Watermark Out News Issue 32.13: Pride & Priyanka

Brands face backlash for abandoning Pride

Thousands gather for ‘No Kings’ protests

BellaBrava & Stillwaters Tavern

BellaBrava & Stillwaters Tavern in Saint Petersburg & Tampa prepare all our dishes from scratch. From sauces to salad dressings, sausages to desserts, pizza to pasta we strive to create that special feeling that comes from the best food served at the highest level of attention to detail. Service is casual and friendly. Eat indoors or out, lunch or dinner, brunch, or Happy Hour.

Serving the LGBT community since 2005!

BellaBrava Saint Petersburg

204 Beach Drive NE Saint Petersburg, FL 33701

ph: 727.895.5515

BellaBrava Tampa

1015 Gramercy Lane Tampa, FL 33607

ph: 813.524.5226

BellaBrava Bexley

16722 Focus Loop Land O Lakes, FL 34638

ph: 813.489.4890

Stillwaters Tavern Saint Petersburg

224 Beach Drive NE Saint Petersburg, FL 33701

ph: 727.350.1019

BellaBrava.com StillwatersTavern.com

BELLABRAVA

Priyanka

St. Pete.

Rick Todd PUBLISHER Rick@WatermarkOutNews.com

PUBLISHER’S DESK

What Happened to Rainbow Logos?

AT THE TIME I SIT DOWN TO

write this column, we are halfway through Pride Month. For those who work in the community, we understand Pride is a year-long affair, but for most of the world the focus is on the month of June.

For decades now, my version of Pride Month kicks off with the first Saturday of June, Gay Day at Disney. Some have come to call it Red Shirt Pride Day as it is the day the LGBTQ+ community shows up to the Magic Kingdom wearing red shirts.

The purpose is and has always been that of visibility. A group of people wanted to show our community exists everywhere, and to demonstrate this they gathered en masse at the Happiest Place on Earth.

As the years passed and word of the event spread, attendance in the thousands grew to the tens of thousands. Soon promoters hosted events at hotels and venues to upwards of 150,000 LGBTQ+ tourists and their friends.

The crowds have dwindled some since the glory days of gay day at Disney. I can remember times when whole lines of rides were nearly entirely red shirts, with a spontaneous chorus of Disney tunes being belted out. Large groups of attendees began to coordinate creative shirts and traditions formed at the parade and Country Bear Jamboree.

Although those days are long gone, this year’s celebration left me a bit nostalgic. It reminded me of the earlier days of the once huge event. Walking through the park there was no singing but a simple nod of the head or a welcoming smile to those in red shirts. It was a sign that the tradition was strong and would endure.

We can’t lose sight of visibility. It was the rallying cry of Harvey Milk and it is as important today as it has ever been.

Our visibility, our fight for rights, equality and equity led to some amazing times. A world that not too long ago referred to the LGBTQ+ community as deviants began to celebrate LGBTQ+ people. We started to see gay Dorito’s, rainbowless Skittles and rainbows on logos everywhere. Corporate America was shelling out huge amounts of money to teach their employees about diversity, equity and inclusion.

Corporations, or the LGBTQ+ resource groups that represent them, were showing up in huge numbers to show support for us and celebrate with us. They were so visible in their support that a faction of our community launched a campaign to keep corporations out of Pride.

Then seemingly overnight, that support disappeared.

To me, there was a trifecta of events that led to this. First, Bud Light partnered with a trans influencer to promote their brand. There was a backlash from the conservative right which led to an unfortunate apology from the beer maker, making this a lose-lose situation that other corporations were paying attention to.

Second, the Walt Disney Company took a stand to defend the LGBTQ+ community over the commonly named “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response was a warning shot to any other corporation that would stand up for the rights of this marginalized community.

Finally, the Trump administration went to war against DEI initiatives. Fearing some kind of punishment, many corporations acquiesced.

The ripple effect has been noticeable. Many businesses

at the core of diversity training are losing large portions of their business.

