Watermark Out News Issue 32.18: Road Rage

EDITOR’S DESK

Gaining new perspectives

AS

THE SUMMER

WINDS

DOWN, I find myself in a full circle moment. As a young reporter, I started out interning with different publications.

One of them was Watermark Out News in 2024 — and now I’m the one working with an intern for the fall semester. It feels good to know I can teach someone the way I was taught.

For the next couple of months, Aidan Carmody will be our editorial intern and will cover Central Florida and Tampa Bay. I had the pleasure of overseeing Aidan’s work while I was in my last semester at the University of Central Florida.

In her advanced reporting class, she covered arts, humanities and hospitality. She produced many stories that I have praised about to her fellow peers at UCF.

I look forward to her growth as a reporter as she has already jumped in on stories and pitches. Her interest in theater and the LGBTQ+ community will help our team look for different aspects of coverage.

It feels strange to be in my current position, as it wasn’t so long ago that I was the intern.

I know it can be imposter syndrome that makes me feel this way, but it’s honestly hard to grasp how much I have accomplished since graduating. This December will be a year post grad, and it has flown by.

Everyone usually struggles to acknowledge their achievements, and if you don’t then I guess you’re just better than the rest of us.

I can be a bit hard on myself and get nitpicky. I tend to focus on the minor details and often criticize myself more than looking at the bigger picture. I can be a major planner and often hate when things don’t go the way they are supposed to. Some would call that being “Type A,” and I would know because I’ve heard it before.

One of the characteristics of a Type A personality is they can become easily annoyed or angered when faced with delays or obstacles. I think that sounds about right.

It’s something I hope to improve on. I need to gain a different perspective on situations, ones that are sometimes out of my control.

Type A personalities are also ambitious, competitive and organized, which all come in hand for my career. It helps me have a strong work ethic and it leads to productivity. These characteristics help me be the reporter I am.

Perspective can change a lot for someone; it could be the one thing that gives you clarity on situations. We can get so caught up in our minds that we lose sight of what’s in front of us and that can apply to so many instances.

It often takes some reflection instead of jumping to conclusions.

Sometimes all it takes is looking at an issue with a new lens, one that is clearer. These things are easier said than done of course, but it’s a step in the right direction. One that I hope to follow.

In this issue, we learn more about the statewide LGBTQ+

crosswalks that are under threat from the Florida Department of Transportation, with some of the cities being St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Orlando.

In Central Florida news coverage, the Orlando Museum of Art receives $2.4 million from state funds and local businesses respond to removal of the Pulse crosswalk with community work.

In Tampa Bay news coverage, the Florida LGBTQ+

I need to gain a different perspective on situations, ones that are sometimes out of my control.

Democratic Caucus plans its summer conference and Salty Nun, a restaurant and bar in St. Petersburg, permanently closes after being open for three years.

I couldn’t be happier to see our Arts & Entertainment piece of V.E. Schwab’s latest release “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil,” a lesbian vampire book I fell in love with. I had the pleasure of speaking with her about the impact of queer characters.

I look forward to continuing my work as a journalist and serving the community of Central Florida. I hope you will continue to support Watermark Out News and trust us to be your LGBTQ+ news source.

JILLIAN ABBY is the author of “Perfectly Queer” from Hay House and is on Substack at “Reframe with Jillian Abby.” Page 15

CONNOR BARRY is a journalist, photographer and a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in journalism and minor in environmental studies. Page 19

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

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

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CMJM ENTERPRISES LLC, KEN CARRAWAY

Ryan Williams-Jent EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ryan@WatermarkOutNews.com

EDITOR’S DESK

WATERMARK OUT NEWS

Publisher Rick Todd, Creative

Designer Dylan Todd and I were lucky enough to attend LMAFest in Chicago this month, one of my favorite journalism conferences in one of my favorite cities. The annual event is organized by the Local Media Association.

LMA consists of more than 3,000 news outlets, including this one, and believes “a strong local media ecosystem is essential to a healthy democracy.” I couldn’t agree more.

That’s what makes attending a conference where that’s top of mind so rewarding. It was a chance to connect with industry leaders and peers from across the nation about how to best serve our readers here in Central Florida and Tampa Bay.

Aside from an unforgettable learning experience, the conference also came as a reprieve from travel. I consider myself a pretty patient person, something that’s served me well as a journalist over the years, but my patience was stretched particularly thin on my way there.

The tone for my trip was set right away. I was barely a few rows into the boarding process, quietly making my way back to steerage, when a flight attendant announced the plane’s Wi-Fi was down. Is it a very first world problem to have? Yes. Is it still the worst? Also yes.

Thankfully I was prepared. While I wouldn’t be able to text or enjoy the airline’s complimentary entertainment, which I usually use to catch up on movies I forgot I wanted to see, I’d already downloaded a few options to my personal device.

As it turned out, I’d have time to download a few more using my hotspot. I’d assumed my flight was leaving early enough to beat Tampa’s daily thunderstorms, but unfortunately I was wrong.

We finally made it into the air over an hour later, where I’m not ashamed to admit I watched and fell in love with “KPop Demon Hunters” on Netflix. It was almost enough to keep me sane when our captain said we were being diverted to Indianapolis.

Like Tampa before it, Chicago was subject to the whims of mother nature. We circled the airport for around 45 minutes before it closed entirely, shipping us off to Indiana for over five hours.

Not much could help my attitude at that point, but at least one thing did. A rainbow. I was seated in the last row of the plane, just in front of the flight attendants, and as one of them made their way back to commiserate with co-workers I saw a Pride pin on her lapel. It brought an instant smile to my face.

Not because we were going to get out of Indianapolis any faster, believe me, but because I knew I was in a safe space. I don’t know if she was a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, but I do know that while I was deliriously delayed, I was also seen. All because she added that to her uniform.

It was a timely reminder that little things can make a big difference. That representation and symbolism both matter, especially when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack from both Tallahassee and D.C.

We detail Florida’s escalating attacks in this issue, highlighting how the Department of Transportation is targeting LGBTQ+ crosswalks and street murals across the state, from Pulse in Orlando to the

Not much could help my attitude at that point, but at least one thing did. A rainbow.

Progressive Pride street mural in St. Petersburg. We speak with LGBTQ+ advocates about how they’re responding and more.

That coverage extends to news, where Orlando business owners launch new initiatives to honor the 49 and St. Petersburg advocates plan new ways to showcase their Pride. We also preview the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus’ summer conference, advocates who are ready to unite, focus and resist.

It’s all a testament to how resilient LGBTQ+ Floridians really are. It’s my hope that while we may be losing our murals, we all remember that we can wear pins. You never know who may need to see one.

Watermark Out News is proud to be your LGBTQ+ news source. Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.

JILLIAN ABBY is the author of “Perfectly Queer” from Hay House and is on Substack at “Reframe with Jillian Abby.” Page 15

CONNOR BARRY is a journalist, photographer and a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in journalism and minor in environmental studies. Page 19

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

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

CMJM ENTERPRISES LLC, KEN CARRAWAY DISTRIBUTION

AFFILIATIONS

central florida news

LOCAL BUSINESSES RESPOND TO REMOVAL OF PULSE CROSSWALK

Bellanee Plaza

ORLANDO | In response to the removal of Orlando’s rainbow crosswalk near Pulse, owner of Se7en Bites Trina Gregory will open 49 of her private parking spots to local artists who will transform them into vibrant works of art.

The event, Parking Spaces for Pride, will feature live art installations, live entertainment and local food trucks and vendors.

