ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — While Tampa’s Pride celebration has been canceled for 2026, St. Pete Pride will soon kick off fundraising efforts for their annual parade next year.
What You Need To Know
Tampa Pride’s former president Carrie West said a lot of sponsors told him they could not financially support the 2026 Tampa Pride parade because of the policies against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
West said the decision was made to cancel Tampa’s pride celebration in 2026 because of a shortage of funds and the current political climate
The head of St. Pete Pride, Byron Green-Calisch, said some companies want to support, but don’t want to be publicized
Fundraising for St. Pete Pride kicks off in October. Green-Calisch said while fundraising efforts will look different, the St. Pete Pride parade will definitely go on next year
The head of St. Pete Pride said the parade will go on, despite the tense political climate and the backlash against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“We started as a protest,” said Byron Green-Calisch, the president of St. Pete Pride’s Board of Directors. “The first pride was a protest, and I believe the spirit lives on.”
The St. Pete Pride parade has been around for nearly 25 years, and it’s considered the largest in the Southeast.
The president of St. Pete Pride said the organization lost $150,000 in sponsorships last year, but the community helped to fill in the gap. This year, he said, fundraising will be even harder.
“Last year, we had some conversations with sponsors about the political rhetoric, how does that look, their return on investment and are they concerned about any backlash – and that was last year,” said Green-Calisch. “Their conversations have only continued with continued political violence and the temperature has only been ratcheted up. I fully anticipate having these conversations with our sponsors.”
On Friday, Tampa Pride’s board posted that they were canceling their parade in 2026 because of a loss in sponsorships and the current political climate.
“A lot of sponsors told me, DEI, is the reason they can’t do it,” said former President of Tampa Pride Carrie West.
Tampa’s mayor said it’s unfortunate, but she understands.
“Hopefully, calmer voices will prevail, and we’ll be able to pick up next year,” Mayor Jane Castor said.
Others believe Tampa Pride should have worked harder to bring in cash for a parade in 2026.
“We are 6-7 months out,” said former Tampa Pride Vice President Trevor Rosine. “They couldn’t have raised enough money for a community celebration? We don’t necessarily need to be paying $100,000 to close off city streets and rezone liquor licenses to throw a one-day party. We can bring it back to its roots.”
Rosine helped with fundraising efforts for Tampa Pride after COVID. He said he knows it’s trickier to fundraise this year, but it can be done. Rosine said other groups have been discussing other events next year.
“I do not see a world where there won’t be a Tampa Pride celebration next year,” Rosine said. “It will go on, with or without Tampa Pride.”
TAMPA, Fla. — A leader in the Bay Area’s LGBTQIA+ community is using her voice at her day job to make sure her community is safe.
What You Need To Know
Advocates with HIV and STI awareness nonprofit Positively U are reminding people of the importance of testing year-round
According to the latest numbers from the CDC, 13% of Floridians with HIV are unaware of their status
Positively U has locations in Tampa, Winter Haven and Miami
Kiala Dureke is taking off her crown as Ms. St. Pete Pride and putting on her HIV advocacy hat.
“The timing is essential because we have so many different testing days throughout the year, making sure people know when those testing days are will help people to develop a really good testing regimen for themselves,” she said.
Dureke works as the medical adherence case manager at the HIV awareness nonprofit Positively U.
She said getting comfortable with the idea of getting tested is just as important as the test itself.
“The stigma is still very much there. People are still very much ashamed, so it is important to get tested to know your status so that you’re not transmitting it to other people,” she said.
Being a minority and a trans woman, Dureke said it’s important to get the message out there about testing and to remind people that HIV doesn’t discriminate. It impacts every community.
“I am not living with HIV. That is correct, but I am passionate because many of my friends and family members have been and are living with HIV and it’s something I have dedicated my life to about ten years ago,” she said.
According to the latest numbers from the CDC, 13% of Floridians with HIV are unaware of their status.
Last month, during national testing day, Dureke and the staff at Positively U hosted a cookout along with free testing.
It’s just one of the many things they’re doing year-round to make sure everyone in the community knows their status.
Positively U has locations in Tampa, Winter Haven and Miami.
Celebrations across the country are marking the end of Pride Month. Advocates are using the opportunity to warn about Mpox in the hopes of avoiding a breakout similar to the one in 2022. Dr. Celine Gounder reports.
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Fifty-five years after a raid on New York City’s Stonewall Inn sparked riots that catalyzed the gay liberation movement and became a cornerstone of modern LGBTQ advocacy, Pride celebrations are bigger and bolder than ever. Meant to commemorate the Stonewall uprising each June, Pride Month in many parts of the world has grown into a four-week extravaganza marked by parades, parties, concerts and an array of cultural events that pay homage to its roots in free expression and identity.
Corporations have cashed in on the festivities, especially since the U.S. legalized marriage equality in 2015.
But this year, public-facing Pride campaigns at some of the world’s largest brands were quieter than usual. At other companies that previously had them, they were completely absent. Fewer public campaigns mean less visibility, which LGBTQ advocates and consumers in the community say can be dangerous in myriad ways.
Last year’s conservative backlash
“Corporate Pride” entered mainstream conversations last summer as a flashpoint in the political debate over LGBTQ rights and, specifically, rights for transgender students and young people. To that end, 527 bills to limit those rights were introduced between 2023 and 2024 in legislatures in all but nine U.S. states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Dozens have already passed.
In the shadow of that legislative trend, and as the mounting election cycle continued to polarize the country on issues around queer and trans rights, a handful of the world’s most prominent brands contended with a firestorm of backlash over their Pride campaigns leading up to, and during, Pride Month last summer.
Pride Month merchandise is displayed at a Target store on May 31, 2023
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Attacks on Target and Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, were among the most visible. At Target, which had been releasing Pride-themed collections for more than a decade, some customers took aim at a swimsuit labeled “tuck-friendly” that was intended to be trans-inclusive. Social media users claimed the swimsuit was designed for children, even though Target only sold it in adult sizes.For Bud Light, a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community, a collaboration with trans social media star Dylan Mulvaney stoked conservative fury.
What began as disapproval from loud and impassioned fringe groups on the far right quickly spiraled into a wider crusade that at one point involved some Republican leaders, commentators and even some celebrities. Along with fierce calls for boycotts against both companies, Target said customers angered by the Pride collection had knocked over displays in some of its stores and gone so far as to threaten employees. In a viral video, one customer was seen confronting a Target worker over the brand’s “Satanic Pride propaganda.”
Target initially responded to the backlash by moving Pride collections to the backs of its stores in several Southern states, while Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth addressed the controversy indirectly in a statement that said the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.” Leading LGBTQ organizations accused the brands of caving to conservative pressure at the expense of queer and trans people, in a moment where the allyship those companies claimed to value was being put to the test.
Bud Light and Target each reported a drop in sales in the aftermath of the controversies, with one Target executive attributing the decline to the “strong reaction” to its Pride merchandise.
A toned-down Pride Month
This year, Target announced it was cutting back on the number of stores that would carry Pride Month-related merchandise, after previously featuring the annual collection at all of its 2,000 or so locations. The Minneapolis-based corporation said the 2024 Pride line would be “in select stores, based on historical sales performance,” but available in its entirety online.
“Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round,” a Target spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News in May, noting Target’s programs to support queer employees and its internal plans to celebrate Pride in 2024.
“Beyond our own teams, we will have a presence at local Pride events in Minneapolis and around the country, and we continue to support a number of LGBTQIA+ organizations,” the statement added.
This was also the first year since 1999 without a Pride collection from Nike, which was historically a vocal ally. The company found itself facing criticism over a collaboration with Mulvaney leading up to Pride in 2023 and said it was turning its focus this year toward programming and ongoing support for the LGBTQ community in place of its traditional apparel line.
“Nike exists to champion athletes and sport — and for us that means all bodies, all movement, and all journeys,” a Nike spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. “Nike has a long history of standing with the LGBTQIA+ community, which focuses on uplifting, inspiring and educating through community grants, employee engagement, athlete partnerships, public policy, powerful storytelling, and products that celebrate the community.”
“While there is no global Be True product collection for 2024, Nike remains deeply committed to this work,” the spokesperson said.
A survey of executives at major corporations, including Fortune 500 companies, conducted earlier this year by Gravity Research found that one-third of the responding brands labeled “consumer staples” — like retail companies — planned to change their engagement strategies for Pride Month in 2024 compared with the approaches they took in 2023.
LGBTQ organizations are taking a hit
Advocates say Nikehas built up its allyship behind the scenes — which, they emphasize, is what matters most — and it isn’t alone in doing so.
Still, as public-facing brand campaigns for Pride have partly fizzled, the consequences have trickled down to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations and LGBTQ influencers. Nonprofits have received fewer material resources from their corporate partners this year, according to Paul Irwin-Dudek, the deputy executive director for development at the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLSEN. And influencers said they’ve seen fewer commitments from clients since the 2023 controversy.
Around the time that Target announced its plans to scale down Pride displays in retail stores, the company also ended a decadelong partnership with GLSEN, which runs a huge network of programs centered around queer and trans youth as well as workplace inclusivity, said Irwin-Dudek. GLSEN helps companies shape their Pride campaigns, among other things.
Irwin-Dudek told CBS News that other corporations took a step back from previous partnerships with the organization — and from Pride Month — this year because they didn’t know how to engage with it without becoming part of the Target narrative or facing additional blowback themselves.
“At the end of the day, nobody wants to be part of that narrative,” said Irwin-Dudek. “I think, and I can say this across the entire landscape of queer organizations, we have all taken a hit to our revenues this year because of the setback that many corporate partners have done in the month of June.”
