1
100
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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.
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dence that [Woodard's] job or public life was affected in any respect by such conduct. ”
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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
Tcron^^even
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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GOVERNMENT OPENS TOLL FREE LINE FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS
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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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.”
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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).
WATERMARK is published every second Wednesday, except the first week in January and the second week in July. Subscription
rates are S35.00 (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 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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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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TRANSITS & ^ fcUNATIONS
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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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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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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 24
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ACLU
American Civil Liberties Union
American Express
Anna Madrigal
Anne Rice
Annette Funicello
Anthony Deluccia
Anthony Turney
Arthur Kropp
Audrey Hepburn
Baker
Barbara Keenan
Barbara West
Ben Waft
Beth Henley
Bill Drahos
bisexual
Bob Cratchit
Boone
Briggs
Brook Trout
Buchanan
Buena Ventura Lakes
Burke
Carmella Twirling
Castro
Chandler
Chapin
Charles Dickens
Charlie Hogan
Chavez
Community United Against Violence
Connie Francis
Coretta Scott King
Damron
Dan George
Dan Rather
Danielle Tantalizing
David Driscoll
David Mclimans
David Slaughter
Daytona Beach
Delta
Dennis Underwood
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Dick Martin
Dukakis
dukes
Dusty Springfield
Edgewater
Elgan
Engelbreit
Eric Orner
Florence Henderson
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Foster
Fowler
Fran Pisnone
Frank Jordan
Frank MccClain
Gallagher
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Gerald Kogan
Gridley
Harry Singletary
Harry Westen
Hattaway
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homosexuality
homosexuals
Horowitz
Ikea
Jackson
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James A. Cresciteili
James A. Creseitelli
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Joe Saranno
Joe Sarano
John Butler Book, Jr.
John Hiatt
John Nesbit
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Jordan
Joseph Souki
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Kathleen Morrow Aponte
Kathleen Mulligan
Kathy Stilwell
Katie Messmer
Katz
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Kees
Keith Peterson
Keith Tanner
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Kenney
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Michael Pelkowski
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Morris Schambelan
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Naples
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Neil Jordans
Nina Vinik
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Office Of Equal Opportunity
Olympia Dukakis
orange county
Orange County Sheriff
orlando
Pablo Felix
Palmer
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Parliament House
Paul Wegman
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Philip L. Lee
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Pignone
Publix
Queen Bitch Cruella
queers
questioning
Rafael Gasti
Rah Rega
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Rosanne Sloan
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same-sex
Sandy Bargioni
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Sarasota
Schambelan
Scott Brownell
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Shrine Auditorium
Shunichi Kimura
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Steinhart
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Taylor
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The Watermark
Thornton Park Cafe
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Tom Dyer
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trans
transgender
Victor Rohana
Volusia
W. Webster
Wally World
Walt Gallagher
William Gibson
Woodard
Yvonne Vassell
Zamora
Zweifel
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/9e3620ddb6f1a4f1dd47c209adc77d42.pdf
fede45a5a65cb3edeb2bd646717c1e92
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. 5, October 26, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 5
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The fifth issue of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on October 26, 1994, and attempted to balance family and politics in dealing with national LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) issues. This new perception allowed the front page to have an article on the developing Gay Neighborhoods in Orlando and on the involvement of gay voters in upcoming elections. Another major section of the paper was dedicated to the scandal revolving around state representative Jimmy Charles, and the sex solicitation case that he was involved in that resulted in him addressing homosexuals in the same breath as pedophiles, delinquents, pimps, and more. Continuing its trend of publishing international stories, this issue addresses the Oregon Citizen Alliance accusing gays as being key participants in the Holocaust, a Colorado anti-gay bill being declared unconstitutional, and the World Health Organization’s addressing of a vaccine to treat HIV. Another issue covered was the inequality of credit for LGBTQ+ members and the proposed gay credit union for Orlando. Finally, this issue saw a spike in advertisements specifically targeting HIV+/AIDS patients.<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. 5, October 26, 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. 5, October 26, 1994.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Tampa, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Washington, D.C.
Salem, Oregon
Denver, Colorado
Boston, Massachusetts
Geneva, Switzerland
Nashville, Tennessee
Detroit, Michigan
Creator
Almeida, David
Brenner, Harmony
De Matteis, Stephan
Dean, Brandon
Dyer, Tom
Kilgore, Michael
Kundis, Ken
Maines, Ted
Morgan, Richard
O'Lay, Lola
Schultz, Nan
Toscas, Dimitri
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-10-26
Date Issued
1994-10-26
Date Copyrighted
1994-10-26
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
FLORIDA'S DISTINCTIVE GAVAND LESBIAN PUBLICATION.
GAY VOTERS GIVEN CLEAR CHOICE IN
7W A XFV U A npc
Election day b always tie second Tuesday in November- November 8 this tme around, But in one respect, this election year is different* for (he fast time, voters in Central Honda know where many candidates stand on issues of importance to the gay and lesbian community. In fact, many candidates have actively embraced the gay community, seeking gay votes that may have a substantial impact on election results, particularly in close races.
have been forced, often tentatively, to
distance, ignoring queries and invitations. Others have delivered a clear anti-gay message.
But a substantial minority of candidates have actively sought gay support and gay vo&s, Many of these candidates | have teen surprised by the steadfast assistance and financial support offered. But they have also experienced the flip side,* lost endorsements and financial backing from conservatives made uncomfortable by those willing to speak out in support of equal rights and dignity for lesbians and gay men.
Politicos will study this election to see whether gay votes in Central Florida are too costly at present. Lisa Talmadge, founder of the “Lisa's List Voter Guide," j will be one of those watching very closely, Talmadge has compiled a list of candidates who have expressed a sensi-
didates on her list have signed the Rainbow Democratic Club Employment
Non-discrimination pledge, which states: The sexual orientation of on individual
promoting, or terminadng&fun employee^ im in
Ultimately, with a good turnout and
ORLANDO’S EMERGING GAY NEIGHBORHOODS
by Ken Kundis
San Francisco, 1974. The shift started slowly. As more and more gay men and lesbians flooded into the Castro Street area, the local residents of this ethnic, working class neighborhood began to notice one charming but dilapidated Victorian home after another being bought and tastefully redecorated. It seemed a new business appeared each day on Castro Street, Eighteenth, and in all directions east and west.
The throngs of gay men and lesbians flooding the Castro area at that time brought with them incomes that benefited from higher than average educations and that were unrestricted by children. They had money to spend. The once-reticent natives of the Castro Street area quickly saw the benefit of the new money and blood that in-
chose to leave in the face of the tidal wave of migrating gays couldn’t complain too much; they were selling their homes at nearly twice what they would have gotten for them just five years before.
Within a mere two years, a full-scale gay community had sprung forth in the Castro. As word spread quickly across the country, more and more gays filed into America’s first self-acknowledged “ Gay Ghetto. ”
Gentrification, the restoration of a deteriorated area, has been part of the legacy of the gay community in the United States. In the twenty years since the rise of the Castro Street area in San Francisco, gay neighborhoods, or neighborhoods with strong gay and lesbian populations, have sprung up in nearly every major urban area in the country. These include South Beach in Miami; Capitol Hill and DuPont Circle, Washington, D.C.; Virginia Highlands, Atlanta; and, Hillcrest, San Diego. Now Orlando is developing its own brand of gay neighborhoods, based not only on these models, but also on the unique personality of the city itself.
In the past five years, downtown neighborhoods such as
SarTpr!?"
Audubon Park havlTseen lncrea^flg niirfiOers or young urt
fessionals, including many gays and lesbians, moving into uie area
and purchasing homes and businesses that were once in disrepair.
Now, these areas boast some of the most active development in the city, with the majority taking place in Thornton Park, which includes Thornton and Washington streets and is within a short walking distance to Lake Eola. Developers are currently working
Continued Page 10
Thornton 1
THORNTON PARK. With Lake Eola os backdrop, Washington Street boosts o rapidly (hanging commercial district and on ambience that is distinctly goy.
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 5
OCTOBER 26,1994
PHOTO BY JILL PORTER
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 2
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GAY RIGHTS LAW TO FACE 2ND CHALLENGE BY VOTERS
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Opponents of a Tampa law banning discrimination against homosexuals have collected enough signatures to bring the issue before voters a second time to let them decide whether to repeal the law.
Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Pam Iorio certified a petition Monday that will send the sexual orientation measure to a public referendum on March 7.
It will be the second time in less than three years the gay rights ordinance will be up for a vote.
The law, adopted in 1991, forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations.
“We’re very much prepared and ready to move toward a March election,” said David Caton, head of a group called “Yes! Repeal Homosexual Ordinance Committee.”
“The main message is that what one does in the privacy of the bedroom should not be protected as a right to be expressed in any manner in the workplace,” he said.
Ordinance supporters also have regrouped. Formerly, they were known as “Say No to Hate” and now work as “Citizens for a Fair Tampa.”
“I defy anybody to read the ordinance and find special rights for anybody. That is not what this is about. It’s about protection for all citizens, and that’s it,” said John Dunn, chairman of the proponents group.
GROUP TURNS IN SIGNATURES FOR VOTE TO REPEAL ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A group seeking repeal of a city ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation turned in petitions for a special election.
The group led by city Commissioner Sarah Nuckles and Bob Proper, local coordinator of the Christian Coalition, needed 1,512 signatures to get on the ballot and gathered 1,703 signatures in 20 days.
If the signatures are valid, the city charter requires that
LOCAL & STATE NEWS
the anti-gay issue be put to voters before Feb. 19, just three weeks before a city general election. A special election is expected to cost $20,000.
The result would be a one-issue campaign providing the first clear test of the voting strength of the city’s gay and conservative Christian communities.
Group members said they collected 600 signatures on Sundays outside three city churches to meet Wednesday’s deadline.
People signed because they were angry the city commission passed the gay rights measure despite strong opposition, group spokesman John McGill said.
Gay community activist Glen Scriber said he thought the law would survive a referendum. “I honestly don’t believe there are enough bigots in this city to overturn the ordinance,” Scriber said.
In Gainesville Wednesday, a Circuit Court judge approved a similar measure for the Nov. 8 ballot. A group wants to repeal part of an Alachua County ordinance that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination.
GAY VIDEO HELD NOT OBSCENE
A Pinellas County jury recently found a video store clerk innocent of violating state obscenity laws when she rented a gay porn movie to an undercover detective. Defense lawyers said it was the first time in Florida that a gay-themed movie was the subject of a trial involving the state’s laws forbidding distribution of obscene material. “Gay people exist in your community,” said defense attorney Frank de la Grana. “They have as much right as heterosexual people to rent adult videos.”
Bait was rented four years ago during a series of raids on adult video and bookstores conducted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. In his charge, the prosecuting assistant state attorney called the movie “patently offensive.” De la Grana attempted to argue that Bait is not obscene using the standards of the local gay community, but County Judge Karl Grube ruled that the jury’s decision must be based on the standards of the entire community. Nonetheless, the jury took only a half an hour to reach its not guilty verdict.
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 3
GLCS BOARD MEMBERS RESIGN
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**w influential force within the Central Florida Lesbigay community, and [their] absence from ' our ranks will be missed” GLCS has not stated whether die resignations are related.
On Oct. 17, the remaining GLCS board appointed two new board members to fill the va-cated seats: Laura J. Harding and Julie A. Whitley, both of Orlando.
Harding is a long time volunteer for GLCS who hopes to increase program development at the community center Whitley hopes to increase community awareness of GLCS.
In a statement, GLCS President Ward said, ‘Tm glad to have these two very talented people serving on our board They bring with them insights and abilities that will enable GLCS..,to continue being of service to the entire Central Florida Community”
Whitley and Harding’s terms will empire In . January, 1995, and January, 1996, respectively,
- Nominations for four additional GLCS board : positions close Monday, December 5. Each po?:;
to apply for one of these positions should obtain an application form from The GLCS Center, 7 i 4E. Colonial Du, Orlando. For further in- „' formation, contact Center Director Bart Zarcone at (407) 425-4527.
STATE REP. JIMMY CHARLES ADDRESSES DAYTONA BUSINESS GROUP
by Tom Dyer
Responding to an invitation by the Daytona Beach Business Guild (DBBG), State Rep. Jimmy Charles (D-Daytona Beach) spoke to a feisty group of 80 gay, lesbian, and gay-friendly constituents on October 10 at the Ramada Resort Ocean-front. DBBG members and guests were upset by Charles’ statement to the Daytona Beach News-Journal that, “My district includes runaways, delinquents, pimps, prostitutes, pedophiles and homosexuals.” Although he is expected to win re-elec-
“77 lestatement itself is so horrible that several of my gay friends called me about it. I’m apologizing to each of you here tonight. ”
tion, this has not been an easy campaign for Charles, who was elected to his first term two years ago, and whose district covers beachside Daytona, from Ponce Inlet to Ormond Beach. Last month, Charles was arrested and charged with solicitation. Charles has claimed he was just speaking with a troubled constituent, and it was in this context that statements offensive to the gay and lesbian community were made to the press.
Charles started by apologizing to the group. Although told by his attorney not to discuss matters relating to his arrest, he stated that he was “totally mortified” when he read the newspaper quotation. “It does not reflect what I believe in and stand for as a
person,” he stated. “The statement itself is so horrible that several of my gay friends called me about it. I’m apologizing to each of you here tonight.”
Charles also called attention to his voting record. “I have always opposed the religious right in their attempts to legislate discrimination...and I always will.”
Many at the gathering expressed their appreciation for Charles’ courage and sincerity in apologizing to the group. One audience member told Charles, “It’s unfortunate that this had to happen in your life to get you to come to one of our meetings.” Charles countered that, “until you called me, I didn’t know [DBBG] existed. Had you invited me sooner,
I would have been here, and I’ll come again.” Reverend Steve Steele of Hope MCC asked Charles if he would publicly retract his statement lumping homosexuals with criminals. Steele pointed out that only a retraction would undo the negative impression of homosexuals created for the public at large. In response, Charles revealed some of the stress he has experienced since his arrest. In a raised voice he asserted, “I am not willing to continue the feeding frenzy on me by issuing a public retraction. I have an election to run, and I need to move on. I’m tired of being attacked by the press.”
Many in the audience vowed to work toward Charles’ re-election. Charles closed by stating that, if nothing else, the experiences of the recent past would make him “a better policymaker.”
The Daytona Beach Business Guild meets on the 2nd Monday of each month. Call Scott Green at (904) 322-9389, or George Coscia
at (904) 767-5647for more information.
WATERMARK / October 26, 1994 4
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
COLORADO’S ANTI-GAY RIGHTS AMENDMENT DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL
DENVER (AP) - State officials plan to appeal a state Supreme Court decision striking down an anti-gay rights amendment as unconstitutional. Gay rights groups hailed the ruling.
The court ruled Tuesday that Amendment 2, which prohibited local governments from outlawing discrimination against homosexuals, denies gays an equal voice in government.
“This ruling is a decisive affirmation of lesbian and gay rights, and a crushing blow to the radical right’s efforts to curtail important constitutional protections,’’ said co-cousel Suzanne B. Goldberg, an attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a gay-rights organization.
The amendment “singles out one form of discrimination and removes its redress from consideration by the normal political process,” Chief Justice Luis Rovira wrote for the court’s 6-1 majority.
State Attorney General Gale Norton said the thrust of the state’s appeal to the high court will be the role voters have in setting state policies.
Two other states will have anti-gay-rights measures on their ballots next month. Measure 13 in Oregon and Proposition 1 in Idaho would forbid state and local governments from giving legal minority status to people based on homosexual behavior. Unlike Colorado, their measures also would limit public schools and universities in how they teach about homosexuality, and limit access to books on the subject at public libraries.
In Alachua County, Fla., voters will decide on whether to repeal a county ordinance barring discrimination against gays, and whether to forbid the county commission from enacting any such measure in the future.
Colorado’s Amendment 2, which would have struck down anti-discrimination ordinances in Denver, Boulder and Aspen, was never enforced. It was challenged immediately, and has been the subject of court battles since then.
It was written by Colorado for Family Values founder Will Perkins and approved, 54 percent to 46 percent, by voters in the 1992 election.
Perkins told reporters the ruling did not surprise him because courts “already have made known their willingness to ca$t aside the freedoms of those who hold politically incorrect beliefs in today’s society.”
Perkins also suggested that the court had delayed issuing the ruling until National Coming Out Day, when gays are encouraged to declare their sexual orientation.
“This is an additional slap in the face for the majority of Coloradans and one they won’t forget,” Perkins said.
There was no evidence the court timed the decision to National Coming Out Day. But that didn’t bother supporters.
“I don’t know if it was intentional, but I think it’s a fabulous gift for Coming Out Day,” said Sue Anderson, director of Equality Colorado.
GAY GROUP ESTIMATES ANTI-HOMOSEXUAL MEASURES COST STATES MILLIONS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Passage of anti-gay initiatives and ordinances has cost states and cities at least $169 million in lost business, a gay rights lobby asserted.
“Business organizations are standing up to the radical right groups as the costs of their divisive agenda become painfully clear,” Stacie Spector, director of Americans Against Discrimination, a project of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, said Wednesday.
Her group surveyed convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce and groups working to defeat such initiatives to estimate the losses.
In Colorado, for example, which passed the anti-gay Amendment 2 in 1992, the state lost almost $120 million in convention and tourism business through the end of 1993, the group found. At least 47 organizations canceled plans to hold conferences or conventions in Colorado as a result of Amendment 2’s passage, the group said. Several companies also dropped plans to move to the state.
The group estimated that Cincinnati has lost some $ 19.2 million since voters there passed an initiative in 1993 repealing an ordinance protecting gays from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
And in Portland, Ore., more than $15 million worth of convention business has been put on hold pending the vote on a statewide anti-gay initiative in November. That figure represents business from eight conventions expected to bring almost 27,000 visitors.
“Most are waiting to see,” said Deborah Wakefield of the Portland Visitors Bureau. “I’m sure if this passes, the state will see an effect everywhere.”
The Portland Visitors Association has spoken out against the local ballot initiative, as have several of the other affected convention and tourism offices.
Cobb County, Ga., lost an estimated $10 million when gay activists pressured the U.S. Olympic Committee into moving the 1996 volleyball competition elsewhere, Americans Against Discrimination said. The activists mounted a protest after the Cobb County Commission passed an ordinance in August 1993 that said “lifestyles advocated by the gay community” were incompatible with community standards.
And following a vote in 1992 to repeal sections of the city’s human rights ordinance, Tampa, Fla., lost at least $5.5 million with the cancellation of the 5,000-member GALA Choruses convention and a meeting of the Catholic Campus Ministers Association, Spector’s group said.
OREGON CITIZENS ALLIANCE OFFICIAL: GAYS WERE PART OF NAZI MOVEMENT
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Homosexuals had a major role in the Nazi party movement but were not responsible for the Holocaust, an Oregon Citizens Alliance leader says.
The alliance is sponsoring an anti-gay-rights measure on Oregon’s Nov. 8 ballot and has used the alleged Nazi-homosexual tie in its campaign. A state Voters’ Pamphlet statement in favor of Measure 13 and paid for by the OCA says, “Nazism was largely an outgrowth of Germany’s gay rights movement.”
Scott Lively, OCA membership director, said in a letter to the editor in The Daily Astorian that homosexuals “were an integral part of the Nazi party throughout history.” Charles Schiffman, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Portland, told The Oregonian such allegations are “a low effort to use a terrible tragedy for political purposes.”
Lively said his aim is to clear up wrong impressions about the OCA. “We wanted to refute this whole idea that people who oppose homosexuality are Nazis,” he said. “If anybody is using Nazi-like tactics, it is gay rights groups like Queer Nation and Act Up.”
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
GAY CANDIDATES WINNING BUT STILL ENDURING BAITING BY OPPONENTS
(AP) - When Tim Van Zandt ran for the Democratic nomination for a seat in the Missouri Legislature this year, his most serious opponent used the slogan “Straight Talk.” That wouldn’t have been a problem except for one thing: Van Zandt is gay.
“Every bit of time and energy, every piece of material he put out was about me and my sexual orientation,” Van Zandt recalled. “Almost all of them talked about my ‘secret agenda,’ or my ‘hidden agenda.’”
Van Zandt won the primary with 80 percent of the vote and faces token opposition, from a Libertarian Party candidate, on Nov. 8.
But the kind of campaign Van Zandt faced is happening in races around the country where open gays and lesbians are running for office.
Eighteen open homosexuals are running for state and local offices around the country this fall, according to William Wayboum, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which raises money for gay candidates.
“There were 55 openly gay and lesbian elected officials in 1991, when we started. Now there are 205,” he said last week. “If things go as well as we think, out of these we’ll probably end up adding 10 more on this election cycle.”
That would bring to 215 the number of openly gay elected officials in the United States - “which is not a great number when you consider there are 475,000 public officials,” Wayboum said.
His group has tracked gay-baiting of the candidates it supports, and has found a handful of examples, mostly campaign literature that tries to paint gay candidates as anti-family or controlled by outside interests with a hidden agenda.
Most of it never reaches the national consciousness. But it did last week, in the race for New York state attorney general, after a Republican - Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari - told an audience: “The next attorney general shouldn’t be an admitted lesbian.”
In Sheila Kuehl’s race for the California Assembly, a spokesman for her opponent, Republican Mike Meehan, told a newspaper they were going to make an issue of her sexual orientation. Kuehl is a civil rights lawyer and a former actress who played Zelda Gilroy in “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” on television in the 1960s.
GEORGIA HIGH COURT HEARS DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP ARGUMENTS
ATLANTA (AP) - City officials say domestic partnership benefits are necessary to attract quality employees, while opponents say such protections are a step toward legitimizing sodomy in Georgia.
The question goes to the state Supreme Court today as the city of Atlanta seeks approval to extend city health, dental, and other benefits to unmarried city employees who register their partners. Superior Court Judge Isaac Jenrette voided the registry in April, saying the city was not authorized to enact such an ordinance under the Municipal Home Rule Act and the Georgia Constitution.
Six of the plan’s opponents, including state Rep. Billy McKinney, D-Atlanta, told the Supreme Court in motions the added benefits would cost $2.5 million, 75 percent of which would be borne by taxpayers and 25 percent by city employees through higher withholdings.
“Another intended change is to lay the foundation for future arguments that sodomy is a fundamental right,” the six opponents said in motions filed before the Supreme Court.
Georgia law specifically encourages marriage, contends David Myers, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “Every effort to restrain or discourage marriage by contract, condition, limitation or otherwise,” the code says, “shall be invalid and void.”
City attorneys Kendric Smith and Robin Shahar, who was fired from the State Law Department by Attorney General Michael Bowers after revealing plans of her lesbian marriage, told the Supreme Court that some of the plaintiffs’ arguments are offensive.
“The tenor of plaintiffs’ complaint, which is replete with the innuendo of bigotry and stereotypes, demonstrates the reality of public prejudice against people of different sexual orientations which could result in disparate treatment,” the city’s motion says. “These ordinances protect all persons from discrimination based upon their sexual orientation, whether ... heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual.”
In motions before the Supreme Court, the city is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc. and the AFL-CIO, which notes that more than two dozen of the nation’s cities and counties have extended some type of domestic partner benefits.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT FOREGOES FURTHER REVIEW OF MILITARY HOMOSEXUALS
LOS ANGELES (AP)-The Clinton administration passed up an opportunity to challenge a court ruling that allowed reinstatement of a sailor who publicly declared his homosexuality.
The ruling affects Navy sonar operator Keith Meinhold, who revealed on national television in 1992 that he is gay. Meinhold was discharged under old military regulations that were replaced last year.
John McGuire, an attorney for Meinhold, said the Justice Department let pass a Friday deadline to appeal an August decision by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. That 3-0 ruling found the military can dismiss open gays or lesbians only if they say they intend to have homosexual sex, not for simply “coming out.”
The deadline applied to seeking review by the full appeals court, and the government still has 45 days from Friday to decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court, Justice Department spokesman Joe Krovisky said. He said Solicitor General Drew Days had not yet decided whether to take the Meinhold case to the high court.
The federal district court that ordered Meinhold’s reinstatement said there was no rational basis for excluding service members solely because of their sexual orientation.
“For 2 1/2 years, the Pentagon has fought tooth and nail to kick me out of the Navy because I’m gay,” said Meinhold, now stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. “By this decision, they finally have admitted that I can say I am gay and proudly serve my country in the military.”
The court said that only a statement showing a “concrete, fixed or expressed desire to engage in homosexual acts despite their being prohibited” justifies an involuntary discharge.
Under the new policy, the military cannot ask about sexual orientation, but can discharge declared homosexuals. The policy gives gays a chance to stay in the service by proving that they will remain celibate.
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HEALTH &
APPEALS COURT RULES HEALTH INSURANCE COVERED BY DISABILITIES ACT
BOSTON (AP) - Companies that provide health insurance plans for businesses may not discriminate against workers with disabilities, including AIDS, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that said health insurance companies were not subject to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against workers with disabilities.
The ruling sets an important precedent for interpreting the federal act, said Marc Elovitz, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s National AIDS Project, which filed a brief on behalf of the plaintiff.
The case began in 1990 when Carparts Distribution Center in Plaistow, N.H., sued Automotive Wholesalers of New England Health Benefits Plan, of Peterborough, N.H., which provided health insurance for Carparts owner Ronald Senter and his employees.
Carparts claimed that after Senter contracted AIDS, the insurance company capped benefits for AIDS-related illnesses at $25,000. Treatment for any other disease continued to be capped at $1 million. Carparts argued it was thereby forced to discriminate against an employee in the health benefits it provided.
“For people with HIV and AIDS.. .the discrimination is rampant,” Elovitz said. “AIDS is not an especially expensive condition to treat” compared to heart disease and cancer, yet “there are these caps set on your health benefits solely on the basis of AIDS.”
The U.S. District Court for New Hampshire dismissed the case in 1993 - after Senter’s death - ruling that the insurance plan was not subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act because it wasn’t an employer. The appeals court, however, held that the insurance company could be considered Senter’s employer under the act if it “exercised significant control over an important aspect of his employment” and acted as an agent of Carparts in providing health insurance.
WOMAN MUST ALLOW CHILDREN TO VISIT DAD WITH HIV-POSITIVE ROOMMATE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Court of Appeals has upheld that a Clarksville woman must allow her two daughters to visit their father despite the fact he shares a house with his HIV-positive brother.
