte Colbert was offered the lead in All About Eve before Bette Davis, but had to withdraw because of back problems? Do you think my father knew or even cared that Norma Shearer turned down the starring role in Gone with the because her fans did not want her to play a bitch?
Even as we grew closer over the years, the G-word remained unspoken when referring to ourselves. Occasionally I would catch one of our “Theater Group” eyeing somebody on the subway, and I suppose I myself was caught, but nobody was saying.
Then, in gym class during senior year, one of these friends told me he had just finished reading his sister’s copy of Portnoy’s Complaint. He related the famous scene with the liver, and then had some news.
“.. .and by the way, i just wanted to tell you that I’m gay.”
I was hardly shocked, as the expression on his face seemed to hope for.
“Oh, really? So am I!” I replied.
“What? No you’re not!!”
He was angry that I had stolen his thunder, as apparently he was treating this as a major step in his life. I - seventeen, smug -was pleased with his revelation, yet treated it more as a “homecoming.” Yes, somebody had actually come over to MY side.
The news traveled s wiftly through the group. I confided in another, he confided in somebody else, and soon we were all privy to a rather unwieldy open secret. It took a third friend’s coming out to bring the rest of the group stampeding to the fore. Nobody wanted to be left behind.
I look back often and realize that every one of my little group blossomed into a full-fledged gay man. I will always be amazed at how we “found” each other during those dim freshman months, perhaps groping subconsciously toward the light.
It must be less of a challenge for young gay people to find each other these days, what with the network of support we’ve erected within our community. I suppose it’s easy enough to look up “Gay” in the yellow pages and find a listing - a telephone number, maybe even the address of a community center. There are counselors, groups, and sub-groups, but I can’t help feeling that, while positive, it has suddenly become so easy to come out...the furtiveness is gone. Maybe today’s young people don’t care that gay people once lived their lives as if played out on the pages of a gothic novel.
Maybe I’m too much of a romantic, but
do I REALLY wish it were 1969 again?
Not at all.
OUT OF THE CLOSET AND NOTHING TO WEAR
by Leslea Newman
When my girlfriend, Flash, and I were evicted last summer, I immediately called my mother. I don’t know why. I wanted sympathy, I suppose. After all, we hadn’t done anything wrong; our building got sold and we had to move. And having our apartment, funky as it was, yanked out from under us was more traumatic than I thought it would be. “It’s our home,” I wailed in a voice not unlike a 5-year-old’s. “I want my mommy.”
The trouble is, I don’t have a mommy. I have a mother. A mommy gives you milk and cookies, kisses it where it hurts and makes you feel all better. A mother means well, but misses the mark. A mother says things like, “Your room is always here if you need it,” as if the 20 years since I’ve inhabited that room can be dismissed with the wave of a hand.
My mother likes the fact that Flash and I have to move. This is a normal thing that happens to people other than lesbians. This is something we can talk about. Better yet, this is something my mother feels qualified to give me advice about. Never mind the fact that my mother hasn’t moved in 34 years, ever since my family migrated from Brooklyn to Long Island, and I, in typical dyke fashion, have lived in 23 different apartments since 1985. She is the expert.
“Have you looked in the paper,” she asks, as if I am an idiot.
“Yes, I’ve looked in the paper,” I answer in my most condescending voice, as if she is
an idiot.
“What about calling a realtor?” she asks.
“Ma, we have to come up with first and last month’s rent, a security deposit and money to pay the movers. We can’t afford a realtor.”
This is the opening my mother has been waiting for. All of a sudden she is certain that no one with nice apartments lists in the papers anymore; anyone with something halfway decent is sure to list with a realtor. Why, oh why, did I bother to call?
Weeks pass. Finally Flash and I find an apartment. Not just any apartment. A fabulous apartment. A dream of an apartment with six rooms, wood floors, oak window frames, french doors, two porches. I call my mother, feeling smug. All this and without a realtor, too.
“How did you find it?” is the first question she asks.
How do I explain the dyke grapevine to my mother? Flash took a walk after supper one night and bumped into the shortstop on her softball team who had heard from her chiropractor who had heard from one of her client’s that her ex-lover’s hairdresser had an apartment for rent. Would my mother ever understand this?
“Word of mouth,” I translate, and of course she has to have the final say: “I told you not to bother looking in the paper.”
Moving day approaches and my mother
is full of advice. “Pack the dishes first,” she tells me. “Why?” I ask. “Because it’s easier,” she says, and I let it go at that, as I don’t have the time to argue. Moving is a full-time job: packing, unpacking, turning on the electricity and the gas, forwarding the mail, reconnecting the phone. And who is our very first caller? Why, my mother, of course.
What she’s calling about surprises me. “What should I get you and Flash for ahouse-warming present?”
“Ma, you don’t have to get us anything.”
“I know I don’t have to get you something,” she says. “I want to get you something.”
“But it’s not like we’ve bought a house or anything,” I say, wondering why I am arguing with her. “It’s just another apartment.”
“It’s your first apartment together,” she says, and I’m amazed that she know this. Our last apartment had been Flash’s place until I moved in with her, and before that we had both lived alone. This is the first home we’ve created together and it does feel different.
“All right,” I say, and make a joke. “How about a washing machine?”
“OK,” she says, and I almost fall over. “It was a joke, Ma.”
“What joke,” she asks. “Do you need one or not?”
“I don’t know, I guess so.”
“Fine,” she says.
Disbelief makes me brave. “Do we get a dryer, too?”
She thinks for a minute. “The washing machine will be your housewarming present, and the dryer will be for Chanukah.”
I am floored. This is the closest my mother has ever come to giving Flash and I her blessings. This is the woman who, when f came out to her, called me selfish, self-centered, self-obsessed and self-absorbed. The same
woman who was convinced I was under the influence of someone, because I could never think for myself, or as she put it, “You were always a follower. Why, if they were all walking up Fifth Avenue stark naked with frying pans on their foreheads, you’d be the first in line.”
This was the woman who had never given up hope that someday I would return to my childhood bedroom and sleep like a virgin in that single bed until Prince Charming arrived to sweep me off my feet. This was the woman who was buying her only daughter and her lover a washer/dryer so their underwear, bras, socks, sweaters, shirts, blouses, pants, and pantyhose would toss and spin side by side, year in and year out, happily ever after?
Of course, I had to listen to a lecture on spin cycles, bleach dispensers, gas hook-ups and the like. Of course, I had to go to Sears, pick out the machines I wanted, write down the numbers, and call them in to my mother for her approval (she picked out a different dryer). Of course, now we have to talk about the washer and dryer every time my mother calls.
“How’s the washer?” she asks me.
“Fine,” I answer. I mean, how can it be?
“And how’s the dryer?”
“Fine.” I am tempted to say it had a slight cold last week, but I know better.
“It’s drying?”
“It’s drying.”
“Are you using fabric softener?”
As I listen to her advising me on detergents (after all, she has been a housewife for 40 years), all I can think of is you’ve come a long way, Mommy. Thank you.
Leslea Newman is author or editor of 14 books, including “Heather Has Two Mommies” and Gloria Goes to Gay Pride”. She lives and works in Northampton, Mass.
WATERMARK / September 14, 1994 12
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WATERMARK / September 14,1994 13
Greg Dawson: Tales of the City Room
by Tom Dyer
Watermark Interview:
What immediately strikes you about Greg Dawson are his intelligent, laughing eyes. This is a guy who’s easy to talk to; full of ideas and well-informed opinions. Interested as well as interesting. He’s also just plain nice. Tall, thin, polite and accommodating to a fault, a young Jimmy Stewart would be perfectly cast in the Greg Dawson story. No doubt a mini-series.
Greg Dawson has covered television for the last ten years, first at The Boston Herald, and for the last eight years at The Orlando Sentinel. This summer the Sentinel unchained him from his television set (where he spent up to 40 hours per week) to cover real life.
During his TV tenure, Greg made few attempts to disguise his decidedly liberal (some would say “evolved”) perspective. He praised Channel 24 for airing Tongues Untied, the controversial documentary about black homosexuals. He was highly critical of the same station for then refusing to air the more conventional gay drama, The Lost Language of Cranes. He also panned Channel 6 for refusing to air an After-School Special about lesbian mothers.
Greg and I met for breakfast at the International House of Pancakes. While waitresses schlepped pancakes and attitude, we covered a broad range of topics. I asked questions with my mouth full. Greg paid for breakfast. I told you he’s nice.
Where did you grow up?
In Bloomington, Indiana...a wonderful, liberal college town. I was one of the original Crest kids testing fluoride toothpaste. I still got cavities, and found out years later that I got the placebo.
I know that you have an essentially liberal viewpoint. Where did that come from?
Well, both my parents were musicians, and for different reasons very liberal. My mother was a holocaust survivor and a raging liberal. She was sincerely disappointed that I didn’t marry a black woman. She always felt them superior as a race. And my father came out against the Vietnam war before I did.
Your mother was a holocaust survivor?
Yes. She was originally from the Ukraine, and her family was being marched out of town by German soldiers, presumably on the way to a concentration camp. Her father bribed a soldier to look the other way while my mother and her sister bolted out of line. They were on the run for years, often finding shelter and protection because of their musical skills. Very much like Playing For Time, except my mother played the piano. Eventually my father’s uncle heard them and brought them to America, and got my mother into Julliard. That’s where she met my father.
Continued Page 16
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 14
ARTFUL LIVING
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Infectious Diseases
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Specializing in the
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a unique historical community established in 1894
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VISIT OUR BOOKSTORE
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CAFE NEW ORLEANS: Dined at this small cafe on Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park recently with some friends. Inexpensive and authentic, a cute place to have lunch or dinner. Watch out for the Jambalaya, it’s H-O-T!
PAGES: Every lesbian and gay man who works for a living should take the time to ready Gay Issues In the Workplace, by Brian McNaught {On Being Gay). It’s a veritable handbook on how to address issues effecting gay men and lesbians in the work environment. This is an easy read and I promise you will find it enlightening and a great tool for diversity training. After you read it, do yourself a favor and give a copy to your boss and co-workers. NOT SO GOOD GARDEN: Recently read Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, by John Berendt. This book came highly recommended by several reliable sources. It sure is a pretty book, and it will look great on your coffee table. If you actually read it, however, be prepared for a big snooze. It’s boring!! Why is this book a bestseller? I was hoping for Truman Capote and ended up with Danielle Steele minus the pulp. The story itself had enormous potential: a gay murder in Savannah circa 1981. Instead of a gothic potboiler, it descends into a series of character studies lighter than angel food cake.
PASSION FOR ERIN, PART II: Erin Somers, the sultry voiced host of Real Radio’s “Passion Phones”, was the guest speaker at the September 1 Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) meeting. Erin is loaded with charisma, and yes, the face and body match the voice! Somers was intelligent, eloquent and entertaining. An astute observation: Based on her call-ins, Erin remarked that she has noticed how divisive the gay and lesbian community can be. She advised us to work together in fighting against discrimination and in pursuit of equal rights. Like I said, a smart lady! Later that evening, Erin thanked the MBA on the air for giving her a standing ovation.. .her first ever. There will be many more, Erin! MUSIC: Ah, the end of summer. Spent labor Day weekend listening to the new soundtrack, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Highlights include disco classics “I Will Survive”, “Shake Your Groove Thing”, “Finally”, mixed right in with standards such as “I Don’t Care If the Sun Don’t Shine” and “A Fine Romance”. As if that weren’t enough, great 70s trash songs like “I’ve Never Been to Me” (considered by some music critics to be the worst record ever...I disagree, of course) and “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” should bring back some bad memories. This CD is a must have, especially if the movie is as good as its press. We’ll all find out soon enough. Priscilla, opens at Enzian sometime in October.
Dykes To match Out For
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YE AH •. MUPTH£M. THE/ U sell THE REST OF US down the River Just to GET THEIR WlNGTlPS |N THE COOR/THEy'RE Anti-CHOICE, ANTI-AFFlRAATlVt ACTION, PRo-B|6BUSINESS...
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Go what makes Sone GAy PEOPLE TURN OUf TO BE REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVISTS, AND OTHERS TORN OUT TU Bf SNIVELING COLLABORATIONISTS ?
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 15
IN REVIEW
Stephen Sondhiem has been turning Broadway on its ear for years, and 1994 is no exception. His newest artistic endeavor is overwhelmingly beautiful, passionate, and strange. Passion, a seamless musical drama, explores the facets of obsession, loss, and love.
Just released on Angel Records, Passion received the 1994 Tony Award for Best Musical. Its recording captures the depth and genius of Sondheim’s vision. His desire for pure love, his obsession with the darkness of reality, and his glaring rays of hope are woven within James Lapine’s book, creating a recording that is as over-the-top as grande opera and as real as modem poetry.
The seed of Passion begins in word. Based on an 1869 Italian novel by Igino Ugo Tarchetti called Fosca, it gathered a literary audience. Fosca was transformed into “film noir”, when Ettore Scola told the story in Passione d'Amore, and a new audience was tom by the love story’s twisting darkness. Now years later it has blossomed into an extraordinary musical and theatrical experience.
Following the romance of Giorgio,a young, handsome soldier, listeners whirl in the discoveries of truth and love. In the midst of a passionate affair with the beautiful Clara, he is tom apart by the deep, brooding Fosca, an ugly, withering woman, tortured by pain, sickness, and a crushing understanding of harsh reality.
The dreamlike music and desperate drama of Passion are captured clearly and honestly throughout this recording. True to
Sondhiem’s form, and unlike other Broadway cast albums, Passion’s disc maintains a coherent, elaborate story that will transform its listeners into an “audience” -including those who may not get a chance to actually see the production.
Passion gives this listening audience every resource it needs to be swept away by the story’s universal struggle: to love and be loved. Feeling much like a wave, Passion’s melodies swirl and circle upward through some of Sondhiem’s most sound and profound writing.
Songs like “Happiness” (an ode to oblivious infatuation) and Fosca’s relentlessly painful “I Read” (a bizarre anthem of denial) quickly build to a hauntingly beautiful and unexpected calm. By far the recordings most heart-rendering moment, “Loving You”, finds Fosca revealing her pure and blameless love for Giorgio, as she sets him free. Then the spiraling tide begins again, crashing down into the depths of dark reality.. .Giorgio’s breakdown, and the death of Fosca.
The orchestration, with strings added for the recording, drives Sondheim’s beautiful music. Brilliantly conducted by longitme collaborator Paul Gemignani, the orchestra sweeps over the shallowness of Clara (Marin Mazzie), swells under the heavy brooding of Fosca (Tony Award winner, Donna Murphy), and surrenders to the passion and commitment of Giorgio (Jere Shea). The recording gives their exceptional performances breath and depth.
Sondhiem delivers with overwhelming Passion.
Visit us for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Teddy, Papa Tony and Pablo look forward to your visit and promise you a unique dining experience.
T - TH 11 AM -10 PM • F11 AM -11 PM *S 10 AM-11 PM • SUN 10 AM-9 PM
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EAT WI RO
by Rosanne Sloan
Romano’s Macaroni Grill 844 W. State Road 434 • Altamonte Springs 682-2577
This specialty Italian grill, opened in 1992, enticed me with its fresh gladiolas and old world style patio. Originally from Dallas, Romano’s welcomes gay men and lesbian patrons.
There is a woodbuming stove smell that draws you into this restaurant. Inside, an extra large open kitchen delightfully adds a sense of hominess. The tables are covered with paper, crayons are supplied, doodling is encouraged. Each table has a bottle of Colavita Extra Virgin Oil for the traditional garlic focaccia (bread) to be dipped with fresh ground pepper.
Romano’s uses the honor system with gallons of Chianti wine lined up on the right wall. Each glass is $2.50, tallied at the end of the meal. Other wines average $4.50 a glass and $21.00 a bottle.
Like at my grandmother’s on Sunday, the menu is extensive. We began our meal with the special appetizer of the evening, a cream of mushroom soup. It was extra smooth with fresh parsley sprinkles and plenty of fresh mushroom slices. Very tasty. I ordered the Pasta di Tre Formaggio (fresh pasta with asiago, a type of cheese). My partner had Pasta della Casa (pasta, roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, olives, basil, mushrooms and bell
peppers in a spicy red sauce). Plates were warm, portions were large, and our meals were delicious. The average entree at Romano’s is $9.95.
To top off the evening meal, our server brought us a dessert tray featuring lady fingers cake soaked in espresso with dark chocolate shavings, a chocolate cannoli, a chocolate fudge cake with whipped cream, and a cheese cake with raspberry sauce and chocolate shavings, which we chose to share...my only disappointment. Although it looked delicious, the ricotta was curdy and the chocolate crepe was thick and stale from being kept cold. After the third bite, the raspberry sauce became overwhelming. Espresso and chocolate cappuccino complemented our dessert.
I recommend Romano’s specialty pastas, but I prefer their personal pizza’s and salads. The restaurant has a casual and fun atmosphere, with both smoking and nonsmoking sections and easy handicap access. To enhance the flavor of Italy, most of the servers have a deep Mediterranean look. Both men and women wore exotic, wild ties. At least four of the servers are professionally trained singers and they will sing at your table on request. Romano’s rates ***/GG.
Eating With Rosey borrows fro The Kitchen With Rosie, by Rosie Daley (Oprah*s personal cook)* Onr Rosey has tried several recipes, each inedible, but she^Ii keep ns posted*
Our Rosey’s rating system*
H ■ ********* tjrlxix It’s a Gay World
illllll GG |Jj|tela% and enjoy
11* G Tendon your own
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Romano’s Macaroni Grill accepts all major credit cards and is open 11*11 Mon-Thur, 11-1 Fri-Sat, 11-10 Sun. Call ahead on weekends to be placed on the “wait list”.
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 16
ARTFUL LIVING
DAWSON
From Page 13
How did you get into journalism?
Purely by accident. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Bloomington Herald Telephone and he ended up hiring me to call around small towns to get sports scores...places like Monrovia and Greencastle. I’ve basically worked in newspapers ever since. I covered sports, city hall...eventually I got a column.
In fact, I did several stories on gay issues and gay people. I remember one of the first.. .1 went to a gay encounter group at a Unitarian Church. It must have been around 1972. It was me and about 50 gay guys and I did a column about it and the gist was that it was OK for football players to hug and pat each others “tight ends” in front of 50,000 people, but not for two men to do the same thing on a street comer.
When AIDS first surfaced and Christians started saying it was divine punishment, I wrote a column saying that using that logic, coronary heart disease among obese CEO’s must be god’s punishment for unseemly greed.
When did you start reporting about television?
When I moved to The Boston Herald in 1984.1 applied for the job of TV critic, and I think I got the job because the Herald was a Rupert Murdoch paper and no reputable reporter wanted to work for him back then.. .certainly not as a TV critic.
Was there much to learn? Was it a difficult transition watching all that TV?
Not really. The hardest part was the reviews. I never got real comfortable with that. I did not enjoy reviewing shows, probably because I often had no real strong
opinion about a show. The truth is that my reaction to 90% of the shows I ever saw was a big shoulder shrug.
What sort of things stand out about TV during the time you wrote about it?
Well I think the period from ’84 to ’94 may be one of the true golden eras of television. There were some excellent programs during that period...far more than during the so-called golden era of the ’50s, which had some good shows but also an awful lot of dross.
Which shows stand out?
