Mitch Perry
The organizers behind Saturday’s Tampa Pride Festival and March received a commendation this morning from the Tampa City Council, 48 hours before the big event takes place in Ybor City.
It’s the first of its kind in Tampa since 2002, but longtime community members acknowledge that event 13 years ago was somewhat disappointing. In the interim, the event has exploded across Tampa Bay into St. Petersburg, where the Gay Pride event expanded last year to a full weekend, with tens of thousands of people in attendance, becoming the biggest event of its type in the Southeast.
The organizers for Tampa’s Pride event realize that at least the first time around the crowds won’t be as substantial. Carrie West has estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 will make it to the Ybor event.
West said talks to begin planning for such a major event took place less than a year ago. Finances have been an issue, but organizers received a major boost when Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced that city would cover $35,000 of city services for paramedics, police and post-parade cleanup. That’s the first sponsorship the city has given since a 2008 moratorium was placed on financially supporting new festivals.
Speaking to the council, West acknowledged that a few years ago people would be shocked to think such an event could take place in Hillsborough County, considering the county’s stunning disapproval of anything related to LGBT rights over the years.
For a quick refresher, there was the 2005 ban on “gay pride” events, and lesbians, gays and transgendered people were omitted from protections in the county’s human rights ordinance. The Hillsborough County Commission also voted down a proposed domestic partner registry the first time it came before it.
Those issues have since been remedied, thanks to the leadership of County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who in 2008 became the first openly gay elected official in the county.
“The county has made major changes,” West told city council. “Major positive reaction to what has happened from almost most 10 years ago,” referring to the gay pride ban of June 2005. “We are so happy to say we are going to have a Tampa Pride.”
One of the grand marshals for Saturday’s march is Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, who is gay herself. The second grand marshal is community leader is Kurt King, owner/manger of Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor. There will also be a number of local lawmakers as well present, including U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Buckhorn, and several school board and city council members.
The event begins at 10 a.m. with remarks from dignitaries. The parade runs 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Seventh Avenue from Nuccio Parkway to 20th Street The event ends at 5 p.m.
Observing how Tampa became the first local government on the west coast of Florida to introduce a domestic partner benefit registry (thanks to Councilwoman Yolie Capin), to the fact that as of January same-sex marriage is legal in Florida, Councilman Mike Suarez noted, “I don’t think any of us thought this would have ever happened. The parade is just a capstone to all the great things that we’ve been able to do over the years.”