The ruling affirmed a Montgomery County judge’s decision that the presence of the AIDS virus in the father’s family is not enough to bar his children from visiting him and his relatives. '•
“The courts should limit visitation when it would expose a child to harm in the physical or moral sense,” a three-judge appeals court panel said, in an opinion written by Judge William C. Koch. But, Koch wrote, there is a “wealth of scientific literature stating that the human immunodeficiency virus is transmitted primarily by the direct mixing of bodily fluids... , s ^ 4 _ _._
“We also note that other courts and commentators have concluded that daily household contact with a[n] HIV-positive person either presents no risk of infection or presents virtually no risk.”
HIV NEWS
WHO APPROVES LARGE-SCALE VACCINE TRIALS
GENEVA (AP) - The World Health Organization has given the go-ahead to large-scale trials of a vaccine to try to prevent infection with the virus that causes AIDS.
A meeting of experts said small-scale trials on people in the United States and Europe had shown that the vaccine was safe and had some impact on improving the immune system. The U.N. health agency said, however, that too little was known about the vaccine to predict its effectiveness.
“From the information available so far, it is uncertain whether these vaccines will protect against infection in humans,” a WHO statement said.
WHO said that the complex trials were unlikely to start before 1996, and that it would take years for any results to show. No sites have yet been chosen for the trials, which will involve several thousand people who do not carry the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which causes AIDS. The vaccine is made from a genetically engineered form of the outer coating of the virus.
Earlier this year, U.S. authorities decided against an expanded trial of the vaccine involving 9,000 people, saying that small-scale tests had not shown enough promise to justify the expense.
According to WHO figures, 17 million people have been infected with the virus since it first spread in the early 1980s. About 4 million have gone on to develop full-blown AIDS. It takes on average 10 years for a person with HIV to develop AIDS, which attacks the immune system.
Experts have warned that it may be another decade before there is any effective prevention or cure. About 90 percent of all new infections are in Third World countries.
GOVERNMENT STUDIES CARE FOR AIDS AND HIV PATIENT
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government has ordered the largest study ever of the costs and quality of care for patients with AIDS and the virus that causes the deadly disease.
Medical investigators from the RAND Corp. and other researchers will track the type of care that 3,700 patients get in a wide range of settings under the contract announced by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.
The 15 million dollar study will take five years to complete. A similar study in 1991-92 concentrated on the care that individual providers were giving AIDS patients in 10 cities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate it costs more than $100,000 to treat an HIV patient over his lifetime. There is no cure for AIDS, which is spread through infected blood and body fluids.
This time the study will include women and children, as well as men, and will look at both urban and rural settings, from major hospitals to small clinics to individual providers’ offices.
The aim is to find the best arrangements and improve care for AIDS patients, said Clifton R. Gaus, the administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.
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VOTERS
From Page 1
informed choices, gay and lesbian voters can determine whether they are to be taken seriously as a voting block and as a constituency.
LISA’S LIST
HUMAN RIGHTS POLITICAL COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 8,1994 VOTER GUIDE
Lisa’s List endorses these candidates as most dedicated to Human Rights for all.
KEY
1= Candidate’s opponent endorsed by or otherwise aligned with Radical Right/Christian Coalition.
2= Signed Rainbow Democratic Club Employment Non-Discrimination Pledge.
3= Given opportunity to sign pledge; either refused or failed to respond.
U.S. Senate
* Hugh Rodham-D 2
U.S. House of Rep.
Dist. 2 Pete Peterson-D 1
Dist. 3 Corrine Brown-D 1,2
Dist. 5 Karen Thurman-D 1,3
Dist. 7 Ed Goddard-D 1,2
Dist. 8 Ron Beddell (write-in) 1
Dist. 15 Sue Munsey-D 1,3
State Offices
Governor Lawton Chiles-D 1,2
Sec. of State Ron Saunders-D 1,2
Ed. Comm. Doug Jamerson-D 1,2
Agr. Comm. Bob Crawford-D 3
Atty. Gen. Bob Butterworth-D 3
Ins. Comm. Bill Nelson-D 1,3
Comptroller Gerald Lewis-D 3
Florida Senate
Dist. 10 Janet Tolar-D 1
Dist. 14 Buddy Dyer-D 1,2
Dist. 16 Dan Webster-D 2
Dist. 18 Patricia Grogan-D 1,2
Florida House of Rep.
Dist. 16 Kathy Chinoy-D 1
Dist. 26 Dick McMahan-D
Dist. 29 Steve Brewer-D 1
Dist. 33 Louise Ray-D 1,2
Dist. 35 Susan Pickman-D 1,2
Dist. 36 Kim Shepard-D 1,2
Dist. 38 Bob Sindler-D 1,3
Dist. 42 Everett Kelly-D 2
Dist. 44 Joan Smith-D 1
Dist. 56 Jim Davis-D 1
Dist. 57 Ron Glickman-D 1
Dist. 61 Candy Vandercar-D 1
Judicial
Circuit Gr. 28 Roger McDonald
County Gr. 5 Deb Blechman
Orange County Chairman
Fran Pignone 2
County Commission
Orange Dist. 4 Tom Staley-R 1,3
Orange Dist. 6 Mable Butler-D 1,2
Osceola Mary Arrington-D
Seminole Adrienne Perry-D 2
Lake Bill Good-D 1
Lake Bonnie Roof-D 1
School Board
Orange Dist. 3 J. Rick Roach-D 1,2
Osceola Dist. 1 Beulah Farquharson-I
Osceola Dist. 3 Doris Hill-D
Osceola Dist. 5 Crystal Chesnut-I
Volusia Dist. 5 William Ross-D
Brevard Dist. 1 Robert Jordan-D
Brevard Dist. 2 Kathy Carl son-D
Lake Dist. 1 Chrely Mullen-D
Lake Dist. 3 Paul Leatherland-D
Lake Dist. 5 Sandra Green-D
WATERMARK / October 26, 1994 9
BUSINESS
TEXAS ACTIVIST TO ADDRESS MBA
Texan Susan Gore, a corporate consultant and nationally known gay activist, will address the Metropolitan Business Association on Thursday, Nov. 3. A dynamic and charismatic speaker, Gore is calling her presentation to MBA “Big Dreams, Big Achievements: Stories by a Non-Native Texas Chauvinist.” According to Gore, Texas could be the next great hotbed for gay activism. “I can’t wait to tell everyone in Orlando about all the exciting things we’re doing in Dallas and in Texas,” she says.
Gore is Coordinator of the New Frontier Gay & Lesbian Business Expo, to be held in
Dallas later this month. She is also Co-Chair of National Coming Out Day-Dallas, and is a member of the board of directors of Leadership Lambda-Dallas, Oak Lawn Community Services, and the Stonewall Professional Business Association. She earned her doctorate in Social Psychology at Vanderbilt University, and is listed in Who’s Who in American Women.
MBA’s November meeting will be held at the Downtown Radisson on Lake Ivanhoe at 6:30 PM. There is a $7 charge for members; $10 for non-members. Call (407) 420-2182 for more information.
GAY CREDIT UNION PROPOSED FOR ORLANDO
A group of gay and gay-supportive Central Floridians is in the process of forming Triangle Federal Credit Union (TCFU). The proposed financial institution would serve the needs of gay, lesbian and bisexual community members and their families, and would be the first credit union of its kind in Florida.
As presently conceived, TFCU will offer savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and
loans to shareholders. Eventually, plans call for the addition of checking accounts, an ATM card, and a Triangle Federal Credit Union credit card. All accounts would be insured by the National Credit Union Shareholders Insurance Fund, a Federal insuring agency.
Spearheading the organizational drive for TCFU are local activists John Rose and Le June Perin. The target date for opening
GM ASKED TO DROP GAY PLEDGE
DETROIT (AP) - General Motors Corp.’s policy of respecting the diversity of its employees and customers shouldn’t extend to homosexuals, according to a conservative lobbying group critical of the automaker.
The Family Research Council is not organizing a boycott of GM or pressuring it to fire gay employees, spokesman Robert Knight told the Detroit News. But Knight did say the group planned to ask religious organizations to mount a letter-writing campaign urging that GM stay neutral in any debate over gay rights.
The organization was responding to GM’s mention of “sexual orientation” in its pledge to respect workers’ and customers’ diversity. The pledge was part of the automaker’s annual Public Interest report, in which it states its positions on pollution, safety, employee relations and other issues.
The report describes diversity as “a strength enabling us to do a better job of satisfying the customer.” It says diversity includes race, gender, family status, military service, ethnic background, religious beliefs, education, age, sexual orientation and physical abilities.
In a Sept. 1 letter to GM President John F. Smith Jr., Knight said GM had unwittingly endorsed “the radical homosexual agenda.” The diversity pledge, however, doesn’t specifically mention homosexuality.
“For the Family Research Council to confuse our statement on ‘diversity’ with support for any group’s agenda is indeed unfortunate,” GM spokesman William Noack said.
. The Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council is a private, nonprofit “pro-family public policy organization,” said spokeswoman Kristi Hamrick. Its president is Gary Bauer, the former Reagan White House domestic policy adviser.
MBA SPONSORS NEW BUSINESS SEMINAR
The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will sponsor a free seminar for new or prospective business owners and entrepreneurs. The seminar will feature experts in the areas of: business structures, taxes, marketing and advertising, insurance, legal matters, networking, and mortgages. The
seminar will be held in the Community Room at the Winter Park Mall from 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, November 12, and refreshments will be served. For reservations or more information, contact Elliot Barber at (407) 843-9582.
Jeffrey a. Miller
Attorney at law
Personal Injury Litigation
25 SOUTH MAGNOLIA AVENUE POST OFFICE BOX 552 ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32802 TELEPHONE (407) 872 -1610 TELECOPIER (407) 422-0998
Kim Meredith Property Manager
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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 10
COVER STORY
NEIGHBORHOODS
From Page 1
on a number of ambitious projects, including the development of ten new townhouses and a marketplace of shops, the Thornton Park Marche.
The trend is not all centered around Lake Eola, however. Because of its many gay residents, Lake Davis is now affectionately referred to as Lake “Bette” Davis. Other gay friendly areas, including a burgeoning business center along Mills Avenue near Colonial Drive, are also beginning to make their presence felt.
Building Neighborhoods
According to Sandra Frederick of S & M Renovations, whose slogan is “Whipping Houses Into Shape,” the areas of Thornton Park, Eola Heights, and Colonialtown are quickly becoming some of the most sought after real estate in the city.
“You can see the amount of money that’s being poured into the area just by driving down the streets,” Frederick said. While she is hesitant to label the trend as specifically a gay phenomenon, she agrees that there is a large gay and lesbian element to it.
“All types of people are moving into the area - both straight and gay - who have money and a desire to create these kinds of upscale neighborhoods,” Frederick said.
Frederick, along with partner Michael Halpin, have seen S & M Renovations’ business go from strictly property management to buying up buildings, renovating them and selling them at a profit.
“Our business is really expanding. While we’ve done some work outside of the area -in Winter Park and the Gatlin area - we’ve concentrated mostly downtown. That’s where the majority of the interest is,” she said.
Phil Rampy, the developer most often credited with the rise of the Thornton Park area, says that the gay and lesbian influx in the area, while always there, has become
more organized as of late.
“Now there are realtors who cater to the gay and lesbian community. This kind of thing builds on itself. People have friends who have moved into these areas and have had very positive experiences. They’ve told their friends and associates and the movement has just multiplied exponentially,” Rampy said.
According to Rampy, the North Eola Heights area, which includes nearly 600 houses and ends at Robinson Street, Mills Avenue, Magnolia Avenue and Colonial Drive, is the most established of these ‘gentrification’ neighborhoods.
“More money has been put into property in Eola Heights than in Thornton Park, partly because it is a much larger area and also because the development has been going on for longer. But we have great plans for Thornton Park,” Rampy said.
Rampy indicates that the areas of Colonialtown and Audubon Park are also beginning to see more and more development. Historically, these areas have been home to a large number of gays and lesbians who are younger and renting their properties. However, as Rampy indicates, these areas will begin to benefit from the rest of the development downtown.
“The Colonialtown and Audubon Park areas are really beginning to come into their own as well,” Rampy said.
Rampy gives a large modicum of the credit for development downtown to city government.
“Mayor Hood was instrumental in making things happen. There was never any prejudice when you would go to her administration for assistance. She and her staff would show you which avenues to go down to get things done,” Rampy said.
Also, the renovation of Lake Eola Park has had a dramatic impact on the desirability of downtown living.
“I can remember as a realtor several years ago telling people ‘Well, this property is not Continued Page 11
LAKE "BETTE" DAVIS. The actress and gay icon would hardly call this neighborhood "a dump."
. EOLA HEIGHTS. Classic example of gentrification fueled by an influx of lesbians and gay men.
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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 11
COVER STORY
NEIGHBORHOODS
From Page 10
really that close to Lake Eola’. You really had to sell against the proximity to the park. Now, I feel it has become a major component of the success of development in the area,” Rampy said/
Becoming Visible: Mills Avenue
Unlike the more planned neighborhoods of Thornton Park and Eola Heights, the Mills Avenue area near Colonial Drive has more casually become a gay business center. New businesses have been opening along Mills Avenue for nearly four years now. More than a dozen gay-friendly or gay-owned and operated establishments now do business on the street. And it’s no coincidence that Gay and Lesbian Community Services (GLCS) recently moved their thriving community center just two blocks away on Colonial.
Starting at Framing of Central Florida on Colonial Drive, gay-friendly businesses stretch down to Virginia Avenue and include Pronto Press, Underground Records, Ritzy Rags, House of Flowers, Shelbie Press and Cactus Club. The Union, a gay-friendly restaurant, will open on Virginia Avenue just off Mills later this year.
In the heart of all of this activity is Out & About Books, 930 North Mills Avenue. Owner Bruce Ground has seen his business grow strongly in the two years since opening his shop, which features an eclectic selection of gay-themed books, cards and gifts. He thinks that the other busi-
OUT & ABOUT BOOKS. Bruce Ground's bookstore is the focol point for the Mills Avenue gay commercial area.
it would be in New York City. There it would be nothing special. Here in Orlando, we provide a completely unique service. It is an outlet that probably wouldn’t otherwise be available,” Ground said.
While Ground has said that he has received nothing but cooperation from the city, he has felt the sting of discrimination and harassment a number of times.
“Ordinarily, it is just someone who calls up and says something derogatory - a crank call. But when I first opened, United Telephone refused to let me use the words ‘gay and lesbian’ in my yellow pages ad. I told them I couldn’t advertise my business without using those words but they held firm. Eventually I had (Orlando activist) John Rose call and make a fuss. Suddenly, of course, they acquiesced,” Ground said.
Ground plans to convert some of Out & About’s space into a coffee house, to be opened sometime in the next year.
The Cactus Club has also been prospering among the gay businesses on Mills Avenue. Residing on the site of the old Silver Hammer club at 1300 N. Mills Avenue, the Cactus Club has attracted a consistent and diverse clientele since it opened 3 1/2 years ago. Owner Stan Jirsa indicated that the bar’s success is no great mystery.
“We are in a good location. A lot of our customers live in the area and can either walk here or will have to drive only a short distance,” Jirsa said.
The bar has become a popular early
nesses along Mills Avenue have an opportunity to help one another while building their own business.
“It really is becoming a more synergistic arrangement. If, for example, someone buys a print here and wants to get it framed, I send them to Framing of Central Florida. We all have begun to help one another out,” Ground said. Ground feels that the presence of his shop and some of the other gay-identified businesses in the area provide a more vital service to the gay community in Orlando than they would in more gay-concentrated areas of the country.
“Our being here is more important than
evening watering hole, often the first stop for an evening out for Orlando gay men and lesbians. The bar boasts a strongly mixed clientele, usually attracting an even split of gay men and lesbians on Friday evenings, its most popular night.
We’re located near a lot of the other bars. Southern Nights is just up the street. The Club is not far away,” Jirsa said.
In fact, on Saturday nights, Cactus Club patrons can receive free admittance to the Club, which is housed in the old Firestone building on Orange Avenue.
“It’s been a beneficial arrangement for both bars,” Jirsa said.
A Study in Upward Mobility: Thornton Park
Nowhere is the change in downtown more visible than in the Thornton Park area. Aside from boasting the offices of Watermark, The Veranda (a new bed and breakfast) and a number of gay-owned professional businesses, the area has become a gathering place for downtown residents, including many gays and lesbians.
Development of the area began four years ago when developer Phil Rampy purchased El Refugeo, an out-of-business Cuban grocery that had been condemned and was rife
. . .the Mills Avenue area near Colonial Drive has... become a gay business center. More than a dozen gay-friendly or gay-owned and operated establishments now do business on the street.
with code violations. Along with partner Sandra Frederick, Rampy renovated the location which now houses the Thornton Park Cafe, a charming upscale eatery featuring Mediterranean and Northern Italian cuisine.
Tony Costa and his wife Teddy and their partner Pablo Felix lease the property from Rampy and have created a restaurant that has become popular with the gay community, a fact not lost on Costa.
“We love the neighborhood and the people,” Costa said. “Our patrons are educated and sophisticated. They have plenty of money to spend and are delightful to serve,” Costa said.
The Thornton Park Cafe, whose serving staff is almost entirely gay, has become successful because of the patronage of many people who live in the neighbor-
hood, Costa said.
Also coming to the area is the Thornton Park Marche, which developer Phil Rampy envisions as a bohemian-style shopping village. A gourmet grocery to be located on East Washington Street is scheduled for a June 1995 opening. Rampy hopes to reserve the remainder of the space for unique businesses that offer not only quality goods and services, but also contribute to the personality of the whole area.
“It’s more important to me to have a business in there that has personality, a sense of style that is consistent with the other businesses in the area. This is why we are trying to make the rent on the spaces as affordable as possible,” Rampy said.
Three other buildings that Rampy has purchased in the area will be converted into ten townhouses, two of which will be available for occupancy in January.
The area will also be seeing substantial renovations in the coming months. Streets in the Thornton Park area will be completely gutted and a new brick street will be laid. Old fashioned gas-buming lamps, matching those that adorn Lake Eola Park, will also be installed.
With all of the development and interest being focused on Thornton Park, Rampy feels the gay community has a real opportunity to build a new kind of gay-friendly neighborhood. It is Rampy’s hope that the neighborhood will be one of inclusion, not a “gay ghetto,” characteristic of other cities’ gay neighborhoods. -
“I hope the area will be one where gay and straight people live side by side, both working for the betterment of the neighborhood. I think the neighborhood will live up to its potential if it embraces a full range of people, making it more representative of our city. The gay community here in Thornton Park can include themselves in the mainstream, instead of isolating themselves. It will be for the benefit of everyone in the area.”
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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 12
VIEWPOINT
SOMETIMES I DON’T FEEL VERY GAY
by Brandon Dean
It’s been almost three years since I moved to Florida and discovered my sexuality. Of course, it wasn’t quite in that order; I realized I was attracted to guys, and I knew I had to move out on my own. Now, on the third anniversary of my coming out, I don’t feel very gay.
It would be easy to say that the sexual freedom, the celebration of community pride and the newness of the gay lifestyle is wearing off, but that would be simplistic. It goes much deeper. I’m not some bitter queen who doesn’t go out to the bars anymore and sits around the apartment watching videotapes of Ab Fab while swizzling gin and tonic (at least I hope not).
But that kind of simplistic stereotyping is part of the problem. Gay life is too often
protrayed - by those on the outside looking in - as overly simple and stereotypical. A recent phenomena in modem gay history is the new “glossy queer.”
In the past several years, the media’s attention to gays, the invention of “lesbian chic” and the advent of queer market power has hyped an alternative “lifestyle.” Being gay is no longer thought of as a choice, but rather as an all-inclusive lifestyle. The closet has been continually shrinking, and the idea of compartmentalizing your gay life is no longer much of an option.
Gay newspapers, magazines, movies and videos insist that being gay is an integral part of your identity as a queer. But in some instances, the gay lifestyle is like a queer albatross around your neck - it is something
you can never get rid of. Unfortunately in the push to bring queer identity to the forefront, gay media have offered up a glossy version of how that is done.
Tales of media moguls and musicians who have come out and lead well-balanced queer lives abound. Glamour stories of how to be the most fashionable queer at the next gay soiree fill the pages of our glossy gay mags. Health and exercise tips can make you the most-well-liked muscle queen in your aerobics class. And book reviews of which corporations are most queer-friendly pop up regularly.
Maybe my life has gotten too complicated recently, but there is more to me than always being the perfect Out Queer. Yes, I am concerned about the upcoming School Board election, in which several conservative candidates want a “more moral” environment for children, but I am also concerned about the president’s foreign policy and how we got mixed up in the Haitian crisis. And I am even more concerned about how many hours of overtime I need to work this month to pay off some of my credit card debt, than I am about the really cute go-go boy I missed on
Sunday night (although my friend insists that if I had seen him, it would have given me a new perspective on life).
I am beginning to realize that, although I may be 100 percent gay from my head to the tip of my toes, there are times when my identity will supersede my queer identity. I will not be queer 100 percent of the time. I don’t want to hide my sexuality, but I don’t have the time to dwell on it constantly, either. It is often not a simple thing to be a well-balanced queer.
It is a significant thing to successfully integrate one’s queer identity into one’s personality. But the resulting focus on the “glossy gay lifestyle” may be disenchanting. Everyone can’t be a model lesbian like Melissa Etheridge. Instead, we may need to be reminded of our older, more long-suffering gay icon, Judy Garland, and realize the glossy image of a perfect (gay) lifestyle doesn’t always suit us queers.
Brandon Dean is a twentysomething writer based in Florida. Empire Syndicate, 1994.
Watermark welcomes your Letters to the Editor. AH letters are subject to editing for content and length. Letters should be sent to:
P. O. Box 533655 Orlando, FL 32853-3655
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 Crescitelli, 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).
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 TO THE EDITOR
Recently I read Rod and Bob Jackson-Paris’ autobiography, Straight from the Heart: A Love Story. It’s their story of their lives growing up gay and how they met. If we are looking for role models in the gay community, these two gentlemen are perfect icons.
Bob Paris is a professional body builder and a former Mr. Universe. He has motivated me to work out more frequently, and I feel obligated to support him. Bob had a contract with with Mr. Joe Weider, who promotes many professional body builders. Joe promoted Bob for a long time, and said that Bob was one of his most aspiring body builders. During this time, Bob did an interview with Ironman magazine and he announced that he was a homosexual. When it came time to sign to a new contract, Joe told Bob that he couldn’t promote Bob anymore. Job discrimination, pure and simple. This is recounted in Bob and Rod’s book.
Mr. Weider publishes three fitness magazines: Flex, Muscle and Fitness, and Men's Fitness. I cancelled my subscription to
Men’s Fitness, and said that I enjoyed the magazine, but I could not support a man who discriminated against a man just because he was openly gay. I encourage and ask that you show your support to Bob and his husband Rod, and ban Joe Wieder magazines and products. There are lots of alternatives. Exercise for Men Only and Mens Workout are two good magazines. Bob Paris also has two exceptional work out books. Beyond Built, and Flawless both have many work out routines pictured. Bob and Rod have also done an artistic photography book together, appropriately entitled Duo. Support our community by banning Weider. I’m sure Bob and Rod would thank you.
Ok, fine. Editor
As a long term resident of Orlando (25 years), I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with actions taken by [the Parliament House]. I have been a “regular” customer at [the PH] for nearly ten years. In this period of time several “in” bars have come and gone, but the P.H. remained, and I remained a loyal customer. I now find myself regretting my loyalty, and the amount of money that I have spent [there].
Placing a chain link fence between [the PH] and the Full Moon Saloon was a poor statement... along with harassing customers with questions about which bar they plan on patronizing. Until you gain respect for your customers you will continue to loose them.
Richard Morgan, Jr.
This issue just doesn’t seem to want to go away. Watermark would very much like to print the Parliament House’s response to the fence controversy.
Editor
Stephen Blackwell
WATERMARK /October 26,1994 13
VIEWPOINT
DON’T VOTE REPUBLICAN
by Nan Schultz
I’m going to put this rather bluntly: “Don’t vote Republican.” I have pondered how to frame this sentiment in a manner less absolute, more measured. I have searched in vain for some caveat to attach, some “with the exception of’ to add, but alas, no redeeming factor presents itself, no mitigating circumstances appear. The simple fact is, there is no reason for anyone who is gay to vote for anyone who is Republican. Voting for every Democratic candidate whose name appears on the ballot doesn’t make sense, but at the risk of losing what small voice a vote is, I would recommend voting for no
.. .no redeeming factor pre-
sents itself no mitigating circumstances appear. The simple fact is, there is no reason for anyone who is gay to vote for anyone who is Republican.
one rather than voting Republican. Why? Simple: their voting record on issues of importance to gays and lesbians, and their ties to and reliance on the religious right.
Last month the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF) sent out a special election bulletin, including a brochure listing House of Representatives and Senate voting records on five bills the HRCF found to be critical indicators of attitudes toward gay and lesbian issues. A quick glance at the results indicates that the Republican party had a miserable record where we are concerned, and
a simple spreadsheet analysis changes that impression from merely miserable to positively abysmal.
The Senate and House bills for which the voting information was provided included a Domestic Partners Bill which allows domestic partners to be eligible for certain benefits, an amendment to prevent the codification of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy, and the Helms-Smith-Hancock Amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act denying funds to schools with “any program or activity which directly or indirectly has the purpose or effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative.” Other measures dealt with HIV/AIDS prevention or the treatment of PWAs, and access/funding for abortions. If none of these issues matter to you, then you can quit reading. Or consider these numbers and see if you can tell what’s wrong with this picture.
In the Senate there are 44 Republicans. 21 of the 44 voted against every measure tracked by the HRCF. Another 16 voted favorably on less that half of the issues. Only 2 voted favorably 100% of the time. How does that compare to the Democrats? Of 56 Democrats in die Senate, 26 voted favorably on issues of importance to lesbians and gays 100% of the time. 13 others voted for at least 50%, and only 3 voted favorably on none of the critical issues.
In the House of Representatives, the numbers are bigger but the percentages are much the same. Of 179 Republicans in the House, 133 voted against every measure tracked by the HRCF; 19 voted for only 1 of 5; and only 3 voted favorably in all cases. And although a total of 129 out of 264 House Democrats voted favorably on all issues relating to gay and lesbian civil rights,
be aware that an alarming 62 Democrats voted for none or only 1 of the 5 measures.