The first show I reviewed was The Cosby Show, and I thought, “Hey, this isn’t going to be bad at all.” That was an excellent show, and it kind of elevated my expectations. Certainly The Civil War documentary was a great piece of television. Thirty something. Lonesome Dove was in that period.
Any major trends?
What’s happened, and one of the reasons a lot of conservatives have such difficulty with TV nowadays, is that it’s getting closer and closer to reality. The biggest myth about TV is that it sets a liberal agenda. In fact, television has always been a lagging cultural institution. I mean, c’mon.. .in 1971 they were afraid to present Mary Tyler Moore as a divorcee because they thought it would be too disconcerting to the TV viewing public. And more recently, Thirtysomething had a prime example. They had that one chaste scene between two gay men in bed.. .1 don’t think they even kissed...and ABC claimed they lost a million dollars in advertising over it.
What about the trend toward more and more tabloid television?
The country is kind of schizophrenic about that. Nobody admits to watching the stuff. In fact everyone says they hate tabloid TV, but if you compare the ratings for Hard Copy, A Current Affair, and of course, Wheel of Fortune, with the ratings for MacNeil-Lehrer, which airs at the same time.. .well, if you could make a bar graph, tabloid shows would be the World Trade Center and MacNeil-Lehrer would be a stack of three pancakes. And I do believe in Neilson ratings...again the denial. It’s like denying the validity of a bathroom scale because you don’t like what it tells you.
Speaking of MacNeil-Lehrer...what do you make of the way Channel 24 has bounced back and forth on gay programming? Are they just terrified of their conservative financial backers?
In a word.. .yes. I don’t believe the Channel 24 programmers are homophobes or Ander Crenshaws. They are people under intense pressure to raise money and this is a very conservative community. I have a lot of sympathy for them. They face problems the public TV stations in Boston or Minneapolis never face. This is not a congenial place where its easy to raise money, particularly for an institution that may want to do something sympathetic or supportive of the gay and lesbian community.
They did the right thing when they broadcast Tongues Untied, but according to the people I talked with out there, they took a terrible financial hit as a result. They were punished by their sponsors for that decision and apparently they retreated.
Do you remember the first gay characters you saw on TV?
Well I think That Certain Summer... a TV movie-of-the-week with Hal Holbrook.. .was the first gay-themed show
I remember. And of course there were always characters that were implicitly gay. You had to wonder about the Bonanza boys, too. I think Little Joe had a few dates but that was it.
There are a few regular gay characters on TV now.
I think its evolved in a good way. There was Billy Crystal on Soap. His character was not really demeaning, but his homosexuality was also sort of a running joke. Now there are characters like Martin Mull on Rosanne who just happen to be gay. No gay central characters, though.
Do you think that will happen?
It would be nice if there were a groundbreaking show like Cosby, but who knows where it would lead. I mean 10 years after that groundbreaking show we have blacks in atrocious, pandering shows like Martin and Living Single.
How do you like your new job?
The best thing about my new job is that it’s not my old job. I’ve been liberated from my TV room. I can get out in the community and see some live action...some real lives instead of video lives.
How much TV did you watch?
It would vary from week-to-week, depending on the programming. Usually 35 to 40 hours.. .more if there were a mini-series.
I think that’s actually not much more than the average person watches TV.
I know and that’s sad.
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WATERMARK / September 14,1994 17
TRAVEL
OPENING NEW WINDOWS:
Ovi#irate fnr iTLiv TrAVAli^r
It Was A Vacation From Hell! This lias been the opening line from so many people when they return horn their vacation. Why was it so bad? In all likelihood, it’s because their expectations were either unrealistic or unmet.
A classic example: two gentlemen decided to Celebrate their ten years together and take a cruise, piey wentto their local ® brochure after brochure of cruises, They never told her they were celebrating their love, for each other and wanted a gay cruise, ;|]^y|p||ii; a trip with the '•^fntvtmd set sail for a week on board a ship that also held groups from die Baptist Alliance-and the
cruise director was thrilled to see our anniversary couple, still not knowing that they were a “couple”. Two single meal As for die Baptist group, fhey| "were' not fond of our .Couple’s' rather stylish Speedos. Needless to say, our couple returned home with less than happy memories; a lost opportunity for a great vacation,
3:: This is not.to say you should travel only to “Gay Exclusive” destinations or sail on “Gay Only” cruises. But, you should have a travel agent with whom 1 you can talk openly about your expectatlcp; An;
;kncw|yieablealx?ui
International Gay Travel Association (I .G.T.A,) and if they have a specialist in; gay hiid lesbian travel; There - are
rest of their client base.
Be .sure that you know what you are looking for inyour vacadom lf you are looking for a romantic getaway for lovers, you need to voice that to youragent If you are looking for nightlife and dance clubs* f&ll will have the information you are looking for. If they don’t, Find another agent} The g% and lesbian travel market offerS.cve^® ?§® quiet guest houses. Fi^ri ;rq^fl0: tours. j|ven a first class African travel planning. \
Travel is much like J|unde k4ame*s new window everyday, walk down a new highway,”
This article is the first of an ongoing series of reviews and stories of interest .for the lesbian and gay traveler. In share travel information with you. We
two ways: “GAYEXCLUSIVE”, meaning that the resort, destination or cruise k gAv owned or operated and will cater to mostly, if ,not totally gay clientele;
not offer gay exclusivity, are both safe and welcoming to gay and lesbian travelers. We will rale destinations abb resells on value, safety and gaiety. We will aim give you some firsthand suggestions as to what to do when you get there.
Clubs, restaurants, beaches* bars...we will repeat it all. From the Sleaze Ball in New Orleans to the next March on Washington* we will tell you about it • ||. Remember thiat the only way your travel expectations will be met is if you Verbalize them to an agent who rcspccts your travel;
Their services are free and their
that old wander Lust, Don’t fprgetAuhtie feiamCs
and most poof suckers .are
quet and travel.with us. Feast on life, love and adventure.
Write to us with your travel related questions and we will do our best to answer them.
|| Send your qnesttonsmS:Tfavel-^
c/o Watermark
iSillllll BO. Box 533655 ♦ Orlando, Ilf ISlife
Qnfuof
21
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DESTINY
From Page 13
change lives. Schneider’s direction gave these actors no way to find and develop that depth.
Through most of the production, the actors “Acting” was apparent. By using “theatre voices” and affected posturing, the actors added to the gap that the director had already established between the show and the audience. Only rarely was this gap bridged.
Bradenton Scott, who played the young Ned , broke through in the second act. His commentary on love and the relationship he destroyed was honest, heart felt, and profoundly moving. His discoveries about his relationship with his brother Ben (Lou Burnstein), were equally as involving, and were helped along by Bowser’s genuine attentiveness and commentary. But as the play moved* on, the “Acting” kicked in again, and the audience was kicked right out. The end result: emotions that were disconnected and not believable.
Speaking of believable, what a profound impact this show would have if the main character actually appeared to be hooked up to all those blood pumping machines. Ailing and surrounded by constant death; every moment heightened by the urgency of survival and validation. Then, when Ned breaks free from that hideous machine, splattering infected blood all over the sterile white sheets of society, we’d have a sense of accomplishment.
Gay Theatre has a responsibility to set a standard as yet unrealized in Orlando. A responsibility to entertain, to teach, to validate, to elevate, and not to accommodate. Until that happens, we are all hooked up to that hideous, blood pumping machine...waiting. The beat goes on.
The Destiny of Me will be performed at 8PM Fridays and Saturdays, and 7PM Sundays, through October 16 at the Acting Studio Company, 952 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando. $12 general, $10 seniors and students. (407) 425-2281.
ACCOUNTS PAID LATE? We can be your cash flow solution!
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WATERMARK / September 14, 1994 18
OUR CULTURE
GAY COMEDY JAM FREEDOM TOUR VISITS ORLANDO
LoneStar Entertainment has announced that the national “Gay Comedy Jam Freedom Tout” will visit Orlando on Wednesday, September 21. The show will be at The Comedy Zone on International Drive, starting at 8:00 PM.
The Gay Comedy Jam is sponsored by The Advocate magazine, and features Scott Kennedy and Kevin Maye. In addition to being two of the hottest nationally touring comedians today, Scott and Kevin are also domestic partners (two stars sharing the same bathroom!).
HARVEY
FIERSTEIN
SITCOM
PREMIERS SEPT. 21
Harvey Fierstein will participate in another first this television season, when he becomes the first openly gay actor to play a substantial role as a gay character on a weekly series. CBS' Daddy's Girls will feature Fierstien as the very creative, very nervous, very neurotic Dennis Sinclair, a clothing designer working for series star Dudley Moore.
Scott and Kevin have performed at comedy clubs world-wide as well as major Las Vegas Showrooms. They have worked with entertainers such as Garth Brooks, The Temptations, David Sanborn, Judy Tenuta, and Richard Jeni. Their two man show is an exclusive event for the gay community, and has gained national attention in the mainstream press. Conceived to celebrate Gay Pride and the 20th anniversary of Stonewall, the show has been produced in over 20 cities.
Scott and Kevin will also perform in Tampa on September 12 at the Comedy Works, Jacksonville on September 19 at The Punchline, Ft. Lauderdale on September 20 at Uncle Funny’s, and W. Palm Beach on September 27 at The Comedy Corner. For more information regarding the Orlando show, call (407) 351 -3500.
In fact, CBS says nothing about Fierstien’s character’s homosexuality in its publicity material, preferring to describe Dennis euphemistically as “highly strung”. Fierstien, however, states “Dennis is openly gay. They’re still sort of deciding whether he has a long-term relationship or whether he’ll be a slut.”
Two openly gay actors appear regularly on weekly television series: Amanda Bearse of Fox’s Married.. .WithChildren (see is-
sue 1.01), and Dan Butler, who plays Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe on NBC’s popular Frasier. In the past, gay characters on television have been played by straight actors, such as Soaps’ Billy Crystal.
ADVICE-O-
Dear Advice-O-Rama,
I am a 25 year old gay guy, healthy, with an average-plus sex drive. My problem is that when I meet someone I might be interested in for a serious relationship, I get cold feet in the bedroom. On the other, hand, strictly sexual encounters are great. How do I learn to get wild on a “serious” date?
Dear Waiting,
Waiting
My gut reaction is “fear of intimacy”. My next thought is to remember to practice safe
sex with any sex partner. However, I understand your confusion. I wonder whether you have been deeply hurt in the past by someone you trusted. Clearly you receive sexual/geni-tal pleasure from anonymous sex. Without being judgmental, I also wonder if you are scared of getting too close to someone. You may want to explore this issue with a close friend or therapist. Personally and professionally, I believe it is best to form friendship first and relish physical intimacy later. Songwriter Michael Johnson says, “Love will get you through time of no sex better than sex will get you through times of love.” If he’s your friend, you can talk with him about your sexual concerns.
Watermark ‘s Advice-O-Rama counselor is Keith Baber, M.Ed.. Keith has a degree in Counseling-Psychology, and is in private practice in Altamonte Springs. He can be reached at (407) 834-3279.
T Congratulations to Blair and Steve for opening of the first bed & breakfast in the City of Orlando. Their grand opening party on Sep. 10 was memorable, as is The Veranda itself. All paddle fans, porches and rocking chairs, The Veranda suggests the Deep South. Grab your mint julep and check it out, or better yet, book a one-night vacation. It’s a beautiful place, and an important new addition to the rapidly changing.Thomton Park neighborhood.
▼ The Civic Theatre of Central Florida opens its 1994-95 Mainstage season with the song and dance sensation, Me and My Girl, Sep. 15 thru Oct. 9. A recent hit on Broadway, Me and My Girl is a charming musical that mixes razzle-dazzle showmanship with a delightfully romantic story. Me and My Girl will run Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM, and Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $16 and $ 18. For tickets call the Civic Theatre Box Office at (407) 896-7365.
T The Aids Resource Alliance (ARA) presents an Open House and Evening of Art on Friday, Septemer 16 at 6 PM at their headquarters on Colonial Dr. near Orange Blossom Tr. Artists Pete Clarke, Ondra Gary, Marian Simmons and Linda Lenhardt will donate a portion of any art sales made during the evening to ARA. For more informaion, call (407) 425-2233.
T The Rainbow Democratic Club presents La Cage. RDC has bought out the theater on Friday, Sep. 23 for a “Family Night Out”. Tickets are $45.00 and include dinner, show, tax and gratuity. Proceeds will benefit RDC. Call (407) 649-7875 for more details.
▼ LCN (Loving Committed Network) and the Unitarian Church present Lesbian Movie Comedy Night, Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7 PM at the Unitarian Church on the comer of Robinson and Hampton in downtown Orlando. This month features several different short videos by lesbian comedians Suzanne Westenhoefer, Karen Williams and more. Tickets are $3.00 to $5.00. Call (407) 831-2971 for more information.
T The 5th Annual International Pride Film Festival in Tampa begins on Sept. 30 and runs through Oct. 9. The festival will be held at the historic Tampa Theatre, as well as other venues.
This year’s festival will feature over 25 film events, including: Director Arthur Dong introducing his award winning documentary about gays in the military, Coming Out Under Fire; the Florida premier of Zero Patience, an outrageously camp AIDS musical named best feature film at the 1993 San Francisco Festival; the Florida premier of Totally Fucked Up, Greg Araki’s (The Living End) latest Gen X noir drama; the much anticipated Salmonberries, starring k.d. lang in her feature film debut. The festival opens with the Sandra Bernhard bio, Confession of a Pretty Lady.
On Oct. 8 and 9, a Gala Celebration is scheduled, including a street festival and musical and theatrical performances (including Orlando’s Improvabilities). More than 5,000 attended last year’s festival.
Speaking of Tampa, Emily Mann’s Execution of Justice, a play about the murder trial of Harvey Milk’s killer, Dan White, is playing at the Tmpa Theater from Sep. 30 thru Oct. 9.
▼ The Orlando Gay Chorus begins their fall season with a concert and party at the Maitland Art Center on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 PM. A new venue for the chorus, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment are promised. Tickets are $15.00. Call (407) 645-5866 for more information.
T The Aids Resource Alliance (ARA) will hold their 2nd annual Echoes On The Green Golf Tournament on Oct. 10 at Metro West Country Club. Monies raised will go to support the needs of those suffering from AIDS. Those interested in participating, or in becoming an event sponsor, should call (407) 425-2233.
▼ Lewis Routh’s outrageous Whores of a Different Color returns to Orlando after
a five year hiatus. The off-beat comedy played to packed houses at the Parliament House last time around, and in fact, the play is set on the Parliament House stage, as six gay actors rehearse a play based on a Greek myth about male/male love. According to Routh, the play is a “fun-filled romp that still packs a punch with its message.” Tickets are on sale now and limited to 100 seats per performance. Opening night, Thursday Oct. 13, will be a benefit for Gay & Lesbian Community Services. For information, call (407) 521-8134. TTTT
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WATERMARK / September 14,1994 19
OUR CULTURE
shthat
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15 MBA BRD. Out* 16 THE
About Books. 7 PM. IMPROVABILITIES. g
420-4182. “Florida’s Freshest
Fruit”. Performing at
RAINBOW the Eola Theatre.
CONNECTION. 10:30 PM.
Group for teens and 521-7499.
young adults from 18- 1
25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. ARA’S EVENING
425-7450. OF ART. See Local
Color. |
LUCKY LADIES ■ s
BOWLING. Fairlanes I
Indian Hills. 6:30 PM.
298-8849. 1
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17 18
OUT LOUD RADIO. See Sept. 24. THE DESTINY OF ME. Continues at The § Acting Studio. 7 PM. I
MR. FLA. SPACE 425-2281.
COAST LEATHER. 1
The Barracks in LAKE IVANHOE.
Daytona Beach. (407) Look for lesbian |
259-2974. jetskiers & gay volleyballers on the
ORLANDO FRONTRUNNERS. 9 AM. See Sept. 21. east side of the lake.
GLBL. Bowling. 831-7171. !
SAT SUN f
Three of Watermark’s Student Contributors: Tera Kenney, Mike Williams, and Katie Messmer.
22 ~ 23 | 24 | 25 1 26 27 28
LUCKY LADIES RAINBOW DEMS OUT LOUD. THE DESTINY OF GAYSKATE. BOWLING. OBBA - i FAMILY VALUES.
BOWLING. See Sept. AT LA CAGE. See Lesbigay talk radio w/ ME. Continues at The Semoran Skateway in Orlando’s largest gay See Sept. 21.
15. Local Color. Judy Shaw. 1300 AM Acting Studio. 7 PM. Fern Park. 9:15 PM. & lesbian bowling %
in Cocoa; 1600 AM in 425-2281. 425-4527. league. 9 PM. 644- ORLANDO
RAINBOW CON- Orlando 4-7 PM. 290- 2244. FRONTRUNNERS. i
NECTION. See Sept. 1600. DELTA YOUTH 7:30 PM. See Sept. 19. |
15. ALLIANCE. See 1
ORLANDO Sept. 19. 1
FRONTRUNNERS.
9 AM. See Sept. 21. ORLANDO P
■ FRONTRUNNERS. M
LESBIAN MOVIE See Sept. 21.
COMEDY NIGHT. ft
See Local Color. 1
THU FRI 1 ,n—■ ,n ■" ’"•J SAT ■iiiNHIWHi SUN 1 f MON TUE i 1 s i m 1 ° 1
VALUES
LesBiGay Radio
Wednesdays • 8 - 9 PM * Call-in 646.2398
WPRK91.5 FM
PO Box 561504 V Orlando V Florida V 32856-1504 V 407.298.1666 V tommy@eworld.com
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 20
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press is oen-ci. v..
^bandit* 1 bnow who you are because those bills were marked! P.S 'confidential to the dressing room bandrt.
(So get a manicure A.S.A.r.j. _
STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
▼ According to an Agriculture Department study, 8.5 percent of male sheep are gay. We’re not kidding.
▼ When he dines out, our bold and outrageous friend Eric always asks to be seated at a table with a gay waiter. He says everyone relaxes and its always fun to watch the forewarned waiter make his initial, usually tentative approach to the table. Eric tells us that he’s never been to a restaurant where his request couldn’t be granted.
▼ We count three gay characters in Disney’s summer mega-hit, The Lion King. Jeremy Irons’villianous Scar, Simba’s bearish buddy Pumbaa the wart hog, and of course Timon, the meerkat who does drag and is voiced by the wonderful, adorable Nathan Lane.
▼ We’re big David Letterman fans, and it concerns us that although his show is top-rated nationwide, in Central Florida it consistently ranks behind sober Nightline and the tired Tonight Show with Jay Leno. No matter. Letterman always makes us want to create our own Top Ten lists. Top Ten Lesbian Names: Kim, Rocky, Pam, Debbie, Jo, Pat, Mickie, Spike, Lynn and B.J./D.J./C.J....anything J.
▼ Ex-Mission Impossible hunk Peter Lupus is reportedly hawking sprayable vitamins. We’re not kidding. During the ’70s, he and a bunch of B-type actors posed nude for Playgirl. Hey...when Burt Reynolds did it for Cosmopolitan it made him a household name. Fabian, George Maharis, Jim Brown, Chris George, Lyle Waggoner, never achieved the same notoriety. Do B-type actors still pose for Play? Are there any B-type actors we’d like to see pose for Playgirl? How ‘bout that guy who plays the next-door neighbor’s husband on Grace Under Fire? Did B-type actresses ever pose for Playboy or Penthouse? Obviously B-type celebrities do, as evidenced by Tonya Harding’s recent “spread” in Penthouse.
