I have a problem remembering things. If I don’t write something down, it is likely it will be forgotten with two weeks.
That is because Watermark publishes every other Thursday so my brain works on a two-week cycle. After an issue is put to bed my full attention goes to the next issue, making sure everything is lined up and good to go for it. A major positive of this is that at the end of the year, I have 26 issues full of what I have been thinking about and talking about for the past 12 months.
This time of year, during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I like to kick back with a cup of coffee and re-read each issue of Watermark that published over the past year. This not only helps me to remember what happened but it also reminds me of all the amazing people in our community. This is particularly important as our editorial team is also looking to pick the Most Remarkable People of the Year.
A time-honored tradition, Watermark recognizes 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 every year.
This year we have selected 10 trailblazers — five in Central Florida and five in Tampa Bay — who have shown themselves to not only be champions of our community, but also have proven to be some of the most caring and passionate warriors in the fight for equality. We then asked another leader in the community who knows and/or works with each of them to write a profile on why this person is remarkable to them.
In Central Florida, picking 2022’s five Remarkables was difficult. Not because there weren’t enough remarkable people, but because so many people did such impactful work in the community this year.
Remarkable people like U.S. Rep.-elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the first person from Generation Z to be elected to Congress. I had the honor of sitting down with Maxwell for an interview before his election victory and to be in his presence is to know that you are talking with someone destined for greatness.
Another remarkable Gen Zer this year was Winter Park High School student Will Larkins. Will testified against the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill in the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee days before they helped to organize and lead a walkout at their school. Their “Say Gay Anyway” walkout saw more than 600 students join Larkin in protesting the legislation. They followed that up by going viral with a video of them leading a classroom discussion on the Stonewall Uprising in a red dress.
The Central Florida Remarkables list also highlights several activists who have fought in the community for many years. Michael Slaymaker, the Orlando Youth Alliance CEO, and Andrea Montanez, Hope CommUnity Center’s LGBTQ Immigration Coordinator, fight for some of the most vulnerable members of our LGBTQ family while also living open, authentic lives as members of the community.
Michael has dedicated his life to helping LGBTQ youth, something that has been shown this year to be vitally important. The LGBTQ youth of Florida were under constant attack by ring-wing politicians, conservative groups and mostly dangerously by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Andrea has been working at the intersection of LGBTQ rights and immigration rights here in Central Florida and is one of the most visible community leaders out there. Literally, it seems like she is everywhere. I see her at every event, cheering and advocating for equality for all. As you will read in Debo’s profile on her, I too often wonder when this superhero sleeps. I am in awe of her strength and passion.
The final Central Florida remarkable person this year is someone who I have had the privilege of knowing for several years and someone who has always been remarkable, The Orlando VA’s Keri Griffin. As a veteran, I use the Orlando VA for my own health care needs and have seen such a change in service over the last 10 years toward LGBTQ vets that is almost entirely because of Keri. Imagine going into a VA hospital, a place always seen to have traditional conservative views, and seeing posters that say we will respect your chosen name and pronouns. Or seeing rainbow lanyards around the neck of your nurse and doctor. The work that Keri has done at the VA is some of the most remarkable that I have ever seen and I am so happy that she is starting to get more recognition for it in the community.
Thank you to all of you unsung heroes in the community who do the work needed to be done, not because you expect recognition but because it is the right thing to do, and congratulations to this year’s Most Remarkable People.