A friend of mine recommended that I track those she called “Dixiecrats,” or Southern Democrats. Well, that was certainly revealing. Guess who the “rebel” Democrats were? Yep, the Dixiecrats. In fact, 50 of the 62 House Democrats who consistently voted against the interests of gays and lesbians were from the Southern states. I think the Democratic party has its work cut out for it. Force the Dixiecrats to join the party where their sympathies lie.
And just where do Republican sympathies lie? From everything I can gather, they stand rather clearly with the radical right. Many Republicans are a bit shy about the relationship, but that in itself is part of the strategy. While they rely on both the money and the votes of the Christian Coalition and their brethren, Republicans frequently hide or at least downplay their alliance with these groups to avoid alarming more mainstream conservative voters.
It is not a matter of great secrecy, however, that Republicans and radical righters are cozy. A quick check of the popular press revealed no less than 15-20 news articles in the last 2 years connecting the two. Here is a sampling of the fare.
From a US News and World , June
6, 1994 article entitled “Onward Christian
Soldiers:”
• A Republican pollster estimates that 1 of every 5 Republican voters is a fundamentalist.
• 20 state party (Republican) organizations are under the control of the radical right.
• battles between centrists are not new to the Republican party, but “what is new is the religious zeal of the fundamentalists, and their reluctance to compromise on core issues like gay rights and abortion.”
Time Magazine, June 27, 1994, In an article “On Heaven’s Ticket:
• notes that the religious right has kept up its building process jamming GOP Committee meetings and state caucuses.
• describes the Christian Coalition’s “grass roots effort [which has] paid off in control over the [Republican] party apparatus in Texas, Virginia, Oregon, Iowa, and South Carolina, as well as significant influence in perhaps a dozen other states.”
• quotes Arlen Specter, leader of a failed centrist movement as saying, “the people on the far right are much more interested, much more determined, much more motivated than the centrists.”
There is plenty more where that came from. The alliance is clear. The numbers are in. The Republicans are not your friends. I look forward to hearing from those of you who still think they are.
We^lknow a fag is a Homosexual gentleman who has just left the room.
TRUMAN CAPOTE
THE WAX MUSEUM
(A CAUTIONARY TALE FOR HALLOWEEN)
by Michael L. Kilgore
My friend David is an expert at disguise. He makes frequent but unscheduled appearances at Southern Nights in never to be repeated, one-of-a-kind total makeovers. Sometimes he appears as a latex-leather master complete with whip, other times as a stiletto booted Spanish dancer in tight, crushed blue velvet. Most recently, he appeared at Twirl as a man-machine, half of his body painted in silver, cutting through the crowd in slow-motion Borg fashion. Assuring me that his guises are an easy way to weed out the folks on drugs when he’s out cruising, he claims that it is, otherwise, just a kick.
Before coming to Orlando to work at the attractions, David started his career in costume with the dubious distinction of being a docent at Ft. Ticonderoga in upstate New York. Every day, he and his fellow tour guides would dress in authentic eighteenth century costume to take the guileless on an overlong tour. In addition to the usual authentic craft demonstrations, the fort boasted a musty wax museum which was the last stop before the souvenir shop. Each docent had to rotate through giving tours, demonstrations and working the trinket stand. And since, more often than not, tourists were relatively sparse and there was nothing to do, David and a couple of his friends started honing their make-up skills by adding themselves to the collection of
dummies in the museum. It was a challenge to see if people would even notice.
Shortly before closing one Sunday afternoon, the group had assumed their post in the museum. David had made himself up as a loin-clothed Mohican scalping a settler. (This scene, by the way, was not in the history books.) Finally, a bored family of five stopped to witness the gory scene. After commenting on its grisly impact and how much better this scene was than the rest of the museum, they moved on, leaving behind an enthralled five year old. As she turned away, David shifted his position, just
.. .we would assume the standard straight disguise.. .after all, why not? It's what we do best.
in time for the little girl to see a new frozen scenario when she looked back one last time.
The little girl ran for her parents screaming, “Mama, they’re alive! They moved!”
By the time the family came back, David had resumed the original pose, and the mother was not amused. Rebuking the little girl with several hard slaps on her hands, she shrieked, “Dorothea, I’ve just about had
enough of your lying. I don’t want any more stories. One more time and I’m really going to hit you!” And then she marched out the exhibit, yelling back, “Come on, NOW.” Dorothea stood in front of David, crying quietly and rubbing her burning hands. Looking up at him, she sobbed, “You moved. I know you moved.” David bent over and replied quietly, “No I didn’t,” and then resumed the pose scalping his friend as the little girl ran down the hall howling, “Mama, they’re alive! They moved!”
I’m standing in front of a small group of executives about to begin a workshop on valuing differences. David’s story keeps replaying itself in my mind as I survey the assembling group. Fourteen men, each the President of a major company, and the CEO of the conglomerate have entered the room. Collectively, they represent close to $5 billion in annual revenues and make decisions affecting the lives of tens of thousands of employees. My job is to help them understand that they have hidden assets in their companies in the form of women and men whose contributions are devalued because of who they are: their race, their gender, their age, their sexual orientation, their ethnicity.
I’ve done this workshop successfully dozens of times before. My job is simply to keep the dialogue progressing. It requires only two things of me: good listening skills and absolute integrity about who I am. It’s always a stretch, but I’ve seen total bigots walk out of this workshop at least allowing that they might have been wrong about a few people and taking some active steps to change both their own attitudes and their organizations. Yet this time is different for me. I’ve been asked to do something I’ve never done before - simply, not to mention that I am a gay man. Not exactly to lie, but also not to bring it up.
One of the Presidents, an active right-wing fundamentalist, had called the workshop coordinator the night before. In tears he had told her that if even the words sexual orientation were used in the session, he would stonewall the entire change effort the organization was undertaking. She told me this saying, “I can’t tell you what to do; but...” So the dilemma for me was about integrity. The workshop is about helping people capture their personal truth; and yet, to make it work, I was being asked to lie. To complicate it further, there were two other people, a gay man and a woman whose brother had just died of AIDS, who had been invited. It was also my job to tell them, “I can’t tell you what to do: but...“ As we stood talking, the image of David’s pretend wax creation kept coming back to haunt me. At first Jorge, Luisa and I wept because we knew that one more time our difference would not be addressed. After making the collective decision that in the interest of the whole organization it was better not to speak, that, in essence, we would assume the standard straight disguise, Jorge turned to me and said, “After all, why not? It’s what we do best.”
Well, the workshop was a huge success and the Presidents approved the program so now I know it can work without total integrity. But I lost an important part of me in the process that I’ve worked years to claim. I became that wax museum piece, moving only when no one is looking. The question for me now is, whose pain is greater, the one wearing the mask or the one surprised by the movement? Or does everybody just get numb? Being masters of disguise is, perhaps, what we do best. But I keep wondering, when do I get to move? Will there ever be that day of recognition? “Mama, they’re alive! They moved.”
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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 14
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Watermark Interview:
LEWIS ROUTH ACTS OUT
ack toy popular demand
LEWIS ROUTH, ploywrite, director and founder of ACT OUT Theatre: “Mores will be my last production with Act Out."
Lewis Routh has been an integral part of gay culture in Central Florida for some time. For Routh, that may seem a back-handed accolade. He has mounted many attempts to bring gay theatre to the gay community, and the reception has been decidely mixed.
His most recent production, Whores of a Different Color, played to appreciative but light audiences at the Parliament House's Footlights Theatre. And for Routh, that’s the problem. A tinge bitter, he feels that lack community support has made his job, his mission really, an uphill one. But Routh loves theatre, expecially theatre, and he remains thankfully unconvincing when he threatens to throw in the towel.
I caught Routh between moving a houseful of furniture and rehearsing Whores, but he was more than willing to take the time to talk about gay theatre, Central Florida, and his life here. This man has much to say.
Let’s start with something big. What is your greatest achievement?
Being with the same lover for 18 years: Marlin Haindfield. He’s assisted with ACT OUT’s productions, directing and promoting.
What kind of shows does ACT OUT do?
Most of the shows that I have done have been in the “Community Theatre” venue, in that the actors did not get paid. I’ve always liked doing gay and lesbian plays, because it’s a real good way for us, as a
community, to regain a certain amount of dignity and pride.
It always seems that the examples we have of gay and lesbian images in “mainstream” theatre are kind of limited to the images that straight people have of us.
For example, La Cage aux Folles is a very good show, but it’s still Drag Queen. Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart or The Destiny of Me and those victim-of-AIDS plays are also another thing that the straight community has latched onto and thought, “That’s an okay image of gay people.” But images of ourselves where we’re just real, everyday people that happen to be gay are not viable interests in the “mainstream” theatre. It’s certainly true in TV and movies.
They’re touting the fact that Harvey Fierstien is on TV as an openly gay character. Well, that’s nothing new; it’s been there before. And here, he’s going back to the old stereotype. He’s an interior decorator for one.
When did the ACT OUT Theatre start?
I had a production company called “Midtown Productions” in Atlanta, the first gay and lesbian theatre company there. I was trying to bring a form of entertainment to the community that was something other than the drag shows and strip shows. Not that I have anything against those forms of entertainment; I love a good drag show, and I’ve certainly been known to stuff a few dancers’ baskets with dollar bills.
Continued Page 18
At the beginning oiPulp Fiction, the definition of die word pulp appears on die serein;
istically ppn^d iifi rough, unHmshetf^ per|| But -as; this seemingly violent, disjointed* and incoherent babbling on the world of crime develops, it slowly crystallizes into a skillfully woven web of intricate plotlines. These stories overlap, intertwine* and ultimately create a satisfying movie on an undesirable subject - the end product is anything but rough or unfinished.
The film contains three stories* all linked by Mareellus Wallace, the leader of a powerful crime and drug ring. Vincent Vega and Mareellus Wallace's Wife, is about one of Wallace’s hit men (John Travolta) taking Mrs, Wallace (Uma Thurman) out for an evening on the town;
The Gold Watch is about a boxer (Bruce Willis) trying to renege bn a fight-fixing deal he’s made with Wallace, In The Bonnie Situation, Travolta mid cohort Samuel L. Jackson have to clean up after an accidental murder and contend with a restaurant robbery* All three narratives involve crime, drug abuse and violence, Writer/Director Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers) has accomplished no small feat in tying these stories together into one cohesive, albeit Quirky, work. He has a great flair for suspense* keeping us on the edge of our seat and, hi fact* unsure if we want to see what’s coming next. Like a carnival ride* Pulp Fiction will crawl at a snail’s pace, and then suddenly begin moving at lightning speed. The plot twists* particularly in The Gold Watch would have made
on the cyclic nature of both life and crime are well developed.
Ill&femdvlll^ltrehgdi is its ability to humanize its distasteful characters and entertain even when plotlines come to a screeching halt. The characters are always unexpected: competing in a twist contest, making logical robbery career moves, and discussing such trivialities as why one shouldn’t eat pork, what Big Macs are called in France, and why a woman should want a pot belly. With a running time of two and a half hours* die slow parts could be trimmed a bit, but Tarantino is smart enough to inject comic moments to carry;; us through.
The performances in the film are excellent. From an all-star cast* Travolta, Thurman, Amanda Plummer as a psychotic robber* and Harvey Keitel as a
Continued Page IS
WATERMARK/October 26,1994 16
IN REVIEW
tie Review 1*5
Dimitri
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' Jeff Danila was an appropriately slimy Jasper, and even slimier as Mr. Clive Paget (the actor who played Jasper), Bill Klear was an endearing Reverend
: Crisparkle, and Shawn St. John was a suiprislhg BasS®|His^
'
In a east where so many performers stand out, it is difficult to elevate any single actor, but the spotlight should be focused on Megan Morrison as Priif|§ cess Puffer, and Christopher Fitzgerald as Mr. Cartwright (the Chaaman and
Morrison’s earthy, opium queen, Puffer, is immediately captivating. Her voice is strong and vibrant, and her character develops from that of a clown* like relief to a real, downtrodden woman.
i|
every aspect of this character to light. Even his ability to switch into the quirky role of Sapsea shows his agility as a performer. His singing is just as strong as his acting, and he is always in control,..well, almost always. There was that “Off to the Races” incident,
On the whole, this production was grand, and every bit as fun as die person-
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THE RAINBOW GAYME
Shoppers beware! There’s only 8 weeks until CHRISTMAS! Now calm yourself; we’re going to help you cope. Here’s something that’s sure to get you through Holiday Shopping Hell without too many scars.
There’s this new little trend - the return of the board game! And a GAY game, no less. We’ve seen it advertised in OUT. We saw it on the sale table at Out & About Bookstore (but didn’t really pay attention). Now everyone wants The Rainbow Gayme. It’s a national hit and we finally checked it out.
We borrowed Bruce’s ( Grey
lost our order), and he reminded us that we could order this and other quality merchandise at Out & About on Mills Avenue. (Thanks, Bruce.. .and there’s your shameless plug! It’s the least we could do.)
Now all that was left to do was get some people together to play. Easier said than done, so my man, Paul and I played it alone. We don’t recommend this. It just doesn’t work for two. We closed the box and waited for a small crowd to gather.
As fate would have it, a small crowd (our friends Lisa and Frank) did gather at our home one night and we played the Gayme. It’s a combination of all your old favorites: Truth or Dare, Pictionary, Charades, Multiple Guess, and Balderdash. This is quite the interactive gay and lesbian history and culture game.
You start in the closet and work your way around the rainbow path to “Liberation” by solving problems (like: “What does it mean if a lesbian is ‘packing’? A: She is wearing a dildo under her clothes, B: She is leaving her girlfriend, C: She is carrying a concealed weapon, or D: Any of the above.”),
drawing pictures that describe “family” vocabulary (like “Glory Hole”), and acting out gay and lesbian films, books, or personalities (like “Queen of Wands”). There’s also a “group grope” that reveals some of your darkest secrets.
It is fun, but we realized quickly that there aren’t enough questions, and you need a lot more than three or four people playing to make it really fun. The winner? (You’re dying to know who won, aren’t you?)
Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you.. .I’m gay. (I hope you’re all okay with that.) I thought I might have an advantage over Lisa, who isn’t. Surprisingly, she almost won...until she got the “Island of Lesbos” question and didn’t know who Sappho was. Ultimately, Frank snuck up from behind and snatched the crown.
When all was said and done, everyone wrote down what they thought of the game. Here’s what they said:
“Like any game, it’ll be fun if the people you play it with are fun,” and “Full of lots of facts and things I didn’t know,” ( FYI: Sappho’s an ancient Greek lesbian poetess, and the answer to the “packing” question is “D”.), “They could have used the cards better by putting five or six questions on each card. More questions, more fun,” “It’s a great educational tool...good for awareness and outreach,” and “Have a Kir Royale before you play. That’s three parts champagne, one part Chambord. Guaranteed success.”
We all decided it’s a keeper. Add it to your gift list and order it from Out & About Books. Happy Holiday Hunting (we’ll give you more shopping tips as we get closer to that joyous time of year).
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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 17
JAixEi MeDih
by T*U
no excuses! Went to see Sandra Bernhard’s “Excuses for Bad Behavior” show at The Club last week with a group of friends. As some of you may have heard, this show was moved to The Club after it was cancelled at the Tupperware Auditorium. Rumor has it that a lack of ticket sales at Tupperware caused this change of venue. A decent sized crowd showed up at The Club, but the show was by no means a sellout. Having seen Sandra several times before, I was extremely disappointed. The witty sarcasm and irreverence of previous shows, most notably the “Without You I’m Nothing” tour, were gone. Sandra has lost her edge. Perhaps what was cutting edge humor in the late 80’s just doesn’t play well today. Sandra’s backup band, “The Strap Ons” (great name, by the way) performed as well as the average high school garage band. Complete with a repertoire of forgettable songs from the 70’s, “Excuses” reminded me of my high school days, hanging out in the basement of my friends’ houses while we performed cover versions of radio tunes, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and trying to act cool. Fun at 16 perhaps, but watching Sandra and The Strap Ons playing at this old game left me feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed for a performer I have enjoyed in the past.
BCSX SANDWICH.. .in town is the peanut butter and jelly and banana deluxe at the White Wolf Cafe. Served with a side of potato salad and a tall glass of cold milk, this is the yummiest junk food you’re gonna find. For the health and fitness crowd, the menu is loaded with salads, although I haven’t had great luck in my samplings. White Wolf is much more fun in the PM, I’ve noticed...the crowd definitely changes after the sun goes down at this cute little cafe/curio shoppe on North Orange Avenue’s Antique Row.
ON THt SMAII SCRCCN: Party of Five (Monday, 9 PM, FOX) is my favorite new show of the season (an absolutely biased statement since it’s the only new show I’ve seen). Nevertheless, Party of Five is kind of like a hybrid of Melrose Place and Thirty Something. The story of five siblings living in San Francisco after the untimely death of their parents, Party focuses on relationships and coming-of-age issues, played against a chaotic but loving makeshift household headed up by the oldest brother (and absolute hunk), Charlie. What’s great about this show, besides the insider references to of-the-moment artists like Liz Phair and Sheryl Crow, is the fact that some issues simply don’t get resolved by the closing credits. If you haven’t tuned in yet (and why not, since it’s on right after MelrosellW), give it a look.
AXXHC Merits: The new Warren Beatty/Annette Bening film, Love Affair, is ? remake of the 50’s An Affair To Remember, which was itself a remake of the late 30’s film Love Affair. Confused? Well, suffice it to say that some things are just better left alone. This film is nothing more than a vanity showcase for married man, Beatty, and his lovely wife Bening. The story is absurdly contrived. As we saw in Bette Midler’s Stella (a remake of Barbara Stanwyck’s Stella Dallas) old fashioned tear-jerkers don’t take kindly to 90’s remakes. A brief appearance by the great Katherine Hepburn, looking every minute of her 86 years, attempts to give this film a touch of class. It took a great deal of coaxing on Beatty’s part to get Hepburn to sign on for the role, and it was worth it, as Hepburn is the only performer in the film that wins your heart. The scenery is lovely, but it really doesn’t make up for the fact that this tired story has been told before, with much better results. After seeing this movie, I was reminded of how I felt on the day I heard Beatty and Bening tied the knot...Annette Bening deserves better!!
If you’re a fan of serious acting, check out Blue Sky with Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones. Blue Sky is director Tony Richardson’s last film (he died of AIDS while editing it), and is one of the films that sat on the shelf for three years after Orion Studios went bankrupt. Like some of the other releases involved in the litigation that followed the demise of Orion, this film unfortunately may not find an audience due to the lack of a wide release or expensive ad campaign. The story involves an Army family moving from one tacky base to another during the cold war years of the early 60’s, focusing on the troubled mother and wife, played by Lange. In a performance that would represent career-defining work for a lesser performer, Lange demonstrates once again that she is one of the finest American actresses working in films. Her brilliantly nuanced performance of a woman walking the very fine line of mental illness is disturbing in its reality and truly harrowing at times. Yet it is hard to take your eyes away from the screen when watching an artist at the top of her craft.
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ACT OUT
From Page 15
I was the first one in Atlanta to bring a nightclub act to a gay club, but it became so popular that the straight people, who were used to going out earlier, started coming to this gay club and took over.
It was really funny, but a lot of that happened because of the coverage we got in the straight press. It was hard in Orlando to get coverage [of any kind] when ACT OUT started here. We were doing a new play every month. I wasn’t saying to them, “Come and review the shows, and be honest in your reviews.’’ I wanted them to run the pictures and press releases that I sent them, and they wouldn’t. And because of the community’s lack of support, the theatre I’ve done has been associated with one bar or another.
The ticket sales from our productions go to organizations that support the community. We keep enough [money] to pay for the show and put some in our coffers for the next show, but a portion goes to some organization. That is something that I think I’ve done that is good.
What are some of ACT OUT’s greatest accomplishments?
We were recognized by one of the fathers of gay and lesbian theatre, Robert Patrick. He was a playwright that spoke about gay issues in the early days. He came to Orlando, and I was ashamed.
Here I had gone to all of the trouble bringing him here, at ACT OUT Theatre’s expense, only to be told by the gay papers that they didn’t know who he was and they weren’t interested in talking to him. And yet, the news media from Channel 6, which is probably the most homophobic news program that we have, was real interested in doing an on site interview with him at the Civic Theatre, where we were doing our production.
It’s those kinds of things that have left me a little jaded, if you will, with Orlando’s gay and lesbian community. I want them to get their shit together and do something more for themselves.
Do you think it’s because we’re kind of a new community that we’re not sure how to handle situations like that or how to recognize their accomplishments? Because we are a new community...
I do know that, but I feel that our decision making [is poor]. They feel safe in the bars, because they have this idea that gay theatre equals sex or pornography. Gay art is in the back room, and when you move it to the front-people are afraid if it. We really are a pom-culture; we think being gay is exclusively these trashy, pornographic images, but I don’t agree, and I don’t promote that. It’s only one-tenth of who I am, I don’t know about you.
Because of this kind of attitude [in the press and community], Whores will be my last production with ACT OUT. A friend of mine, Rebecca Ranson is moving to Orlando from Atlanta. She believes theatre should be used to educate, and I’d sure like to pass on the reigns to her. If she doesn’t [take them],
PULP FICTION
From Page 15
crime clean-up specialist, are particularly good. Most impressive is the frequently underappreciated Bruce Willis.
Tarantino aims for a “retro” feeling in the film, filling the soundtrack with music from the sixties and the seventies. One of the most interesting scenes is when Travolta and Thurman are patrons of a fifties-style restaurant complete with antique cars as eating booths and celebrity look-alikes as waiters. If it weren’t for the presence of cellular phones and sophisticated drugs and
I don’t know what’s going to happen to ACT OUT Theatre. It may just close up.
You closed once before, right?
I tried to go to clubs in town that had stages, but they weren’t interested in what we were doing. A couple of them told me right to my face that our shows sucked, which kind of hurt my feelings, and maybe they did.
But people asked me to come back, and we did Street Theatre this past June for the Gay Pride Benefit, and they stayed away in droves. We had more actors on stage than people in the audience.
What are some of the plays you’ve done that have been popular?
Bar Dykes, a 1950’s style lesbian play written by Maryl Mushroom. It was ourhigh-
JETT CANARY & DREW DAVENPORT from Lewis Routh's Whores of A Different Color.
est attended show, and that had to do with the lesbians coming out as well as our male dominated audience.
And Whores of a Different Color, the one we’re re-doing this month. It packed them in. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that it’s got “Whores” in the title, and the other one had “Dyke” in the title. Anything that’s got any kind of a sex act in the title, [like] “Masturbators from Hell,” would sell out before we opened the door.
What was your most artistically satisfying production?
The production of Pouf Positive by Robert Patrick, and Safe Sex, by Harvey Fierstein. Paul Wegman was in both of them.
Safe Sex is set on an enormous seesaw with the two actors rocking back and forth, talking about the balance between two men who are in love. Artistically, it was the most difficult show to mount. At one point, one of the actors gets off the seesaw and walks to the other side and the seesaw stays perfectly balanced. It was the most rewarding show.
weapons, Pulp Fiction could pass as a period piece.
The film even abandons the conventions of temporal continuity to smartly place its strongest statement at the film’s end: Jack-son, holding a gun to a robber’s head, quotes Ezechiel and ponders who is righteous and who is evil. After witnessing the tables turn, seeing the hunters become the hunted and vice versa, we understand that in the world of crime, good and evil are frequently indistinguishable. If you can make the time to see it, Pulp Fiction is worth the investment.
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 19
ARTFUL-LUil&Ui
Dearest Readers,
When last we spoke, I'd left your cliff’s hanging and your participles dangling. Hand me my
bloody and gather ‘round. Let’s finish this frightening tale before Halloween.
The brouhaha surrounding Lily O’Shaughnessy on the set of my Jewish-Western epic, “Shoot Out At The Oy Vey Corral,” had reached a climactic head. The has-been harlot/starlet, sweet Lily, had disappeared from the set and a mysterious cloaked figure, wielding a gas can was seen lurking in the shadows. Suddenly there was a scream...a shrill, banshee-like howl not heard since Lori Del Mar
discovered a burned-out Christmas light just as holiday guests rang her doorbell.
Then there was an explosion...so loud, so unexpected, that it rocked my world, my boobs, and my last nerve. It was a fireball of such intense heat that my permanent eyeliner jumped off and ran for cover. As the flames subsided and the dust settled, we discovered company; a body, burned beyond recognition. Who was it? What was it? My bloody, please...I panic just thinking about it!
Well...at first, we thought it was the charred remains of an unfortunate stagehand caught in a real-life “bonfire of the vanities." Or was it vanity herself...the evil Lily? As soon as I checked to make sure it was no part of my already petrified anatomy, I ordered the best boy to get the
disgusting blob out of my sight before I blew chunks!
But as the body was removed I detected something -pdcLsomething queer. Not that I pay attention
to genitalia, but this charcoal briquet had three sets! One in front, one in back, and a third on
top of its head, conveniently camouflaged by a singed but still obviously cheap toupee.
Then it struck me. This bizarre creature was my makeup man, Mr. Stanley; the only one who would
go to such lengths to conceal an otherwise amusing and potentially serviceable deformity) Sad
really, to have to go through life one-third man, one-third woman, and one-third schmeckle-head.
His horrific secret was out from under his hat, so to speak.
Just then a bewildered Lily staggered drunkenly into the room wielding a gun and reeking of
tequila and gasoline (a “T&G,” one of her favorite libations). Like a post-stroke Bette Davis, she
slurred, “Who killed my sister? Who killed the wicked bitch of the East?” She lurched toward me.
"Was it you, ‘my pretty?” she asked. I remember thinking to myself, "My God! The Vizard of Oz is the
best she can do at a time like this? Wouldn’t something a little more Susan Hayward work better?”
I recalled a scene from my own much-praised “prison movie” period. “Not me Baby,” I spit. "And
the cheap theatrics will get you nowhere except the late, late show, so CAN it!” Lily was reduced
to a pile of tears, sobbing as she told a sordid tale of lust and cross-dressing...and the love of a
woman for a man with three sets of genitalia. A story so incredible that had I not heard it with my
own ears, I’m sure I would have heard it with someone else’s.