“Art has always been a form of resistance and healing,” Gregory said in a press release. “If our state leaders want to erase symbols of pride and acceptance, then we’ll create even more of them. This isn’t just about paint — it’s about community, visibility and love.”

Early Aug. 21, the rainbow crosswalk near Pulse was removed. Its removal followed a memo released by the Florida Department of Transportation regarding inconsistent “pavement surface markings.”

FDOT’s directive has been used to target inclusive crosswalks and street murals throughout the state and was a response to a “safety initiative” from the Trump administration. You can read more on p. 20.

The family-friendly celebration aims to uplift Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community and showcase local talent while sending a powerful message of resilience. The event will become an annual tradition, giving artists and residents an ongoing opportunity to come together to create and celebrate diversity.

Se7en Bites isn’t the only local business to respond. MojoMan Swimwear & Clothing hosted a community event Aug. 24 to paint the rainbow pride flag on the store’s parking lot.

More than 50 people attended with some writing motivational messages in chalk. DJ Edil Hernandez played music for the volunteers.

“As a proud gay business and property owner, the painted rainbow flag will be protected and not erased by hateful government actions,” Lane Blackwell, owner of MojoMan Swimwear & Clothing, said on Facebook.

Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan and state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith attended the event and helped paint the flag.

Smith posted a video with Blackwell to Facebook to show the painted flag. He said he wants everyone to show their rainbows.

“We’re not going to be erased as the LGBTQ+ community and I want to show my support as a small business that is gay owned and operated. I own the building which means I own the property,” Blackwell said in the video. “I wanted to paint the rainbow since the one by Pulse was … covered up with black paint.”

Parking Spaces for Pride will be an all-day event Sept. 15 at Se7en Bites, 617 N Primrose Dr Orlando, and is free to the public.

VITAL FUNDS:

ORLANDO MUSEUM OF ART RECEIVES $2.4M IN STATE FUNDING

Bellanee Plaza

ORLANDO | The Orlando Museum of Art received $2.4 million in state funding Aug. 15 to support critical infrastructure improvements at the museum.

State Representative LaVon Bracy Davis and President Pro Tempore of the state Senate, Jason Brodeur, presented the check to the museum in a private event held in the J Hyde Crawford and Anthony Tortora Gallery.

Cathryn Mattson, executive director and CEO, has focused on raising funds to replace the roof and HVAC system to protect the museum’s art from heat and humidity. She says the replacements are critical as the roof has outlived its life.

“Arts and culture have both struggled in the last couple of years with funding and it’s so rewarding to see our efforts recognized and the contribution that we bring to the community by both Orange County and the state,” Mattson says. “We’re deeply grateful and hope there’s more to come.”

Earlier this year, OMA received $2 million from the TDT Arc Fund

from Orange County, followed by nearly $1 million from Orange County again for arts and cultural facilities funding. In total, OMA raised nearly $6 million.

During the presentation, Davis highlighted that everything in Tallahassee is not partisan.

“Senator Brodeur and I perhaps don’t agree on policy,” Davis said. “We are on two different sides of the aisle as it relates to our political parties, but we do understand that arts and culture is not necessarily partisan and everybody should have the opportunity to experience arts and culture.”

Davis gave her thanks to OMA as the museum looks to serve the underserved communities and gives everyone the chance to experience the arts. She said that was the reason she wanted to partner with the museum.

With a BFA in theater and a concentration on acting, Davis calls herself a lover of the arts.

Brodeur made connections between impression art and the work done at the legislature. He said the artists will put a painting together while the previous color used is still wet.

Brodeur said he is happy to help OMA in whatever way he can and thanked the team at the museum for the work they do.

OMA was founded in 1924 and has been a prominent landscape in Central Florida. Located in the heart of Loch Haven Park, OMA has established itself as a premier institution for visual art education and a safe space for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors.

When OMA was founded, it began as a small gallery where artists would meet to display and critique their work.

Mattson looks forward to the growth of OMA since the funding will help protect the collections. She explains the arts are important to maintain a vital community, one that can produce quality of life.

She adds that the extra funds will help the staff of OMA run the business side of the museum.

“We’re just so appreciative of having the funding,” Mattson says. “Because as you know, capital funding is so difficult to come by and yet it’s vital.”

“The legislature will do the same thing, particularly in human services,” Brodeur said. “We never handle one issue before the last issue is resolved. They’re always overlapping.”

For more information, visit OMArt.org

ST. PETERSBURG VOWS TO KEEP SPIRIT OF MURALS ALIVE

Ryan Williams-Jent

ST. PETERSBURG | Local leaders gathered Aug. 25 at City Hall to address the Florida Department of Transportation’s removal of the city’s inclusive street murals.

FDOT denied St. Petersburg’s request to save five local street murals Aug. 22, detailed on p. 20. Among them, officials sought to save the city’s Progressive Pride street mural, installed in partnership with St Pete Pride, and the Black History Matters mural at the Woodson African American Museum.

During the press conference, Mayor Ken Welch, City Council Chair Copley Gerdes and St Pete Pride President Dr. Byron Green-Calisch each discussed their continued commitment to ensuring St. Petersburg remains a welcoming city for all. The mayor noted they were gathered “to address the latest example of politically inspired state preemption, the ban on our painted street murals.”

“We will build back stronger and we will create new, even more powerful expressions of who we are, expressions that cannot be erased,” Welch stressed. “The state can remove the paint from our streets. They can remove those symbols, but they cannot bind the spirit of the City of St. Petersburg or silence our voice when we say, ‘We Are St. Pete.’”

Gerdes spoke next, advising that being strategic is “reminding ourselves there is much more to come with this story.”

“These murals are just one of the ways we outwardly display our culture, our history and our true values,” he said. “No one can take these things away that we hold so dearly here in the City of St Petersburg … we are going to continue to find new and innovative ways to show our history, our culture and who we are.”

Green-Calisch followed, discussing the resilience of LGBTQ+ pioneer Marsha P. Johnson and the community at large. “I recognize that this moment feels heavy,” he said, highlighting that Pulse’s memorial crosswalk had been removed and more.

“St Pete Pride as a community, we are not going anywhere,” he noted. “We want to continue to fight and show up, but I am reminded by our founding documents that ‘we the people’ give consent to the governor. How we show up in this moment is way more important than in any other time in our history about fighting back and saving art and saving visual representations of inclusion.”

Welch encouraged residents to visit the murals before they are removed to show their impact on the city will remain. Stand Up St. Pete, a local coalition, will do exactly that on Aug. 31.

The group will hold a demonstration at the Progressive Pride street mural to chalk inclusive messages throughout the area. “You can take over our streets, but our story will not, and cannot, be erased,” they noted.

Read more and view video at WatermarkOutNews.com.

tampa bay news

LGBTQ+ DEMS TO HOLD CONFERENCE IN TAMPA

Ryan Williams-Jent

TAMPA | The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus will hold its summer conference Sept. 12-14 at The Westshore Grand hotel, uniting “in the face of unprecedented attacks on equality.”

The caucus represents the LGBTQ+ community to the Florida Democratic Party. Its Hillsborough County chapter will host this year’s conference.

“It is an honor to host the summer conference here in Tampa, as our local chapter in Hillsborough County proudly celebrates 20 years of standing with our community,” says Luis Salazar, Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus president. He also serves as vice president for the statewide caucus.

“Over the past two decades, we’ve grown into one of the most influential political forces in both the county and the state,” he continues. “As one of the largest Democratic caucuses in Florida, we play a vital role in electing candidates and advancing the fight for equality.”

