Steve Lorezno Murder Trial

Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz.  

Carrie West & Tyler Butler

It has now been 20 years since we started looking for Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz.   Then after 9 months of investigating  we learned that Steven Lorenzo and Scott Schweickert had killed them. The past 3 months in court have been a rollercoaster of emotions for us 4 Community LGBT activists (Tyler Butler, Robert, Mark & Carrie West). During the court case we sat and listened to weeks of all the graphic details, testimony, and photos. This past week we heard testimony from 8 of Lorenzo’s victims.   Each had been drugged, tortured, raped, beaten, shaved, videotaped, and photographed. On the last day of court, before the closing arguments, the Mothers of Jason and Michael spoke out for the 1^st time. There was not a dry eye in the courtroom. Now on February 20^th, Lorenzo will have one last time to present comment to the court as he represents himself.

 On Friday, February 24^th the Judge will decide life or death sentence. At first, we all wanted the death penalty. Lorenzo has asked for the death penalty too. In a statement he told the Judge that he wants “to do time his way.” Then went on to say the he is now 64 years old. This case will automatically go to the Florida Supreme Court.  This process will take 15 to 20 years. If he lives that long, he will then be in his 80’s. On death row he will receive a private cell, private TV, unlimited internet time, upgraded food and be given the VIP death row treatment. If given life in prison he would be put back into regular general prison populus with no appeal. Life would actual be a harder sentence.

Thru all this Tyler Butler and his husband Robert, Us (Mark & Carrie) and an occasional other persons have been at the court proceedings. “Tru T” https://www.facebook.com/trutea1   and “Dishing with Mark & Carrie”  https://www.mcfilm.co/   have both covered this. Unfortunately, none of the other, so-called LGBTQ+ Media were there.   Today on Facebook I saw all kinds of heated petty drama. There was nothing about the murder and rape of these local community LGBT victims. What sad priorities our local LGBT community have!

Mother of Jason Galehouse finally confronts son’s killer

FOX 13 Coverage –

https://www.fox13news.com/video/1177292

Knight Parade this Saturday Night

Super Bowl LVII

Tampa Pride

This Saturday 1PM

Documentary Debut! La Gaceta:100 Years & 3 Generations Behind America’s Only Tri-lingual Newspaper

https://www.facebook.com/events/761028542117274/?ref=newsfeed

Ybor City Calendar of Events

Southern Nights

Bradley’s on 7^th

Ybor City Saturday Market

https://www.facebook.com/ybormarket

Sisters

https://www.facebook.com/events/517922216971271/?ref=newsfeed

Ultimate Show Down

https://www.facebook.com/events/1355880995235694

Tampa Improv

Bradley’s on 7^th

Tampa Pride Grand Marshals 2023

Southern Nights Orlando

VIDEO: Vandal shatters windows at local gay bar

Click Here for the Story & Video

https://bungalower.com/2023/01/18/video-vandal-shatters-windows-at-local-gay-bar/?fbclid=IwAR3Eao-GhdnF_DL7Si13mqqqCMWCj4MGexvdVyeQvJjfBNqHDZKH9sHvs9c

Southern Nights Ybor City

Bradley’s on 7^th

Game Plan for Gasparilla

Paper Work Updated

Coming up on 2/3/23 will be our 45^th Anniversary. Relationships for LGBT couples is very complicated. The straight world will never understand. We picked 2-3-1980 as our anniversary day. This was the day we moved together to Tampa. We had already been together for 2 years previously, living in Minneapolis, MN.

In the 1980’s we went to an understanding attorney and had what she calls “Life Papers” drawn up. These included our wills, power of attorneys and even who would get our bodies after death. 

In about 2010 we fought for Domestic Partnerships in the City of Tampa. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn signed it into law. At the signing after wards, Bob gave us the pen and congratulated us.  When we went to get our Domestic Partnership, Mayor Bob was there and used the pen to sign our certificate.

Now we are getting ready for our 45^th Anniversary. We both agreed it was time to finish the paper work and get married.  Some people were very excited that we were finally getting married. But wait, we have been in relationship for the past 45 years. To us we have been married for 45 years. We know some people will not understand. To us this was not a marriage but simply updating paper work.  Thank You to everyone for all the kind wishes.

Tru T

Join the 10’s of  1,000’s of viewers and watch Tru T every Saturday https://www.facebook.com/trutea1

Register now for Gay Games Hong Kong (Nov 3-11 2023)

Ybor City residents fighting controversial proposed parking lot

 Metro Inclusive Health

https://www.facebook.com/events/596166225616537

Tampa Pride

https://www.facebook.com/events/1355880995235694

Here Comes Gasparilla

Bradley’s on 7^th

Southern Nights Ybor City

Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

https://www.facebook.com/TampaSisters/

Moving to Ybor City

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is excited to announce that the museum will move to a new location on 7th Avenue in historic Ybor City! The new museum will feature over 3,000 square feet of exhibition space, including a separate Community Gallery. As usual, we will continue in  FMoPA’s tradition of exhibiting important photographic works. FMoPA will be closed during the move beginning on January 19, 2023, until the new space is fully renovated.

https://www.facebook.com/FloridaMuseumOfPhotographicArts

SPENCER HUFF

Gay History

From John Alan Cooke…..  In the 70’s, When the all the Bars, which included Renee’s, The Old Plantation, Margie’s, the Kiki, The El Goya in Ybor City and lots of others closed at 2am and Donna was singing “Last Dance” at the end of the night, , Denny’s on Kennedy Blvd in Tampa, which was open 24 hours was the next stop!

– 110 Seats ! And overflowing completely full and a line out the door and down the block!

The Party Continued on and everyone was In their Glory and Happy…

I miss that time so very much…. Denny’s being a “Family Restaurant” couldn’t stand for all that Joy and Happiness for the Gay & Lesbian Community, so they sold it…. They could not deter Our community and we kept coming back so they torn it all down and made a Parking Lot…. It was truly the End of an Era, we will never see again.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/gaybarchives

Southern Nights Ybor City

Sunday March 19^th

Bradley’s on 7^th

Ybor City Saturday Market

https://www.facebook.com/ybormarket

From the MC Media Mail Bag….

Event Title:  ReadOut: A Festival of LGBTQ+ Literature.  Readout is an inclusive event celebrating literature written by, for and about the LGBTQ community. Website: https://readout.lgbtqgulfport.org/

Friday, February 17, 2023 @5:00PM – Sunday, February 19, 2023 @6:00PM

Location:  LGBTQ Resource Center/Gulfport, FL 33707

Event Detail:  The sixth annual ReadOut Festival of LGBTQ+ Literature will be held February 17- 19, 2023, live in Gulfport (FL) as well as virtually on Zoom.  Our theme this year is, Literary Queeries – A pitch letter for valuing LGBTQ literature, one presentation at a time! The festival will celebrate published and emerging authors from across LGBTQ+ and allied communities with panels, individual readings and workshops on the theme, Literary Queeries. Presentations may be on-site, live streamed or prerecorded. ReadOut is committed to involving a wide array of voices.

Thank you! Robee Berry Robee.Berry@usaa.com

Metro Inclusive Health

https://www.facebook.com/events/596166225616537

SUNday FUNday