▼ While we’re on the topic of television, was there ever a TV show with better looking actors than The Big Valley? Linda Evans was a stunner. Heath, Nick, Jarrod, all hunks. Barbara Stanwyck was handsome as well. Could it be true that she was the lesbian shrew from hell as alleged in her most recent bio? T Elections don’t have to be a complete drag. At Wigstock, New York’s annual Labor Day festival of drag, one candidate for state attorney general handed out nail files with his name and the date of the primary stamped on them.
TRANSITS & LUNATIONS
ASTROLOGY
BY MARK LAWHON
ARIES (March 21-April 19): With Mars in transit through your house of the home, it may be time to move.. .or at least redecorate. But be careful with those power tools, dear; use both hands, because you’re accident-prone. If you’ve been depressed lately, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s called Saturn in retrograde. You’ll love feeiing homy again. It gives life such a sense of... purpose!
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Mercury has packed and moved into your seventh house, bringing energy for travel and significant others. Perfect timing because everyone’s bored with your old stories. Go somewhere foreign; someplace with some history. Look marvelous while you solve a friend’s love problems over capuccino at a waterfront cafe. Then go create some problems for yourself. And by all means get political.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Earth continues to rotate while your head is in the clouds. It’s working. Don’t fight it. Others will attend to the mundane while you play. Just play healthy, and try to avoid anything clandestine. All earning potential thrusters are operational.. .a good time for gambling? But don’t spend it ‘til you’ve got it, dear. Jupiter sends you a kiss and says to watch your health for a while.
CANCER (June 21-JuIy 22): Venus is with you, so be sure to create opportunities for quiet, meaningful romance near the hearth.. .just what you live for. If you’re in a relationship, this could be a time of great bonding and sexual excitement. Even pregnancy may be achievable! As Mars conjuncts the Sun, fight your tendency to overextend. And by all means, reschedule visits by family and friends. Make love, not war!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If there’s a sandbox available, take it. You have real access to childhood memories and it wouldn’t hurt to wallow in them for a while. Your Karma will thank you. Watch yourself before entering into any “deals”; somebody may have a hidden agenda. As always, lions, temper your appetite for food, and for life in general. I know it tastes good. I know if feels good. But moderation is a virtue (even for you).
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept 22): It’s time to stop obsessing about finances and your future.. .right NOW. You hate taking advice, but consult a friend and listen, no matter how far-fetched. It feels like you’ve been missing out on things. You have. Choose a course of action and hit cruise-control at about 80 mph. When you arrive at your new destination, some familiar problems (like that relationship thing) will be there waiting for you. But the scenery will be better.
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 23): Venus visits. Mercury mixes. Jupiter jumps. All in your (not so) humble house this month! It won’t last long, but in this madcap world, one good month is one good month. Besides, your stagnant routines have become depressing. Now’s the time to get centered so you can move. Meditate if necessary, but by all means rediscover the beauty of surprise. Just act surprised when that unexpected money turns up.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov. 21): Are you paranoid if you think people are saying good things about you behind your back? They must detect your animal magnetism, which has always worked for you like a splash of Paco Rabanne.. .everyone senses it (cough) but you. Children, however, are oblivious, and that’s a pain in the ass. If things seem a bit foggy, lose the cologne and look to your distant past.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Are you a
little, shall we say, overextended? Are you losing track of meetings and agendas? Are you even contributing? Reevaluate. Prioritize. Quit. Instead, pull out your London Fog and take up cigarettes. You are ripe for a very steamy, very atypical ...affair. Avoid that judgmental mother for a while, and by all means avoid legal surprises.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): That tug of war in your relationship isn’t over yet. Bummer. Friends and group activities will see you through while you decide whether to dig in your heels or let go of the rope. You may feel a bit like a Christmas glass ball that’s just been shaken furiously. Focus inward until your personal snow flakes have settled enough for you to see out.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aperiod of revelations. That plug that’s been blocking your career will dislodge...finally. And you’ll get to know that person you’ve been getting to know. Cut your losses. Anything that’s not readily apparent should be investigated. Ladies, pay close attention to whatever your body may be trying to tell you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Stock hankies and prozac. The full moon on the 19th means emotional release. Johnstown flood. Let it happen. The planets are aligned to protect you like a five-day deoderant. But decide now that you will not decide anything until the new moon on Oct 14th. Instead, gather data like a whale gathering plankton. Perhaps that relationship would work better as a friendship.
Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of Astrologers, and is available for consultations by calling 407-894-1506.
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 21
ACCOUNTANT
•Monthly Accounting •Financial Statements •Tax Service (Individual, Corporate, Partnership, Estate)
Barber & Latto
Certified Public Accountants
639 Ramona Lane
(West Colonial & Ramona)
Orlando, FL 32805
(407) 843-9582
ACCOUNTANT
FRACASSI & ASSOCIATES
Certified Public Accountant 218 South Bumby Ave. □ Orlando, FL 32803 Fax 407/896-6824 □ Phone 407/896-6858
Personalized Professional Service Business & Individual Income Taxes Accounting & Payroll for Small Business Free Initial Consultation
ATTORNEY
Margaret E. Lederer, P.A.
Attorney At Law • Registered Nurse Personal Injury
227 N. Magnolia Ave. • Suite 200 • Orlando, FL 32801 Phone: (407) 246-0044 • Fax: (407) 426-7227
BOOKSTORE
CLEANING
CARPET
BUSTERS
TRUST YOUR CARPETS & UPHOLSTERY TO A CERTIFIED,
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Metaphysical Books & Things MON-FR110 AM-6 PM SAT 11 AM-5 PM
1501 Ridgewood Avenue (In The Coastal Centre) Holly Hill, FL 32117 Beth Faulds, Owner 904/672-4451
CARD SHOP
I 1 1 lAl IE 1 1 A U 1 1 I
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2409 EDGEWATER DR. 849-1486
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MARILYN K. BRINSON
Pre-Arrangement Counselor
407-671-3919 • 349-5644
Baldwin-Fairchild Cemeteries and Funeral Homes
2400 Harrell Rd • Orlando, FL 32817
HEALTH FOODSAITAMINS
THE HEALTH NUT, INC.
Great Selection Herbal Teas
Vitamins
Full Homeopathic Lines
LAURENCE C. STILL • JAMIE P. STILL
Owners
6570 Old Winter Garden Rd. Orlando, FL 32835
(407) 297-6655 Fax (407) 297-7565
HOME IMPROVEMENT
CUSTOM DRAPERIES & WINDOW TREATMENTS
Swags • Sheers • Valances • Duettes • Blinds Verticals • Wallpaper • Bedding • Upholstery We Come To You!
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WINDOWS & WALLS 298-2626
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NOTARY
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ROSEMARIE LINDAUER
Roger (407) 941-0252 Phone (407) 298-1277 Fox (407) 298-1093
Wills. Living Wills Affidavits, and Revocable Living Trust
PHYSICIAN
Caring For Women, P.A.
Obstetrics • Gynecology • Infertility
Brenda M. Barry, M.D.
521 W. SR 434 • Suite 201 • Longwood, FL 32750 706 W. Lake Mary Blvd • Suite 105 • Lake Mary, FL 32746
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here to serve our community
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 22
SPORTS
Some of the Ballbusters celebrate the end of another practice. Front: Lisa, Doug, Becky Vickie, Donna.
BALLBUSTERS PREPARE FOR TOURNEY
They’ve practiced. They’ve oiled their gloves. They’ve booked their hotel rooms. They’ve raised close to $1000 to cover costs. The Ballbusters, one of Orlando’s premier women’s softball teams, are ready for the ASA’s Women’s Class-C Nationals in St. Augustine. Psyched as a matter of fact.
Eighty women’s softball teams will compete for national bragging rights at the tournament, held from Thursday, Sept. 22
thru Sunday, Sept. 25. According to Coach Doug Atkins, who has coached the team for six years, the “Busters” have “a lot of great players. We also have a lot of fun. We’re a close team.”
The Ballbusters, who are sponsored by Contemporary Awnings, earned the right to participate in the tournament by finishing fourth in the city’s Metro Tournaments. Some of the core “Busters” can’t participate in the four-day tournament, so Coach Atkins and his team have hand-picked talented ball-players from competing teams. Atkins states, “I don’t claim to be a great coach, but I’m smart enough to surround myself with great players.”
The Ballbusters is comprised mostly of
“professional women who love to play soft-ball.” At least half are lesbian, Atkins notes. “Many have kids, so they bring their kids, I bring my kids...its just a real family atmosphere with this team.” “In fact,” he adds, “softball is a great equalizer. All we care about is that our players have the right skills and the right attitude.”
Based on their performance at a recent Sunday morning practice, the Ballbusters have that right attitude. After two hours in the hot sun, players were chasing down line drives and throwing the softball with a real sense of purpose. Teammates could be heard encouraging each other and applauding extra effort. “We’re going to win,” says Coach Atkins.
ORLANDO SEEKS NATL BOWLING EVENT
A dedicated and ambitious group and lesbian bowlers is trying to bring the massive 1995 IGBO (International Gay Bowling Organization) Mid-year Bowling Tournament to Orlando. The tournament will be held November 10, 11 and 12. The IGBO tournament is expected to draw up to 600 gay and lesbian bowlers to the area, who will compete for $15,000 in prize money.
Tournament Director Robert Young, Co-Directors James Cardinal, Merri Wedemeyer, Keith McDaniel, Treasurer James Hunt and Secretary Ron Carpenter will make their presentation to IGBO officials on October 27 in Tucson, Arizona. They propose a “Fantasy ’95" theme, and will highlight Orlando’s weather, many attractions and accomodations. If Orlando is
STANDINGS & SCORES
CHANGE BLOSSOM BOWLING ASSOCIATION
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awarded the tournament, the Orlando Marriott will function as the host hotel and banquet facility. Bowling centers will include Fairlanes Skybowl and Winter Park BowlAmerica.
The IGBO Mid-year tournament would bring an estimated half million dollars in revenues to the host city.
r
WHEN YOU'RE READY TO BUY OR SELL A HOME!
•FREE Market Analysis •Full Time Professional •Image ol The Prudential •Knowledge ot All Areas •Dedicated to Work Hard for You!
MARK“MARKO”DOLE
REALTOR ®
399-DOLE cellular
ThePrudential
Gallagher Properties
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FRIENDSHIP
Attractive Italian GWM, 5’8”, 159 lbs. romantic, healthy, masculine, sincere, honest, straight forward with varied interests, seeking similar inshape GWM 29-49 for friendship/ relationship, Tom (407) 647-7759.
MISCELLANEOUS
Healthy, loving, stable, long-term professional gay couple seek lesbian to function as surrogate mother. Flex-ible regarding nature of future involvement with child. SERIOUS RESPONSES ONLY. Will pay all medical and associated expenses. Reply c/o W. Thomas Dyer, Attorney
at Law, 701 E. Washington St., Suite 2oo, Orlando, FL 32801. (407) 648-1153.
Gorgeous AKC Registered DALMATION puppies. Available Oct. 6. Parents on premises. (6) males $300, (4) females $325 and up. Call Rick at 682-6096. All come with certificate of health.
ROOMMATES
NO TAN LINE. Beautiful 3/2 pool home. SE location. Will share with neat, employed, liberal M/F. $425/mo includes all but phone. Call (407) 282-3024.
HOME TO SHARE. 3/2 w full house privileges. Quiet neighborhood. Washer/dryer. Cable. Avail, immediately. Prefer female. $330/mo includes utilities. Deposit. Call (407) 293-2961.
SERVICES
YOUR IMAGE. Needs a professional look - to get the job you want or to complete that college project. Put 14 years of experience behind your resume, documents, and word processing. Great prices and quick quality results. Call Patti at (407) 898-4237.
LOVING LAWN CARE. Help to support a new family business. Blue Skye Lawn Service is a licensed, professional business that specializes in all aspects of lawn maintenance. Call (407)629-0302.
MR. DOMEZTIC. Home and pool cleaning set to your individual parameters. Fast, convenient service. Call
GAYLINE ONLINE. GayLink (BBS) has gone computerized. Our national network went online August 1st. For a free software package and
a 30-day Free Membership, contact the Genesis Foundation. Call (407) 857-5444. Fax (407) 438-3695.
MEET SOMEONE TODAY! Find that special guy or girl with the “Telephone Matchmaker.” Always a free call and anonymous. Call in Orlando at 648-9047. (Gay owned and operated).
NEON/INTERIOR NEON. Mood lighting; Neon Sculptures, customized to your needs. LET ME LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHTS! BERND’S NEON - licensed & reputable. Telephone & Fax (407) 644-0553. References available.
IN YOUR HOME one on one fitness experience designed to fit your personal needs, including weight loss, body, shaping, cardiovascular aerobics conditioning. Flexible hours & payment plans available. Call 932-4319.
WANTED
Watermark peeks correspondents and distribution persons for Volusia, Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Lake counties. Please send resume and writing samples to Watermark, P.O. Box 533655, Orlando, FL 32853-3655.
WATERMARK / September 14,1994 23
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In Memoriam Of Our Founder, Cecil Ray deLoach (1952-1991)
fyachOut
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^ Ind The Medical Escrow Society Jielp foul
MP
Our Advance Cash Benefits program allows someone facing a life threatening illness, with up to a five year life expectancy, to obtain immediate cash from their life insurance coverage in order to improve their quality of life and fulfill wishes and desires.
The Medical Escrow Society is the oldest and largest advocate for the insured. We represent you to several benefactor groups, in order to obtain the highest cash offer for your life insurance coverage. We will assist you regardless of whether your policy is an individual or group, large or small.
Our service is quick, strictly confidential, and requires only one simple application. There is no cost and no obligation.
Call now for more information! A personal representative is available 24 hours a day to assist and help you.
' The Medical Escrow Society...
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1-800-422-1314
Founding Member, National Viatical Association
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Doors open at 4PM No cover til 6PM
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BOXCARS
140 Fnnwnd Bln) ■ Fen Falk. FL 32730 • (487) 831-7559
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A. Bach
ACLU
Alan Ellis
Alfred J. Kinsey
Alison Bechdel
Altamonte Springs
Amanda Bearse
American Civil Liberties Union
Anthony S. Fauci
Apopka
Arthur Dong
Atkins
Barbara Stanwyck
Bette Davis
Billy Crystal
bisexual
Blechman
Bob Brooks
Bob Wattles
Brandon Ethridge
Breuer
Brian Mcnaught
Briscoe
Bruce Nants
Burt Reynolds
C. Slapke
Carrboro
Cdc
Charles Mahan
Christopher Hynes
Claudettte Colbert
Clinton
Dan Butler
Dan Mathews
Dan Spoone
Dan White
Danielle Steele
David Driscoll
David Letterman
David Sanborn
David W. Shea
Dawson
Daytona Beach
Deborah Bleckman
Dennis Sinclair
Dennis Underwood
Diaz
Don Reid
Doug Atkins
Doug Ferguson
Dudley Moore
Edward Murphy
Edwards
Eric Orner
Erin Somers
Ethridge
Ettore Scola
Fern Park
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Fowler
Fran Pignone
Fred Hutchinson
Full Moon Saloon
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Gloria Goes
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Hugh Roweii
Hynes
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Meinhold
Merri Wedemeyer
Michael Johnson
Michael L. Kilgore
Michael Pelkowski
Mike Williams
Moira Lasch
Murphy
Nan Schultz
National Institutes Of Health
Newman
Norma Shearer
orange county
orlando
Paco Rabanne
Parliament House
Patty Villane
Paul Gemignani
Pete Clarke
Peter Lupus
Peter Warren Kenny
Phillips
Pignone
queers
questioning
Rainbow Democratic Club
Ramona Lane
Richard Jeni
Robert Holland
Robert Young
Robinson
Ron Carpenter
Rosaline Sloan
Rosanne Sloan
Rosie Daley
Rrafael Gasti
Rupert Murdoch
Russell
same-sex
Sandra Bernhard
Scott Kennedy
Shauna Underwood
Smith
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Stanford
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Stewart
Susan Pickman
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Tampa
Taylor
Teresa Diaz
The Boston Herald
The Orlando Sentinel
The Semoran Skateway
The Watermark
Thomas Glamour
Tom Dorman
Tom Dyer
Tom Johnston
Tonya Harding
trans
transgender
Truman Capote
W. Thomas
Wayne
Wayne Smiled
William Kennedy Smith
Winter Park
Yvonne Vassell
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/b2a1e7417a2b0c9b1dc2e4895f73b354.pdf
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Title
Watermark Collection
Alternative Title
The Watermark Collection
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/" target="_blank">RICHES Program</a>
Type
Collection
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/">The Watermark</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
O'Neal, Rhiannon
Hearn, Nikki
Greene, Quintella
Rodriguez, Sharon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 11, No. 19, September 23-October 6, 2004
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 11, No. 19
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The nineteenth issue of the eleventh volume of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on September 23, 2004, and celebrated the paper's tenth anniversary as well as the fifteenth anniversary of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Although the front page claims the issue is the nineteenth, it is actually the twentieth. Following back-to-back hurricanes, Charley and Frances, the issue evaluates the impact of the storms on local Central Florida businesses, such as the Parliament House, newly-opened Savoy, and the Suncoast Resort. It also covers the efforts of Canadian provincial governments to legalize same-sex marriages, the closing of Orlando's pride shop, and the decision to allow gay foster parents to keep custody of their two girls. The <em>Water Colors</em> section details the progress of <em>The Watermark</em> since its inception in 1994, while a pull out section provides a daily schedule of the upcoming Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.<br /><br />Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Type
Text
Source
Original 64-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 11, No. 19, September 23-October 6, 2004: Publications Collection, <a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/203" target="_blank">The Watermark Collection</a>, RICHES.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 64-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 11, No. 19, September 23-October 6, 2004.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tampa Theatre, Tampa, Florida
Rainbow City, Orlando, Florida
Savoy, Orlando, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Key West, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Creator
Baber, Keith
Blanchard, Steven
Cassidy, Joanna
Crescitelli, Jim
DeJesus, Edwin
Dyer, Tom
Hartlage, Kirk
Jackowitz, Enid
Jackowitz, Syd
Jenkins, Georgia
Karl, John
Kundis, Ken
Masters, Billy
Middour, Bryan L.
Murray-Parker, Karen S.