Members of the LGBTQ community who spoke to CBS News — and who aren’t affiliated with any political or advocacy organization — were largely disappointed by this year’s diminished corporate Pride displays, but they weren’t surprised. It was evidence, several people believe, that companies will only be allies for as long as it’s comfortable and convenient for them.
“We already had our criticisms of Pride being a hollow thing, and I think that’s what pushed brands to actually put more material support behind it and that meant that brands were listening to the queer audience about Pride, about how they could make Pride more inclusive or more reputable or legit,” said a 30-year-old queer and trans writer living in New York who asked not to be named. “So, the fact that they’re now listening and kowtowing to the right is very scary. Because suddenly we’re not in the demographic that they’re catering to. Regardless of whether the demographic they’re catering to is about money, it shows how they see our identities as being financially conditional.”
“Rainbow washing” and corporate values
Some research has shown that American consumers are twice as likely to buy from a brand or use its products if that brand publicly supports and shows commitment to the LGBTQ community. A December 2022 study from GLAAD, a prominent LGBTQ nonprofit that focuses on media monitoring and representation, and the Edelman Trust Institute, a think tank, found that most Americans expect businesses and their leadership to stand up for LGBTQ rights.
For some companies, outward displays of support for LGBTQ rights and inclusivity during Pride are an extension of their support over the other 11 months of the year.
Other companies, however, roll out flashy Pride campaigns once a year without making sincere commitments to the people and issues they impact — drawing accusations of opportunistic advertising, virtue signaling and profitable exploitation. Some critics believe that launching arbitrarily Pride-themed product lines offends and belittles the cause that the merchandise claims to defend.
Some corporate attempts to make sales off of Pride Month with fleeting, and, by some accounts, haphazard, campaigns has fueled skepticism from LGBTQ consumers frustrated by the prevalence of “rainbow washing,” where Pride regalia is used as a profitable marketing tactic by brands that don’t offer lasting or meaningful support. Also called “pinkwashing” and “rainbow capitalism,” the practice is widely considered exploitative, and, with the rise of social media, it’s also becoming well known. Comedian Meg Stalter’s impersonation of a small-town butter shop employee who opens an ad with “Hi gay,” and says her business is “sashaying away with deals” for Pride Month, has been viewed almost 2.2 million times.
“We know that our community is critical of companies who pop in to be supportive for one month out of the year and then leave,” said Meghan Bartley, the brand engagement lead at GLAAD. “It feels like we aren’t cared about as a community.”
The British retailer Marks & Spencer’s notorious “LGBT sandwich” — a BLT with guacamole — is one example of the seemingly random array of goods that brands tend to refurbish in kaleidoscopic packaging come June, stamped with logos and taglines linked to Pride despite being evidently unrelated to it. Items that get the seasonal Pride treatment run the gamut from special edition lattes to Johnson & Johnson’s line of rainbow-packaged Listerine, and the list goes on. This year, iHeartRadio listeners in New York City who tuned in on June 1 would have heard a commercial for toilet paper tenuously crafted under the banner of Pride.
Yet as imperfect as corporate Pride marketing can be, critics of rainbow washing or trivializing Pride displays largely agree that the opportunity to critique LGBTQ brand campaigns is a privilege, and many say the fact that those campaigns exist is usually better than them not existing at all.
Many members of the LGBTQ community who talked to CBS News say that even rudimentary Pride displays, like rainbow flags or graphic T-shirts in a storefront window, provide some level of visibility that can help normalize LGBTQ identities and, ultimately, move the needle in terms of acceptance among people outside of the community.
Bartley, with GLAAD, echoed their sentiments and said the visibility that public Pride campaigns offer can have a measurable impact on the daily experiences of people who are closeted, or who’ve come out in an environment that doesn’t welcome who they are.
“Greater visibility for Pride campaigns has allowed more and more people who are in our community, and maybe not comfortable coming out, understand that there’s a space for them to be accepted when they see more and more visibility and acceptance in their lived spaces,” said Bartley.
The future of Pride campaigns
Some corporations that push Pride campaigns have made an effort to be allies beyond Pride Month alone.
Johnson & Johnson’s thematic Listerine bottle was released in 2019 as part of its ongoing “Care With Pride” initiative, which partners with LGBTQ advocacy groups to foster an inclusive workplace and has so far donated at least $1 million to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations, according to the company. The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, has also ranked Johnson & Johnson as one of the best places in the U.S. for queer people to work.
Disney, Hollister, REI and Proctor and Gamble are a few more brands that advocacy groups have commended for taking steps toward consistent allyship — both publicly and behind the scenes.
When looking at the overall landscape, the LGBTQ advocacy groups that talked to CBS News don’t believe corporate Pride campaigns will disappear in the long term.
Both Irwin-Dudek and Bartley said companies can change their ethos by ensuring LGBTQ people are at the table whenever marketing plans are conceived and developed for Pride, whether they’re employees of the company or outside resources. And Eric Bloem, vice president of programs and corporate advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign, told CBS News in a statement that the organization’s own research shows “that the business environment, despite the best efforts of fringe groups to derail long-standing principles of inclusion, has and always will be pro-equality.”
CBS News has reached out to Target, Disney and Anheuser-Busch for comment.
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
From the moment Megan Thee Stallion crowned summer 2019 “Hot Girl Summer,” each subsequent summer has fought to earn its own moniker. And just before the solstice, Charli XCX came to claim the crown with her album BRAT. The very instant the neon green album cover made its way to our Spotify feeds, it was clear it would be an instant classic.
And now, after sitting with the album for a few weeks — and blasting it through my headphones like armor against the heatwave — it’s undeniable that these timeless tracks will define summer 2024. So everyone, like your pilot after a flight, I’d like to be the first to welcome you to BRAT summer.
Let’s be clear: BRAT summer is an extension of the summer of gay pop. Look at the charts, and you’ll discover that many of this summer’s favorite earworms are made by and for the gays. Happy Pride from the queer community! Songs like “Good Luck Babe!” by our favorite performerChappell Roan [who we interviewed here!] and “LUNCH” by alt-pop queen Billie Eilish are proudly queer anthems that aren’t going anywhere all summer and beyond. And while Charli isn’t queer herself, she’s a cornerstone of the queer music community. Her impact on the gay music scene cannot be ignored — she did the soundtrack to the lesbian cult film Bottoms, for goodness sake. And that’s to say nothing of her years making gay pop bangers before Jojo Siwa crowned this the summer of the genre.
Think of it like the parents who get citizenship in a country because their children were born there. For many queer folks, Charli is mother, and her music is directly influenced by and produced for LGBTQIA+ audiences. She follows a tradition of other hyperpop divas who have become icons in the queer community. Madonna. Kylie Minogue. Lady Gaga. Charli XCX.
Though for too long she was relegated to “gay famous” — aka only a household name to queer people and mostly unknown to mainstream pop charts — everyone has finally caught on. So if you’re new to Charli standom, welcome to a party so fun you’ll never want to leave.
BRAT is Charli’s seminal work — no wonder this is the record drawing the most public intrigue and influence of her career. She teased the album for months. With interviews, campaigns, DJ shows, and even announcing a joint tour with Troye Sivan, Charli was telling us to get ready for BRAT summer for months. For a while, some even wondered if it would live up to the hype. Luckily, it has exceeded it.
In her cover story interview for THE FACE magazine, she described BRAT as “irresistible club pop made by a dyed-in-the-wool party girl.” And she delivered on her promise. BRAT is infectious and instantly timeless. It’s party fodder that’s surprisingly poignant. It’s not just an album, it’s a lifestyle. And everybody’s going to be living it all summer long.
Already, BRAT has brought back partying. Even The New York Times has caught on — they recently published an article on partying in the new age. It included items like social media etiquette and not taking off your shoes in someone’s apartment. Overall, it feels like a treatise on BRATty behavior.
Consider this our take. From how to dress to how to act, here’s the Popdust guide to having a BRAT summer.
Bring back indie sleaze
Every year since the pandemic, fashion blogs have been predicting the return of indie sleaze. This Tumblr-era aesthetic reigned during the height of the early 2010s party girl era. It was characterized by cigarettes, ripped tights, and smudged eyeliner. It was embodied by Tumblr icons like Alexa Chung and the rest of the “rockstar girlfriend” set. And, in recent years, many of its markers have returned. Arctic Monkeys put out a new album. Everyone is preoccupied with It-Girls again. But Indie Sleaze as an aesthetic has failed to regain its grip on the youth culture.
However, BRAT might be singlehandedly bringing back that vibe. It makes me want to put on a crop top and buy a choker. It makes me yearn for American Apparel days and wearing Doc Martens to the club. The #CleanLook aesthetic is out. Dressing for the most feral night of your life? In. Call it inner child healing and go full tilt into Tumblrcore.
Add one more accessory to your outfit before leaving the house
Allegedly, Coco Chanel once said: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” Clearly she was not a BRAT. Instead, add an accessory to your look each time you leave the house. Being a BRAT is about being over the top. It’s about buying the rhinestone and bedazzled tourist caps when you’re on vacation. It’s about giant sunglasses at night. It’s not just about accessorizing, it’s about over-accessorizing.
My rule of thumb is to pick a go-to accessory and exaggerate it as much as possible. For example, if you love a funky earring, commit to the biggest, most outrageous earrings you can find. Personally, I adore rings, so this summer, I’m literally stacking every ring I own every day. If my hands weigh as much as my head, I’m doing it right.
Don’t sleep in your makeup — but make it look like you did
The cardinal sin in beauty is sleeping in your makeup. You run the risk of clogging your pores, activating or worsening acne, causing premature aging, drying out your skin barrier, and irritating your dermis. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You’re also missing out on all the potential benefits of your nighttime skincare routine when your skin needs the TLC the most.