This year’ summer conference is themed “Unite. Focus. Resist.” Organizers say they’ve prepared “a weekend of strategy, engagement and inspiration” to push back

against anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives at the state and federal levels.

“With equality under renewed attack, it has never been more important to build power, unite voices and ensure that LGBTQ+ Floridians have a seat at the table,” Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Kristen Browde says. “We are bringing together a powerful group of leaders and organizers in Tampa as we prepare to take back Florida.”

The weekend will feature a free Friday night reception at 1920 in Ybor, a wide variety of panels, a Saturday night dinner and Sunday drag brunch. Speakers will include National Federation of Stonewall Democrats President Jeremy Comau, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and gubernatorial candidate David Jolly, a former Republican who announced his bid to lead Florida as a Democrat in June.

Tampa Bay officials will also feature, including state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the Democratic leader in the Florida House, and state Rep. Michele Rayner, one of just four LGBTQ+ elected officials in the Florida Legislature.

Rayner will participate in “Our Voice in the Resistance: Florida’s LGBTQ+ Legislators,” a panel moderated by Salazar. She’ll be joined by Orlando’s state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and South

Florida’s state Sen. Shevrin Jones and state Rep. Mitch Rosenwald.

“From fighting harmful bills to advancing equality for all, these leaders are on the frontlines every day in Tallahassee,” it’s described. “[It] brings together Florida’s LGBTQ+ legislators for an unfiltered conversation about the challenges we face and the victories we can win together.”

Additional panels include “Community Organizing as Resistance,” “Uniting Behind Queer Youth in the Public Education Space” and “The Problem Isn’t Us: A Conversation about Scapegoating and Solidarity” focusing on transgender Floridians.

“This panel takes Democrats to task for scapegoating trans lives and calls for solidarity, accountability and real allyship,” it’s described.

Conference tickets are now available for specific sessions or the entire conference, priced at $295.

“This is our biggest event of the year,” organizers share. “We hope you’ll be part of it.”

The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus’ 2025 Summer Conference will be held Sept. 12-14 at The Westshore Grand, located at 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit LGBTQDems.org.

NATION & WORLD NEWS

RANGER FIRED FOR HANGING TRANS FLAG IN YOSEMITE MAY FACE PROSECUTION

A Yosemite National Park ranger was fired after hanging a transgender flag from El Capitan could face prosecution under protest restrictions that have been tightened under President Donald Trump. Shannon “SJ” Joslin, a ranger and biologist who studies bats, said they hung a 66-foot wide transgender flag on the famous climbing wall that looms over the California park’s main thoroughfare for about two hours on May 20 before taking it down voluntarily. A termination letter they received accused Joslin of “failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct” in their capacity as a biologist and cited the May incident.

AIR FORCE POLICY DENIES TRANS TROOPS HEARINGS BEFORE THEY’RE DISCHARGED

The Air Force says in a new memo that transgender service members ousted under a recent Trump administration directive will no longer have the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving their country. The memo dated Aug. 12 says military separation boards cannot independently decide whether to keep or discharge transgender service members and instead “must recommend separation of the member” if the airman has a diagnosis of gender dysphoria — when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity.

UK’S 1ST TRANSGENDER JUDGE CHALLENGES ‘BIOLOGICAL WOMEN’ RULING

The first transgender judge in the U.K. is challenging her country’s Supreme Court ruling that says the legal definition of a woman is limited to “biological women” and does not include trans women. The Guardian on Aug. 18 reported Victoria McCloud, who left the bench in 2024, has challenged the Supreme Court’s April decision in the European Court of Human Rights. The U.K. officially left the European Union in 2020, but the country remains a member of the European Convention on Human Rights.

UGANDAN GOVERNMENT AGREES TO ACCEPT DEPORTED MIGRANTS

The Ugandan government, responsible for human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people and other groups, has agreed to accept migrants deported from the U.S. in a new deal. A White House spokesperson on Aug. 21 did not say whether the Trump-Vance administration plans to lift sanctions against the country as a part of it. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in May 2023 signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”

state news

LAW BANNING SCHOOL LIBRARY BOOKS RULED

‘OVERBROAD AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL’

Jay Waagmeester via the Florida Phoenix

Afederal trial judge in Florida has ruled that the state’s law banning books deemed “pornographic” from school libraries is, in part, “overbroad and unconstitutional.”

Carlos Mendoza, a President Barack Obama-appointed judge in the Middle District Court of Florida, issued a summary judgement in a lawsuit filed by book publishers against the 2023 law, HB 1069, on Aug. 13.

The suit, filed a year ago, asked the court to deem the state’s interpretation of “pornographic” and content that “describes sexual conduct” unconstitutional.

“By leaving these items undefined, Florida has given parents license to object to materials under an ‘I know it when I see it’ approach,” Mendoza wrote in his 50-page judgement, referring to a lack of definition for “pornographic” and “describes sexual conduct.”

Publishers Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group,

HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing, and Simon & Schuster argued the law removes books without considering their literary or artistic value.

The law, Mendoza wrote, “does not evaluate the work to determine if it has any holistic value,” a key part of the legal standard to determine whether material is obscene.

“Educators must again perform statutory interpretation on the fly to determine what exactly is ‘inappropriate’ or ‘unsuitable’ because those terms go undefined. All the while, the specter of harsh penalties looms in the background,” Mendoza wrote.

Especially recently, the Florida Department of Education has made public threats and called superintendents in front of the state Board of Education to explain why certain materials are in school libraries.

Also on the plaintiffs’ side were The Authors Guild, John Green, Jodi Picoult, and other authors and parents.

Mendoza listed various books involved in the suit, including “The Color Purple,” “I am Not

Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” “Paper Towns,” “The Kite Runner,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Water for Elephants,” and “Homegoing.”

“None of these books are obscene,” Mendoza wrote.

Mendoza determined “pornographic” in law is synonymous with “harmful to minors.”

A Florida Senate committee this year debated further defining what school boards should consider “harmful to minors” but after First Amendment concerns arose, the bill stalled.

Dan Novack, an attorney representing the publishers called it “a sweeping victory for the right to read, and for every student’s freedom to think, learn, and explore ideas,” in a statement to the Phoenix.

“We are elated that the federal court in Florida has upheld the First Amendment rights of students, educators, authors, and publishers. The Court ruled that books may only be removed from school libraries if they lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value when considered as a whole,” Novack said.

FEDERAL JUDGE BACKS TEACHER IN FLORIDA PRONOUN LAW CHALLENGE

Bellanee Plaza

AU.S. district judge said Aug. 13 that a 2023 Florida law restricting pronouns that transgender teachers can use to identify themselves violates a federal civil rights law.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker decision comes a month after 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals shot down Walker’s preliminary injunction, in which he ruled that Hillsborough County teacher Katie Wood’s right to free speech was infringed. A Lee County teacher, identified as Jane Doe, was also involved in the case.

Wood is a transgender woman who taught algebra at Lennard

High School in Ruskin. She filed the lawsuit in December 2023 with two other teachers, contending the new state law under the First Amendment, the Civil Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. Walker sided with the teachers in finding the state law discriminates in violation of what is known as Section VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That section bars employment discrimination because of a person’s “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

The Florida law requires teachers to use pronouns that align with their sex assigned at birth.

Walker wrote that the state law “alters the terms and conditions of plaintiffs’ employment. Compliance

… means plaintiffs, transgender teachers, are forbidden from using their preferred pronouns and titles with students. Noncompliance can result in disciplinary violations, which in turn can lead to suspension or revocation of plaintiffs’ teaching certifications or termination.”

However, the outcome of the pronoun law challenge might hinge on an appeals court ruling in a Georgia case, Lange v. Houston County.