Lily’s affair with Mr. Stanley had been a nightmare of drunken lovemaking, stretched out
sweaters, and Mary Kay parties. And it had all become too much. She planned to leave him that
fateful night, and after a “heated” backstage argument, Lily left in a huff only to discover that
her car was out of gas. A bitch as resourceful as she is mean, she found a gas can in props and
stormed outside to bum a ride to a gas station. When no one stopped for her (quel surprise!), she
stormed back inside and pulled out her small pearl-handled revolver. Stanley would take her to get
gas or DIE! But it was too late. Stanley had already...combusted.
There is an epilogue, dear fans. Lily was confined to an asylum; a prisoner of her own selfish,
uncaring, loathesome personality. The story is now being worked into a script for, what else, my
comeback. And the moral is: "Two’s company, three’s a crowd,” or “If you can’t stand the heat, don’t
burst into flames,” or most touchingly, “Please God, don’t let me wake up with a penis on my head!”
Until next time... *
Loads of love, /,_________
STREAM
Confidential to Clarissa Get
that thing out of my face!
:^5CiAU5)NE55
▼ Out * About Books’ Bruce Ground
turns 32 (Chicken!) on October 28. Lavish gifts and cards are expected (remember .. .presentation is everything). Let’s all of us who drive by the store that day honk at him, too. By the way, his coffee shop is presently under construction and is set to open “in November, or December, or whenever I damn well feel like it.”
▼ So much for the first openly gay actor playing an openly gay character on a network sitcom. CBS’ Daddy's Girls is headed to “Hiatusville,” and is in fact the first CBS series to be shelved this TV season. We caught the show once, and it only came alive during Harvey Fierstein’s scenes as Dudley Moore’s fashion designer and bitchy confidante. And for the GPC (gay politically correct), screw stereotypes...there are people like that (some write for this paper) and they are funny.
▼ Christmas gift idea.. .If You Ask Me is a book of hilarious New York matron Libby Gelman-Waxner’s collected columns from Premiere magazine. Libby is actually the invention of gay playwright (Jeffrey) and screenwriter (Addams Family Values) Paul Rudnick, and his commentary on movies and movie stars is laugh-out-loud hilarious. . .perfect light bedtime reading.
T We’re becoming FOX fans.. .especially late night. At midnight, reruns of the consistently excellent, even inspiring, Northern-Exposure come on. After that, look for a surprising new half-hour talk show called Call. Basically, its a group of bright, attractive yuppies rehashing current events and talking with interesting guests. News from people you wish you knew. Featured are a female sports reporter (we just know she goes kicking and screaming into makeup), and a lot of comfortable, positive references about gay newsmakers and gay culture. The week of National Coming Out Day, gay and lesbian guests like the editor of Out Magazine were featured every night. Last Call is a glimpse of the future and we like it.
▼ While on the subject of FOX, pick a word...hunk, humpy, humunculous, hunkubine, hunkster, humporama.. .to describe Howie Lons from their new football broadcasting team. Are he and John Madden from the same species? We’ve always thought it would be fun to let gay men, Paul Lynde and Harvey Fierstein types, do football commentary. “Oooh baby.. .major pile-up in the middle of the field.”
(2he Mostly i/NFAbuiPus Sociai fei! ETHAN GREEN. . .
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WATERMARK / October 26, 1994 20
ARTFUL LIVING
PAUL SWIFT, “THE EGGMANDEAD AT 60
Funeral services were held October 10th for Paul Swift, best known for his role as The Eggman in the John Waters film “Pink Flamingos.”
In Baltimore, Swift was better known as a mainstay in the historic Fells Point waterfront section, where he often danced naked on top of the bar at closing time.
“Paul ended every night like that,” said Mary Vivian Pearce, who appeared with Swift in several of Waters’ early films. “I guess he did it for the same reason he always wore 400 bracelets.”
Swift died Friday of AIDS at the Francis Scott Key Medical Center.
“I can’t imagine Paul ever being normal,” Waters said. “I wouldn’t say he was an actor in the Shakesperean sense, but he was an actor people remembered. Paul always led his own life.”
“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.
----------------------------------------------1
STnd ‘Then I
‘Thought Of You . . .
Ttowers Tre ‘Teelings
c *
TRANSITS & ^ MJNATIONS
* By (hark LfmiHon, m
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 Solar Eclipse on 11 -3 will make its presence felt in joint financial dealings, including marital or partnership funds. Relatedly, your mate’s employment situation may change. If she is working overtime, it may stop; if he is unemployed, he will get off the sofa and eventually stop caring about his soaps.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): Major relationship changes may occur for you Bulls during the next year. If you’re in love, don’t take it for granted. If you’re single,.odds are you won’t be for long. But make it a point to be patient and seek balance and harmony in all partnerships.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): It’s Deal-A-Meal time! Focus on health and proper diet, and while you’re at it, take a look in your mirror and your closet. If you look the same as your high school yearbook picture, now’s the time to be adventurous... with clothes, haircut, the works.
CANCER (Jun 21-JuI 22): November’s Solar Eclipse will likely advance relationships that are presently in the “casual” stages. Accept all invitations... even the dullest... and you may be pleasantly surprised. Also look for a birth in the family, or at least increased activities ;with children. Just don’t take the kids to any theater I’m in.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Emphasis is on family matters, especially your opposite-sex parent, and on home life. Buying, selling, or remodeling are all possibilities. And if you work out of your home, that may also be affected. Otherwise, old matters may be resolved for you, and now would be a good time to initiate future plans.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): There will be a big change in your attitude this year. You may even acquire one. Attend to interactions with siblings, as well as with neighbors and friends you treat like “family.” Lots of short trips and interesting correspondences will make life fun.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): Your personal income will demand full attention in the coming months. A marked change in the way you earn money is likely. Evaluate your resources, as unexpected expenses or fluctuations in income should be expected. But this is an excellent time to make long-term plans for your financial future.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): Don’t be surprised if acquaintences pull the, “Is that you?” number, ‘cause you’re due to experience noticable changes in your personal appearance. Weight loss, a new hairstyle, even cosmetic surgery are all possibilities. By all means enjoy all the positive attention; just don’t ignore your partner, who may need some reinforcement.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): Watch your health this year, and don’t hesitate to seek professional advice if it seems warranted. Just don’t put it off. However, do put off any changes in your work situation... this is not the time. Take pleasure in solitude and introspection.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Social ties, group activities and friendships are all enhanced; they will take up a large portion of your time, so prioritize and budget wisely. A cherished goal will motivate you. And as off-the-wall as it may sound, consider exploring exotic religions, or even the occult; the mind-trip may prove worthwhile for you.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Febl8): Smile. You are very much in the public eye. Enjoy it, but watch your backside and be ready to defend your actions. Above all, protect your reputation and don’t compromise future financial security. A parent’s health may be a major source for concern, and may alter your life pattern significantly.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Watch for a major shake-up among relatives, particularly those who live far away. Travel plans may be delayed or cancelled altogether. That’s OK. This is an important time for you to reevaluate personal spirituality and philosophy, thus paving the way for positive growth in your outlook and personality.
^tSQimwiGe
9^0/tist
846-4113 (Kissimmee) 348-4033 (B. V.L.) 828-8005 (Orlando)
1213 W. Oak Street Kissimmee> Florida 34741
ADVICE-O-
Dear Advice-O-Rama,
I’ve recently broken off a multiple-year relationship. Prior to this one, my former (all long-term) partners and I have been amicable through and since each separation. Not so this time. How do I deal with an angry, bitter ex who is certain I’m out to screw her financially, despite both my legal and verbal commitments to the contrary?
Signed, At A Loss
Dear At A Loss,
With the ending of a relationship, feelings of grief, loss and anger will frequently surface. Some individuals have difficulty managing these feelings. When they are too uncomfortable, these feelings are often misdirected to material matters.
This appears to be the root of the problem, and in fact your ex-partner sounds like she’s using division-of-property issues to maintain a relationship with you, at any cost and of whatever kind. You must set boundaries so that you are not manipulated by her.
I have two suggestions. On a personal level, take some time out from the conflict by not interacting with each other for an agreed upon period of time. If the situation continues, find a counselor who can offer assistance in the termination process by providing a format and safe arena for talking through unresolved feelings. Once the emotions are dealt with, it will be easier for both parties to move on.
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.
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 21
TRAVEL
November it's bard to imagine frosty air and snow-covered mountains, romantic fires, hot buttered rums and gorgeous ski instructors...OK, so maybe its not that hard, If it’s sounding better and better, we have just the
THINK SNOW THINK SKIING
for die week based on double occupancy. Contact an 1GTA (Interna-
There am several great gay and lesbian ski weeks coming up in the early part of 1995 and youll need to act now if you want to tal#'|^:|n:;-any of them.
Aspen offers a GAY SKI WEEK*
gay and lesbian comunity in Aspen numbers about 2,GOG during Gay Ski Week. The Aspen week is not an “official ey enL? and while Ihstu are no
sponsors mil his that 'during.(^:Sldi
and gay-friendly.
A far more organized event is the Whistler Gay Ski Week ‘95 inWhis-. tier, British Columbia, Canada from February 5th through the I2th. Last year’s events drew over 2,500 ski-era and thek rtlend$. Whisder ^ been voted the #1 ski resort in North I America for the past three years. This; European-style village offers Ski in/ (Ski Out accommodation! M shopping in several great craft shops and boutiques. The restaurant choices in Whistler are quite inviting, from friendly casual snacks around the fire in the lodge to first i class elegant dining.
There are two mountains for skiing - Whistler and Blackcomb - of* fering both fun and challenge. Ski week also tempts the more adventurous with a chance to Helicopter Ski.
: After all that skiing, unwind at Gay Ski Week’s unique “Mountain /%p:^apahee,|Th§ is a party with special appeal for Snow Queens and Ice Fairies - a real Kodak moment if ever there was one.
The present currency exchange rate is favorable for planning a Canadian vacation. Land-only packages, are available with options ranging from moderate to luxury condos.
The more worldly traveler can enjoy Gay and Lesbian Winterfest *95, January 19th through die 29th in Germany and Austria, If you’ve al~
:;ppfwltr-;s|j destination of European royalty, heads of state, Popes and :■ prinia donnas, is the chance to do it light. With well over 5,000 gay and lesbian skiers from around the world, Winterfest is the biggest gay ski event
Winterfest organizers have ptef
need to know about Winterfest, gay and lesbian nightlife and programmed activities. When you arrive
the beginning. Before you leave Munich, you’ll be treated to a
Club Crawl, The entire gay and les-bian eommunity in Mnnicb turns out to show Winterfest guests a good time. This is clearly the way to see
gayfe
remember it the next day (whose
Ledmhosen wem those, anyway?}.
in the heart of the Alps and the fa-mrgtsT^roiian food and waimhospi-tality. The city is filled with incredible alpine beauty (and the landscape’s not bad either!}. With Innsbruck as hub, skier and non-skier can enjoy short day trips to Salzburg, Vienna, Venice and St Moritz, ill Winterfest ‘95 organizers arrange i
bawdy burlesque shows to casinos, discos, Tyrolian folk parties and night tobogganing. Packages for Winterfest *95 (with air from Miami) start at $1,262 per person, based on double occupancy.
So, if you fancy yourself a snow bunny, think you look good in ski clothes or just like hot buttered ram around a roaring Ere, consider one of these fun-filled gay and lesbian ski weeks.
Survey: Key West hotels most expensive in nation
|f' KEY WEST <AP} ~ Looking fbr the country Vmost expensive hotel | rooms? Think palm trees and sunsets, not Broadway, a survey says," At an average of $147 a night, the (•Keys lead the list of pricey lodging^
according to a company that studies the hospitality Industry.
New York was second, with an average of $143, and another Florida area, Naples - which used to be atop the list - was third, at $140. .
Free Tours and Wine Tasting
Mon-Sat 10-5 PM Sun Noon-5 PM
JUST 30 MINUTES FROM ORLANDO
6 MILES NORTH OF CLERMONT ON U.S. 27 • 1-800-768-WINE
The VaGAYtioners Club Time to think Skiing
Special Gay Ski weeks are happening everywhere call today for the beet vaMe,Remember that space will-fill up fast co don't delay.
Whistler Gay Ski Week - 7 night packages from $ 62&plus air Winterfest *95 Germany & Austria air and land packages from $1,262.
407 551 S63S
A percentage ofalisld lockages booked win go to support a
Christmas of Sharing on Dec. 9tn.
Aruba - Costa Rica - San Juan - Mexico - New Orleans - Key West - Orlando RS.VP. Cruises - Gay Rodeos - Gay Mardi Gras - Mr Leather and so much more
mu MOON
SALOON
,A C\ay .American Sowfkem Style Saloon
Liberty Records Presents A GARTH BROOKS
.Ain't C\o\V\ PoWH Till TKe Sun Comes Up
Halloween Party
Saturday, October 29th Free T-Shirts, CD's 8 Posters Fastest Tush Push Contest Costume Contest 8 A Grand Prize Give Away ]
^oskim dor)fesl
Monday, October 31th 10:30
LEATHERFEST '94
November Sth
Open Dancin0
Wednesday -Friday - SaWday & Sunday
Oowntvy & Western Dance. Lessons w/ Tern & ^}ewyand Djf ;Alan Sllis Wednesday 8-11 Saturdays 8:30 - 10:30
TVink Specials M'gMy
•Happy Hout* 12PM - 8PM Open Daily 12PM - 2AM
500 No. Orange Blossom Trail Orlando, FL (407)648-8725 Lighted 8 Secured Parking Available Acrossed the Street
WATERMARK / October 26, 1994 22
OUR CULTURE
HOPE & HELP PRESENT “P” AND LEIGH
A “Red Ribbon Performance” of the best in female impersonation will be presented by the Hope & Help Center at the Parliament House on Monday, Nov. 14. Some of Central Florida’s most talented performers will create a memorable evening of fun and entertainment. Co-hosts for the evening will be the Fabulous Miss P and Leigh Shannon, together for the first time on stage.
The evening will start with a cocktail party in the Parliament House Piano Bar at 7 PM. Showtime in the Footlights Theater is 8 PM. During the evening, a Key West get-away weekend will be raffled off along with other valuable prizes. The “Red Ribbon Performance” will benefit the Hope & Help Center, enabling them to continue serving 1900 clients with HIV/AIDS throughout Central Florida.
Tickets are on sale for $ 12 in advance, $ 15 at the door, and can be purchased at the Hope & Help Center in Winter Park. Call (407) 645-2577 for more information.
(Top left) THE FABULOUS MISS P; (lower left) LEIGH SHANNON.
■ BRINGING
COMMON SENSE & DIGNITY TO THE COURTROOM
■ WORKING TOWARDS
A SAFE COMMUNITY
0
• fcOCAt COLOft
▼ Now playing at Theatre Downtown is the Central Florida premiere of Mac Wellman’s Dracula. Based on Bram Stoker’s novel, this production plumbs the depths of the Victorian underworld and exposes its Freudian sexual obsessiveness in poetic satire. Dracula plays until Nov. 5 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, with a special Halloween performance on Monday, Oct. 31 at 8 PM. For ticket information, call (407) 839-3900.
T “Florida’s Freshest Fruit,” The Improbabilities, will perform one last show at the Eola Theatre on Wall St. Plaza, Thursday Oct. 27, at 8:30 PM. Then they’ll take 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 ICN will hold their annual Halloween (ampout from Fri., Oct. 28 thru Sun. Oct. 30 at Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala Forest. Facilities accomodate campers, pop-ups, RVs, tents, etc. Sites are $12 and can accomodate up to 5. Boat ramps, canoes, pontoon boats and lots of beautiful scenery and women will be there.
Call Nan (she’ll be in The Westphalia) for more information.
V Gadzooks! Gay Ballroom Freakazoids! GLCS sponsors their first annual GAY-LOWEEN, Sun. Oct 30, at the Grand Ballroom of the Orlando Marriott Downtown (formerly the Omni). Entertainment will be provided by Leigh Shannon, Carmella Marcella Garcia, Danielle Hunter and Katrina Lewis. There will be a costume contest and a raffle featuring: vacation packages at resorts including Big Ruby’s in Key West and the Club Carribean Resort in Ft. Lauderdale; dinner packages at area restaurants; theater and attraction tickets; gift certificates. The Marriott is offering a special room rate of $69. Festivities begin at 8 PM. Admission is $25 for members, $30 for non-members, and $35 at the door, and includes valet parking, food, raffle and costume contest enry. The Marriott is offering a special room rate of $69. Call (407) 425-4527 for tickets or more information.
▼ Daytona Beach's lambda Center presents a Costume Ball Fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 30 at the 769 Club. There will be a costume contest, DJ and dancing, food and drinks, and guaranteed good cheer. Proceeds will benefit the Lambda Center and Hope MCC. Festivities begin at 8 PM. For more information, call (904) 253-4361 or (904) 255-0280. The Lambda Center also sponsors Stepphl* Out, a social support group for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. Meetings are the 1 st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 7 PM at 320 Harvey St., Suite A. For more information call the Lambda Center at (904) 255-0280.
▼ Nuslc Orlando holds their Second Annual Mozart festival
on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 8 PM, and on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 PM, at St. John Lutheran Church in Winter Park. Thursday’s show features the Music Orlando Chamber Orchestra, Alfred Savia, Conductor, and is entitled “Amadeus Revisited.” Sunday’s show offers “A Mozart Chamber Evening.” Call (407) 426-1719 for tickets or information.
▼ The Clblc Theatre Off Central Florida SecondStage series presents El Grande De Coca-Cola Nov. 3-20, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 PM. El Grande goes south of the border and into the straits of hilarity. The play takes place in a terrible small town with a terrible small nightclub, where a company of second-rate performers puts on a hilariously inept show. Due to popular demand, the Civic Theatre is also presenting a one-time only, GI1COTC |JCT“ fOTIIiaiKC of its acclaimed production of Nightclub Cantata on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 PM. And the Mainstage production of William Gibson’s acclaimed The Miracle Yorker will begin on Thursday, 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. For ticket information call (407) 896-7365.
T GLCS will sponsor “I’m Coming Out,” a Symposium ffor African American Gays in Orlando, on Friday, Nov. 4, from 6-10 pm at the GLCS Center. The symposium is free, and is specially designed for those 18-25. Music, refreshments, and games will be offered, and the film Paris is Burning will be shown. RSVP by Oct. 28 at (407) 425-4527.
▼ Lesbian singer Laura Chandler will be in concert at The Junkyard in Casselberry on Thursday, Nov. 10, and at The Mill in Winter Park on Friday, Nov. 11. Shows begin at 9:30 PM, and tickets are $3. Contact The Junkyard and The Mill for more information.
▼ Joy MCC will hold a Gayla Auction at 7:30 PM on Saturday, Nov, 19. This entertaining 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.
▼ “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” is the theme for Willow's annual Block & White Boll, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Pine Meadows Country Club in Eustis. Tickets are $35. For reservations call Terry at (407) 865-5972, or Peppy at (904) 383-0928.
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 23
OUR CULTURE
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
27
RAINBOW
CONNECTION.
Group for teens & young adults from 18-25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. 425-7450.
LUCKY LADIES BOWLING. Fair Lanes Indian Hills. 6:30 PM. 293-8849.
THR
MBA MEETING.
Downtown Radisson. 6:30 PM. 420-2182.
LADIES BOWLING.
See Oct. 27.
RAINBOW
CONNECTION.
See Oct. 27.
28
THEATRE
SELECTIONS.
Dracula.
Extremities.
Edwin Drood.
FRI
31
DELTA YOUTH ALLIANCE. Support group for gay, lesbian & bisexual youth under 22. 6 PM. 236-9415.
ORLANDO
FRONTRUNNERS.
Meet at the red pagoda at Lake Eola.
6:30 PM. 857-1777.
MON
DELTA YOUTH ALLIANCE.
See Oct. 31.
ORLANDO
FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. See Oct. 31.
MON
1
O.B.B.A. Orlando’s largest gay & lesbian bowling league. 9 PM. 644-2244.
UCF GLBSU MEETING. Phillips Hall, Room 218.
9 AM. 648-0057.
TUE
FAMILY VALUES.
Gay & lesbian radio on 91.5 FM. Talk, music, news, interviews, community events. 8-9 PM. 646-2398.
ORLANDO
FRONTRUNNERS.
7:30 PM. See Oct. 31.
WED
FAMILY VALUES.
See Nov. 2.
ORLANDO
FRONTRUNNERS.
7:30 PM. See Oct. 31.
WED
ft I think I was twenty-five the first time I had sex
I stopped at twenty-six. » •
ANDY WARHOL (1927-1987)
FRIENDS OF FRAN URGE YOU TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
VOTE NOVEMBER 8TH
fW
COUNTY CHAIRMAN
Paid Political Ad by Friends of Fran Pignone
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 24
MARKETPLACE
ACCOUNTANT
BOOKSTORE
•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
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
Marbaret 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
ATTORNEY
(407) 843-8390
&
CDavid*B. Slaughter
Attorney At Law
617 E. Washington St. Suite 3 P. O. Box 922 Orlando, Florida 32802
AUTOMOBILES
Home of the new and exciting %'metc
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Bob Miller
295-8100
Hm: 884-7128 Pgr: 526-0596
Sales & Leasing Consultants
Sue Copening 295-8100
3883 W. Colonial Dr. • Orlando, FL 32808
ip you uownr
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1 1 lEl IAI Ifl 1 A y y y M I
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<§>
The weight-loss professionals.*
•Serving Orlando since 1980 •Computerized & personalized •Nutritionally sound
composition (lean or fal)
•You eat real food and select a sensible exercise routine
•No shots or drugs
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Mention This Ad and Receive 10% Off Reducing
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322 E. MICHIGAN ST.
^ SECOND IMAGE II
y Costumes s
• Vintage Clothing
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DISPLAY/MERCHANDISING
VISUALS. INC.
DISPLAY & MERCHANDISING
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With over 1,000 mannequins in stock, new and used, plus a complete restoration & make-over service.
Winter Park Mall • 500 N. Orlando Ave. Suite 1464 • Winter Park, FL 32789 • (407) 645-3357 •
ELECTROLYSIS
wlpsis bp office
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5750 Major Blvd. • Suite 355 (behind the Twin lowers Hotel)
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FULL SERVICE FLORIST
Ph: (407) 649-8005 (800) 299-4852 Fax: (407)649-4355
817 E. Washington Orlando, FL 32801
TELL 'EM YOU SAW IT IN
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FUNERAL
HAWTHORNE FUNERAL HOME
4901 S. ORANGE AVE • OLANDO, FL 32806 “Let Our Family Serve Your Family”
425-2589
SAM ODOM, L.F.D. ELGAN STAPPE, F.P. DIR.
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1954
FUNERAL
THE SIMPLICITY PLAN ™
MARILYN K. BRINSON
Pre-Arrangement Counselor 407-671-3919 • 349-5644
Baldwin-Fairchild Cemeteries and Funeral Homes
2400 Harrell Rd • Orlando, FL 32817
MARKETPLACE
INSURANCMNVESTMENT
PHOTOGRAPHY
WINE
Hugh B)owen9III THE EQUITABLE Phone: 407-246-6500
HEALTH FOOD
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
mini n JILL POR WEDDINGS • CDIPI IPIY IER^§|/ ^ V INI CEREMONIES > P0B1IES • FASHION 1IERECEPII0NS
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HOME IMPROVEMENT
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Swags • Sheers • Valances • Duettes • Blinds Verticals • Wallpaper • Bedding • Upholstery We Come To You!
Serving Orlando's Homes & Offices Since 1979
WINDOWS & WALLS 298-2626
6100 W. Colonial Dr. - Orlando
PRINTING
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License No. 0017506
(407)981-6967 Home / Office / Clinic
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
(407)260-9244
NOTARY
Become a Florida Notary
24 Hr. Service
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Member of the American Society of Notaries
ROSEMARIE LINDAUER
Pager(407) 941-0252 Phone (407)298-1277 Fax (407) 298-1093
Wills Living Wills Affidavits, and Revocable Living Trust
SUBSCMBC TO
UIDTCRMARK
IT'S TH€ PUftRFCCT IDCfl
(form on page 26)
OPTICAL
SILKSCREENING
MYOPTIC5
Contact Lenses, Eyeglasses, Sunwear
329 N. Orange Ave. Downtown Orlando 32801 • 245-7800
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SCREEN ARTS STUDIO
2000-B ALDEN ROAD • ORLANDO, FLORIDA • 32803 TELEPHONE 407 • 896 • 1177 * FACSIMILE 407 • 895 • 5528
tip
I BINDERS & PRESENTATIONS BUMPER STICKERS, LICENSE PLATES LASER TRANSFERS POSTERS, SIGNS & MAGNETICS PROMOTIONAL MERCHANDISE T-SHIRTS A WARM-UPS
THE RIGHT WINE THE BEST GIFTS
Park Avenue Wine & Cheese Cellar
323 South Park Avenue Winter Park, FL 32789-4317 (407) 628-3963 Fax (407) 628-3876
Watermark is available at...
Altamonte Springs Bookstop 303 E. Altamonte Dr.
Peaches Music & Video 689 E. Altamonte Dr.
Cassadaga
Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Bookstore 112 Stevens St. Daytona Beach
Angels & Dolphins Bookstore 1501 Ridgewood Ave., Holly Hill
• The Beachside Club 415 Main St. • The Barracks 952 N. Orange Ave. • The Buccaneer Motel 2301 N. Atlantic Ave. • The Hollywood Club 615 Main St. • Hope MCC 56 N. Halifax Ave. • Jerry’s Antiques & Bargain Barn 1311 Center St., Holly Hill • Lambda Center Harvey St. • The Oasis Beach Motel 3169 S. Atlantic Ave. • Otherside of the Rainbow 2301 N. Atlantic Ave. • The 769 Club 769 Alabama St. • The Villa 801 N. Peninsula Dr.
Deland
Stetson University Student Center Edgewood
East-West Compact Discs & Tapes 4895 S. Orange Ave. Fern Park
Boxcars 140 Fern wood Blvd.
Maitland
Drs. Goodgame & Hopkins 530 N. Maitland Ave. Enzian 1300 S. Orlando Ave.
