Central Florida names the defining moments of 2022
Along with voting for your local LGBTQ favorites in dozens of categories in the WAVEs, we also asked a few questions about the state of your year in 2022.
One thing we wanted to know was what your defining moments of the year were. Some of you responded with personal milestones that you will remember 2022 for: weddings, new jobs, the birth of a child.
Many of you looked to what is happening in the Florida Legislature and its attack on the LGBTQ community as what you will remember 2022 for. In July, the state’s hurtful and hate-filled law known as “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” took effect, leaving students vulnerable and teachers threatened with being fired if they speak about LGBTQ issues.
The midterm elections also left many feeling deflated as the GOP’s Red Wave, squashed in most parts of the country, swept over Florida and gave the Republicans a super majority in the Florida House and Senate. They also kept the governor’s office as Ron DeSantis won re-election easily.
It wasn’t all bad news for you, as several decided to remember 2022 as the year Orlando’s Maxwell Alejandro Frost became the first Gen Zer to be elected to Congress and when President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act codifying same-sex marriage across the country.
Central Florida’s favorite things to return in 2022
After the COVID pandemic swept across the planet, leaving most people to socially distance and enact safety precautions such as wearing masks and using lots of hand sanitizer, everyone felt its impact as events were cancelled, businesses shut down and nearly everything went virtual.
Since 2020, things have slowly opened back up with 2022 being a memorable year for many of you because of what you got back.
So many of you rejoiced at the return of what you called “normalcy” after two years of the pandemic, being able to go into shops and restaurants without being required to wear masks. More of you mentioned the return of hugging, which had also disappeared during most of the pandemic. Many more of you were happy to see the return of crowds at shows, concerts and festivals. Specifically, the crowds returning to Come Out With Pride had many of you cheering.
By far though, the favorite thing to come back by our readers in 2022 was the return of GayDayS, One Magical Weekend and all the festivities involved with the first weekend of June in Central Florida. After being postponed for several years, the week-long celebration that surrounds the red shirt-wearing Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom came back in full force, and it is sure to be even bigger this June.
Central Florida remembers what we lost in 2022
In 2022, we said goodbye to many people who we cared about and loved, both personally and in the celebrity world.
While “Golden Girl” Betty White passed away on New Years Eve in 2021, many of you said losing her had the biggest impact on your 2022. Other celebrity passings that left holes in your 2022 include legendary actress Angela Lansbury, TV journalism pioneer Barbara Walters and singer/actress Olivia Newton-John.
The two biggest celebrity deaths for our readers were the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who died the U.K.’s longest serving monarch, and actor/comedian Leslie Jordan.
Personally, many of you wrote about losing friends and family this past year. So many said goodbye to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings. The losses felt were not only human though, as several of you write about losing family members of the canine and feline variety.
Many wrote of the passing of LGBTQ activist and Central Florida interior designer Ted Maines, who passed away in December at the age of 64. Maines, along with his husband Jeffrey Miller, was well known for his work in advancing marriage equality, fighting for LGBTQ rights and helping to fundraise and elect progressive candidates.
By far, the passing that most people wrote about was that of legendary Central Florida actor, entertainer and event host Doug Ba’aser, also known by his drag persona Taffy Pinkerbox, who passed away in July at the age of 62. Ba’aser entertained audiences for more than four decades throughout Central Florida appearing on numerous Orlando stages, as well as hosting everything from bingo and trivia nights to the annual Trash 2 Trends fundraiser and Watermark’s own WAVE Awards.
