After the hell of last year and the chaos of earlier this year, it is nice to be able to get back to doing some of the normal things we use to do and be able to relax that the world isn’t ending.
Most people in my life have gotten the vaccine and those who haven’t, the ones who have concerns about how quickly it came about or those who are worried about what is in it, I believe are starting to come around and will be getting it soon.
Here at Watermark, we have had quite a few reasons to celebrate over the last month or two. Our business manager Kathleen Sadler and her husband Keith welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world in March.
Our Tampa Bay Bureau Chief, Ryan Williams-Jent and his husband Wade just recently became homeowners in St. Petersburg. It’s the first home for both and I can’t wait to get over there and see it.
The newest member of our Watermark team, Ezri Ruiz just graduated this month from the University of Central Florida. Ezri is a part of Watermark’s design team and was an intern for us back in 2018. Anyone who knows me knows that I see our interns as my kids so I felt like a proud dad seeing her complete her degree and I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to have her working here.
And as you’ll read in a few spots in this issue, our publisher Rick and creative designer Dylan officially tied the knot and became the Todds.
It was an exciting day to be a part of, first because it was the first gathering of more than just a handful of people I’ve been to since the pandemic and it was nice to be able to see everyone again face to face, catch up and eat cake. Second, it was amazing to see two people in love get to express that love in front of us all.
I love going to weddings. I come from a big Italian family who love throwing big weddings so anytime I get to attend one I don’t hesitate to go. While I have been to a lot of weddings in my life, this was only the third same-sex wedding I’ve attended and I gotta say they stand out as some of the best ones.
The first same-sex wedding I attended was here in Orlando a few years ago when my friend Nicole married her wife Lisa. The moment Lisa arrived at the ceremony on a speed boat at Paradise Cove, I knew each LGBTQ wedding I went to would be something special.
The next one was between two of the nicest people I have ever met, state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Jerick Mediavilla. They were married at The Venue in Orlando in 2019 and it was a beautiful ceremony officiated over by the Mayor of Orlando with many amazing people from the community in attendance. It felt like attending a celebrity wedding.
I knew that Rick and Dylan’s wedding was going to be a one of a kind because I got to watch them plan it over the last year and it didn’t disappoint. The ceremony at Leu Gardens was beautiful and hilarious — like there was actual standup from the officiate, Barbara Leach — and then we were entertained by a cabaret show with amazingly talented local performers, including the fantastic Ginger Minj and Gidget Galore. You know it’s gonna be a good wedding when drag queens show up.
But above all, each of these weddings were special because you could see they were rooted in love. So thank you to all the above couples for letting me share in that love and if you haven’t been to a gay wedding yet, I highly recommend it.
In this issue, as “things get back to normal,” we look at tips, tricks and safety measures to take as you get back out there and start traveling again. We also talk to some experts who think that LGBTQ travelers may be the key to tourism recovery.
In Central Florida, the LGBT+ Center Orlando named who the organization will be honoring at the ninth annual Harvey Milk Breakfast & LGBT+ Center Diversity Awards, including recognizing Central Florida power couple U.S. Rep. Val Demings and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings with lifetime achievement awards. We also celebrate the LGBTQ filmmakers who won big at the 2021 Florida Film Festival.
In Tampa Bay, we look at what you can expect at this year’s Tampa Pride, the first major Pride event since the start of the pandemic. We also check in with Equality Florida as they endorse Darren Rice for St. Petersburg mayor.
In Arts & Entertainment, we speak with the legendary Martha Wash, who is headlining at Tampa Pride, and we also chat with Yonk Trendsetta and Big Vision, the rap duo known as Stud Passion, about being openly gay performers in the hip hop world.
