Orange County: No same sex marriage licenses
On Feb. 12, a dozen gay couples marched into the Orange County Courthouse requesting marriage license applications. The couples were members of One Orlando, an equality coalition, and they were making a statement about same sex equality. Clerk of the Court Lydia Gardner told them same sex marriage is illegal in Florida and then also denied the couples’ requests for civil union and domestic partnership applications.
Bears vs. Bears
For nearly two decades, the Bears of Central Florida had been the only game in town for Bear social events. This year, it announced that Bear Bust Weekend would be moved out of downtown Orlando and into Kissimmee. Following that decision, a faction of the club split off to form Bears, Cubs, Chasers and Chubs and the new club hosted its own BC3 Weekend at Parliament House at the same time as Bear Bust.
Chisholm implodes
Rumors had been circulating for a long time, but the first official sign of trouble for party promoting company Chisholm Properties Circuit Events LLC came in April. Owner Johnny Chisholm announced that his Gay Days One Mighty Weekend parties, traditionally held at Disney venues, would move to the Buena Vista Palace, except for Saturday’s One Mighty Party, which would be held at Gaylord Palms Resort. Then the week of the event, another switch: One Mighty Party would also be moved to the Gaylord.
Over the next few months, Chisholm faced a barrage of trouble including lawsuits filed by investors, the resignation of Chisholm’s attorney in August and a bankruptcy filing for Chisholm’s company in October.
Kissimmee logo leads to surprise anti-gay rhetoric
It seemed simple enough. A motion came before Kissimmee’s city commission, to add the phrase “In God We Trust” to the city’s logo. Simple, that is, until Commissioner Art Otero decided to weigh in on why he proposed the change.
“This nation has been moving toward more liberal postures such as homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion and the legalization of marijuana,” Otero said.
The reaction went beyond simple outrage at his comments. E-mails to complain were returned to senders, only to be returned via auto-response, blocked for offensive or sexual content.
Otero still doesn’t have his new logo.
Optimism, uncertainty for The Center
One thing is for certain when it comes to the The Center: changes are coming. However, no one is quite sure what those changes will be. In July, the board was looking to refinance ahead of a $350,000 balloon mortgage payment due in February 2010. It also had kicked off a fundraising campaign executive director Micheal Vance said was unrelated, while dissolving a governing board, leaving The Center’s leadership up to Vance and the executive board. In July, Vance said the board was confident that the refinance would go through without issue, but it appears there is still some uncertainty around the building.
Comeback of the Year: An announcement in early May that Beach Ball would be relocated to a hotel’s outdoor convention space gave the impression that the annual Gay Days weekend event at Typhoon Lagoon was sunk. However, three weeks from the event, East Gate Events announced it would hold the party, keeping the 12-year tradition afloat.
Letdown of the Year: When word got out that local LGBTs planned wear red T-shirts and take the Holy Land Experience by storm during the religious park’s mandated free day Oct. 6, it seemed to be the perfect unofficial kick off to Come Out With Pride. The problem? Way too many people had the same idea. Holy Land was flooded with guests seeking a freebie and reached capacity within minutes of opening.
Prediction of the Year: At COWP 2009, parade grand marshal Stuart Milk announced to a cheering crowd that President Obama planned to pass the Matthew Sheperd federal hate crimes legislation, which the president did 17 days later.
Story to Watch in 2010: Will the Center get to keep its headquarters? The future of the building is still uncertain, but Center leadership reports that refinancing is in process.
