A (not so) long time ago in a galaxy far, far too close to us, same-sex marriage was just a dream. Then, after a hard fought battle from the rebels, the empire lead by Darth Bondi was defeated and same-sex marriage becomes legal in the state of Florida and on Jan. 6 LGBT couples begin exchanging vows. Florida also begins to recognize out-of-state marriages.
Oh lord, there was a firestorm of chatter when St. Pete Pride released the design of their new logo. Many took to social media knocking the design for its lack of color, and some not understanding what it had to even do with Pride. But some argued the simplicity of the design and applauded the meaning behind the linking hexagons.
There will be blood donations, maybe. Federal health officials recommend an end to the U.S. ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, a policy put in place more than 30 years ago during the beginning of the AIDS crisis. The recommendation, which became effective Dec. 2015, was that gay and bisexual men who abstained from sex for a year would be allowed to donate.
I want to thank the community, Part 1. The Hollywood Foreign Press awarded Amazon’s Transparent with a pair of Golden Globes for best TV series, musical or comedy, and star Jeffrey Tambor as Best Lead Actor – TV Comedy at their annual award show. Tambor, who stars as a transgender woman experiencing life during her transition with her wife and children, dedicated his award to the transgender community.
I want to thank the community, Part 2. Jan. 17 was like Watermark’s own Golden Globes when the Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce held its first-ever Diamond Awards and honored Watermark with two awards. Watermark was named the 2014 Business of the Year and our editor-in-chief at the time, Steve Blanchard, was named Business Person of the Year.
Obama, you can see me. For the first time in a State of the Union address, and with two marriage equality plaintiffs in attendance, a president uttered the words that-shall-not-be-named during his speech. Obama used the words lesbian, transgender and bisexual when he said Americans “condemn the persecution of women or religious minorities or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.” Obama had used the word gay prior when speaking about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The first time gay was used in a SOTU was in 2000 when then president Bill Clinton was speaking of a hate crime.
The Justices are back in town. The U.S. Supreme Court agree Jan. 16 to decide on whether same-sex couples have a right to marry everywhere in the United States under the Constitution. The decision to hear the case stemmed from the Supreme Court striking down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law in 2013 but stopping short of legalizing same-sex marriage across the board. The announcement led to debate, protest and a feeling of unease as we had to wait until June 2015 for the Court’s final decision.
