Lately I find myself thinking a lot about one particular commercial. A well-built young man dives into a pool and swims to the other side. When he emerges, he is much older and the words “life comes at you fast” appear on the screen.
Time seems to be moving at an alarming rate. It’s been 10 years since I started Watermark Publishing Group and purchased the paper from its founder. I remember how excited my roommate and I were that after 14 years at the company, this huge, long-awaited change was happening.
We could never have guessed the tragedy that was lurking just six months away.
June 11, 2016 was a pretty busy day. My family was taking then-editor Jeremy Williams to dinner and a movie for his birthday and getting ready to host a party for him the next day.
While we sat in my house watching “And the Band Played On,” news of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub started to trickle in. We continued to watch the movie, oblivious to the magnitude of this horrific event.
By sunrise, we knew life had changed. Not just for Orlando, but for LGBTQ+ people everywhere who suddenly realized that even the spaces where we felt safest could be vulnerable.
We cancelled the celebrations we had planned for the day and went to the office. We had planned to go to press in the next 48 hours with our annual St Pete Pride coverage and we knew we had to change that to honor those taken and support the survivors and lives touched by this violence.
Without notice, many of the staff just showed up that day. Interns from past semesters just showed up.
“What can I do?” they asked.
Our entire community witnessed this kind of compassion.
It seems like yesterday and so far away at the same time. So much has changed since then. Some of it brought healing, while some of it created new frustration and heartache through years of missteps and mismanagement. Yet here, at the 10-year mark, we find a sense of hope.
I can’t pretend to imagine the pain suffered by Pulse survivors and the families of those taken. I can only hope that this community can find some comfort in the progress made by the City of Orlando and look forward to soon having a permanent Pulse memorial.
You can read all about the plans and community feedback in this issue’s In-Depth section.
In addition to the 10-year mark of the Pulse shooting, we are approaching the annual Gay Day at Disney and surrounding events.
It’s long been one of my favorite days. It shows what can happen when a small group of people gather to celebrate who they are, to be visible at a time when the world wanted them to be invisible.
I am old enough to remember and long for the old days when this event was the largest of its kind. The park was at capacity. There were LGBTQ+ people clad in homemade red shirts bursting at the seams with pride. Hotel Plaza Boulevard was overflowing with queer people. The air was electric, hotel expos were packed and celebrities were vying to headline private events.
It felt like an annual family reunion for LGBTQ+ people from across the country. Everywhere you looked there were reminders that we were not alone, that our community was larger and stronger than many of us realized.
To some degree this has changed. Although there are fewer red shirts, the enthusiasm still carries on. The 1 p.m. Country Bear Jamboree is still the hottest ticket in town and the group photo in front of the castle is not to be missed.
GayDays Inc. celebrates 35 years this year at a new destination off 192. One Magical Weekend is running strong under the direction of the great team at Pineapple Healthcare. Their Riptide party will always hold a special place in my heart. Girls in Wonderland will shine again hosting the ladies’ parties.
Perhaps I am just feeling nostalgic about this month since I am up in New York helping my husband get settled into his next chapter. I’ll miss seeing the local celebs in the VIP section of Typhoon Lagoon and perusing the GayDays pool parties.
I’ll miss the Rainbow Run for the first time in a long time, grabbing my medal before adventuring off to Disney. I’ll miss poking fun at Winnie the Pooh for wearing his red shirt at Crystal Palace breakfast this Gay Day, and I’ll miss the subtle nod of acceptance and recognition red shirt wearers give each other at the Magic Kingdom. But there is always next year.
We really are lucky, those of us who live in Central Florida. We have a great community.
Yeah, life comes at you fast.
Stay visible, stay strong and support each other.
Sign up for the Watermark Out News eNewsletter and follow us for more:
BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