Watermark Out News is not immune to this fallout either. National advertising once topped $150,000 in annual revenue for our newspaper and this year we have seen just one national ad come our way, and that ad is running in this issue. Imagine how damaging a six-figure shift can be for a small business.

The National LGBTQ+ Media

We can’t lose sight of visibility.

Association recently conducted a survey of LGBTQ+ consumers and their spending habits as it relates to the withdrawal of corporate support for our community. I encourage you to check out the results on p. 15 of this issue and I encourage you to use your wallet to support those that support you.

To the corporations that pulled support because they fear retaliation I say this: If you think you are scared, imagine how we feel. We need your support in good times and in bad times. I can’t help but wonder if your support was ever there or if you were just in it for the money.

For the remainder of this Pride season I encourage you to be visible. Whether it means you attend a protest and carry a sign or dance the night away at a Pride after party, it all matters. Let’s not turn to fighting each other as to who is championing the cause correctly. Everywhere our community gathers, we need to show up and remain visible.

Stay visible, stay strong and support each other.

MAIA MONET has her own trans lesbian themed YouTube channel at YouTube. com/MelodyMaia and is the vice president of the board for Come Out With Pride Orlando. To find more information on Pride, visit ComeOutWithPride.org. Page 17

KAPHERR ALEJOS, SABRINA AMBRA, STEVE BLANCHARD, DEBORAH BOSTOCK-KELLEY, JOHNNY BOYKINS, MARTIN “LEIGH SHANNON” FUGATE, BIANCA GOOLSBY, JAKOB HERO-SHAW, LORA KORPAR, JASON LECLERC, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, MELODY MAIA MONET, TATIANA QUIROGA, TIFFANY RAZZANO, SISTER JUANA REACTION, MOMMA ASHLEY ROSE, TREVOR ROSINE, BRYANA SALDANA, GREG STEMM, SYLVIE TREVENA, MICHAEL WANZIE, MULAN WILLIAMS, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI

PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, J.D. CASTO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARCUS MOSLEY, DYLAN TODD, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

DESANTIS OMITS LGBTQ+ AND LATINO COMMUNITIES FROM PULSE REMEMBRANCE STATEMENT

Bellanee Plaza

ORLANDO | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released his memorandum for Pulse Remembrance Day June 11, omitting LGBTQ+ and Latino people from his statement.

“Nine years ago, on June 12, 2016, a shooter claiming alliance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levany committed a horrific act of terrorism at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida,” his memorandum reads.

In 2024, he put in his memorandum that the horrific act of terrorism was against the LGBTQ+ and Hispanic communities.

Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani called out the changes on social media.

“Please know that despite the actions of some politicians, we see you and are standing right alongside you,” she wrote.

The Pulse nightclub mass shooting killed 49 people nine years ago. This month, family members were given the opportunity to visit the site for the first time before its demolition.

In small groups, survivors and family members walked through the long-shuttered venue before it is replaced with a permanent memorial.

The City of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. The existing structure will be razed later this year.

Around 250 survivors and family members of those killed responded to the city’s invitation to walk through the nightclub June 11-14. Families of the 49 people who were killed were able to visit the site with up to six people in their group. Survivors could also bring one person with them.

The club was cleaned and lighting was installed ahead of the walkthroughs.

Groups arrived via a shuttle bus. Black privacy screens and umbrellas shielded them from onlookers. Mental health counselors planned to be on hand to talk to those who walked through the building.

Christine Leinonen, whose son, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen was killed in the mass shooting, was among the first groups to go inside the club, according to the Associated Press. Leinonen, who has been a fierce critic of the police response, the investigation into the mass shooting and the nightclub’s owner, said she wanted to see the space where her son died.

“It’s not closure. It’s pragmatic for me because I needed to see the space. I needed to see how big it was,” Leinonen said afterward. “I would have regretted it if I didn’t go through it.”

