December has always been my favorite time of the year. Even with the end of the school year and my birthday both happening in June, this month was the one I looked forward to most when I was growing up and that love has only grown in me as I grew.
As a big guy, my internal temperature runs fairly hot so a cooler month is always preferable to me rather than a sweltering summer month. I also love all things Christmas. I know it is sacrilegious as a gay man to say that I don’t really care about Halloween, but aside from the scary movies and the candy, the spooky season just isn’t my cup of tea.
As I started working here, this month became my favorite of the year for another reason — our annual list of Central Florida and Tampa Bay’s Most Remarkable People of the Year.
This yearly list is our way of recognizing those in our local community who have shown themselves to go above and beyond in the name of equality, have made a historical contribution to the movement or have been unsung heroes in the fight for LGBTQ people. In this latest issue, we have named our 20 Most Remarkable People of 2020 — 10 in Central Florida and 10 in Tampa Bay — who we believe have shown these qualities during what has been the most trying and difficult of years.
We have activists, artists and volunteers among our remarkable 20. Those who stood out in a year dominated by a pandemic, calls for racial equality and a presidential election that had the largest voter turnout in U.S. history.
In selecting who to feature on the covers of our remarkable issue, we went with two inspiring and passionate voices in Florida in 2020 — U.S Rep. Val Demings on our Central Florida cover and state Rep. Michele Rayner on our Tampa Bay cover.
Demings began the year as a standout among the seven impeachment managers who argued the case against President Donald Trump during his trial in the Senate. She showed the country and the world what we here in Central Florida have known for years. She takes her job seriously and she comes to work prepared. Along with her impressive showing at the impeachment hearings, Demings also stood up as an LGBTQ ally and activist, introducing a bill in the House to remove the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.
Rayner made history in Tampa Bay during the 2020 election season when she became the first Black, openly LGBTQ woman elected to the Florida Legislature. Prior to running for political office, Rayner served Tampa Bay as a civil rights attorney and an advocate for social change. The state of Florida is about to see what Tampa Bay has gotten to see already. Rayner is someone who will stand with and fight for all Floridians to feel heard, safe and to have an equal seat at the table.
Demings and Rayner are joined by 18 other amazing people who have shown in 2020 how truly remarkable they are.
Individuals like The Center Orlando’s Joel Morales and One Orlando Alliance’s Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet in Central Florida and the Plus Project’s Larry Biddle and Come OUT St. Pete’s Chris Jones and Loralei Matisse in Tampa Bay, who showed working to help nonprofits was even more important during a pandemic.
Artists and performers — like Orlando’s MrMs Adrien, Tampa’s Cam Parker and St. Petersburg’s Daphne Ferraro, John Gascot and Chad Mize — who used their talents to help us feel connected in a year where so much was detached.
Activists who continued the important work needed to be done in the community. Individuals like Eryn Harris, who organized Flagler County’s first Pride March; Daniel Downer, who through his organization Bros in Convo supported efforts helping both the transgender community and Black Lives Matter; Bobby Hermida, who helped organize a “Mask the People” team which made more than 3,000 masks for people in Orlando; Kayden Rodriguez, who co-founded the inaugural Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival; and Karla Bello, who called for change in Pinellas County after law enforcement mistreated her because she is transgender.
LGBTQ business owners like HAOS on Church’s Blue Star, Gecko CPA Firm’s Leah James and State of Gratitude’s Chris Bilyk who showed not only their skills in business but their passion for this community.
2020 was a hard year, but selecting these remarkable people from it was the easiest decision for us to make. Congratulations to all of our remarkable people and thank you for your tireless work in a truly remarkable year.