Nolan, Margaret
Roehr, Bob
Sattler, Jessica
Triggs, Greg
Walen, Rick
Wiethop, Dave
Wiggins, Jayelle
Wilde, Diane
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 2004-09-23
Date Issued
2004-09-23
Date Copyrighted
2004-09-23
Format
application/pdf
Medium
64-page newspaper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Publishing Group</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
Curator
O'Neil, Rhiannon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed January 28, 2018. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
adult film
Advocacy, Leadership, Support, Outreach
AIDS
AIDS dementia
ALSO Out Youth
Amanda Bearse
Amelie Mauresmo
Amy Gifford
Amy Nestor
Andrew Michael Sullivan
Andrew Tobias
Angelo Cedeno
Anne Magro
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
Bill O'Leary
Billie Jean King
bisexual
Blake Harper
Bob Graves
Candace Gingrich
Central Florida Softball League
Charles Nelson Reilly
Cheryl Jacques
Chris Alexander-Manley
cinema
Colton Ford
Curtis Watson
Dame Edna Humphries
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
Dane DiSano
David Hansen
Dawn Wicklow
DCF
Dean Howell
Debbie Simmons
Deborah Cerminaro Eldridge
Debra Hussong
Dennis Christopher
domestic partners
Eartha Kitt
Enoch Lonnie
Family Continuity Programs
film
Florida Department of Children and Families
Florida Theatrical Association
Forum for Equality
foster children
foster home
Frances Sims
Full Moon Saloon
gay
Gay and lesbian Professional Athletes Association
Gene Copello
George Butler
Glenda Evans Hood
Greg Ruffer
Harvey Fierstein
Headdress Ball
Heather Finstuen
HIV
homosexuality
homosexuals
HRC
Hugh Jackman
human immunodeficiency virus
Human Rights Campaign
hurricane
Hurricane Charley
Hurricane Frances
Irene Sullivan
James E. McGreevey
Jan Gentry
Janis Ian
Jim Welch
Joe Mundy
John Edgell
John Rawls
Joy MCC
Karen Doering
Kate Clinton
Kelly Ray Jones
Kenneth P. Wilk
Keven Renken
King of Peace MCC
LaDonna "Donna Summer" Adrian Gaines Lambda Legal
lesbians
LGBTQ+
Linda Chapin
MAC AIDS Fund
MAC Cosmetics
Marcia Fry
Margaret Cho
Margaret Nolan
Margeson Theatre
Marilyn Merida
Mariruth Kennedy
Mark Cwiek
Mark Klingaman
Martha McCarthy
McKinley Johnson
Michael Hughes
Michael Wanzie
Mike Cox
National Center for Lesbian Rights
natural disaster
Orlando Gay Chorus
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry
Parliament House
Patricia Petruff
Patrick Howell
Patrick Jeffrey
Patty Sheehan
Paul Crouch
Paul Wegman
Paula Poundstone
Peter Hinwood
Peter Thornley
Pulse
queers
questioning
Rainbow City
Randall Lambright
Robert S. Klein
Ron Legler
Ruth Mesbur
Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act
same-sex marriage
Savoy
Scotty Buchanan
Sheila E.
Southern Nights
Stephen Brooks
Suncoast Resort
Suncoast Softball League
TAI
Tammy Faye Messner
Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
TBN
The AIDS Institute
The Watermark
TIGLFF
Timothy Hooper-Ellet
Todd Fatta
Toni Tennelle
trans
transgender
Trina Gregory
Trinity Broadcasting Network
Tuesday Night Friends
Tyler Hoffman
Uvashi Vaid
Vivienne Gremp
Water Colors
West Florida Growlers
Window Media
WomenFest
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/2f6f13de17b31f38bb88abbcd8bf342e.pdf
3fd21184a638b5ece8e29b4a043116aa
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Watermark Collection
Alternative Title
The Watermark Collection
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/" target="_blank">RICHES Program</a>
Type
Collection
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/">The Watermark</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
O'Neal, Rhiannon
Hearn, Nikki
Greene, Quintella
Rodriguez, Sharon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 1, August 31, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 1
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The inaugural issue of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on August 31, 1994, and focused on several hot topics that were abuzz in the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) community. Hit topics included the cover story interviewing <em>Married… With Children</em> co-star Amanda Bearse (b. 1958) who was promoting her new special <em>Out There II</em>, an all LGBTQ+ comedy special. Similar topics of LGBTQ+ public exposure are scattered throughout the issue, including Fran Pigone, a pro-LGBTQ candidate for Orange County Commission Chairman, "Florida’s Freshest Fruit," an all LGBTQ improv troupe, and Brian Fagan, a gay man and one of Orlando’s premier runners. This first issue also included national LGBTQ+ news stories such as California’s Spousal Rights Bill, Yale’s same-sex partner health care plans, and Maine’s anti-gay initiatives. Another major component of the issue was discussion about Orlando’s LGBTQ+ nightlife locations and opportunities. In this issue, it was discussed that Tracks, a prominent bar had closed, and that Boxcars had opened in its place. Boxcars subsequently published a full page ad on the final page of the issue.<br /><br />Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Type
Text
Source
Original 24-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 1, August 31, 1994: Publications Collection, <a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/collections/show/203" target="_blank">The Watermark Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 24-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 1, No. 1, August 31, 1994.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Augusta, Maine
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Sacramento, California
Boxcars, Casselberry, Florida
Creator
Bach, R. A.
Dyer, Tom
Fowler, G. K.
Kilgore, Michael L.
Liebman, Marvin
Maines, Ted
O'Lay, Lola
Schultz, Nan
Sheldon, Laurence
Singhaus, Sam
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-08-31
Date Issued
1994-08-31
Date Copyrighted
1994-08-31
Format
application/pdf
Medium
24-page newspaper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Publishing Group</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Transcript
FLORIDA'S DISTINCTIVE GAY AND LESBIAN PUBLICATION.
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1 AUGUST 31,1994
AMANDA’S OUT THERE!
Amanda Bearse is well known as the flighty, flaky Marcy D’Arcy on TV’s Married.. .With Children. Many also know that she’s very comfortably out as a lesbian. In the past she has stated, “I feel no shame about being a homosexual. I live my life in the light. The more we stand up and be counted, the harder it will be to discount our community. We need to put a face on gay America.” She was an active participant in this summer’s gay pride festivities in New York, and she will host Comedy Central’s upcoming gay and lesbian comedy special.
Many don’t know, however, that Amanda grew up right here in Central Florida, attending Winter Park High School and acting at the Central Florida Civic Theater. Her sister still lives in Winter Park. In conversation, Amanda is funny, upbeat, intelligent, articulate, and clearly committed to gay equality. Her comedy special, “Out There II”, will begin airing on Comedy Central on National Coming Out Day, October 11.
Would you talk a little about your role in the television series Married...with Children?
We’re starting our ninth season. Doing a show for 8 years, all of the characters have evolved in different directions. All of the women on the show are portrayed as sort of overly sexed, aggressive “types”. Our show isn’t something you could call positive when it comes to female role models, but then I don’t know that it’s positive about male role models either (laughs). Everybody has their faults...[they are] very visible to the audience at home...and that’s where we try to get the comedy from.
What about Marcy?
My character is probably the most polar opposite from the lead character A1 Bundy and that makes for a lot of good conflict; we just have to find excuses for us to be in the same room at the same time. I like Marcy very much [although] we’re not really that much alike. We have the same eye color (laughing)...and the same legs, which they make fun of, usually on a weekly basis!
What about the future of Mar?
I’ll be with the show as long as they’ll have me. I plan on going down with the ship. [Not only] because it’s been a great job, but also because of the group of people I’ve been working with. It’s really sort of a family situation and I’m not quick to say goodbye to those folks. Although I do hope there’s life after Married with Children.
Since you came out publicly, what has been the response of other cast members?
We know each other very well...and the cast knew that I was gay before I made that sort of “professional” political statement last year. They were very supportive of the fact
interviewed by Nan Schultz
that I did what I did by making such a public statement. That support continues to this day.
What about being out in your personal life?
I’ve been out of the closet for many, many year s, and as people come to know me, they come to know that about me. It’s not something that I wear as a badge or on my sleeve or anything. It’s definitely a part of who I am, [although] it’s not all of who I am. It’s more like a one-on-one relationship that I have with people. As you make new friends, you get
AMANDA BEARSE HOSTS COMEDY CENTRAL’S SECOND ALL GAY AND LESBIAN COMEDY SPECIAL, “OUT THERE II”, DEBUTING OCTOBER 11.
to know one another, and certainly that’s something to know about me.
Do you feel that shows like “Out There II” are good public relations for gays and lesbians?
Well, most definitely, but it’s not limited to that. That’s what was so wonderful about the success of the first one,
“Out There”. Yes, it was a gay lineup of talent, both men and women, and a lot of their material is oriented toward the fact that these are gay people, but they had great success in crossing over into the heterosexual audience. Comedy Central had great response to that show both from a gay and a straight audience
So, is it important in some larger context?
Yes, I think it’s important first of all to put more faces to the gay community because the more of us who are visible and out there, the harder it is to sort of pass us by. Gay people are really good at being invisible and what our movement is about is putting that visibility out there so that we cannot be discriminated against. It’s easier to discriminate against something you don’t Know. So, I think in that way, to show that these are people who are talented, who are funny, who are working professionally, and who are successful at what they do, [and] who also happen to be gay, I think it’s an important statement to make.
I understand you’re going to host the show.
Yes, we taped the show at the Stonewall celebration in New York City this summer. It went very well; it was an exciting week to be in New York and be a part of the Gay Games, as well as the Stonewall event. They deliberately chose that venue to tape this special. The first “Out There” was taped on National Coming Out Day in San Francisco and shown later, so it’s nice that this one will be aired for the first time on Coming Out Day.
You also participated at the Gay Games this summer. How did that feel?
I was very busy with the work that I was doing for “Out There II” so I didn’t get to go to any of the sporting events. But I did get to participate in the closing ceremonies at Yankee Stadium. I got to walk out onto the field at Yankee Stadium all by myself. It was awesome to look up at the thousands and thousands of people, mostly gay, and have them respond to me because of who I am and what I’ve done.
And the Stonewall activities?
I marched and I got to be onstage at the rally. I hosted an hour at the grandstand in Central Park. Just to look out over all those people...unified with one purpose. To say simply, “Yes. We’re here. Don’t count us out.” It was a very powerful experience.
You graduated from Winter Park High School. What impressions do you still carry from there?
I had a wonderful childhood growing up in Winter Park. It was a wonderful place to grow up...a very safe place for me so I have a lot of good memories. The strongest one in terms of high school is that I really got a lot of direction in my life from one of my teachers there, a woman by the name
Continued Page 3
WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 2
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(407) 644-7111
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Serving Central Florida's Family Since 1985 Flexible Financing, Sales and Leasing 6 Consecutive Years' Membership in Ford's Top 2% Sales
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NEWS
FRAN PIGNONE TELLS US WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT
by Tom Dyer
Talking with Fran Pignone is like playing a good video game. Both are stimulating, unpredictable, and difficult to quit. She has intelligent, often unexpected opinions, expressed with none of the conversational reticence endemic to politicians.
Fran Pignone wants to be Orange County’s next Chairman; responsible for 8000 employees and a $2 billion budget. She faces an uphill battle against incumbent Linda Chapin, who has raised twice the money and is spending it as the election draws closer. But Pignone has adopted a bold “take me as I am” approach to the election, Preferring to lure voters with her candor rather than tiptoeing through the campaign mine field without setting off any voting blocks.
Pignone is outspoken in her belief that the present county administration has attended to growth and development while neglecting quality of life issues. A longtime Orange County resident, she asserts that, “Since I’ve been a child, two things have always been left behind; the declining school system and the lack of a rich cultural life.” She’s quick to point out the paradox. “The
stellar landmarks for attracting new business to a community are the quality of your education system and the quality of your cultural richness.”
Pignone is also outspoken about the loss of our symphony. “It takes political leadership. I was one of the few who voted for that last $50,000 to try and keep the symphony alive because I knew intuitively that its easier to try and keep something alive than to recreate it.” She also faults present local government for not addressing the issue of a performing arts center. “I’ve been in Bob Carr when the sound was so distorted that it was a worthless experience.”
She faults current leaders for not sufficiently tapping some conspicuous local revenue sources; Orlando’s mega-tourist destinations. “We’re like a third world country. The conquerors have arrived to extract the riches, then they go home. Disney, Universal, Anheuser Busch...they make their money here, but none of them have their headquarters here. Each provides enormous support for the arts in what they perceive as their home community.”
Inevitably, Pignone has run into a few
mines during the course of her high energy campaign. Pignone has been criticized by many for her support of the gay and lesbian community and participation in June’s Gay Pride Parade. According to Pignone, some of this criticism has come from her peers on the county commission.
But Pignone firmly asserts that, “Political campaigns ought to be about what’s going on in the community. And among other things, government ought to be about access and diversity.”
Pignone’s opinions are often punctuated by personal experience. “I’ll tell you what I found to be the most extraordinary thing. Last summer my son and I were at a museum in New York on a Sunday and we ran into their Gay Pride Parade. We stayed there on the sidewalk absolutely spellbound for three full hours. I’ve never seen such an enormous diversity ©f people and such a tremendous feeling of good will, among the paraders, the police, the spectators. I was absolutely transfixed.”
When asked whether politicians had been present, Pignone nods. “Yes. Every candidate and elected official was walking in the parade, and probably would have been considered somehow derelict in their duties if they didn’t. Quite different from what people in Orange County apparently expect.”
Refreshingly, few of Pignone’s opinions are restricted to sound bytes. “Some in our community try to preach a certain moral and ethic, while at the same time the whole community is changing. These people want to keep their blinders on. We say out of one side of our mouth, ‘Move here.. .come here and have your vacation.. .all of you of every culture, race and experience’...and these people would say, ’Come here but only be a certain kind of person.’”
It is rare that a politician and elected official in Central Florida openly accesses the gay and lesbian community. But Pignone is clearly not campaigning on this issue; she is simply being true to her value system. “I mean it sincerely. Regardless of how the election turns out, I don’t want to look back at my life and say, ‘Gee.. .these folks asked me to do something and the first thing I thought about was my political future, and not what it felt like or whether it was congruent with who I am.’”
Note: Watermark requested an interview with all candidates for County Chairman prior to the September 8 primary election. Linda Chapin declined, citing scheduling difficulties. Tom Dorman did not respond to our request.
TONY CHILDRESS & ROCKY WARD SPEAK WITH REPORTERS
MARRIAGE
APPLICATION
REFUSED
On any given day, dozens of couples apply fora marriage license, and hence, a change in their legal status. They become presumed heirs and guardians. They can file taxes as a unit. They gain access to insurance coverage. And perhaps most importantly, their love is made legitimate.
On August 12,1994, Rocky Ward and Tony Childress sought this status for their committed relationship. Accompanied by TV and radio news crews, they walked up to the county clerk’s office and asked to apply for a marriage license. A clerk directed them to another clerk, this one with an office, who referred them to Florida Statute 741.041. “No clerk of the circuit court shall issue a license for marriage unless.. .one party is a male and the other party a female.”
Ward and Childress are the third same sex couple to apply for a marriage license in Orange County. Like one female couple before them, they have decided to challenge this statute. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing both couples.
Ward and his companion took this step because, “every individual should have access to the same benefits as citizens. Tony and I are as much a couple as most men and women who get married.” After widespread news coverage, Ward says, “We’ve received all kinds of cards and letters of support” One threatening caller also left this message: “You fucking faggots deserve to die just like the abortion doctor.” Ward and Childress have notified law enforcement.
AMANDA BEARSE
Front Page 1
my life from one of my teachers there, a woman by the name of Ann Derflinger. She passed away in the early 80’s at far too young an age...she was only 44. She was the director of the theater department, and she was one of the strongest mentors I had in my life.
So you began your association with acting and theatre at Winter Park High?
I was immersed in the theatre department, which was a very safe place for someone like me. You can be who you are. You can be different and you can be creativeand there doesn’t seem to be the judgement that can accompany other cliques, other circles. However, I did have friends outside of the theater department. My brother was a “surf rat”, so I knew a lot of the beach-types. Plus I grew up, in Winter Park, so I went to elementary and junior high with all the same people.
Did you identify yourself as gay while you were there?
No, I wasn’t out of the closet. I mean those terms weren’t even defined then. As far as I knew, I was the only gay woman anywhere. At some point in time, I started sleeping with other women. Even then you still sort of feel like you’re very much alone in it. I identified myself in terms of what was inside myself...my own feelings. It was a part of me that I was already beginning to
explore. I also explored dating boys, and I knew there was something else going on...something beyond that for me.
So what effect did being gay have on your personal life, your social life?
Well, I didn’t go to Winter Park’s Prom! I didn’t do a lot of the, I guess “traditional” things one might do. My time was occupied by doing theater. Not only did I do the theaterat the high school, but also I worked at the Central Florida Civic Theater, the Edyth Bush Theater. I was very active in that direction. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything, my life was very full. But I felt like I was doing something subversive, something that wasn’t going to be generally accepted, so I was closeted.
But my first job out of acting school was on ’’All My Children”. I played a high school kid...a very straight high school kid, so I got to go to the Prom in Pine Valley! I got to date boys...that sort of thing so, I sort of made up for it.
What about your current relationship to Central Florida?
Well, I still have strong ties to that community because my sister lives in Orlando. I actually spent a couple of weeks down there this summer with her and her family. I brought my daughter and we just had a nice, easy time. We did Park Avenue, and hung out at Cocoa Beach .
In closing, could you tell us a little about the recent adoption of your child?
Zoe, my daughter, is now 16 months old.
I have always been somewhat ambivalent about carrying a child. Some women know biologically, physiologically, that this is something they want to do with their bodies in this lifetime. I’ve gone back and forth about it. The fact that I’m the wage-earner in my family also factored into this. You never know how you’re going to feel with a pregnancy. If I had to go to bed for three months, it would certainly affect my job, my income. Doing what I do for a living it’s so very public. And being lesbian... it was just too precious of an event to have it exposed in that way.
And so you began looking into adoption?
The more I read, the more seminars I attended, the morespiritually “right” this decision became for me. I knew that if and when I made a match with the birth parent, this was going to be the child I was supposed to raise. I’m very providential that way. I did make a match with a young woman who was in her sixth month of pregnancy. We had the opportunity to make a connection which we hold onto to this day. Despite the fact that we live in different states and her life is hers, there’s still a very strong bond...one that I don’t think will ever go away. I hope that my daughter has the opportunity to know this woman and her family because it’s a wonderful heritage.
That’s terrific!
Yeah! I think it’s important for a child to know who they look like and where they come from. It was a highly emotional ex-
perience...I’m sure a very difficult decision for this young woman...to place her child [for adoption]. But she had the maturity to know that she wasn’t ready to parent at this time in her life. She said to me that she definitely wants to be a parent some day. I think she feels very good about the home, the family, that Zoe has. Life is good; life is really good. I feel very lucky.
WATERMARK / August 31,1994 4
CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS
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ORLANDO LESBIAN REGAINS CUSTODY OF CHILDREN
An Alabama judge has ruled that three children would be better off in the stable Orlando home of their lesbian mother than in the troubled and sometimes abusive home of their heterosexual father. Family Court Judge Sandra Ross, citing the lack of expert evidence on such cases, awarded custody of the children to Gretchen Chateau even though she lost custody six years ago because she physically abused them.
Fred Chateau said he never expected a judge to put the children with his ex-wife since she openly lives with another woman. “Judge Ross has sent a message to my children that homosexuality is OK,” Chateau said. “Two young girls going into puberty and putting them with two lesbians in a gay neighborhood. Is that smart?”
Ms. Chateau admitted she thought her chances were “pretty slim.” “My main concern was they are three very bright, intelligent kids who deserve to be cultivated for their adult life and that’s not going to happen with my ex-husband,” she said. Ms. Chateau’s ex-husband conceded that other than her lifestyle, which he disapproves of, she has overcome her past problems and become a good and stable person.
He also admitted having used harsh discipline in the past, that the house had been disheveled and had little furniture, and that two of the children slept on the floor. The children - a 9-year-old boy and girls 12 and 14 - had been living in Chateau’s home near Columbiana, 20 miles south of Birmingham, until the judge ruled in May. All three children testified they wanted to live with their mother.