Ocoee
Little Professor Bookstore 7319 W. Colonial Dr. Orlando
Absolute Leather 3400 S. Orange Blossom Tr. • Aids Resource Alliance 1221 W. Colonial Dr. • Alobar Books & Music 709 W. Smith St. • Bad Mood Records 225 N. Magnolia Ave. • The Cactus Club 1300 N. Mills Ave. » Centaur 741 W. Colonial Dr. • City Lights 3400 S. Orange Blossom Tr. • Civic Theatre of Central Florida Loch Haven Park • The Club at Firestone 578 N. Orange Ave. • Colonial Promenade Cinema 6 4672 E. Colonial Dr. • Connections 1517 N. Orange Blossom Tr. • The Eagle 3400 S. Orange Blossom Tr. • The Eco Store 2421 Edgewater Dr. • The Edge W. Washington St. • Faces 4910 Edgewater Dr. • The Full Moon Saloon 500 N. Orange Blossom Tr. • GLCS Center 714 E. Colonial Dr. • The Hair Exchange 431 E. Central St. • Hall’s Flowers 817 E. Washington St. • Hank’s Place 5026 Edgewater Dr. • Joy Metropolitan Community Church 2351 S. Femcreek Ave. • The Leather Closet 498 N. Orange Blossom Tr. • Moorefield’s 123 S. Orange Ave. • New Image Fitness Center 3400 S. Orange Blossom Tr. • Out & About Books 930 N. Mills Ave. • The Parliament House 410 N. Orange Blossom Tr. • Peaches Music & Video 2901 E. Colonial Dr. • Peaches Music & Video 8114 S. Orange Blossom Tr. • Pieces of Eight Antique Emporium 2021 N. Orange Ave. • Retro Records 59 N. Bumby Ave. • Sam Flax Discount Art Supplies 1401 E. Colonial Dr. • Shelbie Press 1308 Lang Ave.
• Southern Nights 375 S. Bumby Ave. • The Spiral Circle 750 N. Thornton Ave. • Thornton Park Cafe 900 E. Washington St. • Video Express 3400 S. Orange Blossom Tr. • Watermark Offices 701 E. Washington St. • Yab Yum Cafe 25d Wall Street Plaza
Winter Park
Acorn Books 521 S. Park Ave. • Michael Dunn, M.D. 1355 Orange Ave. • East-West Compact Discs & Tapes 240 N. Orlando Ave. • Hope & Help Center 1935 Woodcrest Dr. • The Phoenix 7124 E. Aloma Ave. • The Powerhouse 111 E. Lyman St. • Rollins College Office of Student Affairs • A Second Image II Costumes Winter Park Mall
Organizations
The Alliance (Disney employees) • Daytona Beach Business Guild
• Metropolitan Business Association • Orange Blossom Bowling Association • Willow (Lake Co. women’s organization)
If you would like to see Watermark distributed at a retail or commercial establishment in your neighborhood, call us at (407) 481-2243 and let us know.
WATERMARK / October 26,1994 26
SPORTS
GAY FITNESS CENTER SEEKS NEW IMAGE
by Kelly A. Kersey
The New Image Fitness Center is a serious work-out facility with some PR hurdles to overcome. Located next to two bars, The Eagle and City Lights, New Image occupies the same space as the former Club Body Center, a...well, it was a bath house. Indeed the unassuming facade, devoid of windows, looks like anything but the ubiquitous fitness mega-centers with rows of exercycles on display.
But in fact, New Image is equipped to compete with Bally’s and other heavily advertised fitness centers. The gym houses a full line of nautilus and universal exercise equipment, as well as free weights. New Image also offers medium and low-impact aerobics classes for their predominantly gay male membership. During my visit to the club I found a great many “fitness freaks,” with gym bag in tow, who’d clearly been using the equipment provided in pursuit of just the right “buff.”
Membership at New Image is limited to men. Management explains that there is only one locker and shower area, and the inclusion of women would turn the laid back, almost club-like atmosphere into a potentially uncomfortable environment for men and women alike. Membership is not restricted to gay men only, but a majority of New Image members are just that. “Our
members don’t have to be gay as long as they know its a predominantly gay atmosphere and they’re not offended by it,” says New Image’s certified personal trainer, Andrew.
And that’s one of New Image’s distinct advantages. Gay members need not huddle together and dish in whispered tones like they would, and do, at other fitness centers. The other advantage, and its a big one, is that New Image is open 24 hours a day. Those who work unusual hours, or who’s energy cycles don’t jive with standard hours, can get a full work out in at any time of day or night.
Because New Image is an all gay club, it’s also a great place to meet new people, but therein lies the dilemma for New Image; an all gay male fitness club with showers, lockers, towels and all that stuff. Where does one cross the line from appropriate flirting too, well, you know. “I have not seen anything here that I have not seen at Bally’s,” says Andrew. “We have a strict policy that does not allow sexual activity, drugs or alcohol. If we see it, we’re supposed to stop it and we do.”
The New Image Fitness Center is located at 3400 S. Orange Blossom Trail. For membership information, call (407) 420-9890.
CLASSIFIEDS
EMPLOYMENT-OFFERED
PARLIAMENT HOUSE. Now accepting applications for the following:
FRONT DESK GUEST SERVICES HOUSEKEEPING RESTAURANT WAITERS BEVERAGE WAITERS RESTAURANT BUS PERSON Apply at the Front Desk. Parliament House. 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32805.
(407) 425-7571
FRIENDSHIP/RELATIONSHIP
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.
REAL ESTATE-FOR RENT
DOWNTOWN FOR RENT. Immaculate 1 bdrm. apt. in historic dist.
Convenient, quiet, secure! Washer-dryer. Owner pays heat, hot & cold water. Large screened porch. Carpeted & air. $393/mo. 425-1735.
UNLIMITED INCOME. Potential! Looking for key players to participate in highly lucrative, fully funded venture. Part or full time. Earn $5,000+ p/month after 90 days. (800) 497-5755.
NAT’L HOME EMPLOY. Directory. Over 400 legitimate opportunities to make hundreds of $’s every week from your home. Little or no startup cost. No MLM’s. $39.95. Major credit cards. Tax and shipping included. (407) 423-5480, Box 1 A.
DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. Massage therapists needed. New clinic to open early 1995. Flat room rates - no percentages. Some experience/client base should be established. Call Eric Rollings at (407) 896-4827. Outside metro Orlando (800) 484-1034, sec. code 5990.
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.
HIRING Houseman/Chauffer/P.A. References and experience a must. Salary plus room and board. Great job for right person. Call 645-3357.
MERCHANDISE
MAKE ME AN OFFER. Moving -must sell! 7’ sofa, full-size mattress & boxspring, 13” color TV, dresser, large oak teacher’s desk, Aiki stereo components, albums, turntable, microwave, portable heater. Will sell separately or one (cheaper) price for all. 894-1724 for appt.
REAL ESTATE-FOR RENT
DOWNTOWN-Faaabulous lakeside bottom half of house, private en-
trance, huge bdrm, liv. rm., Florida rm„ 9x12 walk-in closet, refridg., w/d, wet bar, patio, over 1000 sq. ft., $450/mo. 1/3 util, reference and sec. deposit. Lease neg. 1 person only. Call Joe 645-3357.
REAL ESTATE-FOR SALE
LAKEFRONT 3BR ROCK. Across lake from Parliament House. Has boat dock, in-home office or 4th bedroom. 3 bath. 2 or 3 couples could share.ERA Sunflorida Realty 365-8888. Ask for Doug. 831-5165 eves.
ROOMMATES
ROOMMATE WANTED. 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath home near downtown/ Lake Como. Renovated kitchen, washer/dryer. Non-smoker preferred. $275/mo. plus utilities. Call Jim at 895-0993. Available mid-Oct.
S. ORLANDO/MEADOW WOODS. 2 GWMs looking for responsible, honest, friendly GWM for roommate. We offer a stress-free, 3/2 home. W/
D, A/C, cable, private yard, secured. No pets, no drugs. Quiet type A+. $225/mo., $100 dep., 1/3 util. HIV+ check us out! (407) 856-9825.
ROOMMATE WANTED. 2 br/1 bath near downtown Orlando. No pets or smoking. $325 includes utilities and cable. Contact Steve: 539-1234 or 843-5946.
ROOM FOR RENT. New lakefront home. Seek non-smoking liberal female. Ocoee. $425 includes all but phone. 877-6655.
S.E. Seminole UCF area. GWM couple seeks GWM roommate to share new home, jacuzzi, private phone & TV hook up. $75 wk + 1/3 util. 366-0464.
MISCELLANEOUS
MALE COUPLES sought. Local art-ist (photographer/writer) seeks subjects for retrospective on the image of male couples. Committed couples of varying ages sought for interview and photo shoot. Interview
and information contact Stephen -895-9970 (weekdays).
WANTED TO BUY. Disney items -especially buttons & pins. Also, sell & trade Disneyana items. For more information please call Dennis at (407)895-1968.
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.
...contributing writers from Volusia, Brevard and Lake counties. Please send resume and writing samples to Watermark, P.O. Box 533655, Orlando, Florida 32853-3655, or call (407) 481-2243.
TO PLACE AN AD
In PERSON: Bring completed order form with payment to Watermark offices (M-F, 9-5pm)
701 E. Washington St., Orlando.
By MAIL: Mail completed order form with payment to: Watermark Classifieds P.O. Box 533655 • Orlando, FL 32853-3655.
CHECK ONE:
□ Announcements
□ Employment-Offered
□ Employment-Seeking
□ Friend/Relationship
□ Merchandise
□ Real Estate-For Rent
□ Real Estate-For Sale
□ Roommates
□ Services
□ Travel
□ Volunteers
□ Miscellaneous
SUBSCRIPTION AND CLASSIFIED AD
ORDER FORM
' Headline (optional) - not to exceed 16 characters/spaces
TEXT (Up to 25 words)
NAME:
STREET ADDRESS:
PHONE (Optional):
□ Please enter my one-year (25 issues) subscription. Enclosed is my check for $35, payable to: WATERMARK
AD POLICY: Watermark reserves the right to edit, reclassify or reject ads not meeting Watermark publication standards. No refunds for early cancellation.
MISPRINTS: Watermark is not responsible for misprints appearing after first week. Check ads promptly.
(TOTAL COSTS: Up to 25 words for $3.00 per issue. Additional words at 250 each per issue. Please total your costs.
Up to 25 words $ 3.00 ______add’l wds x 250 _____
Headline @ $2.00 SUBTOTAL TOTAL =
# issues
ADS MUST BE SUBMITTED By Spin Wecl ne$day,. thct weed* prior to publication, to appear in the following week’s issue*
Community Education Forum*
Monday, November 28th 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Radisson Plaza Hotel Orlando
Ivanhoe Boulevard (1-4 Exit 42 - Downtown Orlando)
PRESENTING
MARTIN DELANEY
FOUNDER OF PROJECT INFORM
and treatment options for those that are HIV+ and their caregivers. Founded by Martin Delaney, it provides an up-to-date source of progress on Clinical Trials, government action on HIV issues and service sources.
Mr. Delaney will bring to us the latest information on HIV/Aids Trials. This open session
Drs. Goodsame & Hopkins
"THE LIVING ROOM7RESEARCH CENTER
Open Forum - No Charge - Free Garage Parking
Public Welcome - For Information call (407) 647-6000
*This is the 4th Forum in a series provided by Drs. Goodgame, Hopkins & Wright as a free community service.
Project Inform provides a nationwide toll-free information line on action in medical, service
will provide a question and answer forum that will give those in attendance an access to the latest information in the field.
( ID
Board!
140 Fernwood Blvd Fern Park, FL 32730 (407) 831-7359
(Located across from the Orlando Jai-Lai Formerly "Central Station")
-Plenty Of Free Parking-
Thursdays ft Sundays
Shownights
w/ Melissa Mason & Guest
11pm
Fridays & Saturdays GO-GO's
Happy Hour
24-l's
Daily From *»-8pm
Sundays
Retro T-Dance From 6-IOpm
Adrienne Perry
Alachua County
Alison Bechdel
Altamonte Springs
Amanda Plummer
Annette Bening
Barbara Stanwyck
Bart Zarcone
Beatty
Bening
Bette Davis
Bill Klear
Bill Nelson
Billy McKinney
bisexual
Bob Butterworth
Bob Crawford
Bob Sindler
Bob Wattles
Bonnie Roof
Bonnie Situation
Brandon Dean
Brenda M. Barry
Bruce Willis
Carmella Marcella Garcia
Cartwright
Castro
Charles Dickens
Charles Schiffman
Christopher Fitzgerald
Clarissa Get
Clifton R. Gaus
Clinton
Clive Paget
Colonialtown
Corrine Brown
Dan Webster
Danielle Hunter
David Caton
David Myers
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach Business Guild
Deb Blechman
Deborah Wakefield
Dick McMahan
Dimitri Toscas
Don Reid
Doris Hill
Doug Jamerson
Dunn
Edwin Drood
Elliot Barber
Elovitz
Eola Heights
Eric Orner
Eric Rollings
Ethan Green
Everett Kelly
Family Research Council
Fowler
Fran Pignone
Francis Scott
Frank De La Grana
Frederick
Full Moon Saloon
Gale Norton
Gary Bauer
gay
Gerald Lewis
Glen Scriber
Harrell
Harvey Fierstien
Harvey Keitel
Helen Keller
Hepburn
Holly Hill
homosexuality
homosexuals
Hopkins
Hugh Rodham
Isaac Jenrette
J. Rick Roach
Jamie P. Still
Janet Tolar
Jeff Danila
Jessica Lange
Jill Porter
Jimmy Charles
Jirsa Said
Joan Smith
Joe Krovisky
Joe Sarano
Joe Weider
Joe Wieder
John Dunn
John Madden
John Mcgill
John Rose
John Waters
Johnston
Judy Garland
Julie A. Whitley
Karen Thurman
Karl Grube
Katherine Hepburn
Kathy Chinoy
Katie Messmer
Keith Baber
Keith Peterson
Kelly
Ken Kundis
Kendric Smith
Kenney
Key West
knight
Kristi Hamrick
Kuehl
Lake Eola
Lake Eola Park
Lange
Larry Kramer
Laura Chandler
Laura J. Harding
Lawton Chiles
Leigh Shannon
lesbians
Lewis
LEwis Routh
LGBT
LGBTQ+
Life Care Resources
Lisa Talmadge
Liz Phair
Lori Del
Louise Ray
Luis Rovira
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Mac Wellman
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Mark Lawhon
Marlin Haindfield
Mary Arrington
Mary Vivian Pearce
Megan Morrison
Meinhold
Melissa Etheridge
Mercedes Benz
Michael Bowers
Michael Halpin
Michael L. Kilgore
Mike Meehan
Mike Williams
Mills
Moorefield
Orange Blossom Bowling Association
orlando
Pablo Felix
Pam Iorio
Parliament House
Patricia Grogan
Paul Leatherland
Paul Lynde
Paul Rudnick
Paul Swift
Paul Wegman
Perkins
Pete Peterson
Phil Rampy
Phillips
Pinellas County
queers
Quentin Tarantino
questioning
Rafael Gasti
Rainbow Democratic Club
Rainbow Gayme
Rampy
Rebecca Ranson
Religious Right
Rizzo
Robert Holland
Robert Jordan
Robert Knight
Robert Patrick
Robin Shahar
Roger J. McDonald
Roger McDonald
Ron Beddell
Ron Glickman
Ronald ReaganReagan
Ronald Senter
Rosanne Sloan
Russell
same-sex
Samuel L. Jackson
Sandra Frederick
Sandra Green
Sarah Nuckles
Saunders
Scott Green
Shawn St. John
Sheila Kuehl
Shelbie Press
Sheryl Crow
Southern Nights
Stacie Spector
Stan Jirsa
Stanley
Steele
Stella Dallas
Stephen De Matteis
Steve Brewer
Steve Steele
Susan Gore
Susan Hayward
Susan Pickman
Suzanne B. Goldberg
Tampa
Terry
The Oy Vey Corral
The Strap Ons
The Watermark
Thornton
Thornton Park
Thornton Park Cafe
ThorntonPark
Thurman
Tim Van Zandt
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Tom Staley
Tommy Lee
Tony Richardson
trans
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Travolta
Triangle Federal Credit Union
Van Zandt
W. Thomas
W. Webster
Wallace
Warren Beatty
Whitley
William C. Koch
William Noack
William Wayboum
Winter Park
Winter Park Mall
Winterfest
Yvonne Vassell
Zelda Gilroy
Zweifel
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/47bc2da801517f6b9dab14bae2dab29e.pdf
1c849bf745ac833527425bf774e093c2
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. 4, October 12, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 4
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The fourth issue of <em>The Watermark</em> was published on October 12, 1994, and shifted toward a heavier political focus dealing with national LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) issues. The front page is primarily dedicated to the discussion on the participations of "Gays in the Local Media." The other portion of the front page discusses how local politicians participate in the Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) Forum, notably addressing the political careers of Buddy Dyer (b. 1958) and Fran Pignone. The discussion of the articles and articles on the next page discuss the need to maintain anti-discrimination laws. The issue also addresses the HIV-AIDS Institute disconnecting from the University of Central (UCF_, and the remaining offices of HIV-AIDS Education and the "Info-Maniacs," a peer education program. The issue then continued the trend of publishing international issues such as, Maryland’s decision on Parental Rights for gay parents, San Francisco’s fight for non-discrimination for private businesses, and South Africa’s condemnation of Gay Pride. This fourth issue also saw the return of discussion about parties and circuit life, this time covered in an article about Madis Gras in Australia.<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. 4, October 12, 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. 4, October 12, 1994.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Richmond, Virginia
Boise, Idaho
Annapolis, Maryland
San Francisco, California
Johannesburg, South Africa
Tampa, Florida
Mooresfield's, Orlando, Florida
Sydney, Australia
Creator
Almeida, David
Brenner, Harmony
Crescitelli, James A.
De Matteis, Stephen
Gasti, Rafael Harris
Gustetter, April L.
Kundis, Ken
Maines, Ted
O'Lay, Lola
Sloan, Rosanne
Toscas, Dimitri
Publisher
<a href="http://www.watermarkonline.com/" target="_blank">Watermark Media</a>
Date Created
ca. 1994-10-12
Date Issued
1994-10-12
Date Copyrighted
1994-10-12
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 4
OCTOBER 12,1994
GAYS IN THE LOCAL MEDIA
FAIR SHAKE OR SHAKEDOWN?
by Rafael Harris Gasti
John Rose and Rev. George Crossley on Channel 24’s Opinion Street.
Whether you’re gay or straight, a well-traveled sophisticate or a couch potato, images of homosexuality are everywhere. From PBS’ pixilated Tales of the City, to Channel 2’s investigative report on homosexual encounters in public parks, to The Orlando Sentinel's “Woman Seeks Woman/ Man Seeks Man” TelePersonals, these images are beamed into living rooms and bedrooms and delivered to front doors. For many, these images alone define gay and lesbian experience.
The influence of the media, particularly television, on popular culture can hardly be overemphasized. This is particularly true when media images are not balanced by real life experience. In Central Florida, these media images of homosexual experience have enormous power, because gay culture and political influence are emergent, and a conservative climate still dissuades many from coming out to family and friends.
And make no mistake.. .in the media business, where patronage reflects profits and where viewers and readers mean dollars, images of homosexuality are enormously popular. At once sexual and political, titillating and avant garde, news stories and dramatizations addressing elements of gay experience are commonplace; a sweeps week staple. But are these images balanced? Do they truly reflect gay and lesbian experience?
Three local gay activists, John Rose, Saviz Shafaie, and Brian Arbogast de Hubert-Miller, have made it their mission to research and then address these issues, in letters and phone calls,
and in the board rooms of local media outlets. Their combined experience is both interesting and instructive.
Gay advocate John Rose, a native of Orlando, speaks adamantly about the issue of censorship and the need for a diverse, gay-affirming media in Central Florida. Years of activism have mellowed Rose somewhat, but a glimpse of his renowned verbal fireworks is always near the surface. Despite shortcomings, he notes with pleasure that “there has been soTrie substantial improvement concerning gays in the local media.”
Brian Arbogast de Hubert-Miller, a Community Advisory Board member at WMFE-Channel 24, was more guarded in his assessment of the local media. He maintains pointedly that “money talks,” and that money and politics in conservative Central Florida can be used against the unpopular or unempowered to trivialize and render them invisible.
Meanwhile, with the demeanor of a thoughtful pacifist, fellow Channel 24 Community Advisory Board member Saviz Shafaie notes that local media have moved away from a focus solely on the exotic and bizarre, like sex crimes and extremes in self-expression. He lauds the appearance of “some gay-sensitive material rather than none,” and he is cautiously optimistic about the future.
Supporting Shafaie’s optimism, Rose pride-fully notes the recent progress made at PBS affilliate Channel 24. (Note, Channel 24 was
Continued Page 8
CANDIDATES MEET FOR MBA FORUM
< Echoing Mmionofgay$
and lesbians, candidates for local elected office joined in a Candidates Forum sponsored by the Metropolitan Business Association, Thursday October 6 at the
Moderator Tom Dyer opened the forum, which featured a five minute presentation by each candidate followed by a brief question and answer period,: by explaining his criteria for choosing a candidate and issued that as a challen^ to each of the present-
ers, ^
“Before 1 consider voting for any person for any office, I ask myself it this is someone who will work to eradicate discrimination against gays and lesbians. And if it is not, 1 will not vote for them,H Dyer said,
, The first to meet Dyer’s challenge was Orange County Chairman candidate Fran Pignone, who has been an outspoken advocate of the gay and lesbian community, attending June’s Pride Parade as well as the Spectrum Awards. . , Continued Page 8
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LOCAL & STATE NEWS
DRIVER’S LICENSE APPLICANTS OFFERED HIV TEST
FORT MYERS (AP) - Lee County, which offered HIV tests at a high school health fair three years ago, is now setting up testing facilities at its driver’s license office. The county will become thie first in the state to offer the tests to people applying for a driver’s license. Testing began last week.
“It’s our belief the only way to combat this disease in an effective prevention program is to get out to the population,” said Mark Geisler, executive director of the County AIDS task force.
The tests are given in a small motor home belonging to the Lee County Public Health Unit on Fridays. The test costs $30. It will be free to anyone unable to pay. Results are confidential and take about three weeks. Lee County has 760 reported AIDS cases.
FORMER ORLANDO AN HEADS STONEWALL CINCINNATI
Former Orlando resident and gay activist, Cindy L. Abel, has been selected as the Executive Director of Stonewall Cincinnati. Cincinnati was thrust into the political spotlight in 1989, when local politicians sought to censor an exhibit of works by respected gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Since then, conservatives and gay activists in Cincinnati have clashed repeatedly.
Abel owned a marketing and public relations firm in Orlando, and served as vice president of the Rainbow Democratic Club. She was also a board member of the Metropolitan Business Association. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, and prior to accepting her current position was Director of the Privacy Project, and chair of Floridians United Against Discrimination.
Stonewall Cincinnati is a non-profit organization specializing in education and advocacy on behalf of lesbians and gay men.
HIV-AIDS INSTITUTE ENDS AFFILIATION WITH UCF
The HIV-AIDS Institute is leaving the University of Central Florida after an eight-year relationship. Founded in 1986, the Institute grew out of a grant from the Florida Department of Education and a need for current information on HIV disease. The Institute created UCF’s HIV-AIDS Education Office, which will remain at the university, and “Info-maniacs,” an award-winning peer education program.
Although never officially approved as an institute by the Board of Regents, UCF allowed it to be housed in the College of Health and Public Affairs. Funding for the Institute has come primarily from fund-raisers and grants.
Institute President Sharon E. Douglass stated that the Institute was never content to be campus bound. The Institute is presently seeking new office space. Anyone wishing to help should call (407) 679-9312.
ALACHUANS FIGHT TO KEEP ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTION
beyoad, Alachua County activists m fighting to maintain a county ordinance which includes sexual orientation in the county’s Human Rights Act
in Match, 1993* barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in any county business or employment standards*
Since then, die Concerned Citizens of Alachua County have collected enough signatures to enter two initiatives cm the November 8 ballot. The first —• County Initiative I - would remove the sexual orientation clause from the county’s Human Rights Act The second, Charter Amendment 1, would forever bar the inclusion of sexual orientation in county-wide discrimination protections.
In an effort to fight the Concerned Citizens of Alachua County, die “No On One” Coalition has been formed. According to spokesperson Georg Ketelhohn, “We are building coalitions in Alachua County which include business leaders, clergy* county and city commissioners, and university faculty who will be holding forums and press conferences to discuss too negative impact that such a measure would have on our community, We will also be mounting a media campaign, including radio, television and print advertising, which will get die message out to the voters,” Ketelhohn said.
The Concerned Citizens of Alachua County is rumored to be affiliated, at least unofficially, with the American Family Association and its leader, David
Qrlandoan Carol Bartsch, of the Florida Federal Advocacy Network (FAN) (affiliated with the nationwide Human Rights Campaign Fund], underscores die importance of the Alachua County referendum for the central Florida area. “As a university community* Alachua County is perceived as more progressive, We believe that die AFA thinks that if they can win in Alachua, it will only get easier for them, Orlando may very well be die next target,” Bartseh said,
House parties will be held in Orlando and across the state in the coming weeks to brief people on the events in Alachua County and to raise money for the effort to fight the initiative.
For more information on Oriandohouse parties to support“NoOnOne,“ contact Carol Bartsch at (407) 293-0240,
CANDIDATES
From Page 1
Pignone’s opponent in the November 8 election, incumbent Linda Chapin, declined, citing a previous engagement. Chapin did however send Shawn Rader, a friend of the chairman’s, to apologize for her absence.
Pignone spoke warmly of the gay and lesbian community as the emotional center of her candidacy.
“When I come to speak at a group like this, I’m at my most personal, my most emotional,” Pignone said. “You are my heart and soul.”
Pignone was at her most passionate when asked about the fate of culture and the arts in Orange County. As a lifelong devotee of opera, Pignone was one of the few county commissioners who voted to allot the last $50,000 in an attempt to save the symphony. She was saddened the attempt failed.
“Intuitively, I think it is easier to keep an institution alive than it is to recreate it. I know that we must try to keep these things — the arts, dance, opera — alive to give the people of our community, particularly the young people, options and outlets,” Pignone said.
County Commission District 6 incumbent Mabel Butler, however, was not as supportive of such a measure when she rose to give her presentation.
