‘Tis the season!
To help you get in the spirit, Watermark asked local members of the LGBTQ community to share some of their Halloween memories, namely to reflect on the least favorite treat they had received on Halloween. Read their answers below.
“I was 14 years old when I received the worst treat ever. Growing up, we knew which neighborhoods yielded the best return. We knew where to find the full-size Snickers bars. In true Halloween horror fashion, my nightmares came true one frightful night as I discovered I had been given candy corn!”
— Pride on the River Co-Director Alex Barbosa
“The worst was when I realized my mom was colluding with the other adults in my neighborhood to give me Good and Plenty’s. No hate to that specific candy, I just don’t like them – but surprise, surprise, my mom LOVES them! I remember being six or seven and wondering why SO MUCH of my Halloween haul was this awful candy. My mom was more than happy to take them off my hands, of course, and as I would come to find out, she would specifically request those over other candies when we were Trick or Treating. It took me years to realize the deception in my candy bag, although I’m still at a loss for why they were so popular!
— Nicole Berman, St Pete Pride executive director
“Halloween is our favorite holiday and we go all out on decorations, candy and costumes every year, so we’ve had some memorable ones. The worst treats would be any fruit or granola. When Sasha was living in Trinidad one neighbor came to the U.S. often, thinking she would be getting the goods from the good ol’ USA with us, but instead she was given overripe mangos. While we understand some people want to give out “healthy” treats, we think it’s important to say that no one wants fruit for Halloween, fresh or otherwise! Happy Halloween, everyone!”
— Andrew & Sasha Citino, Owners of 6S Boutique
“The worst treat I have gotten is anything candy corn or black licorice related!”
— Keri Griffin, Orlando VA’s LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Program Coordinator and LGBTQ+ Special Emphasis Program Manager
“The worst ‘treat’ I ever received when I was trick-or-treating was a religious pamphlet. The family was Jehovah Witnesses and didn’t celebrate the holiday so they gave us all religious reading material. I did not want it.”
— Christopher Milliron, Orlando nurse and LGBTQ activist