Walker wrote that the outcome of the Georgia case, which involves an alleged Title VII violation against a transgender employee of a sheriff’s office, could be “determinative” in the Florida teacher case.

IT’S A LITTLE BIT

FUNNY

Mama didn’t raise no quitter. Therapy did.

ONCE UPON A TIME, I was a CPA with a Big Four accounting firm. I quit that.

Most people were aghast at my decision to throw away a license that I had worked so hard for and a career that had so much prestige and earning potential. To me, it felt like unshackling myself from a ball and chain. I had already looked into my future — the life that people 10 years ahead of me were living — and I knew it wasn’t what I wanted for my life. Byeeeee!

From that point forward, I felt like I became a Varsity-level quitter. I quit homeschooling when it no longer made sense for me or my kids. I quit martial arts once my shoulder joint cried uncle. I quit my corporate writing job when I realized their way of working didn’t fit the way my creative brain functioned. I quit pretending I was heterosexual when I was 38.

Each time I stepped away, I disappointed and surprised people. After all, we’ve been slathered in stories since our wee years telling us that “winners never quit and quitters never win.”

While we may equate not quitting with grit, the admirable life quality that Angela Duckwork extolled the benefits of in her book by the same name, I see people lean in on her message that “perseverance is powerful.” Yet somehow they gloss over the fact that she also found that successful people often quit the wrong goals to focus on the right ones. Duckworth sees strategic quitting as part of long-term perseverance. “Thanks Ang, can you please say that a little louder for the people in the back?”

It’s taken me years and many therapy dollars to realize that I could stop feeling bad that “Carry On My

Wayward Son:” was my life’s anthem. Quitting wasn’t always a bad thing. In fact, knowing when to quit and being willing to do so can often be the best thing for us. Take, for example, people who choose to climb Mount Everest. (Why? Were the pickleball courts full?)

In the 1996 movie, “Everest,” which came out shortly before I quit my job at Blockbuster, a group of climbers succumbed to what is known as “Summit Fever.” They knew a storm was coming. They knew their odds of making it weren’t good. They went against all signs pointing them to quit and decided to go for it. Heartbreakingly, none of them survived.

This is related to a phenomenon known as goal-induced blindness, where individuals become so focused on a specific goal that they lose sight of the harm it causes them in the process.

Goal-induced blindness doesn’t just happen in extreme events either. I’ve seen goal-induced blindness in bad relationships when one partner is laser-focused on getting their dream wedding, even if it’s not with their dream spouse. Goal-induced blindness is easy to spot in the work world, where people stay in miserable roles hoping that if they just make it to the next level, or they just get their Christmas bonus, life will somehow feel more livable.

Goal-induced blindness could have easily pushed Simone Biles to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but it didn’t. In what seemed even more superhuman than the way she catapults through the air, she quit, prioritizing her mental health over whatever America’s couch-sitting experts threw her way. For all the flack she took, Simone stayed the course, prioritized herself and returned to the 2024 Paris Olympics to prove she truly is the G.O.A.T.

Even when we feel like we want to put ourselves first, we can get sucked into the sunk cost fallacy of quitting. (See! I didn’t completely quit the little accountant that lives inside of me.) The sunk cost fallacy is a bias where we focus on everything we’ve invested in a situation — the money, the degree or license, the years in the relationship, or the effort to learn crocheting — and lose sight of the fact that it is no longer serving us. In fact, in some situations we are sticking with goals that are simply unattainable. That job may never give us the fulfillment we seek. That relationship may never become the healthy one we dream of. And nobody wants your crocheted attempt at

a penguin that looks like a lumpy purple potato. In a 2003 study from “Psychological Science,” researchers found that people who let go of unattainable goals had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, fewer depressive symptoms and

I quit pretending I was heterosexual when I was 38.

better physical health. It turns out that being a quitter isn’t simply a good way to piss off your in-laws — it may improve your biological well-being. Sometimes the best version of ourselves is on the opposite side of the quit.

I’ve quit books that weren’t interesting, reality TV shows that left me in a terrible mood, and talking to women who wanted to try me out as a testing ground

to see if maybe they were a little bit gay. I’ve become more consciously aware of what I am opting into and making sure that it feels aligned, fulfilling, joy-filled, or healthy whenever possible. And while I will surely opt in to many poor choices as well, experience has gifted me the evidence that I can walk away and will be better for it.

Quitting is not the opposite of resilience — it’s often the beginning of it.

Jillian Abby is a professional ghostwriter and author of Hay House’s “Perfectly Queer.”

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY.

Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without fi rst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with BIKTARVY.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

 Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

You are encouraged to report negative side e ects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

 This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

Connor Barry

THE GOOD PAGE FEATURES

positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue we learn about the Bereishis Foundation, a non-profit organization that pays for children suffering from mental health issues to go to therapy.

Founder of the Bereishis Foundation, Azirel Boymelgreen, says that Bereishis, meaning beginning, represents a chance to help children restart and begin anew through therapy. This was something that Boymelgreen learned was important at a very young age.

“Pretty much through my whole life, because I am gay and Jewish, it was hard for me to fit into a lot of places,” Boymelgreen says. “I grew up in an ultra-religious Jewish community in Brooklyn and I was taught that being gay would get you thrown off a roof or stoned. So I was very scared of my identity.”

When he was 14, Boymelgreen began to suffer from depression and anxiety, eventually leading him to attempt to take his own life. It was after this that Boymelgreen began his journey with therapy and mental health.

After he moved to Orlando with his boyfriend where he mostly worked from home and decided he needed to do something more, Boymelgreen started his plans for the Bereishis Foundation.

He said he went full force into getting the foundation up and running at just the age of 21 after his cousin died by suicide.

The Good Page

Bereishis

Foundation helps kids get the mental healthcare they need

“That was about four months ago now, ever since then we’ve been getting a lot of donations, a lot of interest and a lot of patients signing up,” Boymelgreen explains. “We’re able to help them because we have therapists who are constantly reaching out from around the world, or signing up to reduce their prices.”

Parents who are looking to sign up to get their children connected with covered therapy can fill out a form on the Bereishis Foundation website. From there, once they are approved, the foundation will connect them with a therapist and pay for five sessions, with a check-in after the fourth to see how it is going. If all is well and the therapy is helping they renew for another five weeks.

“So far we’re up to 11 kids that we pay for their therapy per week, but I want to get to 50 by the end of the year,” Boymelgreen says.

Once the family is in a better place financially or the children have seemed to improve, the foundation helps to connect them with other resources that are affordable.

Paying for the kids’ therapy isn’t the only focus of the foundation. Having been through multiple types of therapy himself, Boymelgreen knows how important it is to connect kids with the right therapist for them. Because of this, therapists offered through the Bereishis Foundation must be approved beforehand.

“We had to make sure that the people we’re taking on are accepting of everyone,” Boymelgreen says. “We found that of the therapists signing, around 50% were not comfortable working with LGBTQ+ children.”

Boymelgreen says that their process of approval helps weed out therapists that may not be as understanding or accepting of children with specific needs, especially LGBTQ+ children.

On top of connecting children with therapists who suit their specific needs, the foundation is also working to advocate for mental health support and therapy in schools, Boymelgreen adds.

He says that the outpouring of support and excitement for the work they’re doing has been thrilling. Currently the foundation is entirely supported by donations and volunteers, while Boymelgreen works to secure more funding.

“We have tons of organizations reaching out all day trying to partner with us and work together,” Boymelgreen says. “It’s been fantastic community support. We mainly get small donations but we get a lot, so it adds up nicely.”