Being a BRAT might be about being booked and busy, but it’s also about keeping yourself at your best to do it all over again tomorrow. So, no, don’t use BRAT summer as an excuse to sleep in your makeup, but use it as inspiration to look like you slept in your eyeliner.
I’m talking thick brows, smudged eyeliner, smoky shadow, and finger blush. Apply with no caution whatsoever, and you have the look.
Say yes — to everything.
Consider that one Jim Carrey movie Yes Man. When he’s bound to say yes to everything, hilarity ensues. In real life, the same is true. Doing it for the plot, as the kids say, can open doors you never expected. In the winter, I’m protective of my boundaries and selective about what I do. In the summer, I’ll take any opportunity to be outside.
An extension of this rule is keeping the conversation open. Don’t just ask people what they’re doing, ask them if you can tag along. You’ll be surprised how often they tell you that the more, the merrier.
Don’t flake
Saying yes to plans is a commitment. But it’s not very BRATty to cancel at the last minute. Once you affirm plans, respond to a Partiful invite, or slide up on someone’s story about a house party, you’re bound to it. Even if you only go for a moment, show your face, and leave, it’s better than flaking completely.
Dance!
In the song “girl, so confusing” (not the version with Lorde, but we’ll get there), Charli says: “Think you should come to my party and put your hands up!” The queen has spoken — y’all better put your hands up.
It might seem like a given since we’re talking about parties, but people don’t want to clock in and dance anymore. It’s time to break the cycle. This summer, let’s make a pact to actually dance at parties. No more standing on the walls, trying to look cool and nonchalant. Being a BRAT is about being chalant.
Think Troye Sivan in his icon run of music videos last year. I want to channel “Get Me Started” energy to every song on BRAT. You don’t have to have full choreo, but let the music move you, for goodness sake! That’s what it’s for.
Especially if they’re playing throwback 2000s and 2010s recession-pop
This one is for the DJs: If you’re playing BRAT at the club (you should be), it’s best paired with recession pop. Play Charli mixed with the greats and their own pop bangers. BRAT is influenced by the music of the past decade. And considering Cahrli has been making music that whole time, BRAT is an homage to this era. The best way to pay it respect is by
Pregame with sad girl music
A BRAT is complicated. They contain multitudes. They’re complex and layered. Behind the party girl exterior is a deep yearning that can only be soothed by sad girl music. If you’re watching Lana Del Rey’s Coachella 2024 performance on YouTube before going out, congratulations, you’re a BRAT.
I personally find that starting the pregame with Phoebe Bridgers, moving on to Billie Eilish, and ending with Charli sets the perfect mood. You have to work your way up to Charli. You have to emotionally earn it.
Wired headphones forever
The above is true when you’re alone, too. Listening to music in your headphones, it better be either La Del Rey or Charli this summer. But the headphones themselves matter. Until they make neon green skins for your bulky wireless Airpods, wired earphones are the official choice for a BRAT summer. Whether you choose the classic Apple earphones or trendy ones like the Koss vintage-inspired earphones, as long as they have a wire, you’re good.
Ponder the meaning of life
“I think about it all the time, that I might run out of time,” ponders Charli on BRAT. “My career feels so small in the existential scheme of it all,” she ends the song, “i think about it all the time,” before leading into a song of the summer, “365.” Clearly, her career means something — both to her and the culture. And it’s a sign to us all. It’s normal to ponder the meaning of life, to spiral at the club, to have an existential crisis in the car on the way home. As long as you show up and dance.
Take digitals. Post the good, bad, and the ugly
Every other year comes a photo trend. During Tumblr, it was the Polaroid camera. For the past few years, it’s been the disposable. Now, it’s the digital cameras. While we don’t have to bring back Facebook albums compiling every photo from every night, I shudder to recall that dark time, digital cameras offer both whimsy and functionality. Just don’t dilly-dally before sharing with your friends.
It’s also about being real online and offline. There’s no room for shame or regret when you’re a BRAT. So post every pic, even if your eye is half closed — in fact, that makes you seem cooler. Like, wow, you’re too busy living your super cool and awesome life to stress about your photos. And I’ll be in the likes of all your photo dumps and stories because BRATs support BRATs.
No beef. Work it out on the remix
Undoubtedly, the most viral storyline from the BRAT rollout came a few weeks later with a remix. Many had already speculated that the song was about Cahrli and Lorde’s purported beef. After years in the industry, the two kept being compared to each other and Charli has spoken out about these comparisons before. While they weren’t fighting it out on Instagram Live, the fans hyped up this so-called rivalry. It finally seemed like Charli was addressing it in “girl, so confusing,” a song straight out of the Barbie soundtrack (which she also worked on).
So, imagine all of our surprises when Lorde and Charli worked it out on the remix. Released days after the initial album, “The girl, so confusing version with Lorde” was a surprisingly vulnerable and completely powerful move to end this alt-girl beef. Lorde hopped on the track to talk about her insecurities and the defense mechanisms we make to protect ourselves and hurt other people. I almost cried to that heavy pop beat. And Charli wouldn’t have it any other way.
In a world filled with nonsensical (though entertaining) feuds like Kendrick and Drake, this summer is about working it out on the remix. It’s about supporting other BRATs. And inviting that girl you think hates you to your party. Truly iconic.
Near the end of Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning, Venus Xtravaganza, an Italian Puerto Rican ballroom dancer who was one of the landmark queer doc’s subjects, describes a harrowing near-death experience. While Venus was hustling as a sex worker, a client realized she was a trans woman and reacted violently. “You’re a freak,” Venus recalls the man saying to her, “I should kill you.” Rattled by the threat, Venus grabbed her bag and jumped out of the window. The story is particularly haunting because a few scenes later, Venus’ house mother, Angie, reveals that the young ballroom performer was found strangled to death in a Manhattan hotel. “She was like my right hand,” Angie says. “I miss her.”
The depth of Venus’ loss is acutely felt in Kimberly Reed’s affecting documentary I’m Your Venus. The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is one of the last projects produced by Jeff Skoll’s Participant Media, which is shutting down after a 20-year run.
I’m Your Venus
The Bottom Line
A moving and worthy tribute.
Venue: Tribeca Film Festival (Spotlight Documentary) Director: Kimberly Reed
1 hour 25 minutes
It is both a posthumous biography of the drag queen and a record of her biological and ballroom families’ attempts to honor her legacy. In chronicling the experiences of these significantly different groups, both with deep love for Venus, Reed (Dark Money) constructs a humanizing portrait of the legendary performer and offers a blueprint for community healing.
Combining verité footage shot by DPs Rose Bush and Joshua Z. Weinstein with re-edited excerpts from Paris Is Burning, Reed threads the past and the present to create a conversation between Venus and her surviving biological family members. I’m Your Venus opens with now famous scenes of its subject in Livingston’s film, with voiceovers from her brothers, who exult her legacy. “She will always be a Pellagatti,” one brother says with pride.
But the reality of that statement is fraught with a history of misunderstanding, rejection and violence. Before absconding from Jersey City to New York, Venus lived with her grandmother, who loved and supported her in a way that the rest of the family couldn’t.
Later interviews with Venus’ surviving brothers Joe, John and Louie Pellagatti reveal how the three men struggled to accept their sister. They are candid about how repudiating her identity drove her away. Now, more than 30 years later, they want to honor Venus’ memory by posthumously changing her legal name so they can order a new tombstone for her grave. Their other goal is getting the police investigation into her murder reopened.
For the latter, Joe, John and Louie partner with current House of Xtravaganza members including Amara Gisele, Gisele Alicea and Jose Disla, who knew Venus personally. The encounter between biological and ballroom families yields the most edifying conversations in I’m Your Venus. Within this space different versions of the past clash and contradict in an attempt to settle into a more healing present.
Conversations between Jose Disla, to whom Venus was a sister and niece, and Joe, John and Louie force the brothers to understand, on a deeper level, how their neglect impacted Venus. These scenes — raw in their honesty — wrestle with the process of what it means to evolve. We watch the brothers’ initial defensiveness melt into tearful acknowledgment, revealing how a desire to adhere to the rules of conventional masculinity robbed them of the chance to get to know their sister.
I’m Your Venus doubles as a reintroduction to Venus — the ballroom dancer who dreamed of a car, a husband, kids and becoming a famous model — for the Pellagatti brothers. Through chats with Jose Disla and Helen, a confidante for Venus and the woman who helped the performer come up with her name, the brothers learn more about Venus’ personality, interests and aspirations.
They also confront the realities of her existence in New York and the still present dangers trans people face in the United States. Although Venus tried to get out of sex work, it was one of the few ways she could make money to survive. In this realm, I’m Your Venus expands on ideas explored in recent documentaries like The Stroll and Kokomo City.
Meetings with lawyers about reopening Venus’ murder case underscore police negligence and a lack of urgency around finding a culprit. Closure becomes an elusive frontier for both the Pellagatti brothers and the House of Xtravaganza heirs.
More positive news emerges from the process of changing Venus’ lawful name, which results in an exciting legal precedent, and the journey to get her childhood home registered as a historic landmark. Progress in these areas stands as a historical corrective and offers some moments of healing for Venus’ families, whose emotional journey is a lurching and staggering affair.
Within this chaotic terrain, Reed finds moments of stillness. Their cumulative effect gives I’m Your Venus its poignancy. Standout sequences that grip the heart and threaten tears include a memorial for O’Shea Sibley, the 28-year-old gay man murdered in New York last summer after a group of individuals confronted him and his friends when they were voguing at a gas station; and when the Pellagatti brothers are invited to do their own ballroom walks at the landmark ceremony for Venus’ childhood home.
Both these moments capture a fervent joy in the face of profound pain. They are examples of a community insisting, against all odds, on its existence.
