Saint Desmond and his company, Effusive Internet Services, donate our hosting services for this very website. He graciously helps us nuns out with this new fangled technology known as the interwebs...or something like that. Please take a moment to visit St Desmond's site by clicking on the following link:

Saint Desmond and his company, Effusive Internet Services, donate our hosting services for this very website. He graciously helps us nuns out with this new fangled technology known as the interwebs...or something like that. Please take a moment to visit St Desmond's site by clicking on the following link:

Cindy Troupin created a FABULOUS graphic for the Tampa Bay Sisters to submit to the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Cindy is originally from Gainesville Florida and has lived in Tampa for the past four years. She runs a freelance graphic design business and worked previously as a designer in New York and Atlanta. Besides cooking and working on her jewelry designs and other creative endeavors, she also enjoys spending time with her dog Happy, watching movies and traveling. diffa.org

While in Tampa, Kelly Crain was a professor of deaf education at the University of South Florida. Believing that everyone can contribute to worthy causes in their own way, he has always strived to support the Tampa Bay Sisters in all of their endeavours, whether through financial support, volunteerism, or the sending of positive energy. Kelly moved back to his home state of Oregon, where he has been warmly received by the Portland Sisters, whom he hopes to assist and support (in addition to his beloved Tampa Sisters) in any way possible.

Mark Bias and Carrie West have been synonymous since the mid 80's. I guess that is what happens after 30 years together. Having met in Minneapolis, MN in 1978 at Mark's Restaurant, Simion's on Hennepin we have relocated to different parts of the country before keeping our feet wet in Tampa, FL. 1980 we moved to Tampa where Carrie attended USF studying political science/communications and Mark was a photographer for Sears. When we moved and tried to find an apartment near the university, the apartment complex manager asked if we wanted a 2 bedroom. We said either a 1 or 2 bedroom unit and she replied "We don't rent to homosexuals!" We have been very vocal civic/political activists ever since. 'Prejudice, bigotry against gays is the southern way," we were told. It wasn't in our minds, our upbringing nor in our basic beliefs. We have worked to share the openness of our life together and wanted to change the discrimination imagery that we often face daily in our community. We both loved gay themed movies and had a library full of them. Our friends often asked to borrow them and at times we had to set up a file to who had what movie. We both had full time jobs and in 1989 we started MC FILM FESTIVAL Home Video Catalogue Company. We traveled to the gay pride events around the state selling movies, pride gifts and jewelry. 1993 our many Tampa friends and customers really wanted us to open a store front for promoting our movies to sell or rent and we decided "Yes we would!" A small Gay Pride Video store front across from University of Tampa called MC FILM Festival. From there to much larger store on Kennedy Blvd. for 6 years where we hosted Human Rights Campaign meetings, Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival previews, P-FLAG, new plays premeiring, Star Burst, bear groups, and it goes on. If you have a gay group...needed space...we let you have your meeting in our 2000 s/f Pride store. We had the Official Ellen Coming Out Party for HRC. We were the first to advertise a Gay Pride store on National TV on Time Warner Cable 1998. We opened another location in 1998 at the famous Suncoast Resort (largest gay resort) in St. Pete. We were the center of the community. Mark loves walking on stilts and dressing up in colorful costumes (we have 2 bedrooms in our house with costumes to prove it today). Until the closing in June 2007 our MC FILM store and us were there!!! We were among the 12 founding members of St Pete Pride in St. Petersburg (over 100,000 gay pride event and largest in Florida). And on the board for A.S.A.P. (AIDS Services Association Pinellas). In 2007 before Suncoast closed, we opened another store in Ybor City. We started a coalition we named GaYBOR District Coalition in Historic Ybor City. Carrie is President and Mark is Sec. of the 1 year old organization. We now have over 110 members both gay and gay friendly businesses and the movement is growing in a very positive direction for Tampa's gloom area and turned it very GLBT creative. So for almost 30 years we have been active and a prominent figures in Tampa Bays Gay Community. We are actually a Gay Chamber of Commerce location in the epic center of GaYBOR in Historic Ybor City. Giving is what we both do best, to make a better community. That is just us, Mark & Carrie. Carrie ran for Tampa City Council, District 6 1998 Board Members to the GLBT Center of Tampa 1994-1998 Members of the Tampa Bay Business Guild (Gay Chamber) since 1990 On Ybor City Development Corp. (City of Tampa) Board Members of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce Carrie was on National Marine Safety Board, appointed Mark has been a realtor/ broker and he says to make sure they all know he is the pretty one. Have been on National TV programs and on BBC interviews, twice. Have an Aussie Shepherd, Amber Jillie. 2 cats- Fluffy & Princey and a cockatoo named Bobby 20 +. We live in a bungalow home circa 1890 in North Hyde Park. And Yes it is eclectic!!! We love to travel and have been to including China, Russia, Germany, England, Belgium, France, Aruba. And we both are very political.

