By Meghan Holt for the Ball State Daily News .
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Ball State Daily News-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration.

“Come in as a stranger, leave as a friend” brands the doors of the Mark III Tap Room, known colloquially as “the Mark” in downtown Muncie, Indiana. 

Established in 1968, the Mark is the state’s oldest gay bar. 

Since its initial opening, the bar has moved buildings, closed and reopened its doors multiple times while going through ownership changes. Regardless, it remained a staple of Indiana and the Muncie LGBTQ+ community.

However, after a pipe burst in its 306 South Walnut Street location in January 2024, the Mark III Tap Room faced water damage, leading to its closure for the foreseeable future. Access to the bar's resources, performances and community outreach have been lost.

For performers like Olivia Ward and Jamie Prang, the Mark was not only home to a source of income and creativity — it was home to family, making the closure of the bar difficult to navigate.

“My creative outlet is gone right now,” Prang said. “Now, I don't have anything.”

Prang is a founding member of the eight-year-strong burlesque troupe “The Fabulous Funcie Femmes” and has managed the production house “House of Mayhem” since 2020. Within the troupe, she takes on the persona of Lady J, Mistress of Mayhem.

The burlesque troupe did not take off thanks to Prang’s efforts alone. The foundation of the troupe coincided with the opening of the Mark’s building on 306 Walnut Street. 

Prang remembers the opening day fondly and said the bar was instrumental in ensuring the survival of the troupe.

“The Mark is very, very, very precious to me, especially as a performer and entertainer,” Prang said. “As a burlesque dancer in this town, [burlesque] had its own stigma that people [have] their own opinion about, and [the Mark’s owners] were the brave souls who were willing to give us a chance.”

Ward echoes Prang’s sentiment about the importance of the Mark within their own life.

“I've lived in Muncie my entire life. I went out one night, and it changed my life. The Mark is home,” they said.

A Muncie native and Ball State University graduate, Ward competitively danced for 15 years and was the head of Ball State’s Outlet Hip Hop Troupe. After graduation, they were a hip hop fitness coach. Although dance came easily for Ward, they needed encouragement to get into drag performance.

“I’d always wanted to do [drag], but [Prang] said, ‘Hey! You’ve done this, so here’s the next step,’” Ward said, gripping Prang’s hand.

Prang’s tenure at the Mark, combined with the bar’s welcoming atmosphere, launched Ward’s career as drag king Tevin L. Cruz, a “high-energy” persona who “enjoys being a part of the crowd.”

The Mark is extra special to Ward and Prang. Alongside the fact that they each got their start at the bar, it’s where they met and began their relationship almost three years ago.

“We hold this place very, very dear to our hearts. These are our family members. They're not just people we work with,” Prang said.

Ward misses being on stage — but more than that, they miss supporting other performers. 

“It's the nights we weren't in shows that I miss because every crowd is different. What you're going to see at a burlesque show, you're not going to see probably half of those people at a drag show, or a Sunday brunch, or a Friday karaoke night,” they said.

Indianapolis-based performer Hails Sherwood also lamented the closure of the Mark III Tap Room as a former Ball State student and current drag performer. 

“Coming to Muncie, I hadn't started the process of coming out as anything yet,” Sherwood said. “[The Mark] definitely helped set the groundwork for learning what a queer community is.”

Their performances at the Mark under the name Luna Magick brought them closer to their idols. They described being starstruck by another Indiana drag queen, Venus Entertainment.

“You know, meeting somebody who inspired you to start [performing] is insane. It's a weird thing, being starstruck by an Indy local, but being performers, we do that. It's absolutely opened up new opportunities for me,” Sherwood said.

The Mark doesn’t just serve as a place to build community. Sherwood also praised the ability of the bar to provide free HIV testing to their patrons. In the past, the bar has also hosted fundraising shows for various organizations in Muncie and around the state.

Though Sherwood no longer frequents the Mark as much as they used to, they extend their sympathy to the Muncie community for its loss.

Sherwood said students now lack a space away from work, school or home where they can build community and get away from the bustle of campus life.

“Being able to get away from [campus] was nice. I feel for the people that are there now … and don't have that queer space away from campus that is not affiliated and truly shut off the student part of your brain,” Sherwood said.

But the loss is perhaps felt most acutely by the Mark III Tap Room’s owner, Natasha Martz. She has owned the bar since 2012, but it has been a part of her family for much longer. 

“The Mark has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she said via email. “[My] dad loved going to the first Saturday shows. In the late ’90s, when I turned 21, it became [his] and I’s ‘Dad and Daughter’ monthly night out spot.”