DISNEY WINS AIDS CONFIDENTIALITY CASE
An Orange County Judge has rejected a former Disney employee’s claim that his supervisors violated Florida law by disclosing his AIDS status. The former Disney employee, listed as John Doe, alleged that he informed his supervisor of his medical status to facilitate absences from work. Doe claimed that his supervisor then disclosed his medical condition to others, worsening his medical condition and forcing him to quit his job.
Circuit Court Judge Gary L. Formet found that, if anything, Doe’s supervisor only confirmed suspicions already held by fellow employees. “Because it is commonly known that the plaintiff was a gay male, a number of witnesses speculated he had AIDS after he took medical leave.” Formet ruled that Florida Statute 760.50, which requires confidentiality of employee medical records and information, is not applicable “when that information is given to [the employer] by [the employee] for reasons other than administration of health and life insurance benefits.”
Doe’s attorney, Jonathan Holingshead, feels this construction of the statute is unfortunate. “The kind of disclosure alleged in this case is exactly what the legislature hoped to prevent. Employees with AIDS should not be afraid to share this information with their employer for fear that it will be gossiped about.”
HOPE & HELP OPENS NEW CENTER
The Hope & Help Center dedicated their new Winter Park facility on Sunday, August 14. Winter Park Mayor Gary Brewer was among hundreds, including new neighbors, who welcomed the AIDS resource center to its suburban location. Located off Lakemont Avenue near Winter Park High School, the new center doubles their available space.
According to development director Michael Fuchs, Hope & Help needed more room. “We’ve grown from 7 employees when we moved downtown, to 23 employees now.”
Hope & Help has an annual operating budget of approximately $ l million.
Hope & Help’s major fund raising event, the outrageous, elegant, and wildly popular “Headdress Ball”, will be held Saturday, September 17 at the Hilton Walt Disney World Village. For tickets call (407) 645-2577.
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES AT GLCS
The Board of Directors at Gay and Lesbian Community Services has created a new administrative position, appointing Bart R. Zarcone as Center Director. Mr. Zarcone will have overall responsibility for management of the GLCS Center. Lyle Miller will continue as Office Manager.
GLCS is also reconvening a young adults group for gays, lesbians and bisexuals between the ages of 18 and 25. Called the “Rainbow Connection”, this group will begin Thursday meetings on September 8th at 7:30 PM.
Jeffrey A. Miller
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CANDIDATES IN PRIMARY ELECTION SUPPORT GAY ISSUES
do not deserve die same civil rights as Pickman (D) - State House Dist. 35;
everyone else and I will do whatever I Linda Chapin - County Chairman; Fran
Florida House Dis
The primary election will be held on Thursday, September 8 this year to avoid conflicts with a late Labor Day weekend. Several candidates warrant special attention by the gay and lesbian community.
In the race for Governor, Republican candidates Jeb Bush, Ken Connor, and most notably, Ander Crenshaw, have each made statements suggesting a lack of support for gay and lesbian issues. One of many “Family Values” candidates in this election, Crenshaw has specifically stated, “Homosexuals
Pigrione - County Chairman; Thomas Tempia - Orange County Commission Dist. 4; Mable Butler - Orange County Commission Dist. 6; Roger McDonald - Circuit Judge Group 28; Deborah B lechman - County Judge Group 5.
Five of these candidates warrant rec-ognition for their consistent and outspoken support of gay and lesbian equality.
ban to stop them.” trict 35 candidate Bob Brooks, Republican, is also suspect.
In varying degrees, however, the following candidates have expressed or demonstrated support for lesbians and gays: Lawton Chiles (D) - Governor (see article at right); Art Simon (D) - Comptroller; Karen Gievers (D) - Insurance Commissioner; Doug Jamerson (D) -Education Commissioner, Gary Siegel (R) - State Senate Dist. 14; Susan
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All Candidates for public office in Orange County are being asked to sign the pledge, regardless of the contested position. To date, all Democratic candidates for the Cabinet, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State Senate and House have signed, with the exception of State Representatives Bob Sindler and Alzo Reddick, and Bill Nelson, candidate for Insurance Commissioner.
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WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 6
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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MAINE ANTI-GAY INITIATIVE ADVANCES
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Leaders of a referendum drive to ban protections for gays under Maine human rights laws turned in petitions Monday which they said will ensure their proposal will go to a statewide vote next year.
Leaders of the petition drive submitted 10 cartons containing nearly 66,502 voters’ signatures - nearly 62,000 of them already certified by municipal officials - to the Secretary of State’s office. At least 52,308 signatures must be certified in order to force a statewide vote in November 1995.
“Shall a wealthy special interest group achieve the status and benefits equal to those of legitimate, needy, civil rights classes?” Concerned Maine Families leader Carolyn H. T. Cosby said. “Shall we... literally rewrite the civil rights code in our nation to now include self-proclaimed groups that can only be identified by their mere say-so?”
The proposal would restrict the classifications of people who can be protected by state and local anti-discrimination laws. People could be protected on the basis of race, color, sex, disabilities, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, family and marital status. But no protections on the basis of sexual orientation would be permitted. Passage would scuttle Portland’s gay rights ordinance.
The Legislature last year sent a gay rights bill to Gov. John R. McKernan, but he vetoed it.
CALIFORNIA SPOUSAL RIGHTS BILL PASSES SENATE
SACRAMENTO (AP) - A bill to give unmarried couples some of the same rights as spouses is one step from the governor’s desk after conservative lawmakers failed to bottle it up in the Senate. Final approval by the Assembly, which passed an earlier version of the legislation in May, will send the bill to Gov. Pete Wilson.
The bill would give unmarried “domestic partners” who registered with the state the right to visit their partners in the hospital and would make it easier for them to be selected as a conservator for an incapacitated partner. To register with the state, domestic partners would have to maintain a common primary residence, agree to share basic living expenses, not be married or related by blood in a way that would prevent them from marrying and be over age 18. Also, they could not have been a member of another domestic partnership in the previous six months unless that relationship ended with the death of the other member.
YALE OFFERS HEALTH CARE TO SAME SEX PARTNERS
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Yale University is offering health care coverage to same-sex domestic partners of graduate and professional students. Yale extended full spousal health benefits to partners of gay and lesbian faculty members, administrators and managerial staff in October. Those interested must show evidence of joint residence and economic interdependence.
Other universities offering health coverage to same-sex partners of graduate students include Stanford University, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa and the University of Oregon. More companies are offering benefits to gay employees and their partners because fear of high costs have proved largely unfounded, and it gives some companies another edge in the recruiting game.
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WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 8
HEALTH & HIV NEWS
LOCAL PHYSICIANS REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE
b; Laurence Sheldon
Contrary to reports of doom and gloom coming from the Tenth International Conference on AIDS, there are some promising therapies now in place, and others being presently pursued are worth noting. Dr. Jeff Goodgame attended the conference in Japan and presented news and findings to an enthusiastic audience at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Orlando on Thursday, August 25.
At the conference, noted French researcher, Dr. Luc Montagnier, advanced a global therapeutic approach in which antivirals, antibiotics, antioxidants, and vaccines involving Interluken 2 are all ap-plied simultaneously to curb HIV replication. Along with Dr. Lynn Hopkins, Dr. Goodgame also reported that new antiviral drug strategies are being created to overcome the problems of drug resistance. One of these strategies is a class of drugs called Protease Inhibitors, which attempt to stop viral replication within cells.
Dr. Hopkins described some of the new therapies that are constantly being studied and examined. The most promising include gene therapy, which seeks to create a gene that would interrupt viral replication, and immune based therapy using Interluken 2 (and potentially 12).
Dr. Eileen Wright presented an explanation of psycho-neuro-immunology. She gave numerous examples of case studies involving mind-body interactions. This particular field of medicine originated thousands of years ago, and is based on the theory that thoughts, emotions, and the central nervous system are intrinsically linked.
Looking to the future, Dr. Goodgame described three major challenges: 1) curb the alarming spread of AIDS in the third world; 2) prioritize and expand research; and 3) provide the best possible care and treatment for HIV patients. According to Dr. Goodgame, about 4 million people worldwide have developed full blown AIDS in the last 10 years. 3000 women are infected each day by HIV; tragic proof that AIDS has never been confined to specific populations.
Drs. Goodgame and Hopkins are currently involved with 11 clinical studies and have 4 more pending necessary approvals. Any HIV infected man or woman interested in participating in one of these clinical trials is urged to contact their Maitland office at (407) 647-6000.
HALF WITH HIV GET NO TREATMENT
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A study believed to be the first of its kind in California found that more than half the people in Santa Clara County with the AIDS virus don’t receive any treatment. “They don’t necessarily know they’re infected,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the county’s acting health officer. “They may be spreading the illness and not know it.”
The study by the county public health department estimated that 4,100 residents have the human immunodeficiency virus but that as many as 2,500 aren’t being treated. Health officials, who released the survey results on Thursday, called for an education program to fight the spread of AIDS.
The survey also found that HIV infections are increasing the fastest among blacks and that the percentage of women with the virus also has increased. The department’s survey was conducted at 29 hospitals and
clinics that reported AIDS cases over the past two years.
MINERAL MAY PLAY ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT OF AIDS
ATLANTA (AP) - University of Georgia researchers published a theory in Friday’s Journal of Medicinal Chemistry suggesting that HIV produces proteins that consume the body’s supply of selenium. Although the proteins have yet to be found, scientists are trying to prove their existence.
According to the researchers’ theory, HIV needs selenium, which preserves the elasticity of body tissue and slows the aging process, to trigger its growth. Once the virus exhausts
the selenium in an infected cell, it breaks out in search of more, spreading the infection to new cells. Many AIDS patients lack selenium and have taken supplements on their own. For several years, a number of researchers and doctors have encouraged selenium as part of the patients’ dietary supplement.
It was thought that AIDS patients had trouble absorbing the nutrient from food, but the new work suggests the disease actually depletes the mineral from the body. “If this is true, then selenium biochemistry may be the key to understanding the control of the life cycle of HIV and perhaps some of the pathology of AIDS,” said Will Taylor, who headed the research team at Georgia College of Pharmacy. He said the length of time it takes to deplete the body’s stores of selenium could help account for HIV’s latency period, which can last for years. “This suggests that nutritional status may be a factor in some HIVpositive long-term survivors,” Taylor said.
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WATERMARK / August 31,1994 9
BUSINESS
TRACKS DERAILS — BOXCARS OPENS
If it seems like gay bars in Orlando open and close like railroad crossing bars, August was no exception. In early August, Tracks on Lee Road in Winter Park ceased operations. The venerable Tampa bar hoped to reproduce their success in what was perceived as a similar market. That was not the case, according to Operations Manager, Barry Barlow. “In Tampa, the bars network and work together to benefit each other and the community, too,” said Barlow. “Orlando was a completely different world.” Barlow has alleged that competing bars such as The Club, The Edge and Southern Nights authorized removal of Tracks’ advertising from publications distributed at their locations.
Barlow also thinks Orlando has a more conservative climate than Tampa. He cited difficulties using the words “gay and lesbian” in advertising, and speculated that gays in Orlando were unused to going to a bar not “hidden away or in some sleazy part of town.”
Barlow stated that, “No one in Orlando wanted to work with me, but I learned some
things while I was there. I thought your Pride Parade was great, even though almost none of your local politicians participated.” Meanwhile, Boxcars opened on August 12 in Fern Park, across from the Jai Alai fronton. The grand opening is scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Boxcars is located in
the unique railroad car building that housed two gay bars in the 70s and 80s, Old Plantation and then Central Station.
Owner Chris Dahn, who is gay, stated that it has long been his dream to open a gay bar in greater Orlando, particularly on the north side of town. Dahn is from Indiana, but he was stationed at the Naval Training Center in the early 80s and has wanted to relocate here ever since.
Dahn hopes to fill a void with Boxcars. “I think people in Orlando want to dance and be entertained, but they also want to sit, relax, talk and hear each other,” he Says. For that reason, Boxcars sound and light system will be focused primarily on the dance floor. Dahn states that Boxcars welcomes both lesbians and gay men.
PRUDENTIAL CHAIRMAN TAKES STAND AGAINST DISCRIMINATION
Robert C. Winters, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Prudential, has taken a bold stand against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In a letter to all Prudential associates, dated June 30, 1994, Winters stated:
“The Prudential’s policy of nondiscrimi-
nation has included sexual orientation for some time, but recent letters to the Leader (Prudential’s in-house newsletter) suggest that a reiteration of this policy is necessary.
The Prudential is committed to fostering an environment which encourages all individuals to contribute and grow to their fullest potential. It is therefore of utmost importance to show respect toward all associates and to treat them fairly.
Please read our policy statement.. .carefully. All associates have the right to a work environment that is free of any kind of discrimination. Discrimination based on sexual orientation will not be tolerated at The Prudential in any form or at any rank.”
MBA PLANS FUTURE GROWTH. ERIN SOMERS SPEAKS.
At their annual retreat in August, board members for the Metropolitan Business Association made plans for more activities and increased membership. According to President Debbie Simmons, MBA has 172 members and hopes to break the 200 barrier during 1995. Plans also call for MBA to expand their annual business expo in February, to be held this year at the Bahia Shrine Auditorium in Maitland.
Following the success of their Flirtations concert and Rob Eichberg program, MBA will also feature more nationally known speakers and special events in the coming
year. Speaking September 1 at 6:30 PM at the Radisson will be Erin Somers, host of “Passion Phones” on 104.1 FM. Dr. Mel White, former religious right ghostwriter and author of Stranger At The Gate: To be Gay and Christian In America, has been contacted for an upcoming speaking appearance. President Debbie Simmons and Program Director Tom Dyer recently met with Mayor Glenda Hood, and she has also promised to address MBA in the future. A concert and lawn party have been proposed for the Spring.
Not As Long As It Is Properly presented.
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WATERMARK / August 31,1994 10
VIEWPOINT
WINNING:
THE GREAT AMERICAN PASTIME
by Michael L Kilgore
iBl * • w
Chicago cubs fans are walking by the open window where I write. From the roars I’d heard over the past few hours and now from the animated cadence of their conversations, I gather it was one of those rare events in Wrigleyville — a Cubs win. Winning is an American passion. Almost all of us grow up believing that if we don’t overcome someone or something that somehow we’re the less for it. As the fans pass by reliving the day’s victory, my thoughts drift back to last night’s speeches and other conversations about winning.
I’d attended the Human Rights Campaign Fund dinner the evening before. The front cover of the program read, the People: A promise not yet fulfilled. ” while the back cover announced in graphic red, white and blue, “Because fighting for the rights of all people is a battle, we can, will, and must WIN.’’ In addition to the hundreds of thousands already raised in ticket sales, there is a special appeal to raise extra funds. We must defeat the anti-gay initiatives on the ballots this year in Oregon and Idaho. Everyone at my table takes out his or her checkbook. The smallest check I see passed to the table captain is for $100. An addi-
tional $1,500 is raised at our table alone. There are ninety-six tables. We know our fundamental rights as American citizens, perhaps even our lives, are threatened because of who we are. We’ve got to win.
The words of Dr. Mel White, author of Stranger at the Gate: To be Gay and Christian in America and former ghostwriter for Radical Right heavyweights Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, punctuate the evening. He’s telling us about standing outside a convention hall in Texas just a few weeks before. It’s a gathering of the so-called Christian Coalition, the American Family Association, and other assorted hatemongers who are also intent on winning. Their agenda is one which explicitly rejects gays and lesbians, “There will be much rejoicing in heaven when America no longer tolerates the presence of gay men and women.”
The convention hall setting he describes is a place where only a few years ago Dr. White would have been a welcome participant. Now out as an openly gay man, not only is he not welcome, but he’s physically threatened. A man shoved his finger in White’s face and screamed, “Where are you going to live, when we win?” The words
are chilling. They have their effect. We write more checks, and get out our charge cards. The silent auction is a huge success. Many items are going for significantly more than their retail value. An Art Modeme vase listed for $350 closes at $525. There are over two hundred silent auction items. The mathematics of this evening are staggering; but we’ve got to win.
Since I’d moved from Chicago to Orlando only two years before, I keep running into old friends as I wander through the maze of silent auction items. Despite the gravity of the cause the mood is upbeat. “Hey, how are you? Florida now?” “The chocolate torte was fabulous.” “Outstanding event; the speeches were short. They finally got that part right.” “Great to see you, you look great.” The dance music is now at fever pitch. The evening is a success — hundreds of thousands raised for the HRCF cause. People are feeling like they’ve done their part. Yet as I move through the crush of bodies, I feel out of step with the mood of the evening. I don’t know why.
One of the people I run into is an old acquaintance, Dan. We’d attended the same church and had had a cocktail party “friends of friends” type of relationship. He’s even better looking and funnier than I remember. He’s done well for himself and is now working in the Governor’s office in a major policy-making role. As we chat, he shares with me that he wants to start getting more active with human rights issues, especially after the election. But as he talks about his
job, I begin to realize that he hasn’t come out at work. He rationalizes by saying that it wouldn’t help anyone to know. I hear all the practical reasons and understand why. We exchange cards and promise to stay in touch.
Dan’s story is a gift. It makes me realize why I feel out of touch with the evening, and more importantly, what the real challenge is. I understand that the sum of all the checks written this evening will not defeat the Radical Right. Their power is
The power of the Radical Right isn't so much in their hatred of us, but in their keen understanding about how to manipulate the self-hatred of gay men and
neither in their well financed political campaigns, their numbers nor their passionate positions. The power of the Radical Right isn’t so much in their hatred of us, but in their keen understanding about how to manipulate the self-hatred of gay men and lesbians. They know that they’ll win if we don’t say who we are.
The voices outside my window are growing quieter as the baseball crowd thins. A child’s high pitched voice knifes through my thoughts, “It was a great game, Dad. Who won? I’m tired. When do we go home?”
CONSERVATIVELY SPEAKING
WATERMARK
Watermark Media, Inc.
©1994
editor / publisher Tom Dyer layout/ managing editor April Gustetter account executive Keith Peterson contributing writers Michael L. Kilgore, G. K. Fowler, Harmony Brenner. Nan Schultz,
R. A. Bach, Dimitri Toscas,
Jim Crescitelli, Mark Lawhon, Yvonne Vassell, Ken Kundis,
Marvin Liebman, Leslea Newman, Rosanne Sloan, Joe Sarano photographers & illustrators Alison Bechdel, Eric Orner,
Russell Tucker, student contributors John Holland, Katie Messmer,
Tera Kenney, Mike Williams 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 is WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations (unless, of course, sexual orientation is stated specifically).
WATERMARK is published every second Wednesday, except the first week in January and the second week in July. Subscription rates are $35.00 (third class).
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 that have such errors.
WATERMARK P.O. Box 533655 Orlando, FL 32853-3655 TEL 407.481.2243 FAX 407.481.2246
In recent years, it is a rare event indeed for an American politician — of either major party — to take a stand based solely on principle and conviction rather than on whatever expedience is required to keep or win a well-paying government job with all the power and perks of office. Such a rare event occurred not long ago at a Human Rights Campaign Fund leadership conference in Washington, when U. S. Sen. Charles Robb (D-Va.) appeared to express his appreciation for a contribution of $ 10,000.
But he went far beyond just saying thanks.