“I’m a B.B. King fan myself,” Butler said. Then turning more serious, Butler said that a county-funded institution like the symphony would better serve the entire community if it was made accessible to all of the citizens of the county.
“If the taxpayers of Orange County are going to pay for something like a symphony, bring it to all of the people. Don’t just leave it to those who can afford to pay for it,” Butler said.
During her remarks, Butler empathized with the gay community, saying that her life has been lived in the shadow of discrimination. She indicated she would be support-
ive of any measure that would ensure the protection of the rights of ays and lesbians.
“I’ve been discriminated against all my life.. .be it black.. .be it woman. I’m not for any kind of discrimination,” Butler said.
Butler’s opponent, Charlene Mitchell, did not respond to MBA’s invitation.
One of the warmest responses of the evening was reserved for Deborah Blechman, candidate for County Judge Group 5. As a long-time supporter of the gay and lesbian community, Blechman has become a regular figure at a number of gay and lesbian functions.
“I doubt there is anyone here who has not heard me speak,” she joked. Later in her remarks, she commented on the dilemma that is faced by candidates who publicly declare their support of gay and lesbian issues.
“When I received my invitation and saw that all of the candidates would be there, I thought ‘Oh, no.. .the mainstream press will be there.’ I wasn’t sure I had the courage to do it. I said to [Rainbow Democratic Club board member] Mark Anderson ‘Don’t make me target practice.’ When I got home,
COUNTY CHAIRMAN CANDIDATE FRAN PIGNONE: “You are my heart and soul.”
I was ashamed of myself for that...The problem is that there is a climate of hate andmtmeranceout there that is very frightening, even for me as a candidate,” Blechman said.
Blechman’s opponent, George Winslow, declined MBA’s invitation.
The forum attracted both candidates in only one race: Circuit Court Judge, Group 28. Roger McDonald, who has previously addressed MBA, spoke first. He discussed his position on gay and lesbian issues, as well as his support of Florida’s current privacy laws.
“We are lucky that in Florida we have one of the very few state constitutions which specifically refers to a right of privacy. The interpretation of that right will be left in the hands of the circuit and appellate court judges in the coming years. I am a firm believer in the right of privacy for all the citizens of the state, not just selected groups,” McDonald said.
McDonald’s opponent, Bob Wattles, followed him at the podium. In his candidacy, Wattles has declared that he will not accept campaign contributions from lawyers or
STATE SENATOR BUDDY DYER: “[ask why] some candidates aren’t here.”
law firms.
“As a judge, i must oifey »*Uit)fiaato gy,.
even playing field. Tcannotbe beholden to
anyone who comes into my courtroom,”he said during his remarks.
Incumbent District 14 State Senator Buddy Dyer was confrontational during his impromptu presentation.
“I’m not as polite as some of the other candidate who are here. I think you should think about what it means that some candidates aren’t here,” Dyer said. Dyer also railed against a wave of intolerance that exists in the Florida legislature.
“People like [State Senator] Ander Crenshaw can say something like ‘I won’t knowingly hire any gay people’ and somehow that is alright. It’s outrageous,” Dyer said.
Nancy Patterson, Dyer’s opponent, declined MBA’s invitation.
The final speaker in the forum was also its most emotional. Louise Ray, candidate ler State Representative, District 33, has made gay rights a central issue in her campaign to unseat Marvin Couch, who declined MBA’s invitation to attend.
WATERMARK / October 12, 1994 4
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
GAYS NATIONWIDE WORK TO RE-ELECT ROBB IN VIRGINIA
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Homosexuals across the country are working to re-elect Sen. Charles S. Robb, whom they regard as a leader with the courage to condemn discrimination against gays despite the obvious political risks. The Human Rights Campaign Fund, a national gay political action group based in Washington, has made Robb’s campaign against Republican nominee Oliver North one of its top priorities.
“The radical right views Chuck Robb’s convictions on lesbian and gay equality as a weakness, and will attempt to use this against him to defeat him,” executive director Tim McFeeley wrote members. “We need to prove that Chuck Robb can beat the radical right this year in Virginia.” The fund has contributed the maximum allowable, $10,000, and several members of the fund have held private fund-raisers, McFeeley said.
David Mixner, a gay-rights leader from California, mailed an appeal to several thousand homosexuals nationwide soliciting contributions for Robb.
At Richmond’s annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade earlier this month, some participants said they were motivated as much by support for Robb as they were by opposition to North. Robb, a Marine company commander in Vietnam, has spoken out for efforts to include gays in the military, provided they don’t engage in behavior that is disruptive or bad for morale. North, a Marine who also served in Vietnam, has been a strident critic of gays in the military, sending out fund-raising appeals that described President Clinton as “the point man...for the radical homosexual lobby.”
OPPONENTS OF ANTI-GAY PROPOSAL GAIN LEAD
BOISE, Id. (AP) - Opponents of the controversial Idaho anti-gay initiative have pulled out in front in their campaign against the Idaho Citizens Alliance, according to a new public opinion poll.
The poll, conducted for KTVB-TV in Boise, KHQ-TV in Spokane, Wash., and The Spokesman-Review newspaper’s Idaho edition, said 44 percent opposed the proposition while 35 percent supported it. The remaining 21 percent said they were undecided. The poll of 808 randomly selected registered voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The survey was conducted during the final three days of September.
The results on the anti-gay initiative, which would prohibit state or local laws protecting homosexuals from discrimination, were in direct contrast to another independent survey conducted about five weeks earlier. That poll by Greg Smith and Associates and Tracy Andrus had 49 percent of the respondents favoring the initiative and 43 percent opposing it with a margin of error of just under five percentage points.
Supporters of the initiative, which drew only a few thousand more valid signatures than required to win ballot status, say it is a pre-emptive strike against what they call the gay agenda. They claim it will only prohibit homosexuals from receiving special rights. But critics, who include virtually every civic and political leader in the state, have called it a bigoted, divisive proposal that would actually strip homosexuals of their basic civil rights.
Because of the strident language being used in the debate, some analysts are concerned that the undecided bloc in all the polls are actually supporters who do not want to admit to holding a position that many see as hateful.
MARYLAND APPEALS COURT TO DECIDE VISITATION RIGHTS OF GAY FATHER
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - David K. North can visit his three daughters for several hours on the weekend, during the daytime only. No holidays, no overnight visits.
That’s because a judge doesn’t believe the gay, HIV-positive North - now living with his lover - can be trusted to hide his homosexuality from his children.
North’s appeal of that 1993 ruling has given the Maryland Court of Special Appeals its first chance to decide whether homosexuality is a reason to limit the rights of a parent. “It’s a very important question. We need more loving parents rather than fewer, and to disqualify a homosexual because of that status is a pretty outrageous thing to do,” said Stuart Comstock-Gay, head of the American Civil Liberties Union in Maryland, which is helping represent North.
North’s former wife, Kathryn Dionne North, had sought to terminate his visitation rights completely after learning that her ex-husband, a former Baptist minister, is gay. Instead, a judge denied North overnight visits with the girls, ages 9, 6 and 3, letting him have unsupervised visits on Saturdays and Sundays.
In 21 of 25 states where the issue has been decided at the appellate level, courts ruled that a parent’s rights cannot be limited solely because he or she is homosexual and living with a lover, said Natalie H. Rees, a lawyer appointed by the appeals court to represent the girls. In June, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned a judge’s ruling denying a lesbian custody of her son. The judge had ruled that being a lesbian made her an unfit mother.
Mrs. North allowed liberal visits until North told her in 1992 that he is gay and that he and friend, David York, were involved in a relationship.
One reason Circuit Judge Audrey Melbourne cited in limiting North’s visitation rights was that he could not be trusted since he continued to have sex with his wife after learning he had the AIDS virus. “The court finds that the defendant is not candid, is not responsible and is deceitful,” Melbourne said. “The court will therefore not trust defendant’s promise not to display his homosexual lifestyle to the children.”
Gerald Solomon, one of North’s lawyers, agreed it was wrong for North to continue having sex with his wife. But Solomon said North’s ability to care for the children is all that matters in the pending dispute. And the lawyer noted that state social and mental health workers said North was a good father and the girls enjoyed their visits with him and York. Both agencies supported liberal visitation rights. North said Thursday he did not know when the court would rule on his appeal.
North wants his daughters for overnight visits, holidays and vacations and said he would not do anything that might expose them to the virus.
The former minister, who once preached that homosexuality is a sin, also wants to tell his children that he is gay and would like his former wife to join the discussion. “But given her adamant feelings about the evils and abomination of homosexuality,” he said, “that’s just not going to happen.”
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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
DISCRIMINATION SUIT AGAINST GOLF CLUB REINSTATED BY GAY MAN
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A discrimination suit by a gay man against a golf club that rejected his membership application has been revived by a state appeals court.
Thomas Sherck said his sponsors withdrew their support of his membership application to the California Golf Club of San Francisco after learning he was homosexual, because the club did not want homosexuals as members. He sued both the club and his sponsors, Dennis and Ray Youngdahl, under the state’s Unruh Act, which prohibits businesses from discriminating against customers on various grounds. State courts have ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation is banned by the law.
The club, which is based in South San Francisco, argued that Sherck was rejected solely because his application was not sponsored by two members, as its bylaws required. A San Mateo County Superior Court judge agreed with those arguments and dismissed the suit, but it was reinstated by the 1st District Court of Appeal in a ruling made public Thursday.
Sherck quoted the club’s membership committee as asking him whether a bar that he owned was a “straight bar.” That evidence, which was rejected as irrelevant by the Superior Court judge, is relevant to the question of whether Sherck was excluded because of his homosexuality, the court said.
Sherck also said a friend quoted Dennis Youngdahl as saying, “How dare you ask us to bring in a gay guy?” Though it is hearsay, that statement is admissible against the club, as a “declaration against interest,” because the Youngdahls were the club’s representatives, the court said.
RELIGIOUS PROTESTERS CONDEMN GAY PARADE
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - Hundreds of people, some dressed or cross-dressed in wild clothes and colors, marched through Johannesburg on Saturday to celebrate gay and lesbian rights in post-apartheid South Africa. A handful of religious protesters condemned the marchers, but the procession was mostly a festive affair that ended with a party in a city park.
Paul Stobbs, chairman of the Johannesburg gay and lesbian pride parade, said South Africa’s new constitution was the only one in the world that prohibited discrimination against sexual orientation. The constitution took effect with the nation’s first all-race election in April that ended white rule and brought Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress to power. Similar marches have occurred in previous years despite South Africa’s strong religious heritage that condemns homosexuality.
To a heavy disco drumbeat, the male and female marchers - some dressed in satin, lace or leather - snaked through downtown streets to the amusement of most onlookers and the dismay of others.
“Sodomites, turn or bum, Jesus saves lives,” said a placard held by one protester. A marcher hit at a poster and organizers had to prevent other scuffles from breaking out. Reacting to heckling from protesters, a group of women marchers chanted: “Two, four, six, eight, how do you know your wife is straight?”
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HEALTH & HIV NEWS
TEST MAY HELP MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF AIDS TREATMENT
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (AP) - A new test for measuring how much of the HIV virus an infected person is carrying could help scientists determine what treatments are best for controlling the virus that causes AIDS.
“It is possible, and I think probable, that these tools may be able to predict more accurately which treatments will be most effective in managing HIV infection,” said Dr. James Rooney, associate director of the infectious diseases department at RTP’s Burroughs Wellcome Co. The British drug company discovered AZT, the first treatment for AIDS.
Scientists say the standard blood test now used to detect AIDS is reliable, but may not detect antibodies until several months after the virus has invaded the body. It also does not work for the newborn babies of HIV-positive parents.
A new test created by scientists at Roche Biomedical Laboratories has been able to detect the virus before antibodies appear, said Dr. Bruce McCreedy, the company’s director of infectious diseases and clinical trials. The test became available in April and is one of two methods for measuring a patient’s “viral load” - the amount of genetic material from HIV in the blood plasma.
Roche Molecular Systems is in the early stages of developing a test kit allowing doctors and researchers to use the new technology. The test is now only available as a paid service through the company.
STUDY DETERMINES MOTHER TO CHILD AIDS SPREAD
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A study of AIDS-infected mothers found that the more virus they carry in their blood, the greater the chance they will pass it on to their babies just before birth or during delivery.
The research suggests that checking a mother’s viral levels during pregnancy can guide doctors in choosing the right drugs to protect the unborn.
It also helps explain why only about 1 in 4 infected mothers not treated with anti-AIDS drugs actually passes the virus on.
AIDS infections in newborns are particularly devastating, often killing youngsters much faster than adults who catch the virus. Recently, doctors have found that giving pregnant women the AIDS drug AZT can significantly lower the transmission rate, from 25 percent to 8 percent.
Dr. Barbara Weiser of the New York state Health Department presented the latest work, conducted on 27 HIV-infected pregnant women, at a conference Wednesday of the American Society for Microbiology held in Orlando.
Currently, pregnant women who are infected receive AZT pills beginning at 14 weeks of pregnancy and intravenous AZT during labor. Babies also receive the drug during their first six weeks of life.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 6,600 HIV-infected women gave birth last year, and they had 1,720 infected babies.
The CDC’s Dr. Susan F. Davis said that if all of them had gotten AZT, as many as 1,200 of these newborn infections could have been prevented.
Doctors believe the risk of transmission from mother to child is highest late in pregnancy and during childbirth.
HISPANIC WOMAN WARNS COMMUNITY OF ITS ENHANCED RISK
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Stubborn cultural traditions increase the risk of AIDS in the Hispanic community, says a Tampa-area woman.
Maria Caride, 27, has educated herself since she being positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in 1990. Now she goes anywhere she can to educate Hispanics about AIDS prevention. But education is difficult in a culture where talk of sexuality and condom use is taboo, she said. “I was never taught about sex and condom use. If someone would have taught me about safe sex, I wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
Hispanics are contracting the disease faster than any other ethnic group, according to the U.S. surgeon general.
While Hispanics make up about 10 percent of the nation’s population, they account for 19 percent of AIDS cases in the country. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Hispanic women represent one-third of all new AIDS cases.
Hispanic AIDS activists say until Hispanics overcome cultural differences and shatter the stigma associated with the disease, the numbers will only get worse.
Women in Hispanic families simply don’t talk about sex, activists say. Hispanic men present a different set of problems, they say. Attitudes about sex are often primitive, and
males are encouraged to be dominant. The Latin machismo eschews condoms - studies show Latin men just won’t wear them, the Hispanic activists complain. Then there is the influence of the Roman Catholic church, which has espoused abstinence over condoms.
“Hispanics prefer to cover up the problem instead of dealing with it,” said Hispanic AIDS activist Olga Companioni of Tampa.
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WATERMARK / October 12, 1994 7
BUSINESS
BUSINESS PROFILE
by April L. Gustetter
THE VERANDA
|p.Fburteeo ojontdrs'
the city ofiQrlando, In Feburary of this year, that changed/ Colb^ was;:i|^riruEMfc^!|f :
fortunately Blair and bis business partner, Steve Norris, coaid not begin tapping that potential until they knew their legal parameters.
Directly due to Biair’s perseverance, the laws necessary to own and operate . 'such ah establishment were passed on February 21,1994, Subsequently he and Steve begap renovations. .||^';||d
doyn^?w^ It is now this city’s first legitimate bed-and breakfast
“It took going to City Ball every day for eight months, but we got the laws passed They state that a bed-and-breakfast cart have no more than eight rooms to keep the residential look, and that anything!^ must MIow the standards and pld||^
Owners* Background
. Blair Colby, 27, has worked in the hospitality industry <6r over 5 years, Travelingthrough Ewopeahd
|| Steve Norris* 41, has worked for Northwest Airlines for more than 14 years and. is also experienced
Concept for the Veranda
HI .l|ih|e writing at tlte
the |igher-end Corporate clientele, His clients, such as IBM and Orlando Re-■gibnal ’||i
desire fe have mom luxiu’ipns antj
to be comfortable wlllt ||e |ivera^ie foc^I|
look, not to mention the service. I was getting really frustrated, because 1 was out on .the streets working hard to get these accounts and we couldn’t keep them/’ III 'Thus, the qbykmS'hM'tOprpdM^ initiated. Aceoiding'tp:Blai|:':fe establishments, and ||||§§^
notion bf hanging a sip a*^':'tpltiftg in-
volved footwork of acmaily gpng bed-and-breakfast
III Once the legalities were resolved, consjtru^ip ::
intense* nonstop, get»in«thererand-do-ibwfe jUj
hanging, of the sign d»s very day of the Grand Opening gg$jy on September 10i| 1994. 'Hie transfbrmat!on;fi^:h^ to a high southern style bed-and-breakfast seemedftlp&
lion, location, location. “Steve and I both live in downtown Orlando, so we know ; what a gieatnepborhood isf; anbl|!tbe;$pi|>qf^te|
on Robinson and we wanted itobe knew the neighborhood was goiiig.tOchanp,
'• “We wanted a redly southern, plantation-style home feeling about the place,” Blair added, “and we*re very please<|.;wi^.:lpy ,w|ft ifMi cpe ||l|||jp^*.::: and-groove of course),
swan-neck commode bases* bn-lipc airconditioning, soundproof walls, berber carpet, fine; ait
richly appointed, haven. Each, room has i^::9pspi||||iu|ing;
Southern, and Europa.
Target Market
The Vbranda was bupt primarily for the corporate traveler, but as Blair ex-plained, “that usually
on the weekends, but because we Cap pstly?;p>. t||Mp^ate ;ippch|||9n|a^; through Friday is our busiesttime.
II “We don’t want to limit ourselves to Just the corporate traveler, tatgh, We welcome the gay market. espei^i|&llp§1^^
shown an interest in the Veranda, as well - often for family members coming in to do the tourist thing - but business has been so good that many have had to wait to even see the rooms.
Range of Cost
III ThiPgh the end of till
rooms hie
who simply wishes toiavb a ^ondeirful htglit’s'sleep,i|i| possess thd fine touches
The Veranda * 115 N.WmM^rUn Ave* * Orlando * (407) SdmBWM
MORE COMPANIES ADD DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS
(AP) - In quest of a better image and better talent, companies are increasingly seeking domestic partner benefits for their employees. Susan Leahy of Blue Cross/Blue Shield MA -Inc., the largest U. S. health insurer to provide domestic partner coverage to customers and employees, explains that, “In a vastly competitive market for health services, companies are looking for ways to attract candidates and maintain a workforce.” Many companies hesitate to insure same-sex couples, worrying that it will increase AIDS claims.
However, Andrew Sherman, vice president of the Segal Co. and one of the forces behind the Blue Cross and Lotus domestic partners coverage, says that gay couples may actually be less expensive to cover because they are often younger and usually don’t have children. Sherman explains that domestic partners coverage is “a recognition of human capital, wanting to have the best employees possible. A lot of companies have already put non-discrimination policies in place and see this as a continuation.”
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WATERMARK / October 12, 1994 8
COVER STORY
LOCAL MEDIA
From Page 1
contacted for this article. Assistant to Executive Vice-President Malcom Wall promised a statement, but none was forthcoming). Rose believes that previous impasses between Channel 24 and Central Florida’s gay community have been turned into a “win-win situation.”
When Tongues Unta documentary about gay blacks, was shown in 1991, Channel 24 received numerous complaints. The documentary was brash and graphic. In your face, so to speak, and while not patently offensive, Rose laughs, “perhaps not wholly representative of the entire gay community.” But then in the summer of 1992, PBS affiliates were offered the much milder drama, The Lost Language of Cranes, a family tale about a gay son and his troubled father who begins to recognize his own homosexual tendencies. The film was never shown by Channel 24, presumably because of a gay kiss and a chaste bedroom scene. Offended by this unacceptable censorship of a widely-praised film, local progressives and gays
Saviz Shafaie: “Gays need to take the initiative.”
organized and demanded to be heard. Challenged outright, Channel 24 set up a series of community meetings. But according to Rose, Channel 24 sought to intimidate the 50 gays and lesbians in attendance by separating them from a “mainstream” liberal group consisting of the ACLU, Central Floridians United Against Censorship, and others committed to free speech issues.
There was a firestorm of criticism, but after a series of meetings protesters were told the film would not be aired on Channel 24. Despite this negative result, Rose feels that consciousness was raised. He described the meeting as the first “give and take” between a local TV station and the progressive/gay community, and a real learning experience for all parties involved.
In particular, Channel 24 learned that they
could negotiate reasonably with this segment of the population, and in fact, they accepted many of the protesters’ proposals. Two representatives from the progressive/ gay community were added to the Channel 24 Community Advisory Board. Importantly, a policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was included in Channel 24’s equal employment opportunity guidelines. Rose was quick to assert that for the most part the employees at Channel 24 are gay-friendly. “It’s the management who worry unduly about losing donor support.”
Shafaie remembered the foregoing events very well. But accentuating the positive, he described programming such as Silverlake Life, which he characterized as a “tasteful special” about a gay couple dealing with AIDS. He also noted Bill Moyer’s supportive special on the Colorado anti-gay referendum, and the indefatigable John Rose’s appearance on Channel 24’s locally produced talk show, Opinion Street.
Rose referred to himself as the show’s first “token gay panelist.” The show was heavily edited, but Rose was able to make some points. When guest panelist George Crossley, a fundamentalist preacher, simplis-tically blurred AIDS and homosexuality, Rose jumped. He detailed soundly how the HIV virus is rampant among heterosexuals in sub-Saharan countries in Africa, as well as in the United States. AIDS, he assured Crossley, is a universal disease—not a uniquely gay disease.
Like many PBS affiliates, Channel 24 is a financially tight ship. Rose indicated that the mobile nature of the Central Florida community creates a relative lack of consumer support for public broadcasting, and thus an increased “dependence on local business and foundations.” The same observation was made by Orlando Sentinel columnist and former TV writer Greg Dawson in a recent Watermark interview. Such dependence can lead to undue influence. Homophobic attitudes can creep in and sway programming judgment.
A case in point was the highly rated Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City. Ironically, Tales' twentysomething lead gay character, Michael Tolliver, hails from orange-grove Orlando. The program aired was sanitized.. .pixilated.. .to avoid shocking perceived local sensibilities. What was fuzzed out? A little adult language and brief, shadowy nudity in bohemian San Francisco. Despite the thunderous success of this production nationwide, PBS responded to the outcry of a few conservative Congressmen by cancelling a proposed sequel. Regardless of the package or production, it seems that homosexuality is an uncomfortable issue for local public broadcasting.
Brian Arbogast de Hubert-Miller agrees, but has a stronger assessment of the role played by Channel 24 management. He is adamantly more interested in results...in programming.. .and not surface phraseology. While he conceded that there have been “some technical improvements” in the
Brian Arbogast de Hubert-Miller: “Money Talks.”
management’s recognition of sexual minorities, he avowed that “there has been no progress in programming whatsoever since we [Shafaie and Arbogast] came aboard.” Arbogast was disappointed that Channel 24, citing scheduling and economic difficulties, recently chose not to rebroadcast Tales of the City and The Lost Language of the Cranes. They also chose not to show related interviews with Armistead Maupin and AIDS activist Larry Kramer.
Arbogast depicts Channel 24’s board of trustees as “extremely conservative,” and described himself and Shafaie as being “token members of the Community Advisory Board.” He elaborated that the organization “listens behind the scenes but does nothing up front.” According to Arbogast, Channel 24 is decidely “not proactive” and they repeatedly need to be “prodded.” He underscored the fact that Orlando is a conservative stronghold with little visible gay leadership, unlike New York, Boston, or San
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A recent programming change has thrown an additional kink into the advancement of gay-themed programming at Channel 24. Rose called it “limited purchasing programming,” which means they now buy programming from PBS in blocks, then choose programs from within that block. Arbogast noted that this arrangement may be of “strategic benefit” to the heterosexist Channel 24 Board of Trustees by providing them with “plausible deniability” to “subtly neglect” gay-themed programming; to “backslide while a cadre of conservatives in Congress argue over the direction of PBS.” Channel 24 recently dropped the issue-oriented Point of View, for instance, which included a gay-themed segment. The net result, according to Arbogast, is that reluctant, indifferent, and cautious corporate donors such as SunBank and General Mills are being appeased.
One note of success that Shafaie decribed was the March, 1994, Channel 24 pledge campaign. Openly gay and lesbian volunteers raised $7,349 in audience pledges, exceeding expected goals. Although an audience boycott was mildly anticipated by Channel 24 management, they openly presented the names of a cross-section of gay and lesbian organizations during breaks from a Peter, Paul, and Mary concert.
When questioned about local network affiliates, Channels 2,6 and 9, Rose, Shafaie and Arbogast described a common tendency to sensationalize. On a national level, say with Barbara Walters, there appears to be discernible sensitivity towards gays, but this has not trickled down to the intensely competitive local market.
Arbogast specifically criticized Channel 6, noting that when they report on gays, it is usually with an unnecessarily provincial tone. Rose also jumped on 6, noting that their “tendency to sensationalize inspires the worst bigots.” Channel 6 was also one of the
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WATERMARK / October 12, 1994 9
COVER STORY
Tales of the City. Visually censored by Channel 24.
LOCAL MEDIA
From Page 8
few CBS affiliates to yank Other Mothers, an after-school special about a lesbian couple and their teenage son, from broadcast. Rose characterized this as overreaction to a call-in campaign by fundamentatist Christians. He notes that the special was devoid of any racy or sexual content, unlike the “straight” soaps broadcast the same afternoon.
With respect to Channel 2, Arbogast figuratively rolled his eyes, offering his opinion that the station has “sunk to new lows” with “inflammatory” investigative reports. In a recent sweeps week expose, 2 reporter Scott Hanson looked for sex in public parks and discovered a pair of anonymous “homosexuals.” Rose also bemoaned cashing in with this unrepresentative and misleading titilla-tion. Rose accused Channel 2 of “painting with too wide a brush,” and noted the absence of coverage on the rise of courtship and marriage among lesbians and gay men.
Channel 9 was notably more balanced while openly gay weatherman Burd Bullock was alive, according to Arbogast. Today, he says, treatment of lesbians and gay men on 9 is tolerant, though superficial. But the perceived impact of Bullock’s presence at Channel 9 demonstrates the significance of a surprising fact. Not one of the three local network affiliates includes “sexual orientation” in their employee non-discrimination policies. In fact, rumors aside, there are no openly gay or lesbian local broadcast personalities. Whether consciously or by neglect, the message is clear: sexual minorities are not openly encouraged in local broadcast media.