June is Pride Month and to celebrate we’re recommending five LGBTQ+ books to read this month and all year long! Are you looking for a contemporary romance? What about a sports romance? Then you have to check out our list!
Content warning: The Honey POP encourages mindful reading and always checking the author’s website for any additional content warnings.
Playing For Keeps By Jennifer Dugan
Image Source: Courtesy of Penguin Random House
Who doesn’t love a good sports romance? In Playing for Keeps we follow June whose whole life revolves around baseball. Being the star player on her team has given her a big ego and when Ivy (a ref with dreams of officiating the major leagues) kicks her out of the game she’s less than thrilled. With an old injury acting up and the two of them getting closer, everything is on the line when someone threatens to expose the girls’ prohibited player-umpire relationship. With an enemies to friends to lovers plot line, this book will have you on the edge of your seat!
Content Warnings: grief, death of a parent, cancer, sexism
Wish You Weren’t Here By Erin Baldwin
Image Source: Courtesy of Penguin Random House
Our next Pride month book recommendation is Wish You Weren’t Here by Erin Baldwin! Juliette and Priya have come to an uneasy truce so that their dislike for one another doesn’t impact their lives in their small town. Juliette is sick of being around Priya’s seemingly perfect life, which is why she’s excited to go to Fogridge Sleepaway Camp. But when Priya arrives and turns out to be her cabinmate, everything goes wrong. Can Juliette see the bright side of her situation before she leaves the camp she loves forever?
Jackson in The Breakup Lists loves a good list (who doesn’t?). After his parents’ divorce and seeing his sister Jasmine’s failed romance attempts, Jackson isn’t concerned with relationships. In fact, he spends most of his time making breakup lists for Jasmine, listing every reason why Jasmine should be happy to get rid of her exes. But when Jackson starts crushing on cute swim captain Liam, he’s surprised to find out that Jasmine has her eyes on him too. We can’t wait to see the drama unfold!
Do you love country music? Then you need to check out our next Pride Month recommendation! Every Time You Hear That Song follows Darren, a journalist who loves country music star Decklee, and songwriter Mickenlee who left at the height of their fame. But when Decklee passes away and her time capsule is found to be empty, her fans scramble to join a scavenger hunt to win a cash prize. We also get a perspective from Decklee back in 1963 to understand just what caused their falling out. Follow Darren and her coworker Kendall as they go on a road trip to discover secrets of the past!
Our last recommendation is an upcoming release! Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is all about Grant, who has been unlucky in love ever since he made a wish on his family’s Wishing Rose. Following an embarrassing breakup, Grant is working at his aunt and uncle’s vineyard and B&B where the Wishing Rose lies. But when he arrives the B&B looks worse for wear and his childhood crush Ben (also the boy who broke his heart) is also working there. As they reconnect over their shared goal of repairing the vineyard before the rose festival, will Grant be able to let someone into his heart again?
We hope you enjoyed our book recommendations for Pride Month! What books are you reading to celebrate Pride? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPop! You can also visit us on Facebook and Instagram!
Pride Month is almost over, but these must-read Queer books are worth picking up all year round. Courtesy the publishers
June is Pride month, so what better time to add some queer books by queer writers to your must-read pile? We’ve rounded up a list of recommendations that spans setting and format but include a Folio Prize winner, an American Book Award winner and two Booker Prizes. This list will take you from an Indiana dream house to the statuesque homes of Notting Hill, from Giovanni’s Room to a funeral home in Pennsylvania. It includes both fiction and nonfiction: there are novels, memoirs, essay collections, even a graphic novel. What they have in common is that they are stories of bravery, love and community. Yes, they are stories of gender and sexuality, but they are really about the people who live those stories, and that’s what makes them so compelling. They are some of the best books out right now, and we hope they will keep you reading all month—or all year—long.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. Graywolf Press
With searingly intense prose, Machado writes about her experience in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship with another woman. The book’s point of view goes back and forth between “I”—the present-day Machado, eloquent and direct—and “you”—the victim Machado, trapped and struggling—creating a unique relationship between writer and reader that contributes to a sense of collective ownership over this story, and all the others like it. It’s not written chronologically, but rather comes together in fragments, mirroring the slow breakdown of the relationship. It’s heartbreaking, deeply emotional, and exquisitely written.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Penguin Press
Another heartbreaking yet beautiful tale, Vuong’s epistolary novel centers around a young Vietnamese American boy nicknamed Little Dog. He writes to his abusive mother Hong, translated as Rose, who is barely literate, her education having ended at seven when her school collapsed after an American napalm raid in Vietnam. He knows she won’t read it, but the healing is in the exercise. Like In the Dream House, the book is a series of vignettes, and ultimately, a story emerges, about Little Dog’s challenges at home and at school, his relationships with his mother, who suffers from PTSD, and his grandmother, who has schizophrenia, and the boy he meets working on a tobacco farm one summer. Based largely on Vuong’s own life, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a profound and lyrical interrogation of how we process the events of our lives.
Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gutowitz
Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gutowitz. Simon & Schuster
A lighter pick, Gutowitz combines reflections on her sexuality with a meditation on pop culture to write about how lesbian representation in the media and growing up in the early 2000s impacted her view of life and sexuality. It’s funny and bright, but through the essays, a vulnerable story emerges. Girls Can Kiss Now is well done because it’s not only cultural commentary; rather, it explores the ways in which the culture Gutowitz grew up in molded her. She writes about Orange is the New Black, Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore albums, the media’s hyperfocus on Lindsay Lohan when she began dating Samantha Ronson, and a host of topics in between.
Lesbian Love Story by Amelia Possanza
Lesbian Love Story by Amelia Possanza. Catapult
A unique blend of archival research and personal memoir, Lesbian Love Story is about seven lesbians and their life’s loves. In each chapter, Possanza tells the story of one of them while also reflecting on her own journey with her lesbian identity. Her choice to write about lesser-known lesbians, rather than the major historical figures we all know, works well here: readers learn something new, and she represents new voices. Her passion for this research is palpable, and wherever possible, she lets her characters tell their own stories, using quotes from diaries, memoirs, and oral history tapes. The result is characters that feel truly real and a retelling that feels honest and diligent.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. Dial Press
We would be remiss not to include the iconic Giovanni’s Room on this list. Baldwin, far ahead of his time in 1956, wrote about a young American man named David and the affair he begins with an Italian man, Giovanni, while his girlfriend is in Spain contemplating marriage. It raises discussions about representations of sexuality alongside masculinity and the public performance of gender, and is a timeless classic worth everyone’s attention.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. Houghton Mifflin
lison Bechel is best known for creating the Bechdel test, a method that asks whether a work of art (a book, a play, a film, a TV show, et cetera) features at least two female characters having a conversation that isn’t about a man. But she’s also a fabulously talented writer, and her graphic memoir Fun Home, later adapted into a hit Broadway musical, is a comical exploration of her life as a queer woman. She writes about her upbringing in a funeral home (which they call the “fun home”) and her dynamic with her family, including her closeted gay father who ultimately commits suicide. It’s a story of family, but it’s also a story of repressed sexuality, of embodied sexuality, of gender roles, of depression and suicide. Surprisingly funny and deeply heartfelt, with comics that make the narrative come alive, Fun Home is a can’t-miss.
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. Grove Atlantic
Shuggie Bain takes us to 1981 Glasgow and deposits us in the decrepit home of Agnes Bain and her three children. Shuggie’s two older siblings escape as soon as they can, leaving Shuggie to deal with his alcoholic mother and the neighborhood kids who bully him for being “no’ right” (read: gay). The beauty of this narrative is in the understatedness of his sexuality; it’s not explicitly stated, but it comes out as the story progresses and Shuggie grows into himself in what is a beautifully realistic portrayal of the way queer identity blooms over time. Stuart writes poetically about the big feelings of childhood and Shuggie is a rich, developed character who burrowed his way into my heart and has not left. This book is full of sadness, but also full of hope.
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst. Picador Books
Set in 1980s England, Hollinghurst explores his protagonist Nick’s sexuality through the lens of Margaret Thatcher’s prime ministership. The book, which also touches on the beginnings of the AIDS crisis, centers around Nick’s experience straddling two worlds, one of Conservative MPs and Oxford and the other of his sexuality and true self. It’s a captivating and intriguing story, a real look into another world delivered by Hollinghurst’s eloquent and mature writing style.
After establishing himself as an actor in 2007 with his breakout role in Juno, for which he received an Oscar nomination, Page came out publicly as gay in 2014 and as trans in 2020. His memoir, Pageboy, is an intimate portrait of what it took to embrace his identity amid the backlash of Hollywood and its forceful pressure to conform. This is a forcefully introspective, well-written must-read memoir.
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson
Old Enough by Haley Jakobson. Penguin Random House
Jakobson takes the campus novel and flips it on its coming-of-age head in Old Enough, a novel about college sophomore Sav, who’s torn between her new queer identity at college and her old best friend, Izzie, from home. Its first-person point of view adds authenticity and believability to a story that’s all too familiar for many, queer or not: a deepening divide between who you once were and who you’re becoming. The novel explores burgeoning sexuality with compassion, and treats the sexual assault Sav is still slowly processing with equal care. The result is a multifaceted exploration of what it means to come of age, with easy-to-love characters and a fast-paced narrative.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the City of St. Pete prepares for one of its biggest annual events, officials say one of their top concerns this year is the heat.
St. Pete Pride says the celebration is the largest Pride gathering in the southeast and they are expecting roughly 200,000 people to attend Saturday’s parade. Capt. Garth Swingle with St. Pete Fire Rescue says one of their top concerns this year is heat-related illnesses.