Robb, running a tough and close race for reelection against radical extremists, “gave his strongest endorsement ever to homosexual rights, saying he will speak out on the issues even if it jeopardizes his reelection campaign,” reported The Washington Post in a story on the conference. “He condemned the ‘fundamental unfairness’ of anti-gay discrimination and called efforts to end it ‘the last front of the true civil rights struggle.’ He promised that ‘we’re going to get it right in the very near future.’”
There was no reason for Chuck Robb to stick out his political neck other than deep personal conviction. Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money but relatively insignificant in a campaign that will cost millions. His major opponent is the Republican nominee, Oliver L. North — public liar, hypocritical opportunist and a proud bigot whose targets include gays, lesbians and most likely every other minority group different from his white-bread, phony Norman Rockwell hero image, bought and paid for by direct-mail professionals who raise millions of hard-earned dollars from all too many impoverished and frightened Americans.
Is there a choice for those in the Virginia electorate who still value honor and decency? Is there even a question in the minds of gay men and lesbians? For me, there is none and only one choice: Charles Robb (who is every bit the Vietnam veteran that North is).
I have worked on the campaigns of, and voted for, Republicans most of my professional life, with only one exception in 1992 — Bill Clinton. I voted for him because I was repelled by the moral weakness and hypocrisy of the Republican Party and its candidate, as epitomized by the loathsome GOP national convention in Houston. In
retrospect, I would still have voted against the Republicans, even though Bill Clinton has reneged on too many campaign promises to the gay and lesbian community and to the nation.
I find myself in the same position once again. I am a conservative Republican who finds himself supporting Senator Chuck Robb, a liberal Democrat. Why this contradiction? It is because I am a gay man. Any politician — Republican or Democrat — who speaks out for us, who stands against bigotry and hatred, is my candidate. Even though we may differ on economic and other issues, we stand together in support of common humanity and the constitutional civil rights of all Americans. Our country can survive Democrats in the Senate and even Clinton in the White House. It cannot survive the bigotry, fear and hatred that have become the prime weapons of the radical extremists of the right, whether they be Democrat or Republican.
To the radical right, gay men and lesbians have replaced the Jews and Negroes of the past as prime targets. We have become the Reds of the ‘90’s, objects of fear and loathing. We are now the corrupters — of the media, the schools, the family, every “value” the professional extremists can think up on which they can raise money. Gay men and lesbians are stereotyped fuel for their fund-raising machines, all in the name of God.
Any friend of these radical extremists is our enemy. Anyone opposed to their ugly campaigns of hatred and bigotry is our friend. It has become that simple. The danger posed to our community is that critical. They promote raw hatred of each and every one of us. They proclaim their fundamentalist beliefs as religious gospel. The penalty for sodomy is death, they say. Do they really want us dead? Probably. We need all the real friends we can get. Those who stand with us against hate deserve all the support we can give them. Chuck Robb is one of those courageous few.
An additional note: In the past, I’ve criti-
by Marvin Liebman
cized the Human Rights Campaign Fund as being too “establishment”; too fearful of change. However, like it or not, HRCF is our establishment organization — the largest, the best-financed and the most widely recognized. It is because of this that it can provide the most comfortable platform for the Chuck Robbs to speak out for us. For this, all gay men and lesbians must be grateful. If it did nothing else but provide such a platform, HRCF would have sufficient value. For providing Chuck Robb that venue, I salute my HRCF friends and comrades.
I urge all who read this to provide whatever support you are able to keep Sen. Charles S. Robb in Washington. If you live in Virginia, offer your services as volunteers. But no matter where you live, send this man a check.
Marvin Liebman, author of Coming Out Conservative (1992, Chronical Books), lives and works in Washington, D. C.
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VIEWPOINT
WATERMARK / August 31,1994 11
JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE
by Nan Schultz
“Who are we? Where have we come from? What are we here for?” The Mattachine Society, a pioneering gay organization, reportedly set itself to the task of exploring these questions. Formed at a time when the dearth of available information and the secrecy and shame surrounding homosexual activities caused many to doubt their sanity, or to believe themselves “the only ones”, the Society provided a vehicle for self-discovery and self-definition apart from prevailing social attitudes; attitudes which yielded such labels as “pervert”, “deviant”, and “criminal”.
Although the Mattachine quickly became a pragmatic and thus conservative organization providing mostly social opportunities and legal protection for its members, the questions they posed are still debated within gay and lesbian organizations. Since the results of this query are almost always divisive, I am prompted to add a fourth question: “What difference does it make?” Is self-definition a worthy goal, or is it a trap creating a group identity which confines us to our own stereotypes? What positive purpose might be served by exploring th2 ways being gay means more than simply being homosexual?
Who are we? Are we just doctors and lawyers and shop keepers whose primary sexual interest is in members of our own sex? Are we, as many among us would argue, “just like everybody else” except for who we sleep with? Or do we possess a sensibility which is the result of our unique experience in American society? Could we be possessed of an “outsider” consciousness which alters the perspective of our cultural observations? And might not our
tendency to stretch the limits of gender identity give us an insight into wholeness that may be hard to come by if one accepts the constraints of socially imposed sex roles?
Might we also have what Advocate senior editor Mark Thompson calls “a differentness that accentuates the gifts of compassion, empathy, healing, interpretation, and enabling?” Is it possible that, as one drag queen said, “when a man is feminine and a woman masculine...that person is more in touch with the total range of human experience?” I wouldn’t presume
.. .we are reaching a point in our social evolution where breakthrough change is not only possible, but critical to our survival...
to give you a definitive answer, but I suspect that we have at least the potential to add something unique and valuable to the American social/political fabric.
What are we here for? Good question! What is anybody here for? Can’t we just be here? Yes and no, for, as Judy Grahn, feminist poet and lesbian activist notes, her mere presence has an impact on society. Her clothes and bearing model a “certain freedom for women.” As she and her partner parent a child, they “present an obvious example of alternate family structure.” With very little effort she has become a one-
woman “alternative thought structure.” Without conscious thought or effort, and just as likely without our permission, we may be, as Ms. Grahn points out, “inextricably bound, historically and politically with ideas of pluralism, tolerance, multiculturality, sexual expression and free choice.” Not bad for people who are just like everybody else.
Buy this “we’re different” argument or don’t. Whether this makes any difference is far more relevant to our political and social choices, because what you aspire to is far more critical than what you really are. And because right now, right here, we face the political choice to either “breakthrough or break even.” We can continue to work for our piece of the same old pie, or we can get in the kitchen and bake up something new and better.
There is almost no way to deny that we are reaching a point in our social evolution where breakthrough change is not only possible, but critical to our survival and future chances for happiness and self-actualization. The new science of chaos and the study of change dynamics teaches us that systems are characterized by long periods of equilibrium punctuated by evolutionary branchings called bifurcations. According to Riane Eisler, historian and
futurist, the current rapid rate of technological change has precipitated the instability that makes such a branching likely. And while such branchings in chemical or biological systems are largely the product of chance, humans have the ability to act consciously and collectively to choose their own evolutionary path.
We can stay focused on the civil rights aspects of our struggle, reforming laws and securing our legal rights. We can recreate government and business-as-usual with tolerance for same sex pronouns. But as journalist Michael Bronski notes, “the legislative approach to gay liberation runs the risk of giving social power only to those homosexuals deemed ‘acceptable’, i.e. straight looking and acting.” Not to mention that such change is limited by existing social standards and the rigidity of legal and governmental systems.
Or we can seek to effect more far-reaching social change. We can seize the prerogative of being different. We can call on those unique experiences and insights gained through both the pain and joy of our “otherness” to imagine and create new social relationships based on the ideas of equality, partnership and connectedness to one another, to the environment, and to the world at large.
WATERMARK: LET THE SUN SHINE THROUGH
bj G. K. Fowler
Not too long ago the best advice for Orlando’s gay and lesbian residents was to leave town. If you wanted to be out, you had to get out. Those of us who stayed, or improbably arrived, joked about putting up a sign: WELCOME TO ORLANDO. SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK TEN YEARS.
Those days are over now. This is no longer the land that time and cranial development forgot. Orlando’s large gay and lesbian population is developing into a vibrant community. Like other minorities we celebrate our distinctiveness and choose empowerment. More and more we do business together, vote together, and work
Watermark was conceived during a visit to Atlanta; sperm met egg in the south’s most inviting gay ghetto, Virginia Highlands. At lunch one day, I noticed almost everyone, alone and in groups, perusing the same newspaper. Southern Voice had been distributed that day, and I was witness to the way this excellent weekly informs, energizes and unifies Atlanta’s gay and lesbian community.
Watermark's admittedly ambitious goal is to do the same for Orlando and the rest of Central Florida. Every other week we hope you’ll tuck us into your beach bag, spill eggs on us at Brian’s, and sneak looks at us during Reverend Brock’s sermon. We hope you’ll be aroused by our editorials, amused by our gossip and cartoons, and inspired by our “Transitions” section. Most importantly, we hope you’ll participate and take pride in our newspaper.
At present, we’re a full-time staff of three: myself, layout gal April Gustetter, and ad guy Keith Peterson. But the paper is clearly a collaborative effort, and there are many
together to defend our freedom and values. With Watermark, we have a twice-monthly newspaper to read together.
We named our paper Watermark because that word reminds us of what we love about Florida: the ocean, the gulf, our lakes and rivers, and the diversity of life they support. It’s classy too, like our community. It’s a myth we all have good taste, but no one can deny us, as a group, a certain flair.
Even better, it connotes honesty and excellence. On foreign currency, a watermark certifies that what you hold is genuine, the real thing. The watermark on fine bond
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:
A USER’S GUIDE TO WATERMARK
talented writers and photographers working with us. We’ve been overwhelmed by their shared enthusiasm
Tor this paper. Most will be featured regularly, and we hope you’ll come to know them and look forward to their contributions.
We also have four bright and energetic student interns who will cut their journalistic teeth with us. Importantly, to those friends in the gay and lesbian community who helped us get off the ground with their fi-
guarantees quality. Such marks, made by pressing wire patterns on new paper, are so pale they seem drawn in water. They are nearly invisible, like we’ve been for so long. But once brought to light, a watermark shines with an unmistakable quality, just like we do.
It’s been some time now since honest misconceptions about homosexuality congealed into hard, cold lies. But truth can’t hurt us. We know that it is human, not criminal, to value beauty and love. “Our kind” has always been defined by others, too often the fate and doom of powerless minorities. We won’t play that way anymore.
Hence one of our major goals at Watermark will be to help our community know itself and define for itself what it means to be gay in Central Florida, and in America, today. We’ll hold our community up to the light to see what shines through. We’ll search for the watermarks of what is true and essential in gay life. What we learn we’ll share with you, and with our hetero-
nancial support, my sincere thanks. You know who you are, so take a bow.
The paper has three sections. At the outset you’ll find news, including health, HIV, and business news. In the middle of the paper you’ll encounter “Artful Living”, containing entertainment news, reviews, personal announcements, astrology, gossip, cartoons, and a calender of events. The last few pages are devoted to the “Marketplace” directory, real estate and classified ads, and the sports page. These last pages will also soon contain “Voiceboard” telepersonal listings. In all sections, we’re committed to balanced content for lesbians and gay men.
Reading is passive; Watermark is intended to be an interactive process. We need you to share a little of your life with us. We need to know what you do at work and away from work. We need your ideas and opinions. We also hope you’ll be ambitious with your advertising. Let’s replace those business card ads with attractive, state-of-the-art advertising concepts that reflect the vital-
sexual neighbors. Too many of them are misguided by fear, the prey de luxe of cynical politicians and so-called religious leaders who peddle hate for power but settle for cash.
We’re writing for savvy, self-assertive gay people determined to live full lives despite the madness. We’ve got news you can use: what’s hot, what’s not, what hurts, what heals, what’s fun, and what requires serious voter turnout. News, sports, letters, comics...hey, it’s a gay world out there!
There’s too much joy and laughter, excitement, achievement, beauty and love in us for any of it to remain in restraints. Although bom into every race and creed we are a people of our own, a people in the making, and like all peoples, wonderful in our way. So here we are, God bless us. We hope we do us right. Maybe someday the best advice a local lesbian or gay man in Central Florida can get will be to pick up a copy of Watermark.
ity of the gay patrons you seek.
We’re excited about Watermark and the whole process of creating each issue. Call us with news tips. Send us letters. Show off photos in the “Gallery”. Place a classified ad. Tell us where you’d like to see Watermark distributed. And by all means, read our paper, pass it around, and as we change and grow with our first issues, let us know what you think.
Watermark welcomes letters to the editor. All letters are subject to editing for content and length. Letters should be sent to:
P. O. Box 533655 Orlando, FL 32853-3655
WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 12
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GAY COMEDY WITHOUT A NET
The Improvabilities are “Florida’s Freshest Fruit”
by R. A. Bach
The man and woman are center stage, acting out a horrific and hilarious free association about robots and exploding internal organs. Offstage, someone yells “Freeze! Tennessee Williams.” Instantaneously the actors begin fanning themselves and talking about mendacity in drippy southern voices filled with pent-up sexual frustration. The scenario continues on its new course until we hear “Freeze! Stephen Sondheim.” The actors become urban sophisticates as they begin singing about their neurotic, self-important lives...on the mansion...in outer space. This madcap display of inventiveness continues as a Greek tragedy with chorus, a Rogers and Hammerstein musical, an Oscar Wilde comedy of manners, and finally Shakespeare.
Improvisation is comedy without a net; part of the entertainment lies in the potential for disaster. Can they pull it off? Can they invent something funny without benefit of prior thought? Like a trapeze act, when the Improvabilities do pull it off you don’t know whether to laugh, applaud or gasp in amazement. And they pull it off time after time, often brilliantly, sometimes
just barely, and that’s fun too.
For almost a year, the Improvabilities have been providing Central Florida with hilarious, intelligent, insightful sketch comedy that assumes a gay sensibility. They are also one of the best entertainment values in town. On weekends, its no longer necessary to go to a bar after dinner to stay gay. Go to the Eola Theater, wave at friends, have a seat and prepare to be wildly entertained. These are funny, funny people, and it’s a privilege to catch them at this stage of their promising collective career.
Troy Tinker founded the Improvabilities after four years of improv work in Cleveland. His dream was “to form a comedy troupe that would make people laugh while shedding light on gay experience.” Several members were recruited from the Comedy Warehouse at Pleasure Island, and others were mined from Universal Studios, the Hat Box Revue, and local children’s theater.
Along with Troy, Dave Almeida is the group’s most versatile performer, comfortable and funny as daddy or diva. Catherine
Goodison has the wry wit and deadpan delivery of Roseanne’s Sara Gilbert John Connon,
his handsome face topped by a shock of peroxide blonde hair, could be the twisted anchorman for the John Waters Network.
Talented Rae L’Heureaux can be petite then brassy, stem then bawdy as she calls on a broad range of characters with impres-
THE IMPROVABILITIES: (clockwise from top left) Dave Almeida, John Connon, Rae LHeureaux, Martin Kunz, Troy Tinker. Not pictured: Catherine Goodison
sive ease. She’s Lucy, Bette, Roseanne and more. With his expressive face, a real artist’s tool, the hilarious Martin Kunz can draw laughter with little more than an arched eyebrow. At a recent show, he created a boy-in-the-bubble cruising the Parliament house by rolling his big orb up and down the balconies (“Look but don’t touch, baby”). It was comedic inventiveness worthy of Jonathan Winters.
One of the great pleasures of watching this versatile group is sharing their delight in each other’s courage and wit. It’s easy to tell when a peer has been impressed. Actors uninvolved in a partic-ular sketch will often jump in when an inspired comedic idea sparks their imagination. The hilarity builds exponentially as troupe members bounce off each other like speeding pinballs.
Performances last approximately two hours, with one fifteen minute intermission. The audience is involved throughout, calling out suggestions and often participating onstage. Catch these wonderful performers often and while you still can. After opening for the Fabulous Flirtations in May at The Club, The Improvabilities will be performing with them at selected upcoming concerts. The Improvabilities are also pursuing regional bookings.
Don’t miss The Improvabilities, “Florida’s Freshest Fruit”, at one of their upcoming Friday shows at the Eola Theatre on Wall Street Plaza. Showtimes are at 10:30 PM on Friday, September 2nd, 9th, 16th and 30th. Call (407) 521-7499.
ONE OF BROADWAY’S ORIGINAL “C AGELLES” REMEMBERS FIVE YEARS IN HEELS
by Tom Dyer
La Cage Aux Folles is landmark gay entertainment. Based on a play by Jean Poiret, the French movie about ZaZa, a tightly wound female impersonator, and his longtime companion Georges, was funny, touching, and a surprise hit in the 70s. The transformation to Broadway musical several years later was an overwhelming creative and financial success.
La Cage Aux Folles will be performed at the Mark Two Dinner Theater through October 2nd; the perfect excuse to visit with Orlando’s Sam Singhaus, one of the original “Cagelles” in the Broadway production. Sam is known to many as the charismatic co-owner and driving force behind the fondly remembered downtown club “Big Bang”, and through his association with the popular Club At Firestone.
Musical by nature, Sam developed his interest in dance while attending Boone High School. After graduating, he took dance classes with Kip Watson and worked with what eventually became the Southern Ballet Theater.
Encouraged by his teachers, he went to New York to study dance and within weeks was awarded a scholarship
with the Richard Thomas Ballet Company. “The whole thing was really unbelievable,” said Sam. “I went to New York for three months and ended up staying ten years.”
SAM REVIEWS
MARK TWO’S LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
is
Sam was drawn to musical comedy, and he eventually left the ballet to train and take a job at Radio City. He did skit work on Saturday Night Live, and in time started auditioning for Broadway shows. His first big show was a national tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers with Debbie Boone. “It was a great show and a lot of fun,” said Singhaus. “Debbie was great in it, but the New York critics couldn’t get over themselves enough to give her a good review.” After a successful tour, the show closed soon after reaching Broadway.
Continued Page 14
WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 14
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Then auditions for La Cage Aux Folles began. “For some reason I just had the feeling that this was the right show for me,” he remembered. “I didn’t know that much about it, just that it was Jerry Herman, Arthur Laurents and Harvey Fierstein and it was going to be a six million dollar musical and it was going to be a hit.” Apparently others felt the same way. Along with 1000 other dancers, Sam sought a role as one of the energetic “cagelles”. Auditions lasted for three full months as dancers were pared to the final ten.
According to Sam, “We weren’t told we would be in drag half the show until the very end. We were told to bring high heels to the final auditions.” So Sam went shopping. “I lived on the upper west side at the time, so I walked up to Harlem figuring I’d find larger sizes there. I went into this women’s shoe store and started looking, and after watching me for a while this saleslady asked if she could help me. Fortunately, Tootsie had just come out, so I asked her if she’d seen the movie. She said she had, so I told her it was a Tootsie thing. She sold me a great pair of shoes.”
In fact, Sam had never appeared in drag before La Cage, and it took weeks to get
used to the specially braced high heel shoes. “We tried out in Boston and changed the show every day. It was tough. I definitely hit my ‘Butterfield 8’ weight.” But he says it was clear that the show would be a hit from the start, and he ended up staying with La Cage until it closed almost five years later.
During the show’s run, Sam worked with the likes of George Hearn, Keene Curtis, Gene Barry, Peter Marshall, and his favorite, Van Johnson. “A real old Hollywood star. He’s sure nice and real, real fun. He always wore red socks, so when he came back to see the show after he’d left it, I snuck out and bought red socks for the cast. When the curtain came up for ovations, we lifted our pant legs and you could hear his boisterous laugh everywhere. He was great.”