Brian Feist A native of Minnesota, Brian Feist has lived in the Tampa Bay area for over 20 years. After leaving a difficult relationship up north he wanted to get involved in the gay community, particularly with helping people with AIDS. While bartending at the Lighted Tree, a then-popular gay bar on Pass-a-grille Beach, Brian realized that the best way to help was by becoming a nurse. He earned his RN license in 1991 and spent the next ten years working in several settings, most often exclusively with AIDS patients. At the suggestion of a friend, Brian began writing for the local gay newsmagazine, the Gazette, in 1998, and bought the publication three years later. Under Feist's leadership the Gazette maintained its high standard of providing news and information of interest to the local GLBT community. Feist also used the magazine as a means of supporting the community, with tens of thousands of dollars in free and reduced priced advertising and editorial space provided to local GLBT non-profit groups each year. In addition to publishing the Gazette, Brian has continued working as a Registered Nurse in local hospitals. He has also served on the boards of the Tampa Bay Business Guild, becoming its president in 2006, and Metropolitan Charities, one of the area's largest and most respected AIDS Service Organizations. After the Hillsborough County Commissioners voted, in 2005, to ban gay pride (little 'g,' little 'p') in Hillsborough County, Brian announced an organizational meeting for a Pride event in Tampa. The meeting, hosted by MCC of Tampa, brought a small group of dynamic individuals together and four months later, in February of 2006, nearly 5,000 people came to Tampa's Lowry Park for the inaugural Winter Pride Tampa Bay celebration. The following year Winter Pride was relocated to the larger Al Lopez Park, where an estimated 12,000 people attended.. Unfortunately, owing largely to the unraveling U.S. economy, advertising revenues for the Gazette declined to a point where continuing to publish the magazine was no longer feasible, and Brian closed the publication after the May issue in 2008. Despite the demise of the Gazette, he maintains his commitment to the HIV cause and the GLBT community through his work with Metropolitan Charities.

Joy Winheim moved to the Tampa Bay area from New York in 1996 and began working with the HIV/AIDS population in November 1997. She spent 9 years working at a local substance abuse facility as a coordinator of the HIV/AIDS program. Joy is a Certified Addictions Professional and an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She had the opportunity to move over to Francis House in October of 2005 as a counselor and became the Director in March of 2007. Francis House provides supportive services to the HIV/AIDS community. Services include support groups, mental health and substance abuse counseling, food pantry, case management, lunch on a daily basis and recreational therapy. Joy is passionate about her work and strives to teach her clients that HIV is not the only positive in their life.

Donation of time, talent and treasure is truly a pleasure to provide the Tampa Bay Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Further, I recommend it to others that truly wish to ‘give back’ to the community. As the Chief Information Officer for a medical company, I have been blessed with resources and a sincere desire to help those in need by supporting the Tampa Bay Order. Being a Saint to the Order is truly an honor; even more deeply realized once you get to know the members and their profound individual dedication.

Early on as a professional musician, I grew an appreciation for the performing arts and the power it has to persuade the emotions of others. Later in the technology sector, I founded my own company which provided a venue for me to learn a wide spectrum of information management skills that I freely offer to the Order. At the end of the day, I have great comfort in knowing that I can help the less fortunate through my commitment and support of the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

As for me, I choose to perpetually indulge in life and bring joy to those in our community. How about you?