In preparation, they plan to have more medics and first responders stationed in downtown than in previous years. St. Pete Fire Rescue will also have medical tents, cooling stations, and ambulances on stand by.
Gabe Alves with St. Pete Pride says their organization has also been working on ways to keep the event both inclusive and safe. Alves says while water will be available for purchase in different spots on the parade route, if anyone is in need of water or help they just need to flag down a staff member.
The stage has just arrived in downtown ahead of St. Pete Pride 🏳️🌈
200,000 people are expected at what organizers say is the largest pride celebration in the southeast. The parade begins at 6 p.m. Saturday on Bayshore Dr NE (the St. Pete waterfront) @BN9 pic.twitter.com/KljPxKEuUl
In addition, there will be an area in South Straub Park for seniors to sit down out of the direct sun and a quiet area for those who need a break from the stimulation.
“It’s hard, but we’re really trying to make sure that we’re taking care of people and creating a space where people can go and take a little break,” Alves said.
While Alves says St. Pete Pride has seen a bit of decease in donations, he says the support coming from the St. Pete community has been strong.
“People need to have a choice on what they’re going to do and we can’t be forcing everybody to put a flag on their business,” Alves said. “For me personally, I want to focus on the people who do put out the flags and get to know them better, instead of focusing on the people who don’t.”
The gates to the parade and outdoor festival open at 2 p.m., Saturday. The St. Pete Pride Trans March beings at 5:30 p.m. and the parade begins at 6 p.m. and will run along Bayshore Drive NE, from Al Lang Stadium to the Vinoy Hotel.
Peter Rosenstein was inspired to lead a life of activism, and ultimately come out as gay, after Martin Luther King Jr. told him he could “make a difference in the world.”
Every week, WTOP is celebrating a Pride Hero who has made a difference in the LGBTQ+ community in the D.C. area as part of our Pride Month coverage. Check back all throughout June as we share these stories on air and online.
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The picture shows a 16-year-old Rosenstein presenting an award to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rosenstein was the awards commissioner for his school’s student government and was responsible for selecting the recipient of George Washington High School’s 1963 Citizenship Award.
No one was as surprised as Rosenstein that MLK agreed to travel to New York and accept the school’s award in person.
On Feb. 26, 1963, six months before he delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, King was on stage being presented the award by Rosenstein.
“He was so generous with his time,” Rosenstein recalled. “We talked for close to an hour.”
During their time together, the civil rights leader looked Rosenstein in the eyes and said something that would become his guiding light.
“He said to me, ‘Peter, every person can make a difference in the world, if you care about things. Fight for them, work for them,’” Rosenstein said. “That is how I’ve led my life from that time on.”
Rosenstein took those words to heart, including during his time as a schoolteacher and his tenure working for the mayor of New York City.
When he was a staff member of the late U.S. Rep. Bella Abzug, he worked for women’s rights.
While serving in the White House during the Carter Administration, Rosenstein fought for the rights of the disabled community as deputy commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
While he fought to improve the lives of people in different communities, he dealt with an inner struggle. Rosenstein was gay and living in the closet.
“I didn’t come out at a young age because I wanted to go into politics,” he said. “Back in those years, you couldn’t go into politics if you were an out gay man.”
Even though he didn’t come out until he was 35, moving to D.C. in 1978 was a big part of Rosenstein’s journey to living out of the closet.
“It was a time when you could go to gay bars and you could get there and bump into a congressperson, a member of the media, all of them closeted like I was,” Rosenstein said. “There was no fear that they would out me or I would out them. This was before social media and iPhones.”
In 1981, only six years after D.C.’s first annual Pride Day, Rosenstein decided to attend that year’s Pride Festival in Dupont Circle.
“I hid behind a tree so no one would take my picture,” Rosenstein said. “Back then, you had to worry about your job. There were no laws to protect you, for apartments or anything else.”
Rosenstein admits that it did take a long time to come out and to accept himself, but once he did, he became a champion for LGBTQ+ rights.
The HIV-AIDS crisis led Rosenstein to be more public about his sexuality.
He got involved with the Whitman-Walker Health nonprofit and helped fight the disease by taking the advice from Dr. King, and the knowledge he gained from working for the New York mayor, Congresswomen Abzug and the White House. He raised money and planned events to help spread awareness and find a cure for AIDS.
Marriage equality was also a passion project for Rosenstein. He was involved with getting a same-sex marriage law passed in the District five years before it was passed by the Supreme Count in 2015.
Rosenstein also played a role in the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs taking over the 17th Street High Heel Races, which is D.C.’s second biggest LGBTQ+ event behind Capital Pride weekend.
While Rosenstein is well past retirement age, his appearance and drive leads you to believe he is much younger. The longtime columnist for The Washington Blade has been a trusted advisor to every D.C. mayor in this century.
“I wish I would have kept a journal,” Rosenstein said of the things he wishes he could go back and tell his younger self. “It would have helped with the writing of my book.”
Rosenstein said he hopes young people read his book.
“Part of my book is to say to young people, ‘you can come out, you can be yourself,’” Rosenstein said. “It really does make a difference once you do. You live more freely. You live openly and you live your truth.”
Who would know better than the man who, 25 years after hiding behind a tree at the Pride Festival, rode in the front of the Capital Pride Parade in 2016 with a sign declaring him a Pride hero.
In Peter Rosenstein’s memoir, Born The Gay: My Life of Activism, Politics, Travel, and Coming Out, he shares the advice Dr. King gave him that changed the direction of his life.
(Courtesy Peter Rosenstein)
Courtesy Peter Rosenstein
In 2016 Peter Rosenstein rode in the front of The Capital Pride Parade as an honored Pride Hero.
(Courtesy Peter Rosenstein)
Courtesy Peter Rosenstein
Peter Rosenstein and his former boss, the late Rep. Bella Abzug.
(Courtesy Peter Rosenstein)
Courtesy Peter Rosenstein
Peter Rosenstein visiting The MLK Memorial. Rosenstein was 16 years old when he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(Courtesy Peter Rosenstein)
Courtesy Peter Rosenstein
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Police and Fire Rescue officials are ramping up security this weekend for the city’s Pride events.
What You Need To Know
St. Petersburg Police and Fire Rescue officials are ramping up security this weekend for the city’s Pride events
Police Chief Anthony Holloway said the department will have plenty of officers there to make sure everyone has a safe and fun time
Fire Rescue Captain Garth Swingle said there will be medical tents and paramedics along the parade route in anticipation of heat exhaustion
View the parade route below
A concert will be held on Friday, June 21, and then the main parade and festival will be happening all day on Saturday, June 22.
It’s one the city’s biggest events of the year and the largest Pride event in Florida.
Police Chief Anthony Holloway said more than 200,000 people are expected to show up on Saturday. He said the department will have plenty of officers there to make sure everyone has a safe and fun time.
“For the event, there will be a full police presence,” Holloway said. “The officers will be in uniform, some will be in plain clothes. We will also bring in surveillance equipment.”
Holloway also stressed that if anyone at the event sees anything disturbing, to let an officer know. Attendees can use the department’s “TIP411” app.
Temperatures are expected to soar this weekend, making heat exhaustion the primary concern for Fire Rescue officials.
Fire Rescue is urging attendees to stay vigilant and to be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion.
“Heat exhaustion is a preventable injury,” said Captain Garth Swingle. “The best way to avoid getting overheated is to remain hydrated, especially when consuming alcohol.”
Fire Rescue, in collaboration with Orlando Health Bayfront, will be setting up medical tents with cooling stations and staffed with healthcare providers. Fire Rescue paramedics will be located along the parade route.
“Anything from a Band-Aid to a catastrophic event. Our goal is to ensure that everyone enjoys the weekend safely,” said Swingle.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. at Albert Whitted Park. The festival runs from 2 p.m. – 10 p.m.
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A new LGBTQ+ focused space is now open in Polk County called the Rose Dynasty Center.
What You Need To Know
Mama Ashley Rose is the CEO of the center and hopes the center will help provide a space for the LGBTQ+ community but for allies as well
The new center is located at 1253 West Memorial Blvd., Lakeland. In addition to health services, the facility will regularly host support groups and offer various activities. It’s a joint effort between the Rose Dynasty Foundation and Pineapple Healthcare, an Orlando-based organization.
President and CEO Ethan Suarez says it’s the organization’s farthest expansion, yet he says, “We have some patient population there in Polk County. Let’s open a satellite office in Polk County to provide services, because we also looked at the market and saw that there was not a lot of services available for people living with HIV or needed prevention services.”
Founder of the center Jason Deshazo loves expressing himself through drag.
“I toiled with it off and on for many years, and when I really wanted to get into it, I just felt like my character was something different,” Deshazo says.
But when the makeup’s on, he’s Mama Ashley Rose, a drag queen since 2000. Being a part of the drag community is Deshazo’s form of self-expression.
He says being himself wasn’t always acceptable.
“At that time, I had come out, and it was dangerous and I remember I would come into Lakeland and go to downtown, go to comic shops and we would never have like held hands,” he said.
With the help of his husband, Deshazo says they’re working to make a positive impact on the community.
Deshazo said they’ve helped raise almost a million dollars for LGBTQ+ charities, animal charities and food banks.
“When people look at drag and they think we’re just here to dress like men and women and dance around, when ultimately we’re here just to help the community, just to help other people,” he said.
It’s that sense of community that led Deshazo to open the Rose Dynasty Center which he says is the first of its kind in Polk County — an LGBTQ+ focused safe space offering numerous services under one roof.
“We’re going to be providing mental health. We’re going to be providing HIV and STD testing, primary care, support groups, breakout sessions, events, so much can happen in this space.”
Deshazo said it’s been a long time coming. He believes spaces like this are needed, calling it a game changer.
