Sarasota Pride 2015

Saturday, OctOber 17 • 12-6pm

SaraSOta pride 2015

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contents

03 07 09

Proclamation from City of Sarasota

Letter from Sarasota Pride chair

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Interview with Chairwoman Cindy Barnes

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Sarasota Pride entertainment guide

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SARASOTA PRIDE 2015 PROGRAM PUBLISHED BY WATERMARK MEDIA, INC. AND SARASOTA PRIDE

PUBLISHER: Rick

Claggett EDITOR: Billy Manes

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR: Mark Cady ADVERTISING SALES:

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CHAIR:

Cindy Barnes DIRECTORS:

Glo Hoeft, Mary Connelly, Susan Turner Pringle, Marcia Burns and Jackie Keenan Sarasota Pride is a non-profit corporation organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes, as a tax exempt entity under Statute 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and in accordance with Florida Statutes.

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Sarasota Pride, Inc. is a non-profit organization located in Sarasota, Florida. Our mission is to promote the elimination of prejudice and discrimination, the defense of human and civil rights secured by law, along with visibility and self-esteem among gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons and to promote a positive image in the Sarasota area and throughout Florida through community activities and services. © SARASOTA PRIDE, INC. P.O. BOX 51032 SARASOTA, FL 34232 941-320-9268

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Contents of this Sarasota Pride 2015 Program are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the publishers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members or organizations. Opinions expressed in articles generated

by Watermark do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sarasota Pride Organizing Committee. Watermark and the Sarasota Pride Organizing Committee cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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�orida studio theatre One Man, Two Guvnors By Richard Bean “Infectious energy” - Broadway World

Butler By Richard Strand

OF

OF

“Uproarious”- The New York Times

Outside Mullingar By John Patrick Shanley “Poignant” - The Seattle Times

Alabama Story By Kenneth Jones

The Soul Mates A Journey To Hitsville

by Bill Castellino with Human Nature and David Rudder

The greatest memories and music of Motown, that changed America forever.

Yesterday by Richard Hopkins, Rebecca Hopkins, and Jim Prosser Journey back to a time of peace, love, and everything in between with music groups of The British Invasion.

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“Cleverly crafted” - Salt Lake Tribune

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Laughing Matters by Rebecca Hopkins, Jim Prosser, and Adam Ratner A musical Saturday Night Live for Sarasota returns!

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SaraSOta pride 2015 Saturday, OctOber 17 • 12-6pm

Richard Hopkins, Producing Artistic Director

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1241 N. Palm Avenue, Downtown Sarasota

NOV. 10 - DEC. 12

FEB. 26 - MARCH 19

MARCH 31 - APRIL 17

And much more! Where else, but Venice Theatre?

I would like to

WELCOME

you to Sarasota for the 26th Annual Pride Fest.

T

Cindy Barnes

Chairman, Sarasota Pride, Inc.

sarasota Pride 2015

Yours in Pride,

Saturday, October 17 • 12-6pm

his year has been historic for the LGBT community, not just in Sarasota, but across the nation with the passing of same-sex marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court. I had my doubts that I would ever see this happen in my lifetime, but certainly never thought I would be the one to marry the first two couples in Sarasota County.

In my nine years with Sarasota Pride, making the decision to take the festival OUT to Main Street, move the festival into October and to have a new logo created were the scariest. People do not like change but took this like a duck to water.

Since taking the reins of Sarasota Pride in 2010, I have had many memorable moments and events. I am asked almost every interview, “What was your best day with Pride?” While I was overwhelmed by receiving the “Voice of Equality Award” from Equality Florida in 2013, my answer is always THAT Sunday on October in 2010 when 2,500 people gathered at the base of the John Ringling Bridge for The Unity and Equality Walk and spanned the bridge with the mile-long gay flag uniting us as a community. I remember it as vividly as if it happened today.

I want to THANK everyone who comes out to support and celebrate Pride each year and continue to make the event a success.

We are looking for that next LEADER to take Sarasota Pride forward.

Could that be YOU?

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Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director Richard Russell, Executive Director

Puccini’s OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 17

Puccini’s most popular masterpiece returns to Sarasota Opera.

Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage.

SaraSOta pride 2015 Saturday, OctOber 17 • 12-6pm

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Paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

Bridging the gap After six years, Sarasota Pride chairwoman Cindy Barnes looks to pass the torch, stay involved b i l lY m a n e s

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Watermark: this is Your last Year as chair of the Pride board. When did You come to that decision, and hoW do You feel about hoW the organiZation has Progressed under Your tutelage?

I started in 2006, and I took over in 2010. I just decided to take it a whole different direction. Not because the past was bad or anything. I just thought it was time to get out on the street, get the public to see us and that type of thing. And it’s been fun every year. It’s gotten bigger. It’s gotten better. More people have been involved. But, you know, I’ve been doing this, running it for six years. I’m not going to step down off the board, but I would CoNTINUED oN pg. 12 | uu |

Saturday, OctOber 17 • 12-6pm

ollowing last year’s stellar 25th anniversary celebration of Sarasota Pride, the event is moving forward into new territory and a new cultural climate. The cultural part is easy to pin down—it has been a year of victories for proud LGBT residents the world over; “Color the World with Pride” is the theme—but the other territory, at least in terms of Sarasota Pride, is the announcement that Pride chairwoman Cindy Barnes is planning on leaving some of the limelight behind and opening the door for new leadership.

We caught up with her to look back and look ahead.