Orlando’s largest and most influential media outlet, The Orlando Sentinel, also has no specific, codified employment protection based on sexual orientation. Supervisor Chris Austin points out, however, that the Sentinel's owner, the Tribune Company, has a “diversity program which includes some sensitivity training” on minorities, including gays.
In terms of content, the Sentinel is dismayingly inconsistent in its approach towards lesbians and gay men. lire Sentinel has demonstrated balanced coverage and steady improvement in news and editorial content, while remaining timid and provincial in policies relating to advertising.
Arbogast, who plays close attention to the Sentinel's content, states that he has seen “increased coverage” on gay-related events and topics. But he notes that, in terms of headline prominence, placement and pictures, coverage of sex crimes involving two males is still sensational and unbalanced. For example, Dr. William Zink’s high profile and controversial case alleging molestation of young male patients was front page news. Crimes against young female minors are rarely publicized or explored in such detail.
As a result, Arbogast argues, “the public [not only] receives a distorted impression of the nature of sex crimes,” but far worse, the public receives a muted impression of the prevalence of healthy, adult same-sex relationships. In fact, such relationships are largely ignored by the Sentinel.. .except in their lucrative TelePersonals section, where such relationships may be sought for a price.
In a broader context, Arbogast notes that there is “disproportionate coverage of the ‘antisocial’ behavior of minorities,” reinforcing their marginalization and scapegoating as “other” and “not mainstream.” Even so, he observes that newspaper coverage of gay issues has improved, particularly with increased wire service coverage. The Sentinel also recently launched a campaign to recognize diversity and increase coverage of minorities. And specific columnists have consistently written thoughtful columns on gay-related issues. Greg Dawson, Jay Boyar, Bob Morris and Myriam Marquez stand out.
Some Sentinel style policies remain laughably outdated and illogical, however. Although the words “gay,” “lesbian,” and “homosexual” are allowed in news and editorial pieces, Sentinel policy apparently limits or forbids their use in classified ad-
vertising. Repeated attempts to clarify these policies went unanswered, but the experience of two local businesses is instructive. In June of this year, Watermark's editor and publisher, Tom Dyer, attempted to place an employment ad in the Sentinel: “Advertising Sales Manager for gay and lesbian publication.” The ad was accepted but then changed to “alternative lifestyle publication” without notice. Dyer complained, and his original ad was run after he convinced management that the words “gay and lesbian” described the nature of the job, not the employee sought.
Just a month later, Stephen De Matteis of Pre-Flight Travel Services had a similar experience when seeking a “Travel Agent with gay/lesbian travel experience.” Again, the Sentinel had to be convinced to run the ad as requested.
On a more positive note, the Sentinel recently revised its policy regarding the listing of gay companions in obituary notices. It now does so with the permission of the family via funeral directors. Sadly, it may be in the obituaries that healthy gay relationships are first recognized by mainstream media, and that many lesbians and gay men first become visible.
Looking to the future, Rose notes the need for openly gay news people and media board members. He cites the Woodard case (see story this issue) and its impact on the demise of former Orange County Sheriff Walt Gallagher as a positive example of the power of the press to do good for the gay community.
Shafaie calls for gays to “take the initiative [with local media] and speak with a clear voice.” Arbogast warns against prior negative conditioning, and suggests the need to build stronger alliances and coalitions within the gay community. He also observes that in some situations, nothing works like “picketers beating the bushes.” Ultimately, decision makers in local media are governed by both the bottom line and by the limiting psychological dynamics of perceived difference.
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WATERMARK / October 12,1994 10
VIEWPOINT
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).
ThA c fficial 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
;■ WaterMark welconi^s your •: Letters to the Editoiv^til
I!
editing for content and 5; length. Let&rsifehjdSl sent to:
0. Box;5336^1i®ll Orlando, |i|||||i||||
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I read with interest your article in Issue 1.02 entitled “Gayby Boom.” I’ve wanted children for 20 years! I’m not sure how to go about it. I am single, secure and mature. Plus my job allows plenty of time. Do you know of any database or groups or some way of getting people together like myself who want to have kids other than the conventional way? I’d like to know. Thanks.
Scot
We’re not aware of any groups like the one you described, but we suggest you con-
tact GLCS at 425-4527 and post something with them. You may also want to use CompuWho (advertised in this issue) as a data source. Also take a look at our classified ads for a kindred spirit.
Editor
Thank you for sharing the story of our August 15 wedding. We both felt honored (and flattered) to appear on the front page story last issue. Gary Fowler did a terrific job putting that piece together. We really enjoyed doing the interview. What a
friendly and professional staff you have at Watermark!
After we saw the front page photo, however, we realized we had neglected to give credit to our wedding photographer. She did such a fantastic job and the photos came out great. If you need a photographer, for a wedding or otherwise, we recommend her to you: Astarita Art & Photo.
One wonderful side aspect of the wedding was discovering the number of resources available within our community. For example, we registered for gifts at Scott Laurent Galleries in Winter Park. They welcomed our patronage.
Shelbie Press printed our wedding invitations. They made us feel completely relaxed and comfortable as we made our choices of paper, ink, etc. Where in the world would you go for same sex wedding invitations?
There are so many who helped make our wedding a success. To our family and friends, we thank you. And to those of you in our community who provided the much needed and appreciated services, thanks for being there.
(Mrs.) Carol Bartsch & Kim Newton
Best wishes and remember to announce
your first anniversary with us.
Editor
Dear Miss O’Lay,
I want to let you know how much I enjoy your column. Your work gives Watermark balance. In fact, I did NOT appreciate the reader’s letter that appeared in Watermark assailing your column. I would like to tell that person to his face that he would NOT be able to write letters to Gay publications had it not been for the efforts of the people who frequented the Stonewall on that fateful night in 1969. What the Gay community does not need at the present time is divisiveness; what it DOES need is a more tolerant attitude... all for one and one for all... as well as a sense of humor.
I always believe in giving credit when credit is due. Keep up the good work!
Most Sincerely,
Jim C.
Miss O’Lay conveys her appreciation. She lives for her fans. If you would like an autographed 8x10 glossy, send $2 and a self-addressed scented envelope do this publication.
Editor
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WATERMARK / October 12,1994 11
VIEWPOINT
DONALD
by James A. Crescitelli
You never know whether or not the last time you see somebody is going to truly be the LAST time. We humans are blessed with brains and emotions and the capacity to love, but are nonetheless incapable of predicting the events in our lives.
Everybody had a best friend in high school, and mine was Donald. We debuted as gay teenagers in our senior year and immediately began sneaking off to the bars. We were young New Yorkers in the early ‘seventies, able to do anything, and the city was our oyster.
We thought we were the most enticing creatures on earth. Week after week, month after month, we posed and preened and drank innumberable gallons of white wine, all in pursuit of, hopefully, being noticed.
We rarely were. Glamorous and sophisticated as we appeared to one another, we invariably ended up on the subway with only each other, heading back to Brooklyn.
“There’s something wrong with us,” Donald said one night as we left the West Village. “We spend too much time with each other looking AT men instead of concentrating on looking FOR men.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I yawned.
“People must think you and I are lovers, because we’re always together.”
“Yeah.”
It was true; we went to school together and cruised the clubs together; we had dinner with each other, went to Broadway, the movies, galleries...
“We’re lovers without the sex,” Donald
decided another time. “Right?”
I agreed, “Sad, isn’t it?”
The few times we did manage to meet somebody were when Donald or I found ourselves alone for a few minutes, usually when one of us had to use the restroom. Then the suitors would pounce - never the ones we wanted, but suitors nonetheless. They would all ask the same thing: “Is that
Glamorous and sophisticated as we appeared to one another, we invariably ended up on the subway with only each other, heading back to Brooklyn.
other guy your lover?” Donald and I would laugh about them on the phone the next morning, wondering how two handsome creatures like ourselves were constantly striking out on the field of love.
It went on like that for a few years, and then I moved to Florida. I read To Kill A Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind in eighth grade and decided “the South” was where I wanted to be; I vowed to one day relocate somewhere below the Mason-Dixon line. Nobody told me at the time that Orlando hardly brought to mind the kudzu-
covered South featured in those books, but I chose Orlando because I had a friend living there.
Donald was beside himself. He wanted to fold himself into my suitcase and come with me, but this was something I had to do alone.
We kept in touch and saw each other at Christmas when I would fly up to be with my family. We would drag out the yearbook and monopolize gatherings at friends’ homes with detailed analyses of our fellow graduates.
He would tell me how popular he had suddenly become, and I suppose it was the lack of my presence during his now-solo Saturday nights that persuaded him to test his wings.
And fly he did.
The last time I saw him was a year before he died, but I had spoken to him not two weeks prior to his entering the hospital. Our phone call had been the usual three-hour remembrance of things past, with updates thrown in for good measure. Donald had recently lost his mother, and he was
telling me how strange he felt and how much he missed her.
“It’s like she’s waiting for me,” he said, and I was chilled.
I heard through "..other friend that Donald had collapsed w home and had to be taken to the emergency room. A couple of frantic phone calls to his hospital bed went unanswered, and then, after two weeks, he was gone. I would never see him or talk to him again; I had had no idea our last telephone conversation was going to be just that.
Friends told me he went quickly. The news filtering back to me was heartbreaking: “He could hardly even write us notes.” “That hospital he was in had no idea how to treat AIDS patients.” “He didn’t have to die from pneumonia.”
I went up for the funeral, a crowded Irish affair, and saw the faces of friends, shocked, older. Did I look like that?
I’d known him for such a terribly short time. As I said, we never know.
And now I can finally say goodbye.
DON’T LOOK SO DYKEY
by Rosanne Sloan
“Don’t look so dykey,” I heard Donna say the day my picture was taken for the paper. “Don’t look so dykey,” she cried. But when I was growing up, no one told me I didn’t have to be a man to love a woman.
I was the neighborhood tomboy. No one messed around with me, boys or girls. If you were a part of my gang, no one bothered you either. By the time I was six, I had already promised Patty Arnold, with her blonde bologna curls, that we would get married, have two kids, and I would go to work and make lots of money. By eighth grade I had other girls fighting over taking care of my tree fort, making me heart-shaped angel food cakes and bandaging my scrapes. So many that I had forgotten about Patty.
This was a pivotal point in my “gay” life. (I didn’t consider myself a lesbian yet. I was too tough to be one of “those.”) It was eighth grade graduation from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, and all the girls
were shopping with their mothers for pretty, white, Laura Ashley dresses. I told my mother under no circumstances would I wear one of “those.” I had to wear a skirt for school, but now I was going to wear what I wanted. So we went to Lord & Taylor’s and bought a very nice, pleated, beige, three-piece suit. At graduation, I couldn’t help noticing that the other girls looked beautiful, and I was “handsome”. For one brief moment, with their eyes twinkling at me, I wondered if I could be more like them.
Had I had a role model like Amanda Bearse, perhaps I would have learned earlier than age 22 that is was okay for a woman to love another woman, and I, too, was a beautiful “lesbian.” It was along hard journey from that eighth grade of 1979 to the family gathering in the winter of 1986, yet some things seemed unchanged. I wished my breasts were bigger when the
waitress turned to my mother and said, “My, you have two handsome sons.” And my mother, darting daggers at me, silently screaming, “See. Why do you have to look so dykey?” I could hear Barbara Streisand as Yentl singing in my head, “Look how easily I fool them. They may have eyes, but they don’t see. They never really look at me. People are blind.”
My style was always the tailored look. I first justified this preference by calling it my Catholic-school-preppy look; later it was my androgynous look. Women seemed to like it - enough to fall in love with me -but then each would begin trying to change
.. .1 wished my breasts were bigger when the waitress turned to my mother and said, “My, you have two handsome sons. ”
me. It usually started with the length of my hair, then some make up, some nail polish, and finally, ultimately, “let’s get rid of these clothes!”
“Wait a minute!” I’d snap, “There’s the
front door, thank you - I like myself as I am.” Wasn’t it enough for them to love the woman I was in bed? The soft and tender girl longing to be loved in her satin boxers and ginny-t’s? Wasn’t it that person in pleated Gap pants, pocket T and worn penny loafers that captufSd'TTtew-atwnTWrr to begin with? I refused to deny what I was; a lesbian with a masculine flair.
Yes, indeed.. .a long, hard journey from the summer of 1979; yet some things have changed. My mother called this morning to tell me she has made an appointment for a family portrait. There is a stipulation, though. In her most authoritatively feminine voice she tells me not to dress “casual.” I know what she means by that.. .no manly attire. She waits for a fight but I don’t give her the satisfaction. Instead, I tell her not to worry, that I have the perfect outfit in mind; a one-piece dress with a vest, finished off with my pearls and small heels. Okay, the dress is pleated and the collar is tailored, but I like it that way. It’s my Catholic-school-preppy look. And my mother will think Donna has done wonders with me by making me quite the femme. The truth is, I can see the woman in me through Donna’s eyes, because she loves all of me, including the strength of my body, heart and mind. Every day I get to wear what I want. Why should this occasion be any different?
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Members of the lesbian a cappella group, THE RHYTHM METHOD (plus one) at the Kickoff Fundraiser for the Orlando Gay Chorus: (clocwise from left) Michelle D’Arcy, Meladye Shively, April Gustetter, Rachael Hazen, and Marla VUbsson.
HARMONIC CONVERGENCE
Colorado’s The Rhythm Method
by April L. Gustetter
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon when four women from Denver, Colorado sat down to be interviewed before going to a soundcheck for their next gig. The kickoff fundraiser for the Orlando Gay Chorus’ musical season would soon be competing with the weather, but neither their harmony nor spirits would dampen. Later that night, they would stand under a tent as the heavens opened, singing a cappella to a modest but appreciative crowd. The lesbian a cappella singing group is The Rhythm Method (TRM), and if you missed them in person, pick up one of their CDs or cassettes at Out & About - a unique and delightful sound (and a fun bunch o’ gals).
Like all good harmony, this group is made up of distinct voices. As one of three original members of TRM, Michelle D’Arcy began her musical journey in grade school, singing in the chorus and competing in performances with her french horn. Perky and petite with dark, bright eyes, she hails from a singing family, has sung all her life, and (yes) plays guitar.
Witty and outgoing, Marla Wasson is another original member. She is the daughter of barber shop quartet singers, and a sister among five siblings who, growing up, stood around the piano while her mother played. Originally a music major, Marla switched her academic direction to business .. .which has obviously come in handy being a singer. (Right.)
Meladye Shively is the third original member of the group, and another brought-up-on-music-guitar-playing gal. Meladye’s penchant for melody took her straight to voice lessons in high school (hated it) and, of course, the chorus. Meladye and Marla are life partners who chuckle when explaining how much togetherness that entails.
The last to join, but certainly not the least, Rachael Hazen revealed, “My very first solo was in second grade - I sang ‘Rocky Mountain High’ in my music class.’’ From there, she did the choir/chorus thing throughout her academic career,
and performed in as many productions as she could. Rachael writes and arranges many of the songs, and when she has hair, she’s the only blonde in the group.
When asked about the group’s name, all four members chattered at once. Rachael spoke above the others, “We all had the assignment of coming up with a name, so I went home and called one of my old girlfriends. We agreed that the name had to have something to do with sex, because if it didn’t it wouldn’t be marketable.” Apparently, by the exclamations of the others, this was a never-before-told version of the story, so we all listened with interest.
“She was in Maryland and I was in Colorado, so we both whipped out our copies of Our.Bodies and Ourselves, flipped through the book, and there it was....” Rachael trailed off, but Meladye piped in. “When Rachael came and told us what she and Kate thought of, I immediately liked it, because -1 didn’t even think about the sex thing -1 just loved it because it was like ‘pun intended’ - we’re a lesbian quartet, and I thought it was a great little left hook to all those Catholics!” Everyone roared in agreement, and the tone of the interview was set; even in conversation, they teamed up splendidly.
“We’re an a cappella-out-lesbian group, which I think makes us unique,” said Marla with a trace of defiance. “We’re right out there with our work. We don’t change pronouns, we write songs about girls and we sing songs about girls.” Asked about their beginnings, Meladye opened. “We all met in the Denver Women’s Chorus.We just kind of formed a friendship out of huddling together through that. Then we were at a party one time where Michelle had brought her guitar, and we all sat around and sang with her. We talked about what a ‘nice little blend we had,’ and ‘wasn’t this fun,’
Continued Page 21
When presented with an idea for a major Hollywood motion picture, one might question a film about a cross-dresser who is ‘‘the worst director of ail time.’* it does present possibilities to comment on Hollywood and die motion picture in- . dustry; the comic potential of an inept director is considerable, and such a film could even make an artistic statement about transvestism. Unfortunately, no such elements can be found in Tim Burton’s disappointing E# Wood, This film misses many of its golden opportunities, and instead finds itself bogged down by an uneventful screenplay fall of underdeveloped subplots and oae^imea-sional characters,
Ed Wood is the true life story of Edward D, Wood, Ir.t the man who brought us such sci-fi B-movie cult classics as Bride of the Monster and Orgy of the Dead, The movie starts with Wood as a fledgling playwright, whose cross-dressing tendencies interest him in directing a film about a half man/balf woman. Although Glen or Glenda . is a terrible flop, he is driven to make more movies, He meets and befriends horror film star Bela Lugosi and makes B-film after B-film attempting to resurrect Lugosi’s career and establish his own. As his works accumulate, we watch the framework for his most remembered work, Plan 9From Outer Space, take shape, In the process* Wood achieves his dream to act, direct, and star in his own work - just like his idol, Orson Welles, : "
The main problem in Ed Wood is the lack of depth of its title character, Indeed this Ed Wood is as much an anti-hero as the real Wood is the anti-Welles, Johnny Depp (looking like Ricky Ricardo on Ritalin) gives a funny, energetic and consistent performance, bat we never know what is going on under the surface of his optimistic grin and arching eyebrows. Wood undergoes no change in the film; he is neither a better person nor a better director by the film’s end. The movie tries to create a climactic plot point when Wood actually meets Orson Welles and is advised, “Visions are worth fighting for/* Wood’s visions aren’t.
:' The most enjoyable part of the film is Wood’s relationship with Bela Lugosi played to perfection by Martin Landau. At times his resemblance V to the real Lugosi is frightening. Landau gives a hilarious, off-color, and touching performance as die aging morphine-addicted former Dracula star, The one outstanding achievement of Ed Wood is that it manages to make Lugosi sympathetic, and it is he whoremains with us when the movie ends,
Tim Burton is probably the most logical di-
Continued Page 20
WATERMARK / October 12, 1994 14
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PRISCILLA IS A BUS!: Last month I mentioned the soundtrack from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Last weekend in South Beach, I finally got to see the film. Priscilla is a road picture telling the tale of three drag queens making their way across the Australian outback. The acting (Terrence Stamp, Guy Pearce, and Hugo Weaver) and the direction (Stephan Elliott) represent the finest in Australia’s hot new cinema. A big improvement over the days of Crocodile Dundee and the like. The drag routines are excellent, with “I Will Survive” and “Finally” being the standouts. More important, this film offers us character development and presents the leads as people with feelings. It’s really not the campy, comedic send up you might expect. There is a well fleshed-out story involving homophobia, several sub-plots, and most of all, lot’s of heart. The film does drag however (pun intended) in parts and there were moments when I secretly hoped Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock would hop on this bus and give Priscilla some Speed. In the end, Priscilla has dignity, is lot’s of fun, and is well worth the trip.
TRUE ROMANCE: A dear friend gave me the newest Miguel Bose release “Bajo el Signo de Cain” and it turned out to be a lovely deja vu experience. I first heard this CD blasting in a crowded black jeep while speeding and laughing through the streets of Manhattan en route to the Streisand concert back in July. What a gas to return to Orlando and be reacquainted with this wonderful, upbeat music through the kindness of a friend. Bose is starting to gain more attention in the U.S. (partially due to his pretty-boy looks.. .check out the photo on the back of the CD) and it’s about time. OK, I don’t speak fluent Spanish, and I don’t understand the lyrics, but for some reason I just don’t care and I can’t stop listening. Give Bose a listen and you’ll understand exactly what I mean.
SINEAD ON HEADPHONES: Sinead O’Connor’s new release “Universal Mother” recently hit the record stores. Not as commercially accessible as her popular “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” nor as funky as her debut “Lion and the Cobra,” but there is a purity and passion in this collection of songs. After reading the liner notes on the CD, I took Sinead’s advice and listened on headphones and let the CD play in its entirety. Back-to-back are a cover of Kurt Cobain’s plaintive “All Apologies” and O’Connor’s own desperate “A Perfect Indian.” Definitely not for the suicidal. There is a song written and performed by O’Connor’s eight-year-old son, Jake, “Am I a Human?”.. .not to worry, it’s less than a minute long. The outstanding cut “Scorn Not His Simplicity” is a maternal plea for understanding and represents some of this accomplished and controversial artist’s best work ever. If you’re a Sinead fan, you’ll enjoy this new release.
KEEP EATING AND EATING...at Thornton Park Cafe, since it reopened not too long ago. Good food and outstanding service in our very own favorite neighborhood. The salmon special (soon to be added to the menu) was delicious. Lunch and Sunday brunch are lot’s of fun, too! Drop by. You can even pick up a copy of !
IN REVIEW
EAT WI RO
by Rosanne Sloan
Moorefield’s
123 S. Orange Avenue • Orlando 872-6960
There are no words to describe the exquisite, individually prepared dishes at Moorefield’s. Suffice it to say, this is gourmet dining at its best. Margaret Moorefield (yes, there is really a Moorefield) is the owner and executive chef; her life partner, Kara Pritchett, is the hostess, one of the servers, and accountant. Together, their passion for their restaurant comes alive as the meal and good conversation grows throughout the dining experience. But a great mystery exists here.. .a whispered question: Why don’t they associate themselves more with the gay community?
After getting lost for nearly an hour (I haven’t mastered the south and north ends of Orlando’s streets yet), my partner, Donna, and I were ravenous. On arrival, Kara escorted us to our table, where my eye caught a glimpse of one of the paintings; a larger-than-life sized picture of a naked man, seemingly erect, with wings soaring through the air. Moorefield’s is fronted by floor-to-ceiling windows, and watching the expressions of passersby is high entertainment. Normally they stop only to gawk. Their loss. We were there to dine.
We began our meal with the homemade toasted garlic Gnocchi with garlic sauce. The appetizer was delicately decorated with shredded carrots and red pepper. Margaret’s Southwestern flair doesn’t stop there. Donna ordered the pan-seared Alaskan
Moorefield’s accepts all major credit cards. Open 11:30A-2:30PT-F, Dinner 6-10P T-Th / 6-12P F-S. Beer and wine available. Handicap friend^.
Theatre Review by Dimitri Toscas
NIGHTCLUB CANTATA
%jr> SecondStage, Civic Theatre of Central Florida *
Salmon with a Habanero (pepper) lime butter, and a yellow tomato salsa. This artistic plate was complemented by thin slices of boiled potato and shredded lemon peel I had the Hickory smoked Jamaican Jerk pork loin with Poblano barbecue sauce. My dish was completed with a wonderful carrot-corn bread and potato black bean cake. Donna delved into the walnut cheesecake torte and lost herself totally. Tempted by her moaning, I tried a bite. Never have I tasted a dessert so delicious. It made my conservative apple cobbler seem disappointing, which it wasn’t.
Moorefield’s is a taste of heaven lost in a community with uneducated palates. Moorefield’s is not just about fabulous food but about two women struggling to survive. During the course of the evening, Kara pulled a chair over like an old friend and filled us in. While Margaret Moorefield is humble about her talent, wearing a traditional chef’s outfit and checking the dining area periodically, Kara is the energy of the establishment. That energy has an undertone of anger. We learned they felt abandoned by the gay and lesbian community. Unfortunately, they didn’t advertise with the community when they first opened, and now their funds are limited. They want their business to thrive in Orlando and within the gay community. And so do we. Rosey’s Rating: ★★★★★/GGG.
Civic Theatre’s SecondStage steals the spotlight again. Nightclub Cantata is this Fall’s finest theatrical offering so far. It’s passionate, bizarre, intense, personal, genuine .. .in short, nothing less than poetic.
Elizabeth Swados (who conceived and composed the show) creates a space between two intense poems (written by Nazim Hikmet), then fills it with horror, awe, and struggle. Hikmet’s poetry acts like prison walls, isolating, oppressing, and holding a small band of performers captive.
Between these walls, they fight for survival, understanding, equality, and acceptance. They also fight for love. Ultimately, they fight to live life to its fullest.
Expressing themselves through poems set to music, improvised sounds and words, dance and movement, the performers work as a seamless ensemble. Each one deserves to be mentioned by name:
Angela Sparks works with real attitude and honesty; Anthony Joseph Killeen taps internal anger and personal struggle. Together, they create one of the show’s most intense moments, “Dibarti,” a poem that echoes conflict, hatred, and disappointment.
Rosemary Marston is earthy, and her deep desire brings “The Dance” to light, making it a sad and exhilarating cry for life.
Ernest White drives “Adolescents” into the heart with his simple, honest reflections of growing up. Nothing over-the-top here; just hard, isolated truths.
Will Braun’s impish playfulness is suddenly the knife that stabs the audience at the end of “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities,” a scene staged brilliantly by director Robin Jensen.
John Bosman, Darla Walker, Angela and Anthony make “Ventriloquist and Dummy” a bizarre expression of relationship, and the fight for equality that threatens most couples.
Wilton “De Vonn” Baker creates an echoing and moving ode “To The Harbormaster.” Nightclub Cantata works like “performance art.” It is deep and profound, and each person on stage clearly contributes by using their own experiences as an instrument of expression. Their voices join to make one loud cry...the fullness of life that they entreat. Truly, a talented cast.
Jensen’s direction of Cantata is uncom-
plicated and direct, letting the words and songs do the work. The lighting and set are minimal but dramatic. The whole space of SecondStage is used effectively.
Through poetry and songs we move from captivity to freedom, until our one desire is to dance in the sand and move with the cast into a space of rejoicing and light.
Bravi! Bravi! - to an ensemble that is natural, honest, interesting, and endearing.
Nightclub Cantata runs through Oct. 16. Tickets $12. Call (407) 896-7365for reservations.