Now it’s about getting the word out. Mama Ashley Rose typically has a lot to say during her “Monday motivational” videos she records with an inspiring message.
“I think it’s important just to spread a little love and acceptance.”
As Deshazo expresses himself through drag, he hopes this safe space can transform the lives of others, saying this center is just the beginning.
The center will also be adding a banned book section within its center.
Dr. Torcher, a Maryland drag king and sideshow art performer, is famous for being a fire-eater. Now, they are bringing back a tradition of fire-eating at the D.C. Dyke March.
Every week, WTOP is celebrating a Pride Hero who has made a difference in the LGBTQ+ community in the D.C. area as part of our Pride Month coverage. Check back all throughout June as we share these stories on air and online.
Dr. Torcher, a Maryland drag king and sideshow art performer who uses they/them pronouns, is famous for being a fire-eater. Now, they are bringing back a tradition of fire-eating at the D.C. Dyke March.
“Learning to eat fire was a reclamation of my own power,” they told WTOP. Learning the empowering act a decade ago helped Dr. Torcher to deal with PTSD and panic attacks they had after a violent attack years before.
“Doing this kind of thing onstage really helped me to take control of my fear response,” they said.
“People took to it so quickly,” they said. “When they make the decision, ‘I can do this,’ it’s like their whole body changes, and I could see it happen. It was really, really rewarding and validating for me to go through that process with every single one of those people.”
Dr. Torcher and a group of their pupils did a fire-eating demonstration at the 2023 D.C. Dyke March, marking 30 years since the original protest.
Jennifer Miller, a famous circus performer and professor, first introduced fire-eating as an act of LGBTQ+ rebellion and strength at the New York City Dyke March in 1992. Miller wanted to honor two queer people, Hattie Mae Cohens and Brian Mock, who were killed by a racist, homophobic group that set fire to their Oregon home on Sept. 26, 1992.
“And so Jennifer had this idea,” Dr. Torcher said. “Well, what if we reclaim this act of eating fire in a way that shows that as a way to push back against violence, as a way to say, ‘you can set us on fire, and we will survive.’ And what a powerful image.”
March organizers were extremely excited when they pitched the idea of bringing their 10 years of experience with fire-eating to the Dyke March.
“It just felt like this was meant to be. I’m supposed to be here right now and I’m ready to do this,” they said. “So it felt like a real culmination of the journey that I’ve been on with fire.”
Dr. Torcher taught two fire-eating classes, before this demonstration in Dupont Circle at the 2023 D.C. Dyke March.
(Courtesy D.C. Dyke March)
Courtesy D.C. Dyke March
Dr. Torcher leading a fire-eating demonstration at the D.C. Dyke March in June 2023.
(Courtesy D.C. Dyke March)
Courtesy D.C. Dyke March
The Highball Productions team: Dr. Torcher, Vagenesis, Dabatha Christie, and Citrine .
(left to right)
left to right
Dr. Torcher in Billy Flynn costume for Highball Productions’ “SHECAGO” show.
(Courtesy Highball Productions)
Courtesy Highball Productions
The Highball Productions team, Citrine, Dabatha Christie, Dr. Torcher and Vagenesis .
(left to right)
left to right
How drag triggered ‘a total revelation’
Even before they were Dr. Torcher, they always had a love for performance. After working as a stripper to pay for graduate school, they got into improv and stand-up classes.
Onstage, they became increasingly aware of how their more feminine appearance, sporting “long blonde hair” and acrylic nails at the time, made people assume that they would act stereotypically feminine and demure. Instead, they were loud and told “crass, gross” jokes.
They loved upending those expectations, so it seemed like a natural next step to eat fire and swallow swords. After a weekend of sideshow training from a retired “carny” in Pennsylvania, Dr. Torcher was born.
They chose the intimidating stage name because they’re ironically “really stupid and funny on stage.” Plus, they moved to the D.C. area over 20 years ago to get a doctoral degree in anthropology at American University.
For seven years, Dr. Torcher produced and performed in the D.C. Weirdo Show, an inclusive monthly circus show that became increasingly “queer” under their direction.
Eventually, drag “became a natural outgrowth” of their performances. Drawing on a mustache, chiseling their face with makeup, and wearing masculine clothes for performances sent Dr. Torcher on a gender identity journey.
“To look in the mirror and see myself this way was a total revelation,” they said. “It just becomes a way to try this out and play with gender onstage in a really powerful way. And really reflect back to the audience that this is OK, to play with your gender and try different things.”
They started identifying as nonbinary and realized that they had been slowly discovering this part of their identity throughout their performance career.
“I really firmly hold that everything we do onstage is autobiographical,” they said. “Everything I look back on that I’ve ever done on stage, I can see how that’s connected to my inner child … to some form of expression that I wasn’t allowed to do as a person who was socialized to be a girl, I wasn’t allowed to take up space or be loud or be gross.”
Now, Dr. Torcher combines fire-eating and drag performances to spread awareness of different gender identities. They’ve watched acceptance of LGBTQ+ people expand over the past few years, from performing at small-town pride events, like Culpeper Pride, to conversations with their own father, who is “a conservative ex-military guy.”
“He has made the effort to come down and see me perform. And every time he does, he gets more and more comfortable,” they said.
They tearfully recounted how, after their last performance, “he was talking so compassionately about, ‘if I was gay, I would want a space like this.’ It made sense to him. … It was amazing to hear him talk like that.”
Two years ago, they started performing, and more recently producing, for Highball Productions, which “takes musicals and re-envisions them as queered drag extravaganzas, and it is fully rehearsed, fully choreographed, very high quality,” despite having an extremely low cover charge.
“It’s been so wonderful to work with Vagenesis, Citrine and Dabatha Christie. It’s a wonderful team,” they said. “It’s unusual for drag queens to see the value of drag kings and invite us in. And I was really thrilled that they just get it — I don’t have to explain to them why drag kings matter.”
Dr. Torcher and the production company were recently nominated for a number of D.C. Drag Awards after their May production of “SHECAGO” at JR’s, a bar in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
“We’re looking at expanding out,” they said. “So, for instance, we do have a June show called ‘Twerk-ules,’ which is a musical version of ‘Hercules,’ as you can imagine, and that will be at Shaw’s Tavern.”
From bringing fire-eating demonstrations back to the D.C. Dyke March to spreading the joy of drag musicals with Highball Productions, Dr. Torcher continues to preserve LGBTQ+ history and inspire people to embrace their authentic self.
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Deacon Maccubbin organized the first DC Gay Pride Party all the way back in 1975. Now, he’s thinking back on the role he played in the creating an event that would one day bring hundreds of thousands of people to D.C. to celebrate who they are.
Every week, WTOP is celebrating a Pride Hero who has made a difference in the LGBTQ+ community in the D.C. area as part of our Pride Month coverage. Check back all throughout June as we share these stories on air and online.
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Celebrating local pride heroes: Deacon Maccubbin
A year after L. Page “Deacon” Maccubbin opened the gay bookstore, Lambda Rising, in 1974, he was talking to friends about going to a Pride celebration in New York City.
“Somebody said, ‘Why don’t we do something in Washington,’” said Maccubbin. “I thought ‘that’s a wonderful idea, let’s do it.’”
Maccubbin went to work instantly. He decided to hold a Gay Pride block party right in front of Lambda Rising on 1724 20th Street NW in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood.
One of the first things Maccubbin was required to do by the city was to check with his neighbors.
“We had the support of more than 51% of the people in the neighborhood to sign a petition allowing us to close the block off,” Maccubbin told WTOP.
Knowing he needed help to organize such a big event, Maccubbin hired his friend Bob Carpenter. They got the word out by putting flyers in all of the gay bars in D.C.
Deacon with Pride Proclamation: Deacon Maccubbin holds a Pride Proclamation from the D.C. Council. With him (left to right) are Frank Kameny, gay rights activist, and John A. Wilson, a D.C. Council member — and later Chair — who coordinated the resolution.
(Courtesy Rainbow History Project, Inc. )
Courtesy Rainbow History Project, Inc.
Revelers at Pride ’78: Revelers at the Gay Pride Day Block Party on 20th St. NW in 1978.
(Courtesy Rainbow History Project, Inc. )
Courtesy Rainbow History Project, Inc.
Deacon Maccubbin (right) and his husband, Jim Bennett, on the steps of where his bookstore was once located, overlooking the location of D.C.’s first annual pride event.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP/Jimmy Alexander
Deacon Maccubbin (left) and his husband, Jim Bennett, on the steps of where his bookstore was once located, overlooking the location of D.C.’s first annual pride event.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
So, at 1 p.m., on June 22, 1975, the D.C. Gay Pride Party was set to begin. But, there was a problem.
“At 10 minutes to one, there was no one on the street,” Maccubbin said.
Carpenter was nervous and, according to Maccubbin, was ringing his hands, and said, “No one is going to show up.”
“I said ‘don’t worry Bob, they’ll be here. They are just on ‘gay time.” … Not long after, we had 2,000 people,” Maccubbin said.
Maccubbin shared these memories with WTOP from the steps of where his bookstore was once located, overlooking the location of D.C.’s first annual Pride event.
“We had bands playing. Politicians stopping by to say hello. All the neighbors came out,” Maccubbin said. “It was an incredible experience.”
Also showing up that day was a local TV news crew.
Maccubbin made a deal with the reporters: They were only allowed to film on one side of the street. Everyone at the block party was told if they didn’t want to be on television, that they should stand on the other side of the street.
“There were some people that were concerned about their jobs or their family seeing them,” said Maccubbin.
Not everyone was pleased with the work Maccubbin was doing for the gay community. Not only did Maccubbin have to deal with a lot of harassment over the phone, the windows of his bookstore were broken and they received bomb threats.