SaraSOta pride 2015

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Saturday, OctOber 17 • 12-6pm

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Have you ever had any blowback from protesters?

| uu | Bridging the Gap from pg.9 like somebody to come in to run the thing, you know? I really think it needs to be somebody who works for themselves or is retired, only because it takes so much time. I mean not only just the paperwork and answering the telephone, but going to events, keeping Pride’s name out in front of the public, being involved in as many things as you can.

sarasota Pride 2015 Saturday, October 17 • 12-6pm

What do you think the purpose of Pride events is now, and how do you respond to people who say there is no reason in a postmarriage-equality movement?

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Yes, we’ve made strides, but look at what’s been going on the last month with this Kim Davis thing, you know? As soon as we stop leaning forward and moving forward, we get a push back. So I just think you have to keep moving forward. Do I think there’s going to come a day when there doesn’t need to be any Prides?

Oh my God, would I ever love for that to be the case! We cannot get complacent right now.

When you came on as chair in 2010, what was the biggest surprise you had about the weight of the work that you had taken on?

The amount of time that it takes.

Daily work alone is probably 20 hours a week. To do it right and to do it where you get your mission done, you have to be involved, and you have to be willing to stand in it every day.

We haven’t, but I have a feeling this year it will happen, because the same people that were at St. Pete Pride were at Harvey Milk Fest that year. And they were just obnoxious. I don’t think that they are speaking what they believe. I think that this is a business plan. I think this is a way for, you know, the priests to do something about what they think is wrong, and for them to sue the city or sue the organization under the First Amendment rights. And by no means will we stop anybody’s First Amendment rights. And they were in St. Pete. The police had to deal with them up there.

The key focus at Pride events is starting to be more on the people and less on the entertainment and the costs that implies.

Years ago they did pay the money to have some named people to come in, and some Prides still do that. Last year we had a guy named Dario come in from a TV show. He did not do anything for our crowd. He didn’t. Our crowd wasn’t any bigger because of him.

People don’t realize it costs up to $30,000 to get a named person in here, and we just don’t have the budget for it, nor do I think that even if we did I would spend the budget for it. I would rather make the event a higher quality event.

I’ve heard great things about Sarasota Pride.

It’s more intimate.

Every year it has grown. We started out with about 2,000 the

first year and now we are up to between six or seven [thousand].

So, we’ve definitely had growth.

But I attribute all of that to the fact that we’ve gone out into the street where people see us. We are on one of the busiest corners in Sarasota. So, 220,000 cars pass that intersection every day. Whether or not they like us being out there, they still got to see us out there.

What’s Your favorite moment You’ve had since being chair as You go through this sort of tidal Wave of sePtember and october?

What’s neXt for You?

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SaraSOta pride 2015

I mean I’ll stay on the board. I think I almost have to just for the fact of my experience with it and my knowing people in the community. But it would really be nice if somebody stepped in to do the day-to-day stuff and, you know, showing up for events. Not that I won’t come to events, because I will.

That all persons live their lives with dignity, honesty, and pride, regardless of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Saturday, OctOber 17 • 12-6pm

The most proud moment of my existence as far as Sarasota Pride was when we took the mile-long gay flag across the John Ringling Bridge. That was the kickoff of Pride 2010 on the Sunday before; it was the Sunday of Pride week kicking in. That was first time ever that we had almost 3,000 people involved, between people holding the flag and people marching on one side of the bridge. We had cars going back and forth. The festival is great, but the walk across the bridge was historic.

ALSO’s Mission:

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PARK&PRIDE Sarasota Pride’s day of outdoor celebration promises to excite with a packed schedule of entertainment and equality

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or its 26th year, Sarasota Pride is pulling out all the stops, throwing on its glad rags (or T-Shirts, because Sarasota in October isn’t a terrible meteorological threat) and making a party out of what just one year ago seemed to be an impossible fight. Starting at noon and winding down around 6 p.m., the event runs the gamut from musical performances to serious proclamations, with a whole lot of conviviality and dancing in between (DJ Lucy Blue will be filling in on the quiet spots). So plan on spending your day smiling in the middle of J.D. Hamel Park, excited for our future while honoring our proud past (schedule is subject to change).

sarasota Pride 2015 Saturday, October 17 • 12-6pm

12 p.m.

The Cheaters

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This all female troupe always draws a large crowd and seems to run from gig to gig with tireless energy.

Maybe the running has something to do with cheating, but we’ll never tell.

2 p.m.

Opening Ceremonies Things quiet down for a minute as Sarasota Commissioner and Vice Mayor Suzanne Atwell reads the proclamation declaring Oct. 17, 2015, as “United in Pride Day in the City of Sarasota” and recognizes that a “fundamental strength of our community lies in our diversity.”

2:30 p.m.

Equality Florida Transgender Inclusion Director Gina Duncan is expected to share a few words. Details are cloudy at press time, but there’s a possibly that MTV will be in town to shadow Duncan. MTV!

2:45 p.m.

Kelly Neff Crowd favorite Kelly Neff— the singer-songwriter and crowd favorite who plays a full spectrum from folk to funk—will get the crowd back on its feet and arms back up in the air for a short set of heartfelt tunes.

3 p.m.

DeLaran Withers Continuing the strums of heartstrings and grooves, DeLaran Withers (or just DeLaran, if you’re nasty) takes the stage for a short set of favorites.

3:30 p.m.

Diversity: the Voices of Sarasota Favorites from years past, Sarasota’s premiere LGBT chorus Diversity returns to the stage to bring the harmony of equality and inclusion to new levels.

4 p.m.

Lisa Noe Band Self-proclaimed “Big Beautiful Woman” Lisa Noe brings her (and her band’s) unique combination of percussion and sweet-voiced soul to the stage.

She can “drive you right out of your mind,” she sings. Go ahead and test her on that!