When ‘s/he’ is actually appropriate
Ask any member of the transgender community what they think about the term “s/he” and you’re bound to get an earful. But no other term worked quite as well during the Gender Redux fundraiser at Georgie’s Alibi on Oct. 2. Members from throughout the LGBT and allied community cross-dressed for Trans*Action Florida and raised money for the only statewide transgender resource. The show, which, no surprise started more than an hour late, featured the owners of Find A Drag Show 80s lip synchers Milli Vanilli and Andy and Sasha Citino in their own gender-bending duet. The night got off to an uplifting and powerful start when Kori Stevens came out to perform in split drag”half man, half woman”and then welcomed attendees to the fundraiser. The message of the night? Regardless of your gender”a caring community can unite for a great cause.
WAVES rolling into Tampa
It’s hard to believe that it’s almost time to share Watermark readers’ favorites during the annual WAVE Award celebration. And this year, the party is shaping up to be an amazing one! Readers and winners are invited to attend the Tampa Bay/Sarasota Wave Award Party at The Samba Room in Tampa’s Soho district on Thursday, Nov. 8. Details will be released over the next few weeks but Alexis De La Mer will step up and co-host the party, along with Watermark editor Steve Blanchard and advertising sales reps Selena Fuller and Bill Jeffries. Alexis most recently appeared in the pages of Watermark sporting the award-winning headdress from Orlando’s Headdress Ball, and she’s also a former Watermark cover girl, offering a twist on classic Thanksgiving dining in 2010. Voting for the 2012 WAVE Awards is over, and we’re busy tabulating. Results will be published in the Nov. 8 edition of Watermark and online at WatermarkOnline.com.
Quench is coming!
Come December, Largo-area LGBTs will have a new and much needed bar to enjoy happy hour, special events and each other’s company. Quench Lounge will open in the same plaza that once housed the now-closed Christopher Street Bar. Marketing folks are quick to point out that while the bar is in the same plaza at 66th Street and Ulmerton Road in Largo, it is not in the same unit that was the home to Christopher Street. Details are slowly emerging on the bar’s Facebook page and “trendy and casual” are the most used terms to describe the atmosphere of the new lounge. In a rare move for a bar, Quench has asked the local community to help with designing its logo, and many of the submissions are posted on its Facebook page. Whoever submits the winning entry will win a stay on Clearwater Beach. Some details are still under wraps”like the date of the grand opening in December or who will be behind the bar. But according to Quench Lounge, permitting is done and remodeling is well underway.
