Out Walt Disney World president George Kalogridis, who spoke with Watermark this year (gasp!), played a huge role in making Disney’s stance clear: Gays are welcome here. The Out and Equal Institute, which advocates for equality in the workplace, historically showed up at WDW’s Coronado Springs Resort. Next year, Out and Equal’s annual summit comes to Disney’s Swan and Dolphin resort for four days. It pays to like gays.
It was a rough year for HIV/AIDS advocates in Central Florida. In July, news came down that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control would not be funding any Orlando-area HIV/AIDS-care organizations. Though Metro Wellness in St. Pete did make the cut, Orlando orgs were pushed into a scramble, which is sad when you consider that Orange County’s new HIV cases were up 47 percent.
Transgender woman India Clarke is discovered murdered at a Tampa Community Center, bringing trans murders into the headlines and adding her to the list of 22 (as of October) killed this year. This upward trend in trans violence is, notably, terrifying.
Caitlyn Jenner gives an emotional and certainly historic speech at ESPN’s ESPY Awards. “If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions,” she says, “go ahead, because the reality is, I can take it.”
Matt Bomer gives us a boner. No, seriously. If it weren’t for the magnificent scene-chews from Channing Tatum, Magic Mike XXL (that’s a big shirt!) would have been Bomer’s blue-eyed launch into the pop-culture stratosphere. As it stands, his work in the Normal Heart and American Horror Story speaks, breaths and gives you a hug for itself.
Watermark’s Movies Out Loud Returns to the Abbey in Orlando with a partnership with the Orlando International Fringe Festival. There were certainly younger and prettier people coming down the stairs behind us, but we remained, and will forever remain, Showgirls.
All-time leading scorer at both the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics Abby Wambach runs to her wife after winning the World Cup in July. Soon after, she announces her retirement. “It’s been an amazing wonderful ride,” she says.