Sam notes that there was initial criticism of the show from some gay quarters because, like the recent movie Philadelphia, there was almost no affection displayed between the principal gay couple. Sam thinks this criticism is misplaced. “First of all, Georges and ZaZa had been together for decades, so let’s be real. Also, much of the audience would have been turned off by them kissing and stuff. Instead, everyone who saw the play left thinking that the love between two men can be beautiful. After all, love is what the play is really about.”
THE CAST OF IHABXTiir 1 Bittttlft : THEATER’S
ucAmm
AmmiM
Florida Republicans have
GOV. CLAUDE KIRK
SEN.
PAULA
HAWKINS
• GOVERNOR CLAUDE KIRK, who actively opposed school desegregation; whose outrageous self-promotion led him to fight with lawmakers of both parties; and who was viewed as a buffoon by both j Republican and Democratic voters.
• SENATOR PAULA HAWKINS, who insulted Florida’s Cuban community by saying, "you know how they are"; who repeatedly trashed Florida in public forums around the U.S.; who was criticized in both Florida and Washington for playing fast and loose with the truth; who was described as a “lightweight” by the Wall Street Journat, and who was chosen one of the ten worst senators by Washington Monthly.
• GOVERNOR BOB MARTINEZ, who tried to defy Florida’s constitution by taking away women’s right to choose and who left behind federal lawsuits that turned prisoners back out on the streets after serving only 32% of their sentences; prisons that couldn’t open because there was no money to run them; and a welfare computer that crashed.
WE’VE SEEN FIRST-HAND WHAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE TO OFFER.
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IN REVIEW
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The buzz on Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers has been good...good and violent. I’ve never been a particular fan of Stone’s, and I was prepared for his usual overboard style. Overboard does not begin to describe the buttons and barriers this film pushes. And by the way, I loved this movie.
Visually, Natural Born Killers is exciting. Trippy in fact. The actors, with one exception, are memorable. Standouts include the ubiquitous Tommy Lee Jones as a fiendish prison warden, and Juliette Lewis, who has perfected the role of mentally-unstable-woman-confined-in-a-hospital-room-or-jail-cell. Robert Downey, Jr.’s insipid Robin Leach impersonation was distracting, however. Why couldn’t Stone get Hugh Grant or Rupert Everett to play the smarmy British tabloid journalist?
Natural Born Killers presents a scathing portrait of our sick obsession with tabloid press and TV. And if you think it’s over-the-top, check out the “real-life” clips of those darling orphaned Menendez boys, our national hero O. J. Simpson the pitiful victim Lorena Bobbit, and the list goes on and on. Is this movie realistic? Yes and more. I left the theatre amazed at what I had just viewed, and feeling the same calm experienced after serious “anger work” with my therapist. This movie is cathartic.
I refuse to comment on how “violence begets violence”, and how teenagers will imitate the anti-heroes Micky and Mallory, played so magnificently by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. Take a look at this movie and see it for what it is; a stunning, chilling portrait of our society and our sick obsession with gore, violence and scandal.
• Barcelona is pretentious, boring, and yes, obnoxious. The actors are miscast, the dialogue is stilted, the characters unappealing and implausible. I didn’t like Whitt Stillman’s last film, Metropolitan (1990); Barcelona annoyed the hell out of me. I left Enzian in a bad mood and had to cancel my plans to meet a friend at The Club for a nightcap.
• On video, check out Six Degrees of Separation, a sophisticated movie with outstanding performances, and witty, intellegent dialogue (are you listening Whitt Stillman?). Better than the Broadway play on which it was based. Also, take a look at Robert Altman’s Short Cuts. Despite its epic length, it was without doubt one of last year’s best films. The ensemble cast is unforgettable.
• My sister took me to my very first rock concert over twenty years ago (can that be real ???). I’ve loved Steely Dan ever since. And I might have loved them at their recent St. Petersburg concert if I had heard them. The Thunderdome is acoustics HELL. Its no excuse that the arena wasn’t designed for concerts, but for the baseball team that never was.
• I can’t believe I’m recommending a restaurant on I-Drive, but if you’re looking for a truly unique night out with friends or a date, visit Cafe Tu Tu Tango. Food, drink, artwork, artists and dancers all blend to make for one of the coolest, most original places to hang out in O-Town.
Sam Sinahaus
“I am what l am, and what I am needs no excuses,..” is just one of the lines in what has become the anthem of modern gay culture. It is part of the score to La CageAux Folks, a wonderful old-fashioned musical guaranteed to reach in and tug at those rusty old heart strings that we all hide so well. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one misty-eyed in the audience - the opening night onlookers seemed to adore the show. The audience consisted mainly of “mainstream” Americans - the kinds of mothers, fathers, relatives, and neighbors that we all might find ourselves “coming out” to, perhaps borrowing some of the above-mentioned score to plea our case. This show, as poignant as it is campy, was the winner of 6 Tony awards on Broadway in 1984. With the collaboration of Arthur Laurents (West Side Gypsy. The Way We Were) Jerry Herman C , Dolly!, Mame), and Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy), an incredible treasure of musical theater was created.
The show revolves around two gay male characters whose son is engaged to the daughter of a right-wing morals crusader. The story is one of “forbidden love” vs. family traditions (sound familiar?). It’s a bit Romeo And Juliet, a bit Side Story, and a bit of Thanksgiving dinner with your parents and your new “significant other”.
In this production, Biyce Ward stars as ZaZa, the headline female impersonator/entertainer in his lover’s night club. It’s hard to find enough good things to say about Mr. Ward. His performance k; filled with warmth, humor, showmanship, and professional artistry. He leaves you wanting more (and he looks so glamorous in those beaded dresses!). Michael
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MARK TWO DINNER THEATER
Edwards plays his lover George; the solid support that ZaZa needs to keep at least one foot on the ground. Mr. Edwards gives a likeable performance, creating a very complimentary, believable character with the wisdom to sustain a twenty-year marriage to a true diva. As Jean-Michel (the “traitor” son), Todd Lee Piorier is a pleasure to listen to and look at, acting the role with integrity. He and Mr. Edwards make a convincing father-son casting choice.
Other performances worth kudos are Colleen Ashton as the bubbly and delicious Jacqueline, Ann Hurst as the “bridled-gone-giddy” Mme. Dindon, and Bob Perry’s “second-fiddle” Mercedes. Mary Rose Gray’s Mme. Renaud Ls the quintessential French country barmaid.
It’s difficult for me to criticize any theatrical endeavor, but since the Mark Two is a legitimate Equity (union) theatre, the few disappointing aspects of the performance I attended bear mentioning. The Cagelles were a bit too rough around the edges and their costumes far from flattering. But what they lacked in grace they certainly made up for with enthusiasm and shenanigans. Mr. Dindon was played a little too “Lower East Side” for an uptight French moralist, and Jacob was pleasant but lacked the fire of a drag-diva wannabe (just go for it, girl!).
Mark Howard’s direction and Bob Perry’s choreography (much of the original Broadway steps were recreated) kept the production swiftly on course. As we left the theatre singing “The Best ofTImes is No w”, Mark Two’s La Cage Aux Folles movingly reminded us to be proud of who we really are.
Thank you cast and crew for an inspirational and enjoyable evening of theatre.
G^Y VIEWER'S GUIDE TO
S Absolutely Fabulous
Reviewed by Dimitri Toscas
Okay. Who are those two women who are creeping into our culture? You know, the heavy one whose outrageous clothes don’t fit her anymore, and the blonde one who hasn’t changed her hair style since the sixties?
They’re popping up everywhere. On postcards. In our clubs. Hosting “drag races”. On our televisions. They are becoming a cultural landmark for the 90s...right up there with Ru Paul and Hillary Clinton.
Of course, Sweetie, darling.. .they’re Edina and Patsy of Absolutely Fabulous, the hit series that just arrived from England on Comedy Central. It’s been a craze on the BBC since 1992, so why has it taken so long to reach us?
“I think you’ll find, America, that Patsy and Edina have no redeeming qualities whatsoever,” the show’s producer,
Continued Page 16
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IN REVIEW
Continued Page 16
Jon Plowman, proudly spouts. “It’s been one of the reasons that America’s been reluctant.” But if you ask me, that’s the very reason Edina and Patsy are so attractive to this sterile, politically correct generation.
Before you clamor to your tele, America, there are a few things you need to know to assimilate yourselves to AbFab, as it is affectionately known. Here are some tips to help you.
1) Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are fortysomething fashion gals. Their major addictions: smokes, alcohol, and drugs (every kind you can find), their obsessive issues: slaves to fashion, wealth, and other current trends, from psychic friends to Buddhist chant, from fad diets to isolation tanks (which Edina can only use if Patsy’s with her).
Edina’s hard up and heavy. Patsy’s coked up and homy (a confirmed nymphomaniac). Basically, they’re everyday people.
2) “Fags” are cigarettes, so don’t get offended.
3) Saffron is Edina’s daughter. She’s a smart, young, science student; the only stable thing in the house, but watch her tongue.. .it’s sharp.
4) Don’t be surprised if you recognize some odd characters. Since the show’s instant fame, stars like Germaine Greer, Miranda Richardson, and Helena Bonham Carter pop up in unexpected cameos.
5) “Colonic irrigation” is merely an ad-
vanced enema.
6) “LaCroix” is the name of a fashion line.
7) A television season at the BBC is only SIX episodes. So don’t be alarmed when you begin to see reruns of the twelve existing episodes. The third season is due in Spring of 1995, and then, according to Saunders, who is also writer and co-creator, the girls may be hitting the big screen.
8) You’ll find Comedy Central’s Absolutely Fabulous on Mondays at 8:30 PM, Saturdays at 4:30 PM, and Sundays at 11:00 PM, but before you set your VCR, be aware that the show is an odd 40 minutes or so. Check the listings.
Extra Bonus: Keep an ear out for the Pet Shop Boys’ dance track devoted to Patsy and Edie. It’s a groove.
Our suggestion for beginners: Tape the show and watch it a few times, until you can understand what the girls are saying.
And while trying to keep up with Patsy and Edina for you, we’ve discovered a major plot line for next season. Get this: Patsy and Edina are coming to New York!
“I just hope people think it’s funny,” Lumley states, no doubt maneuvering the words between her fag and her crooked smile. “I hope they will. And if it doesn’t work, it’s not my fault. I’m simply an actress.”
Don’t worry, Pats, as always, your adventures around Manhattan promise to be exhilarating, exhausting, and absolutely fabulous.
I GAY POLITICAL POTBOILER
Flashpoint by Katherine V. Forrest Reviewed by Harmony Brenner
In September, 1991, a California radio station broadcasts the governor’s plan to veto a crucial gay-rights bill. This news causes Donnelly, Flashpoint's central figure, to mobilize her diverse gay and lesbian cohorts in a rustic cabin retreat, thus setting the stage for Katherine V. Forrest’s latest novel. Flashpoint spins a provoking fictional web of reference around real political struggle.
Forrest animates and humanizes these characters by showing them simultaneously at their best and worst, as they challenge and comfort each other through loss and discovery. Donnelly is a multi-faceted activist with impressive connections, and she leads the group body and soul. Pat Decker owns the cabin, and thus serves as the group’s reluctant hostess. Averill Calder Harmon, a professional golfer with a dislike for activism, lives in self-hating fear with her secretary and lover, Angela. Rounding out the female characters is Querida Quemada, a successful Latina professional and Donnelly’s current lover. Donnelly’s ex-husband and his male lover complete the cast.
Throughout the book’s uncharacteristically terse chapters, each character shares common pain, common shame, and uncommon healing. They process their own unique experiences as homosexuals while Donnelly prepares to test their commitment. Challenges created by homophobic employers, families, schools and peers unite Forrest’s characters despite clear differences in gender, class and ethnicity.
Like many cohesive cliques, intriguing yet painful love triangles once existed within the group. As their shared bond, Donnelly helps each of them cope, passing from Bradley to Averill to Pat like an Olympic torch of optimism and activism.
As usual, Forrest spices the entire story with wonderful snippets of dialogue and detail. The tranquility and provincial charm of the woodsy cabin pleasantly contrast the cosmopolitan lifestyles and concerns of its inhabitants. Her characters banter naturally, observe unobtrusively, and soliloquize elo-
quently. Each offers insight into the gay and lesbian experience rarely found in contemporary fiction. Forrest’s polished yet believable style of characterization remains the trademark of her bestselling fiction.
At times Flashpoint may seem ponderous, but when the governor finally issues his veto, crisis dynamics reverberate within the secluded cabin’s walls. Donnelly confronts her friends with a mission, testing the bounds of their delicately woven friendships. Each character must weigh the consequences of solidarity and true political commitment.
The choices made range from startling to satisfying, but each is ultimately credible. For the ardent Forrest reader, Flashpoint breaks new and significant ground .Forrest is not typically political, thus excluding most reference to current events. This story is a well-timed exception. I highly recommend it to Forrest fans and to anyone who enjoys the struggles of determined underdogs. If for no other reason, read Flashpoint to ignite your own sense of pride, energy, and activism.
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WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 18
OUR CULTURE
&
Greg
Wasson
July 1963-August 1993
m
Trcansitions
In Loving Memory
TIME helps the hurting. LOVE keeps the memory. JUST like the song you sang to me. “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.”
-Jim
1-4-3
Actress Danitra Vance 35, died on Sunday, August 21st. An innovative and outrageous performance artist, Ms. Vance was once described as a cross between Laurie Anderson and Little Richard. In 1985 she became the first black woman to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. Ms. Vance lived in Brooklyn with her companion, Jones Miller. According to Ms. Miller, the cause of death was breast cancer.
Lesbian Pioneer, Rikki Streicher, 68, died on Sunday, August 21st. Ms. Streicher was a pioneer in San Francisco’s gay civil rights movement and owner of two of the city’s most famous lesbian bars, Maud’s and Amanda’s. Following Ms. Streicher’s death, San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan ordered flags flown at half-staff in her honor. Ms. Streicher is survived by her partner of many years, Mary Sager.
“Transitions" may include memorials, remembrances, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, and other announcements. Please send submissions with black and white photo to WATERMARK • P.O. Box 533655 • Orlando, FL 32853-3655. Announcements an; free of charge.
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MARK MATTHEWS PLACES IN MR. HOTLANTA. Orlando’s own Mark Matthews was the second runner-up in the 1994 Mr. Hotlanta International contest. Those who’ve done the Atlanta river expo know that the bodybuilding competition is a major production, theatrically and pectorally. Word is that many thought Mark should have won...it’s all so political. Congratulations, Mark. Readers, we’ll try and get hold of some pictures. ENZIAN’S GAY FILM SERIES ENDS. According to Manager Peg O’Keef, Enzian’s Summer Gay and Lesbian Film series was a moderate disappointment. “We were very pleased with the films presented,” said O’Keef, “ but disappointed that more people didn’t get to see them.” She reports that Go Fish, a seriocomic lesbian slice-of-life, was well attended, “probably because it got lots of national publicity and the Orlando Sentinel did a story on it.” Other films, however, did less well. The last film in the series, Coming Out Under Fire, an award-winning documentary about gays in the military, is presently playing. O’Keef states that despite the mixed response, Enzian will continue to present lesbian and gay films in Central Florida. The highly anticipated The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert begins playing in late September.
SOUTHERN COUNTRY HOSTS “O’TOWN HOEDOWN”. Southern Country Orlando will hold their second annual “O’Town Hoedown” on September 9th, 1 Oth, and 11 th. All events will be held at the Harley Hotel’s Eola Ballroom and at the Full Moon Saloon. According to Jerry Murtha, Souther Country President, anywhere from 300 to 500 people are expected. Proceeds from this year’s hoedown will benefit CENTAUR and the Hope & Help Center. Southern Country Orlando is one of 41 gay country/westem dancing clubs nationwide.
DESTINY OF ME OPENS AT ACTING STUDIO. The Acting Studio continues to offer innovative gay theatre with its upcoming production of The Destiny of Me. Destiny is Larry Kramer’s 1993 Obie Award-winning sequel to his earlier AIDS play, The Normal Heart. Destiny is directed by Ron Schneider, and will run from Friday, September 9th, through Sunday, October 16th.
Tickets are $ 12; seniors and students $ 10.
LOOKING AHEAD. Me and My Girl, called “the freshest and funniest musical to hit Broadway in ages” by Newsweek, opens the Civic Theatre of Central Florida’s MainStage season on Thursday,
September 15th. Call (407) 896-7365 ▼ The Friday, September 23rd performance of La CageAux Folles will be a “FamilyNight Out” to benefit the Rainbow Democratic Club. Tickets are $45, including dinner and show. Call (407) 649-7875 for tickets.▼ Tampa’s 5th Annual International Pride Film Festival will take place at the magnificent Tampa Theatre from Friday, September jqY MCC RAISED OVER $1500 AT THEIR AN-30th to Sunday, October 9th. Call (813) 837-4485 NUAL art AUCTION ON AUGUST 12TH & for more information. 13TH.PICTURED; JOE CLANTON (AS EASEL).
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WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 19
OUR CULTURE
1
MBA MEETING.
With guest speaker, Erin Somers of “Passion Phones”. Downtown Radisson. 6:30 PM. 420-2182.
COMING OUT UNDER FIRE.
Award-winning documentary about gays in the military. 5:30 PM. Enzian. 644-4662.
THU
THE IMPROBABILITIES.
“Florida’s Freshest Fruit”. Performing at the Eola Theatre.
10:30 PM. 521-7499.
LUAU ‘94. Annual Labor Day Weekend party begins at the Parliament House thru Sept. 5. 425-7571.
FRI
BOXCARS GRAND OPENING. At the railroad car building in Fern Park. Thru Sept. 4. 831-7559.
WHORES OF BABYLON. A return to Sodom & Gomorrah at The Club. Togas optional. 426-0005.
SAT
GAY DAY AT BUSCH GARDENS.
Gay & Lesbian day in the Busch (Gardens, that is), in Tampa. Sponsored by GLCS. 425-4527.
SUN
DELTA YOUTH ALLIANCE. Support group for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth under 22. 6:00 PM. 236-9415.
MON
6
OUT & ABOUT BOOKS. Chill after Labor Day. Let owner Bruce Ground give you attitude. 896-0204.
G.L.C.S. While you’re downtown, check out The Center; Gay Activity Central. 425-4527.
TUE
FAMILY VALUES.
Gay & Lesbian radio on 91.5 FM. Talk, music, news, interviews, entertainment, community events. 646-2398.
ORLANDO
FRONTRUNNERS.
Meet at the red pagoda at Lake Eola. 7:30 PM. 857-1777.
WED
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JUST 30 MINUTES FROM ORLANDO
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8
PRIMARY ELECTION. Vote.
THU
THE
IMPROVABILITIES.
See Sept. 2.
THE DESTINY OF ME. Opening at The Acting Studio. 8:00 PM. 425-2281.
O’TOWN
HOEDOWN. Southern Country dancefest at the Harley Hotel and Full Moon Saloon. 1-800-859-0518 x.518.
FRI
10
BOWLING. GLBL
begins fall league at Fair Lanes Indian Hills. 831-717L
THE DESTINY OF ME. Continues at the Acting Studio. Thru Oct. 16.
