The Watermark was published on August 29, 2002, and was the newspaper's annual arts coverage edition. The cover story features two lesbian filmmakers, who would debut their collaboration film, Butch Spa Day, at the annual Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Also featured were spotlights on local Central Florida artists, whose disciplines include painting, dance and theatre. The issue also includes several stories relevant to the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) community, such as a Pennsylvania court ruling in favor of adoption in same-sex partnerships, the murders of trans individuals in Jacksonville, Florida, and Washington, D.C., and statistics on the increase of non-discriminatory practices in organizations.

Since 1994, The Watermark 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, The Watermark has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, The Watermark 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 The Watermark.]]>
The Watermark, Vol. 9, No. 18, August 29-September 11, 2002: Publications Collection, GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.]]> Watermark Media]]> The Watermark, Vol. 9, No. 18, August 29-September 11, 2002.]]> The Watermark Collection, RICHES.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Watermark Media.]]> Watermark Publishing Group and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.]]>