At the time, Pulse was the worst shooting in modern U.S. history. The death toll was surpassed the following year when a gunman killed 60 people and injured 850 more in Las Vegas at a country music festival.

central florida news

HOPE & HELP APPOINTS THRESA GILES AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Bellanee Plaza

ORLANDO | Hope & Help has announced the appointment of Thresa Giles as its new chief executive officer.

Hope & Help began in 1988 as a small support group of a few friends who cared for a close friend who was dying of AIDS-related complications. Since then, it has grown into one of the most comprehensive HIV/STI service organizations in Florida, with a full medical clinic, in addition to testing, education, prevention, case management and support group services.

With over 30 years of leadership experience across both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Giles says this role will continue her purpose.

“I always felt when I leave this earth, I want my footprint to show that I work to give back to the community and give back to the world in a much bigger way,” she says.

For Giles, the HIV and STI epidemic is personal. She says she thought of one of her best friends when she found out about her new role. They were friends

growing up, but he died by suicide after he found out he had AIDS.

She says at the time there wasn’t a lot of information, and people were embarrassed to speak about AIDS. Giles wishes something like Hope & Help was around when her friend needed help, as having a peer mentor or assistance could have helped him still be here today.

Giles says Hope & Help represents not only the voice for the people they serve but also for her family. With a gay brother and a son in the LGBTQ+ community, she says the company represents her and who she is as a person.

“Ms. Giles’ appointment follows a comprehensive search to find the right leader to help the organization grow and expand to fulfill our mission of ending the HIV/STI epidemic and empower everyone to live healthy and stay well,” Blake Powell, president of the board of directors, said in a press release.

Giles hopes to expand in communities with mobile clinics. Clients have shared that they sometimes have to take three buses to get to Hope & Help.

She says she also wants to offer different types of satellite offices. Giles would like to have a one-stop

shop where clients can come in for everything and feel just as important and understood.

With the political climate, there have been many changes in federal grants and funding. The Trump administration has made several policy changes that could potentially impact HIV prevention and treatment efforts in Florida.

Giles says she can’t change the things she can’t control, especially in politics, but when a door is closed, she will look for another to open. She reminds herself of a saying that her grandmother used to say, “You’ll have a day; you can pout; you can be sad all you want for a day, and then you gotta get up and you gotta start your plan,” and she says she adapts to each situation.

“We have to breathe and now we have to move forward,” Giles says. “We have to find ways to do it — and where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Giles notes she’s focused on continuing the mission of Hope & Help to further serve their clients, regardless of the political climate.

For more information about Hope & Help, visit HopeAndHelp.org.

NEW CEO: Thresa Giles (C) speaks to members of her staff inside the lobby of Hope & Help.

PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

LGBTQ+ LEADERS REMEMBER GWENDOLYN HENDERSON

Ryan Williams-Jent

TAMPA | LGBTQ+ officials are remembering Tampa City Councilmember Gwendolyn Henderson after her sudden death of natural causes June 10. She was 60 years old.

Henderson taught for Hillsborough County Public Schools and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She also ran Black English Bookstore in Tampa Heights.

The educator discussed the venture with Watermark Out News last year amidst ongoing efforts to ban books led by conservative lawmakers and groups.

“There was a need and an opportunity, especially during this peak period where our state governor and Moms for Liberty have taken it upon themselves to be very organized to ban books that I have decided to liberate,” she shared. “This is my way of pushing back against everything going on.”

Henderson began representing District 5 in 2023, which includes Downtown Tampa, the Channel District and Ybor.

“My heart aches today,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor shared in a statement. “Gwen Henderson was a force of nature … With straight talk, great humor, fierce intellect, flamboyant fashion, grit and guts, Gwendolyn Henderson represented Tampa at her best. We will miss her dearly.”

“Gwen always brought her heart and soul to our debates on Council, and to our discussions as colleagues and friends,” City Council Chairman Alan Clendenin shared. “From her students at Jefferson High School to her patrons Black English Bookstore, to her sisters at Delta Sigma Theta, she impacted so many in our City and community, she is loved and will be missed.”