Since he got the foundation up and running, Boymelgreen says that he has really enjoyed the work he’s doing.

“It feels so good to have a community and to be able to provide for others and make my own space. Saving people makes me feel really good, better than any drug in the world,” Boymelgreen shares. “I was suffering a lot and it really sucked. I was really angry at society, I felt like they let me down and I couldn’t fit in. So being able to change that and make sure others don’t have to feel like that makes a difference for me.”

If you would like to apply for your child to receive paid therapy through the Bereishis Foundation fill out the form at BereishisFoundation.org/Apply-For-Support.

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

Ryan Williams-Jent

WHEN ORLANDO COMMISSIONER

Patty Sheehan received a call from the mayor’s office early Aug. 21, she knew something was wrong. She just didn’t expect that the state had removed Pulse’s rainbow crosswalk.

Located in District 4, which she’s represented since 2000, the crosswalk was installed on West Esther St. off South Orange Ave. in the aftermath of the tragedy. Over 3,000 people signed a petition asking the city to remember the 49 lives lost in 2016 by making it a permanent addition, calling it “a crossroad to the world.”

Local officials agreed, working directly with the Florida Department of Transportation to finish its installation in 2017. In the years since, the crosswalk has become a key fixture at Pulse, one that was expected to become a part of the city’s permanent memorial.

“We followed all of the FDOT regulations and rules when we installed this crosswalk,” Sheehan told Watermark Out News the morning it was removed. “My frustration with this process is we’ve done everything properly.”

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer echoed this, condemning the state’s “callous action of hastily removing part of a memorial to what was at the time our nation’s largest mass shooting, without any supporting safety data or discussion.”

He also called it “a cruel political act.”

“While the state works to erase the memory of the victims of the Pulse tragedy by painting over

Road Rage

As Florida targets LGBTQ+ crosswalks and street murals, advocates fight back

the crosswalk, our community’s commitment to honoring the 49, and completing the memorial, will never waver,” Dyer shared. Its removal followed an FDOT memo issued June 30 on “non-standard surface markings ... that do not directly contribute to traffic safety.” The department tasked Florida’s cities with identifying non-compliant installations and threatened to withhold funding for not removing them.

The directive mirrors a federal “safety initiative” from the Trump administration, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced by noting taxpayers “expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”

LGBTQ+ advocates quickly condemned the remarks, noting that street murals have been found to make roadways safer. A 2022 Bloomberg Philanthropies and Sam Schwartz study compared average crash rates in 17 cities before and after the installation

of asphalt art. Municipalities included St. Petersburg — which among others is home to a Progressive Pride street mural, a community-funded initiative led by St Pete Pride in 2020.

Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, board president, noted last month that having “rainbow imagery on our streets it more than just decoration, it is a beacon of hope, a sense of belonging, and affirmation in public spaces where LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies gather and celebrate.”

Researchers found a 50% decrease in crashes involving pedestrians or other road users. Despite this and additional data, uncertainty and funding threats have led cities to comply.

Sarasota confirmed Aug. 1 that it would remove its LGBTQ+focused PrideWalk, and Tampa confirmed Aug. 26 it would remove its LGBTQ+-focused mural. They were respectively commissioned by or installed in partnership with Project Pride and the Tampa Bay

LGBT Chamber, which have each denounced their removals.

“It’s extremely disappointing that the state feels they can override the will of local governments and citizens by eliminating these murals,” Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber CEO Rene Cantu says. “It clearly is an attack on historically marginalized communities like the LGBTQ+ community, under the guise of disproven claims of public safety.”

Believing the same in St. Petersburg, locals launched a petition to save the city’s street murals and gathered Aug. 14 at St. Petersburg City Hall for a Save Our Street Murals rally. It preceded a City Council meeting, where around 20 participants directly addressed the governing body. Each shared stories and expressed support for St. Petersburg as an inclusive city of the arts. Local artist John Gascot spoke first; he was among those to paint the city’s Black Lives Matter mural outside of the Woodson African American

Museum, now its Black History Matters mural. He likened FDOT’s actions to “erasure.”

Winter Pride Executive Director Rob Hall, also representing Pour Behavior’s LGBTQ+ businesses like Cocktail and the Mari Jean Hotel, also spoke.

“Friends, family and visitors are hesitant about coming to Florida because of the political climate — and when they ask us if it’s safe here, we tell them yes,” he said. “We are the safe space … but it’s not just our words that tell them that, it’s the art and our streets.

“It’s the mural that greets them before they ever speak to a single person,” he continued. “It’s that silent, powerful message that says, ‘This city is for you. You belong here.’”

The city subsequently asked FDOT for five exemptions to their policy on Aug. 20, the Progressive Pride street mural among them.

Transportation and Parking Management Director Evan Mory outlined the request.

FDOT District 7 Secretary Justin Hall formally denied it Aug. 22. He noted “Florida Statutes requires removal of these pavement markings immediately.”

Hall added that St. Petersburg could request an administrative proceeding but that the murals in question would “not be allowed” to remain. Mory, in his response, confirmed that the city would comply with the state’s directive and that “in lieu of City personnel undertaking the work directly, the City is coordinating with FDOT to have the markings removed.”

St. Petersburg will reimburse FDOT for associated costs but has promised to keep the spirit of its murals alive in other ways.

“Make no mistake, this is not the end of the story,” St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch shared Aug. 25. “Our response will be strategic, not reactionary … It will serve us better in the long run to be strategic for our community.” Read more on p. 10.

Orlando officials expected an opportunity to follow a similar path for the crosswalk near Pulse, or perhaps mirror the process playing out in South Florida. FDOT also set a September deadline for Delray Beach and Key West to remove their LGBTQ+ asphalt art; officials are expected to attend hearings on the matter and may launch lawsuits afterwards.

“They denied us that,” Sheehan said of the process. “They just [removed the crosswalk] in the middle of the night because they

could.” The commissioner called FDOT’s actions “a direct attack.”

“This is an overreach of government power and government is not supposed to oppress its citizens; government is supposed to serve its citizens,” she said. “This was designed for a memorial, and it was designed for public safety. Period.”

Sheehan was among elected officials to visit the crosswalk the morning after it was repainted. She was joined by state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, also a candidate for Orlando mayor.

“The state of Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation, the DeSantis administration … for some reason, wanted to make an example out of this rainbow crosswalk,” Smith noted. “This rainbow crosswalk that was painted not only to honor the lives of 49 mostly LGBTQ people of color who were murdered here, but also to keep the visitors and the pedestrians safe who have come here year after year to pay their respects.”

DeSantis responded to Smith via social media. “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes,” he wrote.

Eskamani was among those to condemn such claims.

“It was never a political statement, and caring about people of all backgrounds is not meant to be a political

statement,” she said. “But what is political, what is authoritative, and what is disrespectful to the 49 lives murdered and our entire community, is sneaking into the city in the middle of the night to literally erase a rainbow crosswalk that was originally established with FDOT approval!”

Eskamani also called the department’s actions “straight-up fascism.” She noted “we’re not going to let the governor weaponize state agencies and erase communities without a fight.”

Orlando advocates made that clear Aug. 21. Equality Florida, which had already called on municipalities to “stand firm and insist on legal review,” organized an impromptu Rally for Visibility that evening.

“Just as we did in the hours after the shooting at Pulse, we refuse to be erased,” the organization shared ahead of time.

In a statement Aug. 21, FDOT told Watermark Out News that the department is tasked with ensuring “the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems.” They said those efforts include “ensuring our roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests.”