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What started out In 1978 as a march in support of gay and lesbian | solidarity, a southern hemisphere
world’s biggest, boldest, bawdiest parties. The Sydney Gay Mardi Gras is a unique and wonderful celebra-§ turn; a time and place where the gay community can proudly proclaim its unity, while at die same time displaying and celebrating its tremendous diversity. Not to mention that special ability to design some bitchuT costumes!
That first march, on June 24,
1978, ended in a street dot and con-| frontationwith Sydney police. It was born of anger and a need to raise consciousness regarding discrimination against gays. How times have . changed. The annual event now
! k widely regarded as the b&d annual;.: gay event in the world.
Sydney Qay Mardi Gras is by no- j means a one day event. The parade
|| The 1994 festival, largest to date, presented some 11 feature films, 21 visual artists, and a constant variety Ifdf theater.. musical and culmral forums, A highlight was the first ||p|bli|;p| Gay Comedy Festival, llll^fihg: nine headline comics,' ||f| :jviardi Parade is the highlight of the celebration, The annual nighttime extravaganza is something to behold, as 800,000 (1) spectators line miles of Sydney streets to demonstrate support and share in “family fun.”
M ARHKf.RA^
Down Under
by Stephen De Mels
watching TV and eating junk food. Also drawing hoots of laughter were J the well-defined hunks pulling a rather large Queen Elizabeth, stating “All the Old Girl needed was to be steered in the right direction/* Leading the parade each year are the “Mardi Gras Boys * This year the energetic group of 150, dressed in bunny ears and bow ties and very little else, danced the whole length of the huge parade in frenzied formation. The ‘‘Boys” include lawyers, accountants, corporate executives, and lots and lots of flight attendants. In fact, the Mardi Gras Boys have become so popular that they are now chosen in auditions. But few are turned away, Sydney Gay Mardi Gras is a celebration of inclusion, and last year’s “Boys” included a 17-year-old and a 64-year-old. Their joy and enthusiasm . make them all beautiful.
Ill The 1994 brought new participants to Mardi Gras, Hawaii sent a group, and the gay .and. lesbian community j from Tasmania was represented for the first time. Other notable floats included: the Sisters of Perpetual In-dulgenee; Madonaarama, featuring some 30 Madonna wannabes;
| Sydney ^s leather and “Bear* communities, out in full force (forgive die pun); and die most lively entry, tie Syndey Bootscooters, the Australian line dance group who “bootscooted" die whole parade in denim and silver lame. Major style points!
There are Mardi Gras celebrations 1 all over the world, each with a spe^J cial message. Sydney’s message has been a long time In the making: “We are Family, and the colors of our rainbow are diverse and bright," The only thing missing from Sydney Mardi Gras is a group from Central Florida, but an adventurous group is already talking about rectifying this problem. Who better to spread hospitality and good cheer! You too could be a part of the biggest celebration of Gay Pride in the world... the 1995 Sydney Gay Mardi Gras.
Pot aftee video oh the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras, call (407) £57-5(535.;
In fact, the parade is so fun, so outrageous, it’s easy to overlook the serious political messages being conveyed. Gay Catholics sought acceptance from their church with their float of open arms. Volunteers
attention to their 47,000 hours of care provided to Sydney PWAs.
1 My favorite was a group called “Sisterhood of Sit;” self-proclaimed gay and lesbian couch-potatoes who
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T JohfPWayne Bobbit...you know the name.. .has/is/will make a porno movie. He says he’s doing it to prove to the public that his equipment works. We assume he’s donating the proceeds to charity.. .or perhaps N.O.W.? Anyway, we know somebody had a lot of fun picking the name for this instant classic... ScarfaceII and Frankenweenie come to mind. No doubt it will be released in two parts. Regardless, we want to see it and we won’t apologize. We live in a sick culture, and we’re going to take advantage of it.
▼ Speaking of equipment that doesn’t work...the new fountain at Lake Eola. It was up and running for a few weeks, most often malfunctioning (and a pathetic sight it is, a fountain dribbling water as if out of the side of its mouth...all very Freudian). But it’s been dormant...impotent, really ...for months. Well, a month. Is anyone working on this? And what happened to the musical trees and bushes? It was hokey, but we liked it. Lake Eola is still a great park, even if no one uses the new part.
▼ You know how we all have sections of the paper that we always read? Well, we just stopped reading Ann Landers.. .just cut her out of our morning routine, and believe me, these routines are not given up cavalierly. Just lost interest...in the problems...in the answers (“Consult a doctor/gynecologist/clergy/counselor”) ...waste of time. Does this mean Ann is getting tired, or that we’re just losing interest in life (and should therefore consult a doctor/gynecologist/clergy/counselor)?
T We’ve never sampled the stuff, but we sure think Fruitopia is a great product name. Should we steal it as the theme for gay politics, as in “We seek nothing short of...”
▼ Barney Frank is running unopposed. T While on the subject of politics, a third U. S. Congressman has come out of the closet...sort of. Rep. Steve Gunderson (D- Wisconsin) never actually told the Advocate that he’s gay but his companion did, offering photos of them together as well. This after Rep. Robert Dornan (R-California)...hate him with us, won’t you?...stated during House debate that Gunderson had a “revolving door on his closet.”
*£ANiSI*iS & "UNATIONjS
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Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of % Astrologers, and is available for consultations by calling 407-894-1506.
Mercury rules communications of all sorts. It also affects delivery of communications such as mail, phone calls and messages. Approximately four times a year, Mercury stops motion .. .you can imagine the consequences. Evaluate new projects or documents carefully before proceeding; avoid them if possible. Fixed signs...Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, are particularly hard hit this phase (which runs from 10/10 to 10/ 31), but everyone should use caution. Some additional general advice from your friendly astrologer: plan travel carefully and drive cautiously. You got it.. .travel is also ruled by Mercury.
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): Fall is in the air and the New Moon on Oct. 19 opens doors for you. Have fun doing the things you love most. Be prepared for fireworks on the 24th, when you’ll have more sexual electricity than Con Ed.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): This coming month is an excellent time to clean out the crap.. .the “old tapes”.. .lingering from childhood. A check up is also in order to nip any bugs. Don’t think about moving right now, and avoid the legally binding.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): Mercury rules Gemini, and he’s in retrograde most of the month. Not a good time for heart-to-hearts. Consider delaying plans for entertaining. Instead, spend your time productively, possibly with a friend who needs a hand. But avoid lending that hand financially.
CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): Relationships may seem determined by fate right now. What’s worked in the past may bring unexpected and undesired results. Go ahead with that relocation, but not until next month. A well deserved financial reward is possible.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Lingering annoyances.. .that troubling, pervasive “life stuff’ you’ve been dealing with...may come crashing in on you. Common sense will see you through. Is work fulfilling? You may want to consider additional training or education. Expect confusion. Finances will improve next month.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): A grandparent may need your help and time. Good thing. Money’s been flying out of your wallet; now is a good time to curtail frivolous spending. And brace yourself for that Visa or MasterCard statement.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): Spending a lot of time trying to impress a new partner? Turn the spotlight 180 degrees this month and enjoy all the attention. Seek out mutual friends, and don’t
let well-meaning parents tell you who to hang out with.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): Focus on career matters this month.. .and little else. Opportunity is knocking. In particular, take a look at what you get, and what you need, from your superiors. Your pet may be a particular nuisance this month. Watch your words, too.. .that Mercury thing.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): A friend may need your help. In the process, a new friend may materialize. Intrigued? Home seems real confining, but beware of spending too much on diversions. Contracts are favorably aspected, but wait ‘til next month to finalize.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): You’re irritated...both at home and at work. Even your relationship is being tested this month. The good news is that if there is no relationship, this is a good time to go out and find one. It’ll be fresh, fun, and too new to be adversely affected.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Febl8): Much uncertainty surrounding your employment situation. You’re underappreciated. Confusion and even deception come from an unexpected source. Seek support from someone who knows how to deal with children; that’s exactly how your boss is acting.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Work is good.. .better than its been for a long while. This is good, because you’ll need to direct energy toward relationships. A karmic link seeks your subconscious recognition and conscious action. Go for it. And plan ahead...next month Mars enters your house of relationships and the late night fires will be burning.
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OUR CULTURE
FLORIDA'S DISTINCTIVE GAY AND LESBIAN PUBLICATION
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23,1994 THE ENZIAN • MAITLAND
A Benefit for G.L.C.S., P-FLAG, & G.LP.CI.
Reception 2:00 PM Movie 2:45 PM
Reserved Corporate Tobies 2 Person-$20, 4 Person-$40
Call Chris at (407) 298-7747 for tickets or tables
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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, Thu. Oct. 13, will be a benefit for Gay & Lesbian Community Services. For more information, call (407) 521-8134.
Jett Canary and Drew Davenport from Whores.
1 - . ,-.1
▼ Power and Glitter, a Fundraiser for the “No On fl” Coalition, will be held at the Scott Laurent Galleries (what would we do without you guys!) on Park Avenue in Winter Park on Friday, October 14, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM. Proceeds will be used to help our friends in Alachua County defeat discriminatory ballot measures (see story, p. 3). Art, live music and hors d’oeuvres will be offered. Tickets are $30 per person, $50 per couple. RSVP to (407) 297-8518.
▼ Theatre UCF presents The Kentucky Cycle, the first half of Robert Schenkkan’s renowned sweeping epic of three families in eastern Kentucky spanning 200 years of American history. Cycle will be presented this week and next, Thu-Sun. Call (407) 823-1500 for tickets or more information.
▼ The Destiny off Me 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.
T “Florida’s Freshest Fruit,” The Improbabilities, continue to offer their hilarious gay and lesbian improvisational comedy at the Eola Theatre, 17 Wall St. Plaza, Thursday Oct. 20 and 27, at 8:30 PM. Tickets are just $5. Call (407) 521-7499 for more info. Make a night of it and have dinner at MoOieffielllfS (see restaurant review this issue) before the show.
T The Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College will open their ’94-95 season with The Mystery of Edwin Drood, an English music hall version of an unfinished Dickens melodrama. Drood will play from Oct.21-30. For information about tickets and performances, phone (407) 646-2145. Also, Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis makes a public appearance at Rollins College, Saturday, October 22, in a “Community Conversation.”The program begins at 2:30 PM in the Bush Auditorium, Bush Science Center.
▼ TCN will hold their annual HallOWCCn (impout from Fri., Oct. 28 thru Sun. Oct. 30 at Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala Forest. Facilities accomodate campers, pop-ups, RVs, tents, etc. Sites are $12 and can accomodate up to 5. Boat ramps, canoes, pontoon boats and lots of beautiful scenery and women will be there. Call Nan (she’ll be in The Westphalia) for more information.
V GLCS sponsors their first annual GAY-TOWEEN, 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 non-members, and $35 at the door. Call (407) 425-4527 for tickets or more information.
y glcs will sponsor “I’m Coming Out,” a Symposium ffov African American Gays in Orlando, on Friday, November 4, from 6-10 pm at the GLCS Center. The symposium is free, and is specially designed for those 18-25. Music, refreshments, and games will be offered, and the film Paris is Burning will be shown. RSVP by Oct. 28 at (407) 425-4527.
y “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” is the theme for Willow'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.
y 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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WATERMARK / October 12, 1994 19
OUR CULTURE
13 B 14 15 •• 16 17 1 18 19
RAINBOW l $• “NO ON 1” 1 ORLANDO GAY 1 JOY MCC DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. Orlando’s FAMILY VALUES.
CONNECTION. 1 COALITION m CHORUS. See Local WORSHIP ALLIANCE. largest gay & lesbian Gay & lesbian radio
Group for teens & FUNDRAISER. See Color, p. 18. | SERVICES. See Oct. 24. bowling league. 9 PM. on 91.5 FM. Talk,
young adults from 18- M Local Color, p. 18. 1 10:30 AM & 7:15 PM. 644-2244. music, news, inter-
25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. ORLANDO 894-1081. ORLANDO views, community
425-7450. THEATRE FRONTRUNNERS. FRONTRUNNERS. UCF GLBSU events. 8-9 PM. 646-
SELECTIONS. 9 AM. See Oct. 3. See Oct. 19. MEETING. Phillips 2398.
LUCKY LADIES • Destiny of Me Hall, Room 218. 9PM. i
BOWLING. Fair • Nightclub Cantata GLBL. Bowling at RAINBOW 648-0057. ORLANDO
Lanes Indian Hills. • Whores of a Different Fair Lanes Indian DEMOCRATIC FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. 293-8849. Color Hills. 831-7171. CLUB. Orlando Meet at the red pagoda
• The Kentucky Cycle Library. 7 PM. at Lake Eola.
WHORES. See 236-9476. 6:30 PM. 857-18777.
Local Color, p. 18.
THR FRI SAT SUN : MON TUE WED
20 21 I 22 23 24 25 26
THE THEATRE ORLANDO PRISCILLA GAYSKATE. UCF GLBSU FAMILY VALUES.
IMPROVABILITIES. SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. FUNDRAISER FOR Semoran Skateway in MEETING. See Oct. 19.
Eola Theatre. 8:30 PM. • Kismet. 9 AM. See Oct. 19. GLCS, P-FLAG, Fern Park. 9:15 PM. See Oct. 18.
521-7499. • The Mystery of GLPCI. See Local 425-4527. ORLANDO
Edwin Drood. BOWLING. Color. BOWLING. FRONTRUNNERS.
LADIES BOWLING. • The Kentucky Cycle. See Oct. 15. DELTA YOUTH See Oct. 18. 7:30 PM. See Oct. 19.
See Oct. 13, JOY MCC. ALLIANCE. Support i
LCN MOVIE See Oct. 16. group for gay, lesbian P-FLAG MEETING.
RAINBOW NIGHT. Unitarian & bisexual youth Downtown Orlando
CONNECTION. Church. 7 PM. under 22.6 PM. location. 7 PM.
See Oct. 13. 831-2971. 236-9415. 236-9177.
ORLANDO \
FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. See Oct. 19.
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MARKETPLACE
Book Review by Harmony Brenner
SKIN: TALKING ABOUT SEX, CLASS & LITERATURE
Dorothy Allison’s Skin: Talking About Sex, Class & Literature is a provocative collection of essays, true-to-life monologues, and literary experiments that thoroughly titillate, anger, frighten, and sadden - sometimes all in the same paragraph.
Dorothy Allison is an eminently talented lesbian writer. Her previous novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, was a 1992 National Book Award Finalist in Fiction. Her first novel, Trash, won the 1989 double Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction and Small Press Book. Allison has also authored a powerful volume of poetry called The Women Who Hate Me, Poetry: 1980-1990.
Allison’s writing is like a dense dessert after a light meal; it is rich and substantial. Allison revisits some of her most defining experiences with a total lack of self-contempt or sentimentality. Her hard-boiled examination of self and others makes for enjoyable reading. But there is also a sense of voyeurism as one shares the forays, foibles, and significant suffering unique to a lesbian’s life path. Allison relies heavily on black humor and storytelling tones to keep the shy reader interested and the curious reader satisfied.
In Skin, Allison has revised and extracted from several exceptional articles that appeared in such periodicals as The New York Native and The Village Voice, and from a few of her celebrated speeches.
Allison’s most identifiable writing trademarks include questioning the values and mores of self and peers, as well as threading a common chord of suspense throughout all her work. These traits abound throughout Skin. Allison uses her thoughtful commentary, interwoven with undetectable revisionist hindsight, to provide a memorable collection of intellectual exploration, sexual discovery, and literary analysis within a lesbian context.
Her essay topics range from a near-mugging in New York to her personal thoughts and feelings on writing seminars she attended. The most memorable and insightful group of essays concern sexuality. Allison insists on confronting her discomfort, her desires, and her unanswered questions about sexuality head-on in essays such as “Femme” and “Sex Talk.” Allison develops other topics as well, but as the book’s title indicates, her major forums are sex, class, and literature.
While there are many popular lesbian writers, Allison leads the small pack of genuine literary contributors who reveal the life experiences of lesbians in a realistic, unromanticized context. Allison herself seems in transition from an oppressed point of origin to an almost boundless destination. Her ability to plant intellectual roots into the barren soil that was her family of origin is truly inspiring. Her earlier works evince a highly abusive and dysfunctional childhood, including incest, poverty, and daily violence. Skin is no exception. Between the lines, Allison processes her pain, relives her fear, and incorporates her shattered child self into the relative sanctuary of her adult life.
While I enjoyed Skin thoroughly, I would hesitate to recommend it to the recreational reader who is seeking escapist fiction. It is too confrontative for that purpose. However, for those in pursuit of intellectual, spiritual and social challenge, Dorothy Allison’s Skin will stir you up like a hot cup of coffee.
ED WOOD
From Page 13
rector to bring Wood’s story to the screen. In his past works {Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas), there are always driving elements of the supernatural, the skewed, and the downright odd. He is in many respects a modern-day Ed Wood himself. His strength is in making us feel for characters whom we would otherwise pity, dislike, or even avoid. He has a very fine flair for humor; the many laughs which can be found in Ed Wood are neither contrived nor forced. His opening title sequence is superb, and his authenticity in recreating Wood’s original work is brilliant.
However, Burton’s direction is a beautiful welcome mat to an empty house. Perhaps the film is too true-to-life and could have benefited from some fictionalization. A more engrossing film could have been told from Lugosi’s viewpoint. In any case, Ed Wood fails to capture the “genius” behind the man who is still remembered to this day for his worse-than-mediocre work. The irony of this all is that like Wood’s films, Ed Wood will most likely live on to be shown at sci-fi conventions for decades to come, even after it has been forgotten by the general public. Burton ‘s better work should live so long.
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Season ticket subscriptions go on sale Oct. 1 • (407) 645-5866.
THE RHYTHM METHOD
From Page 13
so we started doing talent shows at Denver Women’s Chorus retreats. The second year that we did the talent show, we thought, ‘wouldn’t it be nice to have someone sing the base part,’ and we all thought of Rachael, who (we later found out) was hoping we’d ask her.” Rachael had also been with the Denver Women’s Chorus on the support staff.
TRM didn’t want to be just another singing-guitar-play-ing-all-female group. “Actually,” Marla spoke up, “we started singing a cappella, and it seems to fit who we are. It was easy for us to show up at a gig and sing.. .no tracks, no drums, just stand up and sing.”
“And,” Rachael added, “there’s a lot about a cappella that’s pure music. You can cover up a lot in a chorus and with a band, but there’s something that’s right on with a cappella that you have to be devoted to.”
“And the challenge is me,” Meladye included. “I’m challenging myself and having to work with the other members of the group to sing as a unit with no place to hide - that’s the real challenge.”
There’s a line in one of TRM' songs that says, “singin’ ‘bout boys only gets us down.” When asked whether they get negative reactions to such exclusive lesbian statements, Meladye stated, “The song, for me, is couched in the context of a lover relationship - this is who I am, this is what I do - I’m not going to sing as if I were a man singing about a woman so that the community-at-large finds it appropriate. It’s not that we’re saying we don’t like boys, it’s just that we’re not going to pretend to be them to have our songs accepted.
“In fact, we have to say that the men’s community has been incredibly supportive of our efforts, both in Denver and in other areas. In some cases, more so than the women.” Feeling prompted to offer a theory behind that, Rachael said, “I think the guys enjoy camp, and a lot of what we do on stage is a little off. We try to screw things up a bit with lyrics or what we do, and I think the men like that show stuff.”
We turned to the topic of lesbian artists who are doing the mainstream thing, rather than addressing the lesbian audience. Rachael took the lead. “We have a lot of pride, both in ourselves individually and as a group. We’re out at work and our home lives, and we’re out as a group. We don’t want to sing in venues that don’t want to host us and we are proud to stand up and say we’re lesbians, rather than ‘we know you know but we’re not going to say it.’”
“And if you want to go mainstream and be known nationally, you almost have to sing songs that don’t talk about anybody specifically or that talk about the opposite sex...” added Marla quickly. Rachael noted, “Tracy Chapman and Melissa Etheridge were pioneers of the generic ‘you’ gender-not-specific lyric.”
“I support people doing what they think is right for themselves and their careers,” Meladye interjected. “I’m really glad to see people like Melissa and k. d. lang stepping out and saying that they’re lesbians, but doing it in their own personal time, when it’s right for them.
“As for this group, we made a decision a long time ago, before we ever embarked on what we’re doing right now, about who we’d play to, who our community is, who we want to be. We are out lesbians playing to the gay community and we don’t care about being mainstream artists. We’re doing what we want to do now.”
When the question of profit motives arose, TRM answered on one solid note. “Take a poll: girls, has it ever been about profit?” Marla asked.
“No, never,” they answered in unison. “We just want to cover our expenses and have a good time.”
“Lot’s of people dream about what we’re able to do, and here we are in Florida, having a great time,” Marla said, looking at the rain while we all laughed.
But then the less humorous topic of Colorado’s Amendment 2 came up. [Amendment 2 repeals existing laws and makes further laws that would protect gays and lesbians from discrimination illegal.] Discussing the impact of the political struggle, Rachael delivered the group’s harmonized sentiment. “We’ve helped,” she began, “through fundraisers and rallies where we’ve gladly performed pro bono. We feel good about what we’ve been able to give.”
In the future, TRM hopes to get more of their own original music out, “and possibly come up with a new CD of our own,” Marla said. She added that while the current CD has but three original pieces, only one is not an original ar-. rangement. “No one else arranges music for a cappella.”
As we positioned to leave, Marla sat up straight, sending her forefinger out into the air as if to tap a bell. “I have something to add,” she announced. “There are so many things about the gay and lesbian community that the straight media picks up and personifies as evil. I think it’s important that the gay and lesbian chorus movement and positive music is somehow featured, not only in our own media, but in the media-at-large. And the longer that groups like the Orlando Gay Chorus are around, the better it is for our image as a whole community.”
WATERMARK / October 12,1994 22
SPORTS
It isn’t that I’m out of shape. I exercise as much as I can, which means I sometimes put on girl-group records from the ‘sixties and dance around the house.
So why do my friends suggest - often -that my lover Kirk and I join the Frontrunners, Orlando’s gay running/walking/biking group? We finally succumbed.
I was amazed at the number of people who thronged at the Pagoda at Lake Eola. Group leaders arranged about fifty of us in a giant circle on the grass. My heart pounded (is that aerobic?); we were people! Actually, we just introduced ourselves and answered a question: What TV family would we want to be part of?
I answered The Donna Reed Show and got a laugh. This group dynamic exercise is useful. Now I knew the name of the guy in the black biking shorts.
We separated into preferred activities-running, walking or biking- and we were off. The runners were soon dots in the distance, yet we walkers marched resolutely ahead. I fixed my sight on the black biking shorts and forged onward, Kirk in tow.
I expected a liesurely stroll around Lake Eola; gossip and swan boats. Hardly. We soon left the park for Rosalind Avenue, and headed south, under the East-West Expressway, past the old Dr. Phillips house, around Lake Lucerne, which is really beautiful at night, and up busy Orange Avenue.
By now the black biking shorts were a
full block away. Kirk was slowing down, and I was concerned lest we be the last two of the original group to return to the Pagoda. “Don’t worry,” he kept saying. “There are still two people behind us.” I can be so competitive at times.
Downtown never looked so magical to me at night! The massive amounts of oxygen I was inhaled caused even our downtown denizens to take on a Damon Runyon-esque quality. As we passed Wall Street, I realized I had lost my Nicoderm patch... a sign?
Soon we were on our final approach. We picked up the pace a bit as the Pagoda loomed in the distance. “Didn’t mean to pull so far ahead,” Biking Shorts told me. “Sorry.”
“It’s quite all right (puff, puff). Just how far did we walk?”
Surely, after all that time, we could have walked to Valdosta, Georgia.
“Two point eight miles.” he replied.
“Well,” I said. “Well.”
The Frontrunners meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Pagoda at Lake Eola. See Calender, 19 for times.
Watermark is looking for a SPORTS EDITOR.
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EMPLOYMENT-OFFERED
PARLIAMENT HOUSE. Now accepting applications for the following: FRONT DESK, GUEST SERVICES, HOUSEKEEPING, RESTAURANT WAITERS, BEVERAGE WAITERS, RESTAURANT BUS PERSON. Apply at the Front Desk. Parliament House. 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail. Orlando, FL 32805. (407) 425-7571.
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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.
REAL ESTATE-FOR RENT
DOWNTOWN FOR RENT. Immaculate 1 bdrm. apt. in historic dist. Convenient, quiet, secure! Washer-dryer. Owner pays heat, hot & cold water. Large screened porch. Carpeted & air. $393/mo. 425-1735.
REAL ESTATE-FOR SALE
DRAMATIC NEOCLASSICAL. Fabulous like new 4 bdrm, 3-1/2 bath designer home in College Park. Exquisite features include luxury master suite, 2 fireplaces, and gourmet kitchen. Over 3375 sq. ft. $429,900. Kathy Lightcap, 841-6060 ext. 439, The Prudential Florida Realty.
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 will get you a home of your own. Call Realtor @ 1-800-861-0203. Serving our community for over 40 years.
ROOMMATES
ROOMMATE WANTED. 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath home near downtown/ Lake Como. Renovated kitchen, washer/dryer. Non-smoker preferred. $275/mo. plus utilities. Call Jim at 895-0993. Available mid-Oct.
S. ORLANDO/MEADOW WOODS. 2 GWMs looking for responsible, honest, friendly GWM for roommate. We offer a stress-free, 3/2 home. W/ D, A/C, cable, private yard, secured. No pets, no drugs. Quiet type A+. $225/mo„ $100 dep., 1/3 util. HIV+ check us out! (407) 856-9825.
SERVICES
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. Missing persons, background checks, asset checks, service of process in Orange county. 644-8057. Agency no. 93-00111.
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etc., intelligent conversation and a large selection of books in every subject. Publisljgr 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.
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.
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.
MISCELLANEOUS
SEEKING DONATED COUCH. Delta Youth Alliance, a group for gay/ lesbian teens, is looking for a used couch for its meeting room. Please contact Jeff at 895-3722.
WANTED TO BUY. Disney items -especially buttons & pins. Also, sell & trade Disneyana items. For more information please call Dennis at 407-895-1968.
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.
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.
.. .Sports Editor. Come join our growing team and help create the best gay & lesbian sports page. Please send resume and writing samples to Watermark, P.O. Box 533655, Orlando, Florida 32853-3655, or call (407)481-2243.
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