The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 5, October 26, 1994

The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 5, October 26, 1994

Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 5

Gay culture--United States

The fifth issue of The Watermark 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.

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.

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

Original 28-page newspaper: The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 5, October 26, 1994: Publications Collection, GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

ca. 1994-10-26

1994-10-26

1994-10-26

Digital reproduction of original 28-page newspaper: The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 5, October 26, 1994.

The Watermark Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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28-page newspaper

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Originally published by Watermark Media.

Copyright to this resource is held by Watermark Publishing Group and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Smith, Robert

Cepero, Laura

"About/Contact." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.

FLORIDA'S DISTINCTIVE GAVAND LESBIAN PUBLICATION.
GAY VOTERS GIVEN CLEAR CHOICE IN
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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
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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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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 5
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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WATERMARK / October 26,1994 6
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WATERMARK / October 26, 1994 7
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.
The patients will be interviewed four times over 18 months. Among, the tkuesjy^iys. they will be asked is low theyfre paying for their treaffll^ wi 11 also
rely on medical records to detail the services the patients get, the costs and the severity of their disease.
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ELECTION
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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.
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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.
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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 / October 26,1994 15
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
Tescas
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is based oa a mystery novel by Charles Dickens, who died before
he fit] .. t ; - t »
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At the outset, the troupe bursts onto the yaudeviJIe-Hke set with a rare
i ■ :■ mh . te - . I don Ea o .■ .
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W wfti an innocent look and slutty undertone (after all, she was a chorus girl),
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-
the mystery. on the night ^e ;: went Although she had style and sang well, I #hnted her to really let goof her | 01 gtt
' 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.”
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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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CARD SHOP
1 1 lEl IAI Ifl 1 A y y y M I
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A skinny little card shop
2409 EDGEWATER DR. 849-1486
CATERING
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Full Service Catering and Party Planning (407) 578-1157
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Mention This Ad and Receive 10% Off Reducing
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322 E. MICHIGAN ST.
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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 •
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Ph: (407) 649-8005 (800) 299-4852 Fax: (407)649-4355
817 E. Washington Orlando, FL 32801

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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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Swags • Sheers • Valances • Duettes • Blinds Verticals • Wallpaper • Bedding • Upholstery We Come To You!
Serving Orlando's Homes & Offices Since 1979
WINDOWS & WALLS 298-2626
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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
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Wills Living Wills Affidavits, and Revocable Living Trust
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329 N. Orange Ave. Downtown Orlando 32801 • 245-7800

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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. $75 wk + 1/3 util. 366-0464.
MISCELLANEOUS
MALE COUPLES sought. Local art-ist (photographer/writer) seeks subjects for retrospective on the image of male couples. Committed couples of varying ages sought for interview and photo shoot. Interview
and information contact Stephen -895-9970 (weekdays).
WANTED TO BUY. Disney items -especially buttons & pins. Also, sell & trade Disneyana items. For more information please call Dennis at (407)895-1968.
Healthy, loving, stable, long-term professional gay couple seek lesbian to function as surrogate mother. Flex-ible regarding nature of future involvement with child. SERIOUS RESPONSES ONLY. Will pay all medical and associated expenses. Reply c/o W. Thomas Dyer, Attorney at Law, 701 E. Washington St., Suite 2oo, Orlando, FL 32801. (407) 648-1153.
...contributing writers from Volusia, Brevard and Lake counties. Please send resume and writing samples to Watermark, P.O. Box 533655, Orlando, Florida 32853-3655, or call (407) 481-2243.
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ADS MUST BE SUBMITTED By Spin Wecl ne$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