Noting that FDOT had completed a review “of all state-maintained roadways,” the department advised they had begun “correcting pavement markings

Alice Rhiannon, one of the painters, also notes. “… the crosswalk was callously painted over in the darkness of night by a cowardly state intent on erasing our LGBTQIA+, immigrant and BIPOC communities. I am tired. We all are.”

“I didn’t do this for fun, or for history; I did this for defense,” adds Jude Speegle. “Defense against fascism. They made this theater, we only followed suit. I simply put paint on the ground in response to my rage.”

“I believe our community will support people like me,” Matthew Grocholske also notes. “I stood up for the 49 angels, and I still would do anything for them.”

FDOT subsequently repainted the crosswalk and members of law enforcement also began patrolling the site. The situation continues to evolve.

“This is just another fascist move by DeSantis to not only beat down the LGBTQ+ community, but to try and stop the entire community of Orlando from taking action against an injustice to our city,” Cousins says. She asserts that local advocates won’t be deterred.

not in compliance,” including the crosswalk near Pulse, “street art previously installed on state right away.”

“Transportation infrastructure is for the movement of people and goods,” they added, noting “the crosswalk has been restored to its proper form.”

LGBTQ+ advocates in Orlando disagree. During the Aug. 21 rally, many used chalk to return rainbow colors to the crosswalk, a temporary measure that drew widespread support, before another group returned Aug. 22 to reapply the colors in paint.

“Immediately after reading the news about [the crosswalk] I flagged it in a group chat of organizer friends,” GLSEN Central Florida Chair Jen Cousins recalls. “We decided pretty fast that something needed to be done, like recoloring the crosswalk, but we wanted to do it in broad daylight, not hide like the state did. We assembled a team for this specific action.”

Cousins says the advocates “who joined our initial call to right this wrong felt very strongly that it was an abomination to target the Pulse crosswalk like this.” She says the matter “felt personal for all of us and we were sick of being bullied by this fascist administration who is hell bent on erasing queer and trans lives.”

“This act of civil disobedience was done out of love and grief,”

“I want LGBTQ+ Floridians to know that we will not stand for being erased,” she says. “DeSantis and his cronies can try all they want to remove queer and trans people from schools, bathrooms, medical care, books and government IDs, but they will not win. We’re sick of being bullied and beaten down. We are not going anywhere.”

Orlando businesses have also responded, detailed on p. 8. They’ve promised to showcase the city’s inclusivity in more ways than ever before.

Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith, who says DeSantis “is extorting Florida cities” in “a cowardly abuse of power,” expects actions like these to continue.

“DeSantis may paint over rainbows and art, but people are answering with defiance — chalking sidewalks, raising flags, covering cars with stickers, and businesses painting their parking lots with rainbows,” she shared. “For every rainbow DeSantis covers, our community will raise more — bigger, bolder, louder.”

Read more about each mural’s removal and view photos from demonstrations and rallies across Central Florida and Tampa Bay at WatermarkOutNews.com.

V.E. SCHWAB SINKS HER

TEETH

INTO

TOXIC

LESBIAN VAMPIRE

TALE ‘BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL’

UNAPOLOGETIC SELF:

Bestselling author V.E. Schwab.

Bellanee Plaza

IN AUTHOR V.E. SCHWAB’S LATEST

release, “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil,” three lesbian women are turned into vampires and go through different manifestations of desire and longing.

The book follows the women over a 500-year period with alternating perspectives. It begins with Maria in 1500’s Spain stuck as a product of her time; she eventually renames herself Sabine. Alice is introduced next as a college freshman with anxiety in 2019.

Then there is Charlotte, or Lottie, in 1800s England. She ties all the “toxic lesbian vampires” together.

As Schwab’s 25th release, she says this book is for her. The writing of the book helped her take up space in her own story as it represents her coming out journey. She says she wanted to tell a story that would feel like it belonged to her.

“I think these three women specifically represent, in many ways three different stages of my own coming out journey,” Schwab says.

She describes Alice as a character who has no idea who she is or who she wants to be. She says Charlotte knows exactly who she is but is afraid of not being loved for it.

“And then Sabine knows who she is and is unapologetic, and that is the way in which I feel like I have entered my Sabine era … I’m no longer trying to contort or shrink myself to fit other people’s standards and other people’s models,” Schwab explains.

Schwab describes her writing as immensely personal as she

draws from past dynamics that she has had with other women. She says she wanted the women to be vastly different.

“I like to say that Alice lives in her head and Charlotte lives in her heart, and Sabine lives in her hunger,” Schwab says.

She wanted to explore the desire for love and authenticity but with the dark side of it all.

The phrase “toxic lesbian vampires” came from Schwab as she thought of what would make a person pick up a book to learn about the tropes. She says the book is about the three women who are struggling with identity, community, love and attachment, while in the cycles of abuse.

“These things exist within queer circles, just as they exist within straight ones,” Schwab explains. “But for so long, those were narratives we were not allowed to have publicly… and one of the reasons it took me so long to write a book like this was because I didn’t want to be perfect or in pain.

there changed, and you get there empowered, and you don’t have to lose yourself to do it. You have to shed an old version of yourself.”

I wanted to have the freedom to be a hero and a villain and everything in between.”

Tote bags made with the “toxic lesbian vampires” tagline were sold in UK bookstores but were not sold in the U.S. as some of the independent bookstores were afraid that they would be vandalized and targeted.

“It wasn’t the stores that did not want it, it was the stores were afraid for their customers and for their community,” Schwab says. “I think that it really tells you what state we’re at in the United States right now that they did not feel safe doing that. I find it devastating.”

Schwab notes that her book shines perspective on when the prey becomes the predator. The young women are taught to move in fear even though they are from different time periods.

Women who are of color, young or queer move through the real world in danger by being a prey by a predatory society, she adds. Schwab gives an example of her own experience. She is a distance runner but doesn’t run at night due to safety reasons.

“What I wanted to do in this story is invert that and essentially treat vampirism as a kind of liberation, because what it does is it liberates them from the fear of ever being prey again,” she says. “It makes them the predators. I wanted to give them the level of autonomy and aggression and entitlement that comes with being a predator instead of a prey.”

She notes that there aren’t many queer main characters who get to live until the end of their story. She thinks if the character has to become the villain in order to survive then they have a worthwhile trait.

Schwab gave her characters the narrative that survival sometimes includes becoming part of the violence.

“You have to take your life and your future into your own hands, which is they do,” Schwab explains. “I think that you don’t get to the end of those stories unscathed, but you get there, and you get

In the book, after the character Alice has been turned into a vampire, she realizes she has nothing to fear and everyone else fears her. Schwab says that was the greatest power she could give to Alice.

When it comes to her queer character, Schwab points out that those types of characters should be both good and bad.

“When we don’t let queer people and queer characters be at every point of the spectrum, including the toxic end, what essentially we’re saying is that we’re not entitled to the same degrees of nuance and complexity as our straight counterparts,” Schwab says.

When it came to putting the book together, Schwab builds the entire story in narrative order, the way the reader would experience it. She then breaks it out into its chronological order, being the order that each character experiences it.

“Then I write each character’s perspective in its entirety from beginning to end, so that while I’m writing, I am only with one of them,” Schwab explains. “So, I am holding their voice, I am holding their personality. Holding the evolution of their character, especially for the three women in this book whose humanity devolves over time.”

After she completes the individual perspectives, she recombines the storylines. She says her process can be a bit neurotic but that she’s always been that way.

As for Schwab’s upcoming releases, she will release “Victorious,” the third installment of the “Villian” series. She is also working on a fantasy series that is called “The Fragile Threads of Power” and other secret projects.