State Rep. Michele Rayner noted Henderson “was more than a colleague in public service — she was a woman of deep conviction, a fierce advocate for her community, and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where our shared bond as Sorors was rooted in a commitment to sisterhood, scholarship, and service.

“… Tampa has lost a powerful and brilliant voice, and I have lost a dear sister,” she added.

The Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus also reflected on Henderson’s public service, noting “her fight for her community was admirable.”

“We are saddened to lose an ally and hope that her legacy of building better communities — especially in our adopted Precinct 305 in Ybor City and parts of East Tampa, an area she represented — continues. We will continue to fight for the hope she believed in, just as she did, never wavering,” they said.

Tampa Pride’s board also offered their “heartfelt condolences to her family, loved ones, and all those affected by this significant loss.” The organization added that “Gwendolyn was more than a council member; she was an ally, a trailblazer, and a fierce advocate for her community.”

tampa bay news

TAMPA BAY LGBT CHAMBER HONORS ADVOCATES

Ryan Williams-Jent

TAMPA | The Tampa Bay

LGBT Chamber welcomed hundreds to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa June 4 for their 2025 Pride in Business luncheon.

The event highlights chamber initiatives and presents the organization’s Impact Awards. They honor local nonprofits, businesses and advocates for advancing workplace equality.

President and CEO Rene Cantu kicked off programming after a networking reception, thanking members, volunteers and other supporters for attending.

“Now is our time to come together to build a stronger LGBTQ+ business community and to show how resilient we have become,” he said. “Our members and the community at large must see us as a resource here to provide support for our LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and professionals. It is how we shape the future of business in Tampa Bay.”

Cantu subsequently moderated “Strategic Visibility: Navigating Identity, Brand & Business in a Divided World.” The panel welcomed Maureen Cacioppo, founder of Florida Pure Sea Salt; Edwin Gonzalez, director of DEI at Suncoast Credit Union and Justin

Nelson, co-founder and president of the National LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce.

Nelson also delivered remarks ahead of time, praising the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber’s work in the region as the NGLCC’s local affiliate. Participants discussed the challenges currently facing inclusive businesses as well as strategies to combat them, highlighting the NGLCC’s certification process for LGBT and ally-owned businesses and other initiatives.

The Impact Awards were distributed after that. The chamber recognized TomCo Solutions as the 2025 Certified LGBT Business Enterprise of the Year, calling the company “a true leader in our community.” BayFirst Bank received the 2025 Corporate Partner of the Year and was praised for their support.

Metro Inclusive Health received the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year award. They noted nonprofits “have faced many challenges this year, in particular with securing and maintaining funding to provide important services to our community members.”

Zubrick Magic Theatre was subsequently recognized as the 2025 Small Business of the Year. Illusionists and husbands Chris and Ryan Zubrick accepted the honor.

“We’re incredibly honored to receive this recognition,” Ryan shared afterwards. “From day one, we set out to create not only a world-class theatre experience but also a place where everyone feels valued, seen and celebrated.”

“We believe that magic happens not just in our performance on stage, but in the real moments of connection we create with others,” Chris added.

Cantu also presented his first President’s Award, honoring Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. He highlighted their consistent support for the chamber and noted they agreed to serve as title sponsor for the luncheon again in 2026.

Victor Tiffany, SVP of hospitality, was among those who gave opening remarks. He noted that Hard Rock was proud to host the luncheon and to “celebrate Pride Month with a community that embodies strength, authenticity and resilience.”

Cantu closed this year’s luncheon by thanking supporters and sponsors, encouraging attendees to join the chamber for next year’s event. It’s currently scheduled to return June 4, 2026.

Learn more about the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber at TampaBayLGBTChamber.org. View photos at WatermarkOutNews.com.

PRIDE IN BUSINESS: The Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber President Rene Cantu (L) and board members. PHOTO

BY LUIS SALAZAR

THOUSANDS GATHER FOR ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Bellanee Plaza

Floridians in over 70 cities

— including Tallahassee, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Tampa — gathered statewide June 14 for the nationwide “No Kings Day” protests, speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration.