O’TOWN
HOEDOWN. Continues at the Harley Hotel and Full Moon Saloon. Thru Sept. 11.
SAT
11
OBTA. Gay and lesbian round robin tennis. 10:30 AM. 292-8582.
SUN
12
GAYSKATE.
Semoran Skate way in Fern Park. 9:15 PM. 425-4527.
DELTA YOUTH ALLIANCE. See
Sept. 5.
ORLANDO
FRONTRUNNERS.
See Sept. 5.
MON
13
BOWLING. OBBA begins fall league at BowlAmerica Winter Park. 8:00 PM. 644-2244.
TUE
14
FAMILY VALUES.
See Sept. 7.
ORLANDO
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See Sept. 7.
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WATERMARK / August 31, 1994 20
ARTFUL LIVING
backlot bungalow here at Paramount Pictures, I’m faced with an all too familiar dilemma. The script to “Meet Me in Gomorrah” (the studio’s last-ditch effort to save my Hindenburg-like career) has just been delivered and tossed onto my desk like some cheap dress off the clearance rack at Bergdorf’s. Do I read it or torch it?! The stench from the typewriter ink still lingers like Crawford’s signature cologne, "Depression. ”
How could this have happened? I was once the QUEEN of Hollywood - now I’m reduced to fighting for tabloid headlines with Charlene Tilton and Leigh Shannon. Whatever happened to great pictures like “Love On a Pogo Stick”, “Dial S For Suicide”, and “Shut Up Sweet Lurlene”? We didn’t have talent then, we had pussies! If you needed a hit picture, all it took was some "fancy footwork” on the ceiling. But like everything else in life, what goes up must come down. It seems to be hard-knocks time again - better stock up on the bulletproof Aqua Net. Oh, I’m not too worried - there’s always Aaron Spelling. Look what he did for Joan Collins! (Once a C-cup, always a B-girl!) And of course there are the wonderful product-endorsement opportu-
nities for television stars. I can see it now - “This is Lola O’Lay for Gold Bond Medicated Feminine Hygiene Time-Released Laxative Squares (in the “temper-resistant” packaging).” Perhaps Cher has the right idea - stand next to a fat lady and you can’t help but look good!
As bitter as a pot of day-old coffee? You bet! Wouldn’t you be if every career vehicle that came along had a dead battery?. This new writing assignment for Watermark will be just the ticket I need to get back in touch with my fans - the little people. Each issue, I’ll be bringing you juicy bits from the front lines and all the local watering holes of “Hollywood East”. So, mind your P’s and Q’s - information is pouring in by the thimbleful, and I want to share every morsel with you.
Here’s one that’s hot off the press. Hang on to your wigs, Girls! Rumor has it that a certain once-infamous downtown hot spot is currently about to "explode” again...I hope my booth is still available!
Oh, and about that new script - you’re all invited to a barbecue in Bungalow B! Who knows, the next dish served up could be YOU!
Life’s a bitch, and so am I!
Confidential to P.R.: If you want to keep that arm, you’d better keep it off my "novio”!
STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
• If you’re out and about on Sunday, or any time over the weekend for that matter, make it a point to check out the east shore of Lake Ivanhoe, across from Antique Row. Wild lesbians with jet skis. Shirtless and sweaty gay volleyballers. When did this happen? Why weren’t we told immediately?
• Speaking of out and about, our hero Bruce Ground is converting the back room at his wonderful book store into a coffee shop...the “Stage Door Canteen.” Only a perfect idea. Bruce should be serving you his own special blend by Thanksgiving. We pray every night that we’ll be stuck at Out and About Books if there’s a nuclear holocaust and nobody can go outside for three months. “Is it time to go already?”
• Do you well up with pride every time one of our gay superstars makes a public appearance? Elton, Martina, k.d., Melissa... each time I’ve seen them interviewed, they’ve been articulate, interesting, confident, comfortable, humble, witty and just
TRANSITS & LUNATIONS
plain nice. So much more well-adjusted than those other celebrities.
• Around 8:30 PM, dial up 106.7 FM and listen to “Just Plain Mark” play Guess The Lesbian. Mark gets two women on the phone, one gay and one straight, and asks them some loaded questions: “Who are the Indigo Girls?” “How many times have you seen Fried Green Tomatoes?” “Do you have a tattoo?” A guy contestant is then asked to Guess The Lesbian based on their answers. By all accounts, it’s done in good fun and can be a real hoot (lesbian for “funny”).
• Richard Simmons has replaced Terri Garr as David Letterman’s favorite foil. Personally, we can’t decide if Richard Simmons sitting on his feet in exercise shorts with greasy thighs mooning at David Letterman is a positive development in gay evolution or not. But we think it is.
• TCTBT...the kinda short but incredibly hunky mail guy at the front counter of the downtown post office.
DEB
BLECHMAN
FOR COUNTY COURT JUDGE • ORANGE COUNTY • GROUP 5
■ BRINGING
COMMON SENSE & DIGNITY TO THE COURTROOM
■ WORKING TOWARDS A SAFE COMMUNITY
ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You must give and take, stubborn one. Communications with significant others, particularly children, may touch your last nerve. Be flexible and focus on mutual values, not pesky details. Career matters are murky, but swallow hard and let others shine. Your eighth house is active, so watch yourself regarding sex and finances. The full moon on the 9th will shake up your unconscious. Attend to it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’re a fixed earth sign, but its time for a personal tectonic shift. We’re not talking a change in hair color. Take a trip and make that big decision you’ve been pondering. You’re ripe (rotting?) for a relationship of substance. Look for inner beauty...really. But by all means hide yptif^n-trolling nature. Let her pick the movie. Let him choose the restaurant. Then keep your mouth shut.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): We’ve all had times like Si&se. They suck. Get through it and move on. Focus on monetary:|||J sues and avoid confronting past, present or potential playtSJfe. If you can muster the energy, you may want to considef|vlethe£ | professional dissatisfaction is the source of your angst* Coming attractions...the return of your sex drive. |
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Mars is passing ovei the Sum1 Hide your credit cards. Avoid Park Avenue. Instead, use tbit energy in a flurry of dating activity. If you’re already “involved,” make sure you’re getting what you want. On all levels, corilfhii-nicate clearly and rationally. Parents may disagree with ypn, particularly about matters related to children. But if you’ve been pondering a visit to the sperm bank, you go girl.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Time and money are on your side, so go ahead and take that muebrdispussed trip with a special friend. But don’t venturejpo far; a Bice guest hoiise in the Keys, dear, not Monte Capb^a^c^ib PlrticuIar should not ignore health concerns. Those achy joints may reflect nutritional deficiencies. . .or ig||tf anyone wants to tell you how to spend your money, tell thefn to kips off. £* ~V, V; .s, ^
VIRGO (A(||l2|*Sept. 22): So many details! .li©w;o^jou df it all? you can’t. No one can* so loosen up cm family, friends::® neighbors. MeahwhilBliil' •
sw^M^BMlfrfesultin^fire^&ikS; Sex, romancl times mit your fingertips, so.^^^rd ber
swept away. If you help from a flieSd, ybuilget U LIBRA (Sept 2Mlci 22): Spell for me, please. 8-A-L-A-N-;|>E. You rpakej®|rs happy*same for"' yourselLY^uhajllthe knowhow. |§fu. have the%chh<|tigy|Brace|
Ii^9liiil»vihg,;do it. You have aboit as much c&aner of sparking a romance right now as tt :;tq:|^q|Mftrreer fulfillment issues. :
j||QpRPIi6 (Oct 23-Nov. 21): You’re in a very rewardmg-^®!* transformation, and beauty are indicated. Ypu’te " more:chi|ged up than the Energizer bunny, so don’t fight t|a|:p. impulse tb redecorate. And if you’ve ever thought about “cos-: metic enhancement”, now’s the time.. ;a good excuse to tmf|l|l Watch ter an unexpected invitation. Also watch vour waisItelL dear, ‘nuff said. ' 1l
BY MARK LAWH0N
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There’s upheaval on the home front ‘cause you’re way overdue for some changes. Courage. Look inside.. .and you know exactly what I mean. Like Jim and Tammy Faye, it may be time for a “values and priorities” makeover. But don’t get down, get creative. On the lighter side, you’ll have recreational opportunities and the energy to enjoy them.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Your personal austerity is filially pushing you over the edge. Step back, step aside, it’s time tb dance. Life is like the Tower of Terror; scary but fun. Worry about counting calories later. If you meet someone special, and very well may, take the chance. Friends and family are be-tt®|pu. A small caution...avoid signing anything binding for ’now, ,
MQftitlUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Think Auntie Marne, Aquar-:ishs,bcb|use a little grandiosity is appropriate. Don’t stifle it. Draw Qgiiyour unconscious (it’s particularly accessible to you and don’t feel constrained to make sense to the rest of bill’s time to begin converting those utopian dreams to reality. God knows you’ll have the energy, and we less astrologically fall into line.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): With this month’s lunation in Pisces* it’s an excellent time to look in the mirror and ask yourself w® this person really needs other than an eyebrow pluck. No jbaiterbow nervous it makes you, seek nothing short of inner ®fte; lYithout major doses of self-discipline, your life will al-:^M®rtainly suck for a while. Friends may seem a little fickle, but Biat’s them and not you, dear.
Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of Astrologers, and is 407-894-1506.
A. Miller
Aaron Spelling
ACLU
Alison Bechdel
American Civil Liberties Union
Ander Crenshaw
Ann Derflinger
April Gustetter
Arthur Laurents
Averill
Bahia Shrine Auditorium
Barry Barlow
Bart R. Zarcone
Bearse
Bill Clinton
bisexual
Biyce Ward
Bob Carr
Bob Perry
Bob Sindler
Boone High School
Bruce Ground
Butler
Cafe Tu Tu Tango
Calvin Klein
Carolyn H. T. Cosby
Cecil Ray Deloach
Charlene Tilton
Charles Robb
Charles S. Robb
Childress
Chris Dahn
Chuck Robb
Chuck Robbs
Colleen Ashton
Crenshaw
Dahn
Danitra Vance
Dave Almeida
David Letterman
Debbie Boone
Debbie Simmons
Dimitri Toscas
Dindon
Don Reid
Donnelly
Doug Jamerson
Duke Vanderbilt
Edwards
Edyth Bush
Eileen Wright
Eola Theatre
Eric Orner
Erin Somers
Fern Park
Fran Pignone
Frank Jordan
Full Moon Saloon
G. K. Fowler
Gary L. Formet
Gary Siegel
gay
George Hearn
Glenda Hood
Grahn
Gretchen Chateau
Harley Hotel
Harmony Brenner
Harvey Fierstein
Helena Bonham Carter
Hillary Clinton
homosexuality
homosexuals
Hopkins
Hugh Grant
Jeff Goodgame
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Herman
Jerry Murtha
Joan Collins
Joe Clanton
John Connon
John Doe
John Holland
John K. Tanner
John R. McKernan
Jonathan Holingshead
Jonathan Winters
Karen Gievers
Katherine V. Forrest
Katie Messmer
Keith Peterson
Ken Connor
Ken Kundis
Kenney
Kip Watson
Laurence Sheldon
Laurie Anderson
Lawton Chiles
lesbians
Leslea Newman
Lew Brooks
LGBT
LGBTQ+
Linda Chapin
Lorena Bobbit
Lumley
Mable Butler
Maitland
Mardi Gras
Mark Matthews
Mark Thompson
Mark Two Dinner Theater
Martin Kunz
Martin Lheureaux
Marvin Liebman
Mary Sager
Mel White
Michael Bronski
Michael Fuchs
Michael L. Kilgore
Mike Williams
Mr. Hotlanta
Nan Schultz
National Coming Out Day
Natural Born Killers
Naval Training Center Orlando
Norman Rockwell
O. J. Simpson
Oliver L. North
Oliver Stone
orange county
Orange County Commission
orlando
Parliament House
Pat Decker
Pat Robertson
Pete Wilson
Peter Marshall
Pickman
Pignone
queers
questioning
R. A. Bach
Rainbow Democratic Club
Republican Party
Richard Simmons
Richard Thomas Ballet
Rob Eichberg
Robert Altman
Robin Leach
Rocky Ward
Roger McDonald
Rogers
Ron Schneider
Rosanne Sloan
Ross
Rupert Everett
Sam Singhaus
same-sex
Sandra Ross
Sara Gilbert
Sarano
Southern Nights
Stonewall
Streicher
Tammy Faye
Terri Garr
The Destiny Of Me
The Watermark
Thomas Tempia
Todd Lee Piorier
Tom Dorman
Tom Dyer
Tommy Lee Jones
Tony Childress
trans
transgender
Walt Disney World
Ward
Winter Park
Winter Park High School
Winter Springs
Woody Harrelson
Yvonne Vassell
Zarcone
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/fd31296325e31836da3e2617590ede99.pdf
40467b57837f2023d78fda2079632458
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Watermark Collection
Alternative Title
The Watermark Collection
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/" target="_blank">RICHES Program</a>
Type
Collection
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/">The Watermark</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
O'Neal, Rhiannon
Hearn, Nikki
Greene, Quintella
Rodriguez, Sharon
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.floridalgbtqmuseum.org/%20" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 2, No. 2, January 25, 1995
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 2, No. 2
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The second issue of volume two of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on January 25, 1995, and focuses on community issues with the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) movement. The main topics discussed in this issue are Iran's persecution of gay nightclub patrons, West Palm Beach voters' defeat of a proposal that sought to remove gay rights protections from municipal law, the Metropolitan Business Association's (MBA) Second Annual Expo, a federal court's ruling allowing a veterans group to bar the LGBTQ+ community from marching in Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade, and Scott Laurent Galleries. This issue also includes letters to the editor, theater and film reviews, restaurant reviews, and comic strips, as well as culture, artful living, travel, marketplace, and classifieds sections.<br /><br />Since 1994, <em>The Watermark</em> has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, <em>The Watermark</em> has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, <em>The Watermark</em> became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased <em>The Watermark</em>.
Type
Text
Source
Original 32-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 2, No. 2, January 25, 1995: Publications Collection, <a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
Requires
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.UCF.edu/omeka/collections/show/203" target="_blank">The Watermark Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 32-page newspaper: <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Watermark</em></a>, Vol. 2, No. 2, January 25, 1995.
Coverage
Bahia Shrine Temple, Orlando, Florida
Iran
West Palm Beach, Florida
Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Boston, Massachusetts
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Denver, Colorado
United Kingdom
Kansas City, Missouri
Gaborone, Botswana
Daytona Beach, Florida
Scott Laurent Galleries, Winter Park, Florida
Creator
Kudis, Ken
Bartsch, Carol
Sheehan, Patty
Dyer, Tom
Johnson, D. J.
Brenner, Harmony
Anderson, Mark
Maines, Ted
Bray, Dan
Gustetter, April
Peterson, Keith
Emmer, Sarah
Kilgore, Michael L.
Fowler, G. K.
Schultz, Nan
Toscas, Dimitri
Crescitelli, Jim A.
Newsman, Leslea
Badal, Sharon
De Matteis, Stephen
Sloan, Rosanne
Saran, Joe
Almeida, David
Provencher, William André
Dean, Brandon
Bruin, Patrick
Wilde, Diane
Vassel, Yvonne C. T.
Hartman, Keith
Bechdel, Alison
Orner, Eric
Porter, Jill
Vangelys, Gabriel
Holland, Robert
Messmer, Katie
Kenney, Tera
Williams, Mike
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-11-23
Date Issued
1994-11-23
Date Copyrighted
1994-11-23
Format
application/pdf
Extent
282 MB
Medium
32-page newspaper
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by <a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Publishing Group</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.UCF.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.UCF.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla25/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">GLBT History Museum of Central Florida</a>
External Reference
"<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/" target="_blank">About/Contact</a>." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
activism
activists
Alachua County
Alan Bruun
Amnesty International
Anderson
Andre Provencher
Andrews Sisters
Anne Waldron
Anthony Fauci
Audrey Hepburn
Bahia Shrine Auditorium
Barbie
Bart Zarcone
Bennett Klein
bisexuals
Bob Spears
Brad Houghton
Bruce Jenner
capital punishment
Carl S. Simon
Carol Bartsch
Cheryl Griggs
Chris Lynde
Christine Robison
Chuck Almand
Clermont
Cloutier
Dade
David Almeida
David Caton
David Geffen
David Ho
David Roberson
David Schwartz
Daytona
Daytona Beach
De Matteis
Diana Ross
Diane Wilde
Dimitri Toscas
Disney
Don Dias
Douglas Battawa
Eddie Hilliard
Eleanor Roosevelt
Elgan
Elke Martin
Enyart
Epcot
Eric Overmyer
Eric Rollings
Erica Rand
Finn
Fowler
Gail Bird
gay
Georg Ketelhohn
George Coscia
George M. Shaw
Glenda Hood
Graham
Gus Van Sant
Harold Fong
HOMAN
homosexuality
homosexuals
Ian Russell
Iran
Islamic Penal Law
James Bybee
James S. Koopman
Jamie P. Still
Jay Boyar
Jay Levy
Jim Crescitelli
Joel Strack
John Doe
John McCombs
John Rose
John Travolta
Johns Hopkins
Johnson
Johnston
Jonathan Bamford
Jonathan Hollingshead
Judy Davis
Katie Messmer
Keanu Reeves
Keith Baber
Keith Bergstrasser
Keith Bergstrasser & Company, Inc
Keith Brodie
Keith Morrison
Keith Peterson
Ken Kundis
Keohane
Kim Jones
Lambda Center
Laurence Mark
Laurent Nicastro
Leonard Cohen
lesbians
Lesbigay Coalition
Leslie Bennet
LGBT
LGBTQ+
Life Care Resources
Linda Chapin
Lou Baio
Lucy Carney
Lyman
Maitland
Maitland Civic Center
Marcia Gay Harden
Margaret Reinfeld
Margarethe Cammermeyer
Mario Pabon
Marlene Bernstein
Martha Stewart
Martin
Martin Scorsese
Mary Jess
Mary Linger
Menino
Metropolitan Business Association
Miami
Michael Dunn
Michael Hodges
Michael Jackson
Miller
Moonstruck
Natural Born Killers
Newman
Nicastro
orlando
Orlando Public Library
Palm Beach
Palm Beach County
Paradise Island
Patrick Bruin
Patty Sheehan
Phil Donahue
Phillips
queers
questioning
Rainbow Democratic Club
Richard Cloutier
Richard Giorgio
Robert Deniro
Robert Holland
Robert Sean Leonard
Robin Buhrke
Ron Carnival
Ronald Reagan
Rosalind Russell
Rosanne Sloan
Saidi Sirjani
Sam Shepard
same-sex
Sandie Swift
Sandy Fink
Sarah Emmer
Sarah Nuckles
Sarano
Saviz Shafaie
Schwartz
Scott Alles
Sean Astin
Sharia law
Sharon Badal
Shepard
Somers
Stephan Likosky
Steve Rheaume
Steve Roberts
Susan Sarandon
Tampa
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Gay Men's Chorus
Ted Maines
Tera Kenney
The Client
The Lambda Center
The Watermark
Tim Huskins
Tom Dyer
trans
transgender
Val Stevens
W. Thomas Dyer
Watermark Media, Inc.
West Palm Beach
William F. Weld
William Finn
Wilson
Winslow
Winter Park
Yolanda Clark