02.20.2020 Publisher’s Desk

I’m not a SWIFTIE. That’s to say I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift’s music. In fact, I had to ask Google what her fans are called because I know so little about her. No offense to her or to her fans, it’s just not my bag and simply subjective. Also, consider the source: my favorite music is Air Supply.

Having said all of that, I can’t keep Taylor Swift out of my mind lately. “You need to calm down” has become the voice inside my head. This usually happens while I’m driving, and I drive a lot. I’ll be heading down I-4 at a nice 79 mph pace when a car driving at least 100 mph swerves around me. Suddenly I find myself snapping my fingers and singing, “You need to calm down! You’re driving too loud!” Sometimes Swift’s lyrics come to mind when my dog is yelling at me or when I’m overwhelmed with work vs. volunteering, but mostly I think “You need to calm down!” when I’m on Facebook reading political opinions.

As of press time for this issue, we are two states into declaring a Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential campaign. Before the Florida primary we will see two more states allocate delegates, then a handful more on Super Tuesday. Since the issue before the Florida primary is our WAVE award coverage, we decided to address the primary now before turning our focus to what is spectacular in our local community.

Watermark doesn’t endorse candidates. It was our policy not to do so in primaries, but now we have decided not to do so at all. I, of course, reserve the right to change my mind on that at any point. In 2016 Watermark strayed from its norm and elected to endorse Hillary Clinton as its choice to top the Democratic presidential ticket: a decision that was not without its own controversy. I stood by our decision to endorse her and I do to this day.

Although Watermark the company may not dole out endorsements any longer, I still have an opinion as a publicly-conscious person. I am embarrassed to say that if the primary election were today I don’t know who I would vote for. I used to believe the undecided voter was just not well enough informed, and now that’s me. Maybe I do have a lot to learn about the candidates, but what I do know about all of them looks good. All of the top contenders would make a great president and all of them are flawed.

I recently had the opportunity to hear LGBTQ rights activist Cleve Jones speak at the LGBT+ Center in Central Florida. He was moving, legendary. I remember thinking while he spoke: “It’s no wonder we have come so far in his lifetime, and it’s no wonder we have so far to go.” What stood out so much to me was his description of Gilbert Baker and Harvey Milk.

He spoke about how amazing they were as friends and how dedicated they were as activists, but he also talked about how flawed they were as people. His point was that these heroes, those we put on a pedestal, were just everyday people. They had strengths and weaknesses just like all of us. How freeing it was for him to know that. Realizing these pioneers are everyday people means that we, everyday people, have the capacity to do great things.

We need to realize this about our political choices. They are all everyday people. They all have the capacity for greatness and they all have weaknesses. So let’s not put them on pedestals while tearing down their opponents. Your hero’s opponent just may be your nominee for president and you may be the one who has to reconcile that in your mind. Mayor Pete may be too green for you and Bernie Sanders may be too Independent; Joe Biden may have the vernacular of an aging generation and Mike Bloomberg may have too much money; Amy Klobuchar might bore you and Elizabeth Warren may seem unrelatable to you, but you need to calm down. They are all on your side.

All of these candidates believe LGBTQ people should be protected federally. The current administration does not. All of these candidates believe our trans community should serve in the military. Our current administration does not. All of these candidates believe children should not be subjected to conversion therapy. Our current administration does not. Let’s not kid ourselves into thinking this election is a choice between the lesser of two evils.

This is a battle between good and evil, advancing rights versus removing rights, where the prize is the soul of this nation and the future of our community. By all means, fight for your candidate, just don’t annihilate the field in the process. If your candidate doesn’t move forward, then be a hero and fight for our community. We will all need you.

We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

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