Martz’s uncle was also a frequent patron of the bar and introduced her father to the establishment. Due to this extended family connection, Martz said the closure of the bar has affected her life tremendously.

“[The Mark] is not only my career, but it is my heart and my passion. Navigating as a small business through a crisis that keeps you from being open is very challenging. Knowing that it is a much-needed space for our community is a driving force for me,” Martz said.

The Mark is still closed for repairs, missing its targeted date for reopening in early March. As of now, there is no update about whether or not it will reopen. Regardless, Martz is proud to be a part of its legacy.

“From a tiny dance floor on Main packed with friends and laughter, to a grand stage on Walnut full of performance art and creative minds, I am lucky to have witnessed so much happiness and joy,” she said.


Meghan Holt wrote this article for Ball State Daily News.


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Executive orders have been issued by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun that restrict state funds from promoting gender identity and ban transgender women from women's college sports.

One order directs the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to enforce a 2020 Title IX rule, not a 2024 rule, ensuring transgender women cannot compete in women's sports. A review in 2026 will assess compliance among Indiana colleges.

Braun's orders follow President Donald Trump's February executive order barring transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports.

"This is crafted to be maybe similar to it," Braun said. "It is crafted by us to address our point of view here in Indiana."

Trump's 2024 campaign promise to "keep men out of women's sports" gained broad support. A national AP VoteCast survey found most respondents believe government support for transgender rights has gone too far.

A separate order requires state agencies to recognize only male and female genders based on birth sex. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles will stop issuing driver's licenses with an "X" gender marker. The Department of Health will challenge birth certificate changes, although courts retain final authority over those requests.

Braun said biological sex is written in humans' DNA.

"Replacing the scientific fact biological sex with the ever-shifting self-reported idea of gender identity as real consequences put women in danger in females-only places like prisons," he said. "It destroys our opportunities for women in sports."

Transgender-rights advocates have said these orders unfairly target a small, vulnerable group. Critics argue the policies prioritize politics over fairness. Legal experts expect challenges, but it remains unclear what legal actions will follow.


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As many nonprofit organizations see a decrease in funding and donations, one charity is stepping up to ensure organizations run by women of color don't suffer unequally.

The Women's Foundation of the South raises funds - and awards grants to programs, services, and resources for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian women, and girls.

Founding President and CEO Carmen James Randolph said they created the charity to address the funding gap.

"We receive the least amount of philanthropic investment, as well as the smallest share of investment capital to support our businesses," said Randolph. "So, we exist to shift this trend of underinvestment."

She said they are helping 120 organizations across Arkansas and four other southern states. They hope to expand to 13 states by 2026.

A study by the Ms. Foundation for Women shows that nonprofit organizations led by women of color receive about 50% less in funding from charities and foundations.

Randolph said the women are doing more with less.

"More than 50% of women in some of our states, in the south, are living in prenatal care and maternal care deserts," said Randolph. "So, you have nonprofits that are picking up the slack and working to provide these critical services, and they are so deeply under resourced."

She added that although women of color have successfully operated corporations and organizations, they still face what's known as "trust philanthropy."

"And I think in the south you have those issues of trust," said Randolph, "combining with long standing issues with racism and patriarchy where they all combine."

Randolph said they hope to change the economic trajectory of at least 2.5 million women and girls of color by 2031.





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New Mexico's 2025 Legislature will make history next week, convening with the largest percentage of women in the U.S., based on its total number of members.

Female legislators in New Mexico will hold a 54% majority, thanks to voters electing 11 additional women in November, both Democrats and Republicans.

Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, believes issues tackled by lawmakers are more comprehensive when deliberations include women.

"They have the kinds of concerns for family issues, children's issues, educational issues that, of course, many men share as well," Garratt pointed out. "But women -- who still, to this day, receive lower salaries in so many professions -- really need to be seated at the table."

Women hold 44 seats in the New Mexico House compared to 24 held by men, while men still hold a majority in the state Senate, with 26 of 42 seats. The legislature now has 33 Democratic and 11 Republican women. Nevada became the first state to elect a female legislative majority in 2018, but its legislature has 37 fewer seats than New Mexico.

Garratt noted women in New Mexico's legislature range in age from 26 to 78, representing a wide range of lived experiences. In addition, she said 25 of the 33 Democratic reps are women of color.

"That's another under-represented group in our elected bodies that New Mexico has really pioneered," Garratt emphasized. "It's not only that we have these large numbers of women running and winning but we have women of all ethnicities and backgrounds."

According to Garratt, the significant shift in representation is a bit ironic, considering just eight years ago, women were forced to make a long trek just to find a restroom at the Roundhouse. One was finally installed in 2018 near the House chamber.


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