“ I will say that ‘Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil’ is set in our world, and by the extension, it means it’s set in the same world as ‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,’ and I would say that like I consider this space my little garden in which supernatural things grow in our world and with us,” Schwab says. “I would say that I’m probably not done playing in my garden yet.”

To stay up to date with V.E. Schwab’s upcoming work and tours, visit VESchwab.com

TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

announcements

CONGRATULATIONS

LGBTQ+ advocates raised $2,250 for the joy ride at Casa del Merman at GayStPete House Aug. 16. Tyler Frederick and Baron Blakle announced their engagement Aug. 23.

Empath Partners in Care announced Aug. 18 that the 18th annual Strike Out for AIDS benefits in Dunedin and Tampa raised nearly $25,000. “Your participation helps fuel our mission to end new HIV infections and expand vital services for people living with and affected by HIV across the Tampa Bay area,” they shared. Learn more at MyEPIC.org.

CONDOLENCES

1

LMA LEARNING: (L-R) Creative Designer Dylan Todd, Publisher Rick Todd and Editor-in-Chief Ryan Williams-Jent attend LMA Fest 2025 in Chicago. PHOTO VIA RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

2 FOR THE 49: Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera attends a Pulse vigil at 1920 on Aug. 22 after Florida removed the Pulse crosswalk in Orlando. PHOTO VIA COUNCILMAN VIERA’S FACEBOOK

3

S.O.S.: Organizers Rachel Covello (L) and Trevor Pettiford attend a Save Our Street murals demonstration at City Hall Aug. 14. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

4 FINDING JOY: DJ Bill Kody (L) and organizer Christian Klimas raffle items during a fundraiser for the joy ride Aug. 16 at Casa del Merman. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

5 THE SHADY BUNCH: (L-R) The cast and crew for Shade Showcase takes the stage at The Garage Aug. 16. PHOTO VIA SHADE SHOWCASE’S FACEBOOK

6 MAKING IT RAIN(BOW): The Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus chalks a rainbow in Ybor Aug. 24. PHOTO VIA THE HILLSBOROUGH LGBTQ+ DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS’ FACEBOOK

7 STANDING TOGETHER: (L-R) St Pete Pride President Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, Mayor Ken Welch and City Council Chair Copley Gerdes address FDOT’s upcoming removal of St. Pete’s murals Aug. 25. PHOTO VIA THE CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG’S FACEBOOK

8

SIBLING SATURDAY: Heather Grimmer (L) and Corey Malyszka enjoy an evening at Enigma Aug. 23. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

Former Quench Lounge staple Gary Miller died Aug. 19 at 75. He will be missed. Sawmill Camping Resort family member Bill Porto died Aug. 18. He will be missed.

CLOSURES

Salty Nun permanently closed Aug. 17. “Here’s to 3 years of friends, community connections, our incredible staff and memories we’ll never forget,” the St. Petersburg venue announced Aug. 16. “Thank you for being part of it all. Cheers!” Read more at WatermarkOutNews.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Fitness instructor Darryl Epperly, Political theorist Lorna Bracewell, Clearwater bear Chris Miller, DoMA Home Furnishing’s Cody Williams, activist Aramis Baynard, St. Petersburg LGBTQ+ Liaison Eric Vaughan (Aug. 28); Seminole painting expert Karen Santos, Studio@620 founder Bob Devin Jones, Sarasota entertainer Hunter Vance, PrimeTimers Sarasota’s Stephen Horowitz, PR pro Joey Panek (Aug. 29); Tampa Bay barber Tyler Cochran (Aug. 30); Fan connoisseur Ed Adams, St. Petersburg Swiftie Ricky Renaud, Tampa Bay theatre pro Dan Kelley (Aug. 31); Tampa Bay stylist Nicholas Grawey, Habitat for Humanity handyman Rick Vail, Florida Studio Theatre’s Becca Jennings, Disney lover Dave Reynolds-Steele, Naked Boys Reading Tampa Bay director Nathan Truly (Sept. 1); Creative Pinellas Marketing and Communications Manager Roman Black, Activist Jessica Bond, Tampa actor Troy LaFon (Sept. 3); Asolo Rep social media coordinator David Valdez, Bluegreen Vacations’ Erik Carroll, Tampa pharmacist Brian Wehling, St. Pete software genius David Palio, Gulfport party host Ed Dunn, Tampa Bay entertainer Kenneth Lawson aka Juno Vibranz, (Sept. 5); Sarasota teacher Steve Eller, Reiki practitioner Lauren Lansrud (Sept. 6); St. Pete retiree Jerry Rechek, Tampa Bay activist Ryan Young, St. Petersburg grillmaster Shane Jeffers, Jones Home Team realtor Wendi Johnson (Sept. 7); Tampa’s Colombia transplant Ricardo Mendez, HSN bigwig Darryl Blaker, Tampa bear Mike Scott, Tampa athlete Marty Walsh, St. Pete socialite Clinton Nickels (Sept. 8); St. Pete big bear David Reynolds, St. Pete chiropractor Karen Reese, Tampa Bay entertainer Brianna Summers, Publix pro Raymond Jamison (Sept. 9); Ybor favorite Cassandra Hair (Sept. 10)

announcements CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

Central Florida Community Arts was awarded a $20,000 grant to support inclusive art programs on Aug. 15.

Orlando Museum of Art received $2.4 million in state funding Aug. 18. Read more on p. 8.

Good Times Bar & Grille announced the launch of its brand-new bi-weekly drag brunch experience in partnership with Lock & Rose Productions. Starlet Skye Presents: Good Times Galz Drag Brunch premieres Sept. 7.

Corsets & Cuties celebrates 10 years as a burlesque cabaret troupe Sept. 14 with the 10th Annual Amateur Contest.

Trina Gregory, owner of Se7en Bites, will open 49 of her private parking spots to local artists Sept. 15 who will transform them into vibrant works of art, in response to the removal of Orlando’s rainbow crosswalk near Pulse. Read more on p. 8.

Kandy G Lopez was named the Orlando Museum of Art’s Florida Prize People’s Choice winner for her powerful multimedia portraits celebrating individuality, strength and dignity.

SEIU Florida endorsed Rep. Anna V. Eskamani’s bid for Orlando Mayor.

CLOSURES

LGBT+ Center Orlando announced the closure of its Kissimmee satellite office Aug. 15 due to “significant funding cuts.” The decision comes after funding cuts have impacted the organization’s ability to maintain operations at both locations. It will be effective Aug. 31. Read more at WatermarkOutNews.com.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

LGBTQ+ Florida activist Gary Kirkland, Orlando artist Keith Theriot (Aug. 28); GayDayS owner Joseph Clark, Human Rights Campaign’s Xavier Persad (Aug. 31); Central Florida performer Philip Ancheta, Central Florida performer and FrogPig creator Joel Swanson (Sept. 1); Former LGBT+ Center board president Jeffrey Buak, LGBTQ activist Heather Lea Soersdal (Sept. 2); Central Florida LGBTQ+ super ally Jennifer Kunsch, Orlando realtor Kate Maini (Sept. 3); Watermark’s Remarkable People cover model Joan Rodriguez (Sept. 4); Former Watermark intern Alexis Bell (Sept. 5); Rollins College honcho A. Eddie Mehnert, Orlando Gay Chorus member Andrew Lemin, former Watermark Out News intern Randa Griffin (Sept. 6); Anthony Bella Capelli Studio owner Steven Dorsagno, Gods and Monsters owner Anna Maiya Young (Sept. 7); Central Florida entertainer Darcel Stevens, Disney entertainment tech Charles Cantrell (Sept. 8); Les Vixens dancer Christine Machado (Sept. 9); President of Falk Research Associates Thor Falk, Crew Health CEO Chadwick Thomas, LGBT+ Center board member and Edward Jones financial adviser Veronica Woodard, Green House Realty owner Joshua Cooper, Owner of Lee Forrest Designs Lee Forrest (Sept. 10).