Every time there was an incident, Maccubbin and his staff would head to the bookstore and keep going.
“We had to stand up and be counted. We weren’t going anywhere,” said Maccubbin’s husband, Jim Bennett. “More and more people stood up and said we’re not taking this crap anymore.”
The bad memories have now faded, and Maccubbin thinks more about the role he played in the creating an event that would one day bring hundreds of thousands of people to D.C. to celebrate who they are.
“There is rarely a week that goes by that I don’t hear from somebody that talks about coming out at Pride or coming out in our bookstore, Lambda Rising,” Maccubbin said. “Because it was the first place they felt welcome.”
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Pride Month is here, and that means it’s time for Orlando to flaunt what it’s got (although the main event, the Come Out With Pride parade, doesn’t happen until October). This June, the city celebrates the journey of identity and love with queer musicians, pool parties, festivals and more. Bring your rainbow hand fans and heart-shaped sunglasses — this June is promising some amped-up pride in Orlando.
Gay Days Where: Various When: Through June 3 During Gay Days, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld, guests can expect more than a dozen events like pool parties and drag-themed bingo, Miss Gay Days pageant, a Mr. Gay Days leather competition and more.
Girls in Wonderland Where: Various When: Through June 3 Girls in Wonderland is a queer dream festival lineup with DJs and artists, pool parties, happy hour events and more.
Born This Way Ball at Cocktails and Screams Where: 39 W. Pine St. When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20 Wrap up in the heat of Pride this June with a drag concert as a tribute to Gaga’s Born This Way album. Bring the extravaganza out at this local ball located at Cocktails and Screams.
Pride Bar Crawl Where: Elixir Kitchen and Bar, 9 W. Washington St. When: 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22 Drink your way around Orlando to savor colorful Pride-themed drinks at different local bars and wave your flags into the night with a free after party included with a ticket.
Art With Purpose Where: Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 N. Mills Ave. When: 1 p.m. Friday, June 7 At this night of understanding, guests are welcomed to delve into the struggle of identity through art. Hosted by Zebra Youth at OMA, this event is free.
Love Is Universal Where: Red Coconut Club, 6000 Universal Blvd. When: 5 p.m. to midnight Thursdays, and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays in June Celebrate your pride at Red Coconut Club, located in CityWalk with flirty drinks, Pride merchandise, a live DJ and performances to celebrate Pride Month through June 30.
Zebra Youth Pride Prom: Masquerade Where: Plaza Live Orlando, 425 N. Bumby Ave. When: 6 p.m. Friday, June 14 It’s prom night! Tickets are free with reservation, but a $15 donation to Zebra Youth is suggested. Prom will be held at the Plaza Live and the dress code is semi-formal to formal. From 6 to 8 p.m. the prom will host guests ages 13-17, and from 9 to 11 p.m. guests 18-24 are invited to the dance floor.
Orlando Out Fest Where: Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. When: June 27-30 Orlando Fringe is hosting a Pride festival celebrating LGBTQIA-related stories, artists and history through this four day festival of gay cowboys, drag-queen storytelling, stand-up comedy and more.
Speak and Paint with Pride Where: 5481 Deer Creek Drive When: 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29 Listen to Rep. Rita Harris and Cynthia Alice Anderson emcee this venue where guests are welcomed to share their story of Pride, or paint it! Food is included with a ticket.
Sunset at the Zoo Where: 3755 W. Seminole Blvd., Sanford When: 5 p.m. Friday, June 28 At the second after-hours event at the Central Florida Zoo this year, Sunset at the Zoo invites guests to enjoy food trucks, local nonprofit vendors, themed crafts and activities and a live DJ. Celebrate the fun of Pride surrounded by nature and exotic wildlife.
Pride in Mental Health Where: Peaceful Peacock, 1700 S. Bumby Ave. When: 7 p.m., June 21 A day dedicated to supporting mental health in the LGBTQ+ community is set at Peaceful Peacock. The event includes insightful activities, a smart art installation, and a full yoga class and sound bath.
The Pride flag will be raised over Los Angeles City Hall for the first time after the mayor signed an ordinance that was unanimously approved by the City Council.
The flag will fly over City Hall during June after an update to city ordinance on flag regulations. The City Charter, section 7.66, prohibits flags other than the American, California and city flags from being raised at City Hall or any other city facilities.
The council members introduced the motion in June 2023, but were too late to raise the flag that year for the month of LGBTQ+ celebrations. Bass signed the motion as Pride Month celebrations began in Southern California and around the world.
“I’m proud to have signed this historic motion to fly the pride flag over City Hall,” Bass said. “Our message to the rest of the country and to the world is clear – now more than ever, we must stand together. I want to thank Councilman Tim McOsker and the rest of City Council for working together to get this done. We know the harm that discrimination and hate brings and I’m proud that in Los Angeles, we accept our LGBTQIA+ community with open arms.”
The decision comes at a time when some Southland communities are moving in the opposite direction.
In March, more than 58% of voters in Huntington Beach approved a ban on nongovernmental flags, including those for Pride Month, being flown on city property.
At least two California school districts, in Temecula and the Bay Area community of Sunol, have also banned Pride Flags.
About the Pride flag
The first known Pride Flag debuted at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade in June 1978. At the encouragement of gay activist Harvey Milk, artist Gilbert Baker designed the flag to symbolize the value and dignity of the gay community.
The original Pride Flag depicted multicolored stripes similar to a rainbow. A 2018 re-design by graphic designer Daniel Quasar added black, brown and pink stripes to the classic Rainbow Flag to place a greater emphasis on “inclusion and progression” and became known as the Progress Pride Flag.
Pride Month, the worldwide celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights, kicks off Saturday with events around the globe.Video above: New LGBTQ+ bar set to open in Kansas City, MissouriBut this year’s festivities in the U.S. will unfold against a backdrop of dozens of new state laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender young people.Here are things to know about the celebrations and the politics around them.Why is June Pride Month?The monthlong global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a public celebration that marked the first anniversary of the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.At a time when LGBTQ+ people largely kept their identity or orientation quiet, the June 28, 1969, raid sparked a series of protests and catalyzed the movement for rights.The first pride week featured marches in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and it has grown ever since. Some events fall outside of June: Tokyo’s Rainbow Pride was in April and Rio de Janeiro has a major event in November.In 1999, President Bill Clinton proclaimed June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.What’s being celebrated?Pride’s hallmark rainbow-laden parades and festivals celebrate the progress the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement has made.In the U.S. in April, a federal appeals court ruled North Carolina and West Virginia’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory.Video below: Weekend LGBTQ+ Pride festival kicks off in West Hollywood, CaliforniaIn one compromise in March, a settlement of legal challenges to a Florida law critics called “Don’t Say Gay” clarifies that teachers can have pictures on their desks of their same-sex partners and books with LGBTQ+ themes. It also says books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes can remain in campus libraries and gay-straight alliance chapters at schools need not be forced underground.Greece this year legalized same-sex marriage, one of three dozen nations around the world to do so, and a similar law approved in Estonia in June 2023 took effect this year.What’s being protested?Rights have been lost around the world, including heavy prison sentences for gay and transgender people in Iraq and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” in Uganda. More than 60 countries have anti-LGBTQ+ laws, advocates say.Tightening of those laws has contributed to the flow of people from Africa and the Middle East seeking asylum in Europe.In recent years, Republican-controlled U.S. states have been adopting policies that target LGBTQ+ people, and particularly transgender people, in various ways.Twenty-five states now have laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Some states have taken other actions, with laws or policies primarily keeping transgender girls and women out of bathrooms and sports competitions that align with their gender.GOP state attorneys general have challenged a federal regulation, set to take effect in August, that would ban the bathroom bans at schools. There also have been efforts to ban or regulate drag performances.Most of the policies are facing legal challenges.Video below: Thousands take part in LGBTQ+ Pride march in JerusalemSince Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, leading to restrictive abortion laws in most GOP-controlled states, LGBTQ+ advocates are worried about losing ground too, said Kevin Jennings, CEO of nonprofit civil rights organization Lambda Legal. On the eve of Pride, the organization announced a $180 million fundraising goal for more lawyers to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ laws.Progress such as the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide could be lost without political and legal vigilance, Jennings said.“Our community looks at what happened to reproductive rights thanks to the Dobbs decision two years ago and has enormous anxiety over whether we’re about to have a massive rollback of what we’ve gained in the 55 years since Stonewall,” Jennings said.What about businesses?While big businesses from Apple to Wells Fargo sponsor events across the U.S., a pushback made ripples last year at one major discount retailer.Target was selling Pride-themed items last June but removed some from stores and moved displays to the back of some locations after customers tipped them over and confronted workers. The company then faced additional backlash from customers who were upset the retailer gave in to people prejudiced against LGBTQ+ people.This year, the store has said it would not carry the items at all its stores. But the company remains a major sponsor of NYC Pride.Are events safe?Keeping the events safe is the top priority, organizers said, but there could be challenges.The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory in May that foreign terrorist organizations could target events associated with Pride. The same month, the State Department renewed a security warning for Americans overseas, especially LGBTQ+ people and events globally.Law enforcement officials noted ISIS sympathizers were arrested last year for attempting to attack a June 2023 Pride parade in Vienna and that ISIS messaging last year called for followers to attack “soft targets.”The agencies say people should always watch out for threats made online, in person or by mail. People should take note if someone tries to enter a restricted area, bypass security or impersonate law enforcement and call 911 for emergencies and report threats to the FBI.NYC Pride has a heavy security presence and works with city agencies outside the perimeter, said Sandra Perez, the event’s executive director. The group expects 50,000 people marching in its June 30 parade and more than 1.5 million people watching.“The fight for liberation isn’t over,” Perez said. “The need to be visible and the need to be mindful of what we need to do to ensure that the future generations don’t have these struggles is really top of mind.”
