7.23.09 Editor’s Desk

Fifteen years ago, I founded Watermark for two principal reasons. First, we needed a way to communicate with each other about each other. Back in 1994, if someone was upset by the actions of an elected official or just wanted to start a softball league, there was almost no way to get the word out.

And second, I yearned for an ongoing statement about the vibrancy of our community. I came out late, after more than a decade of fear and denial. I wanted to share my growing sense that being gay offers entrée into a world of fresh thought and possibility.

Hence the name “Watermark”—a demarcation point. Only after the first issue was published did a wise reader point out the more inspiring symbolism. A watermark is a transparent insignia on fine stationery, visible only when held up to the light. What a wonderful metaphor for being gay.

In sifting through almost 400 issues of Watermark to find the best interviews for this 15th Anniversary Issue, I noticed a change in perspective inside the paper. At first, any embrace by mainstream culture—a gay-themed movie, a nod from a politician—was greeted with enthusiasm. But in time, and possibly due to anger over AIDS, these offerings by themselves began to feel hollow. We no longer wanted just to be liked; we wanted to be respected and, ultimately, treated equally.

This change is reflected in 15 years of news reports, features and editorials.

Six states now recognize marriage equality, and the attorney general of Massachusetts is suing the federal government on behalf of same-sex couples married in that state. What once seemed impossible—full equality under the law—now feels so close that its denial is frustrating, anger-inducing, and downright illogical.

If this was the first issue of Watermark instead of the 389th, I wonder what its mission would be. With the availability of the internet, communication with each other is fast and easy. And post-Ellen, Will & Grace, and Project Runway, no one questions our fabulousness.

But we are entering sobering times, and there’s a sense that things going forward will be—must be—different. How lucky the world is that “different” is what we do.

At this time, we must not confuse being equal with being the same. Our declining culture cries out for new and innovative ways of caring for each other, being productive, and evaluating the quality of our lives.

When you’re gay or bisexual or transgendered, you wake up one day realizing that you’re different—and you live the rest of your life making that work. That ability to consider and embrace new ways of thinking and being will be a prized commodity going forward.

And our nation is begging for it, consciously or not. A recent ABC News poll revealed that a full 41 percent of voters now identify as Independent—rejecting both parties and their well-worn approach to the serious challenges of our times.
If I were launching Watermark today, I would want to encourage and value that difference in perspective.

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A final note: in reviewing past issues of Watermark, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who have contributed to the success of the newspaper over the years.  Particularly during the first difficult years, friends like Ken Kundis, Mike Kilgore, Ted Maines, Todd Simmons, Nadine Smith, Greg Triggs and Sam Singhaus (read his hilarious interview with Phyllis Diller in our “Interviews”) chipped in to help me make sure each issue of the paper contained quality content. They set an early standard that has served us well.

After that, the talented people to whom Watermark is indebted feel like potato chips: if I start naming them, I won’t be able to stop. I hope these people know who they are, that I’ve expressed my gratitude, and that you’re pleased with the outcome of your efforts.

But one person deserves special mention. Chief Financial Officer Rick Claggett has been reassuringly by my side for the past seven years, overseeing all the essential work that is not apparent on the pages of the newspaper. As much as anyone, he is responsible for the ongoing success of Watermark.