1 STANDING TOGETHER: Gina Leigh Duncan, CEO of The Pride Chamber of Orlando, stands at the protest over the removal of the rainbow crosswalk outside of Pulse Aug. 21. PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

2 THE RESISTANCE: Lane Blackwell, owner of MojoMan Swimwear & Clothing and state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith stand by the painted flag Aug. 24 on the store’s parking lot.

PHOTO VIA MOJOMAN SWIMWEAR & CLOTHING’S FACEBOOK

3 CALL TO ACTION: Rep. Johanna López speaks at a press conference Aug. 18 with local officials about the congressional maps PHOTO VIA ORANGE COUNTY DEMOCRATS’ FACEBOOK

4 COMMUNITY SOCIAL: Britney Thompson from “The Ultimatum: Queer Love,” speaks to guests at Watermark Out News’ Out & About Networking in Fairvilla on Aug. 21. PHOTO BY KAY YINGLING

5 CANVAS PARTNERSHIP: Orange County Democratic Party Chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago and Rep. Anna V. Eskamani attend a canvas partnership Aug. 23 with Young Democrats. PHOTO BY MARIA RIBOLI PHOTOGRAPHY

6 ARTS FUNDING: Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis presents a $2.4 million check from the state at the Orlando Museum of Art on Aug. 15. PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

7 TRAINING CAMP: U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost speaks at the Precinct Captain Bootcamp about door knocking and voter registration Aug. 18. PHOTO VIA ORANGE COUNTY DEMOCRATS’ FACEBOOK

8 WITHOUT NOTICE: Commissioner Patty Sheehan gives a thumbs down on the painted crosswalk outside of Pulse on Aug. 21. PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

community calendar

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Kali Uchis

THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 8 P.M. KIA CENTER

Grammy-winning Colombian American singer and songwriter, Kali Uchis, is coming to Kia Center for The Sincerely, Tour. She shifts between English and Spanish with music styles of pop and R&B. Uchis’ fifth studio album, “Sincerely,” debuted at number one on the Worldwide Apple Music Album chart. For more information, visit KiaCenter.com

Will’s Pub 30 Year Anniversary

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10 7 P.M. WILL’S PUB

To celebrate 30 years, Will’s Pub will host an anniversary bash with six musical artists. The local bands are New Eagles, Curtains, Overdales, Justin Goldman playing the songs of How Dare You, My Druthers, and DJing from Preston Rockwell III. The event is 21 and over. For more information, visit WillsPub.org

TAMPA BAY

Cynthia Erivo with The Florida Orchestra

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 3, 8 P.M.

RUTH ECKERD HALL, CLEARWATER

Originally scheduled for May, “Wicked” superstar Cynthia Erivo returns to Tampa Bay for her second performance with The Florida Orchestra. The Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning entertainer’s unparalleled artistry will be complemented by TFO for an unforgettable evening. Original tickets will be honored and new tickets are available at FloridaOrchestra.org.

2026 Come OUT

As You Are Pageant

SUNDAY, SEPT. 7, 5 P.M.

THE FLORIDIAN SOCIAL, ST. PETERSBURG

Come OUT St. Pete’s annual drag pageant is back to crown its 2026 representatives. The COSP Royal Court honors the art form of drag through a community service platform. The evening will be hosted by Daphne Ferraro and honor outgoing COSP royalty JoZiah OK Bangkx, Ericka PC and Mister E. Tickets begin at $15.

EVENT PLANNER

ANOTHER GLORIOUS EVENING

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Magic Michael Horror

Male Revue, Aug. 29, Cocktails & Screams, Orlando. 407-904-0124; CocktailsAndScreams.com

Flavor Of Haiti (Food Festival), Aug. 30, The Fountains Blue Green Resort, Orlando. 407-573-6744; ChoiceHotels.com

Wicked Cute: Ghouls Night Out, Aug. 30, Cocktails & Screams, Orlando. 407-904-0124; CocktailsAndScreams.com

Nat Zegree, Sept. 2, Judson’s Live, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Garbage: Happy Endings, Sept. 3, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; Entertainment.HardRock.com

“Hokus Pokus Live,” Sept. 4, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org

Alexis Mateo, Sept. 5, Southern Nights, Orlando. 407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando

Cody Johnson, Sept. 6, Kia Center, Orlando. 407-440-7000; KiaCenter.com

Choir! Choir! Choir!, Sept. 6, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Trans & Non-Binary Family Picnic, Sept. 7, Central Florida Fairgrounds Fields, Orlando. 407-295-3247; CentralFloridaFair.com

Raices, Sept. 7, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Season 666 Tour, Sept. 7, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org

Jessie Murph, Sept. 8, Hard Rock Live, Orlando. 407-351-5483; Entertainment.HardRock.com

Gerald Law II, Sept. 9, Judson’s Live, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

Turnabout: The Center vs. SAVOY, Sept. 9, Epcot - Eat to the Beat Concert Series, Sept. 9-11, Walt Disney World, Orlando. 407-939-5277; DisneyWorld. Disney.Go.com

TAMPA BAY

Geckofest 2025, Aug. 30, Downtown Gulfport. 727-222-3252; VisitGulfportFlorida.com

Stand Up St. Pete, Aug. 31, Progressive Pride Street Mural, St. Petersburg. Facebook.com

Return of Meat Sunday, Aug. 31, MR D’z Men’s Emporium, Tampa. 813-443-0330; Facebook.com/ TampaSisters

Take Me To Drag Brunch, Aug. 31, Cool Vibes Pub & Grub, St. Petersburg. 727-289-3861; Facebook.com/ CoolVibesStPete

Labor Day Pool Party, Sept. 1, Cocktail, St. Petersburg. 727-258-7626; CocktailStPete.com Queer Women’s Night, Sept. 5, The Ball, St. Petersburg. 727-258-7626; Linktr.ee/TheBallStPete

Transgender Benefit Show, Sept. 7, The Garage, St. Petersburg. 727-258-4850; MyTransNetwork.org

Alexis Mateo, Sept. 6, Disco Pony Nightclub, Tampa. Instagram.com/ DiscoPonyNightclub

“The World of Hans Zimmer,” Sept. 6, Yuengling Center, Tampa. Facebook.com/ WorldOfHansZimmer

Adam Sandler, Sept. 6, Benchmark International Arena, Tampa. BenchmarkIntlArena.com

PFLAG Tampa Special Support Meeting, Sept. 8, Capital One Café, Tampa. 863-535-5239; Facebook.com/PFLAGTampa HotMess Free Corn Hole, Sept. 9, Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg. 727-201-4278; Facebook.com/HotMessSports

Mic Drop: Open Mic Comedy, Sept. 10, The Ball, St. Petersburg. 727-258-7626; Linktr.ee/TheBallStPete

Drag Queen Bingo, Sept. 11, Common Dialect Beerworks, Tampa. 813-443-6659; Facebook.com/ CommonDialect

SARASOTA

Town Hall with Executive Director Tom Edwards, Aug. 27, The Harvest, Sarasota. PPSRQ.com

September G2H2, Sept. 4, Arts & Central, Sarasota. G2H2Sarasota.com