Pride Month, the worldwide celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights, kicks off Saturday with events around the globe.
Video above: New LGBTQ+ bar set to open in Kansas City, Missouri
But this year’s festivities in the U.S. will unfold against a backdrop of dozens of new state laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights, particularly transgender young people.
Here are things to know about the celebrations and the politics around them.
Why is June Pride Month?
The monthlong global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a public celebration that marked the first anniversary of the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.
At a time when LGBTQ+ people largely kept their identity or orientation quiet, the June 28, 1969, raid sparked a series of protests and catalyzed the movement for rights.
The first pride week featured marches in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and it has grown ever since. Some events fall outside of June: Tokyo’s Rainbow Pride was in April and Rio de Janeiro has a major event in November.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton proclaimed June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
What’s being celebrated?
Pride’s hallmark rainbow-laden parades and festivals celebrate the progress the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement has made.
In the U.S. in April, a federal appeals court ruled North Carolina and West Virginia’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory.
Video below: Weekend LGBTQ+ Pride festival kicks off in West Hollywood, California
In one compromise in March, a settlement of legal challenges to a Florida law critics called “Don’t Say Gay” clarifies that teachers can have pictures on their desks of their same-sex partners and books with LGBTQ+ themes. It also says books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes can remain in campus libraries and gay-straight alliance chapters at schools need not be forced underground.
Greece this year legalized same-sex marriage, one of three dozen nations around the world to do so, and a similar law approved in Estonia in June 2023 took effect this year.
What’s being protested?
Rights have been lost around the world, including heavy prison sentences for gay and transgender people in Iraq and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” in Uganda. More than 60 countries have anti-LGBTQ+ laws, advocates say.
Tightening of those laws has contributed to the flow of people from Africa and the Middle East seeking asylum in Europe.
In recent years, Republican-controlled U.S. states have been adopting policies that target LGBTQ+ people, and particularly transgender people, in various ways.
Twenty-five states now have laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Some states have taken other actions, with laws or policies primarily keeping transgender girls and women out of bathrooms and sports competitions that align with their gender.
GOP state attorneys general have challenged a federal regulation, set to take effect in August, that would ban the bathroom bans at schools. There also have been efforts to ban or regulate drag performances.
Most of the policies are facing legal challenges.
Video below: Thousands take part in LGBTQ+ Pride march in Jerusalem
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, leading to restrictive abortion laws in most GOP-controlled states, LGBTQ+ advocates are worried about losing ground too, said Kevin Jennings, CEO of nonprofit civil rights organization Lambda Legal. On the eve of Pride, the organization announced a $180 million fundraising goal for more lawyers to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Progress such as the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide could be lost without political and legal vigilance, Jennings said.
“Our community looks at what happened to reproductive rights thanks to the Dobbs decision two years ago and has enormous anxiety over whether we’re about to have a massive rollback of what we’ve gained in the 55 years since Stonewall,” Jennings said.
What about businesses?
While big businesses from Apple to Wells Fargo sponsor events across the U.S., a pushback made ripples last year at one major discount retailer.
Target was selling Pride-themed items last June but removed some from stores and moved displays to the back of some locations after customers tipped them over and confronted workers. The company then faced additional backlash from customers who were upset the retailer gave in to people prejudiced against LGBTQ+ people.
This year, the store has said it would not carry the items at all its stores. But the company remains a major sponsor of NYC Pride.
Are events safe?
Keeping the events safe is the top priority, organizers said, but there could be challenges.
The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory in May that foreign terrorist organizations could target events associated with Pride. The same month, the State Department renewed a security warning for Americans overseas, especially LGBTQ+ people and events globally.
Law enforcement officials noted ISIS sympathizers were arrested last year for attempting to attack a June 2023 Pride parade in Vienna and that ISIS messaging last year called for followers to attack “soft targets.”
The agencies say people should always watch out for threats made online, in person or by mail. People should take note if someone tries to enter a restricted area, bypass security or impersonate law enforcement and call 911 for emergencies and report threats to the FBI.
NYC Pride has a heavy security presence and works with city agencies outside the perimeter, said Sandra Perez, the event’s executive director. The group expects 50,000 people marching in its June 30 parade and more than 1.5 million people watching.
“The fight for liberation isn’t over,” Perez said. “The need to be visible and the need to be mindful of what we need to do to ensure that the future generations don’t have these struggles is really top of mind.”
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Sunshine Skyway Bridge often is illuminated to highlight local and national holidays, events and celebrations.
But Pride Month apparently won’t be one of them this year.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, a Manatee County commissioner has expressed disapproval of requests for light displays honoring Pride and Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The Florida Department of Transportation regularly receives requests to light up the bridge. Recent examples saw the bridge lit in yellow and blue for Ukraine support, blue and white for Israel support and special colors for breast cancer, autism and mental health awareness.
Because the Skyway touches Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, the FDOT has made it policy that light displays have to be approved by all three county commissions.
According to the Times, Manatee Commission Chairman Mike Rahn expressed opposition for lights celebrating Pride month, saying in a February email he “will not be approving lighting of the Skyway for Pride Month or National Gun Violence Awareness Day.”
Instead, the state will have three months of patriotic lights on the bridge it is calling “freedom summer.”
Tucked in the massive government funding package signed Saturday by President Biden is a provision banning the flying of LGBTQ Pride flags over U.S. embassies. But even on the same day Mr. Biden signed the package, the White House vowed to work toward repealing the provision.
The prohibition was one of many side issues included in the mammoth $1.2 trillion package to fund the government through September, which passed early Saturday shortly after a midnight deadline.
As Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, a conservative Christian, scrambled for votes to get the bill passed in his chamber, he allegedly touted the Pride flag ban as a reason his party should support the bill, the Daily Beast reported.
The White House said Saturday it would seek to find a way to repeal the ban on flying the rainbow flag, which celebrates the movement for LGBTQ equality.
“Biden believes it was inappropriate to abuse the process that was essential to keep the government open by including this policy targeting LGBTQI+ Americans,” a White House statement said, adding that the president “is committed to fighting for LGBTQI+ equality at home and abroad.”
The White House said that while it had not been able to block the flag proposal, it was “successful in defeating 50+ other policy riders attacking the LGBTQI+ community that Congressional Republicans attempted to insert into the legislation.”
An American flag and a Pride flag are pictured on the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia, on June 30, 2022.
NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images
The law signed by Mr. Biden says that no U.S. funding can be used to “fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State” other than U.S. or other government-related flags, or flags supporting prisoners of war, missing-in-action soldiers, hostages and wrongfully imprisoned Americans.
But while such flags may not be flown “over” U.S. embassies, it does not speak to displaying them elsewhere on embassy grounds or inside offices, the Biden camp has argued.
“It will have no impact on the ability of members of the LGBTQI+ community to serve openly in our embassies or to celebrate Pride,” the White House said, referencing the month, usually in June, when LGBTQ parades and other events are held.
The Biden administration has strongly embraced LGBTQ rights. In a sharp change from the Trump administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has not only allowed but encouraged U.S. missions to fly the rainbow flag during Pride month.
Blinken’s predecessor Mike Pompeo, an evangelical Christian, ordered that only the U.S. flag fly from embassy flagpoles.
In 2015, former President Barack Obama’s administration lit up the White House in rainbow colors — delighting liberals and infuriating some conservatives — as it celebrated the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States.
Marlon Wayans is planning to dedicate his next comedy special to his trans son, Kai Wayans.
Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty
Marlon Wayans stopped by The Breakfast Club to promote his latest stand-up comedy special, “Good Grief.” During the interview, he revealed that he wanted to get even more personal in his future stand-up comedy specials and dedicate the next one to his trans son, Kai.
The special titled “Skittles” or “Rainbow Child” would be about his “daughter who transitioned to a son.”
“My daughter Amai (Wayans) is now Kai and so I talk about the transition – now their transition – by my transition as a parent going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance. I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need to have that message and I know I’m dealing with it,” he said.
“It was a very painful situation for me, but man it’s one of the best funniest hours I probably could ever imagine.”
Of course, being the comedian that he is, he joked with his daughter about the decision saying, “‘N***a you transitioning into your brother! You look just like him!’ I can’t tell the difference between her and Shawn. I swear to God.”
Marlon Wayans’ History Of Supporting His Transgender Son Kai
Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty
It’s no secret that Marlon is a proud supporter of the LGBTQIA community. He has always made an effort to show up and gracefully love his child out loud. The comedian and actor took to Instagram to wish his son a heartfelt birthday. The tribute thanked Kai for teaching him how to love people unconditionally.
“Happiest bday my baby… daddy loves you to the moon and back. I’ve always asked people to love me unconditionally, thank you for teaching me what that really means. Be you! Your best you! You’re the gift and I’m wrapping paper… love love love you for life. Excuse my ignorance, chalk it up to growth. Love you so much, thank you for making me a man. So proud. ð” he wrote.
The first time Marlon opened up about his son was back in 2019 when he took to Instagram during Pride Month to show love and support. Unfortunately, the post was met with much criticism and backlash.
He wrote, “Happy pride ð to my pride and joy. I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you. Love you to the moon around the sun, through the galaxies, and back again.”
One user wrote, “Another brother from Hollywood who failed his kidsð¤¦ð¾âï¸ð¤¦ð¾âï¸.” However, not all feedback was negative! Some users opened up and expressed their gratitude for the support of the community.
Be on the lookout for the release of Marlon Wayans’ stand-up comedy special, “Good Grief,” dropping soon!
