Founder Tom Dyer sold Watermark two years ago, but remains and will forever be the newspaper’s guiding light. His law office is next door, so we see him several times a day when he crosses the parking lot to raid our refrigerator and steal office supplies. Always the diplomat, he offers opinions when asked and reassurance when needed.
Tom first envisioned Watermark back in the spring of 1994. “I was in Atlanta having lunch at a restaurant in Virginia Highlands, where everyone seemed to be reading Southern Voice,” Tom recalls. “I started fantasizing about people sitting in cafes in Thornton Park reading Central Florida’s LGBT newspaper. The idea was so invigorating that I drove to Southern Voice’s offices and asked to meet its publishers. They loaded me down with all kinds of information, and for the next several months it was all I could think about.”
Supportive friends kicked in $25,000 so that Tom could buy a computer and get started. He hired Keith Peterson and April Gustetter, and together they published Watermark’s first 24-page issue in August 1994. “The name was chosen to reflect a rising tide for the local LGBT community,” Tom says, “but a clever reader quickly pointed out the more inspiring symbolism. A watermark is a transparent insignia on fine stationery, visible only when held up to the light. It’s a wonderful metaphor for the gay experience.”
The timing was right. Within a year Watermark doubled in size and expanded to Tampa Bay. Talented contributors came out of the woodwork to broaden the newspaper’s voice. And elected officials and celebrities began making themselves available for interviews.
“I’ll never forget walking through the office and hearing Cyndi Lauper’s Betty-Boop-from-Brooklyn voice on our speaker phone,” Tom laughs. “Or Joan Rivers scolding Kirk Hartlage for wearing pajamas to work. Or Phyllis Diller telling Sam Singhaus she was the inspiration for Cruella De Vil. Or Gloria Steinem explaining why the patriarchy is threatened by gays.”
Tom edited the newspaper for eight years, and remained an active publisher and contributor thereafter. We’re still able to talk him into a column from time-to-time. “Watermark has given me so many experiences I never thought I’d have,” Tom says.
Tom maintains a busy law practice. He loves being an uncle to nine nieces and nephews – all blondes. He’s devoted to his Corgi, Seamus. And a couple times a year he breaks away to New York City, mostly to visit friends he made at Watermark who now live there.
“I’m proud of Watermark, and happy that it continues to thrive,” Tom says. “Times have changed since 1994, but there still needs to be an LGBT voice.”
Watermark is the collective product of a team of incredibly hardworking individuals. Over the next series of issues, we’re using this space to introduce each member of our staff and contributors to you. When you see us out and about in the community, stop and say, “Hello.” We’d love to meet you.
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