Millions of Americans all over the country protested Trump’s military parade marking the Army’s 250th birthday and coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday.

During a press conference June 12 with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Brevard Country Sheriff Wayne Ivey warned protesters that disobeying or hurting law enforcement would lead to arrest and death.

“If you throw a brick, a fire bomb or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you, graveyard dead,” he said.

Protests took place statewide with some starting at 9 a.m. and others ending at 7 p.m. Many protested near the Mar-a-Lago area including the Palm Beach resort and home of Trump.

In St. Petersburg, more than 1,000 protesters gathered on street intersections earlier in the day. Tampa’s protest followed later in the day, as did the downtown Orlando protest. It started with crowds of people standing on the sidewalks and street corners of South Orange Ave.

One of those people was Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani as she helped organize the protest while focusing on safety.

“I feel like it’s important for you to be here so that I can show everyday Floridians that it is important to protest and you’re not going to do it by yourself,” Eskamani shared. “That I will be there with you. And so for me, it’s an act of solidarity.”

Eskamani says people need to be united in their opposition to the attacks on all the communities: immigrants, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.

Orlando had around 11,000 protesters, Cocoa had around 3,500 and Seminole Country had around 1,800, according to the organizers of Orlando 50501.

The national rally was led by 50501 Movement, a grassroots coalition spanning across all 50 states.

Chloe McElroy, an Orlando protester, says she came to the protest because she doesn’t like the show of power Trump had with a military parade in Washington, D.C.

“We should be doing more for our country. ICE is deporting people left and right, like people who are legally here,” McElroy says. “I am a woman who is in a gay relationship, and I fear for myself and my partner on a daily basis. I fear for the rights that are being taken.”

McElroy held a sign that said “I’m here. I’m queer, no hate here,” and she said her partner made it for her. She says she wanted to promote love instead of hate.

Chants were shouted by protesters throughout the evening, with “Orlando united will never be divided,” and “Show me what Democracy looks like, this is what Democracy looks like.”

The Orlando Police Department had the Police Tag Unit and Emergency Response Team at the protest with some officers holding less-lethal weapons and tear gas. The protest stayed peaceful with some officers closing off the roads and making line formations with their bikes to contain the protest to City Hall.

The volunteers kept reminding protesters that they did not have a permit to be in the streets yet when OPD closed off some of the roads for a moment, protesters took to the streets to dance and wave flags.

Louis Ingenthron, another protester, says diversity is what makes people great. He came to the protest with a bookbag holding masks, first aid, water and other various supplies.

“I’m just trying to be a support person,” Ingenthron says. “I’m a little bit too old to be a frontline person. I stood up there for a while, but it’s easier to carry the stuff to help other people to really do the frontline stuff these days.”

Eskamani says seeing the size of the protest was incredible. The act of protesting as an American is important, she says.

“I mean, the solidarity, the diversity, the generational experiences that are here, it’s very affirming and it demonstrates that Orlando is this beacon of hope in a very difficult state and a very difficult moment in American history, but that we’re not backing down,” Eskamani says.

THOUSANDS ATTEND WORLD PRIDE 2025

Wire Report

WASHINGTON (AP) | Gray skies and drizzle gave way to sunshine, multicolored flags and celebrations as the nation’s capital held the World Pride parade June 7.

Tens of thousands of people participated in parades and other festivities, in defiance of what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ+ community.

A rainbow flag the length of three football fields flowed through the streets, carried by 500 members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., to kick off the parade. Behind them, people waved Pride flags and flags representing the transgender, asexual and bisexual communities from atop a bus.

Singer-songwriter and actor Reneé Rapp laughed and blew kisses from the back of a pickup truck draped with a transgender flag while Laverne Cox, a transgender actress and activist known for her role in Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black,” waved from an open convertible.

“Pride means us looking out for each other no matter what,” she declared to the crowd as the convertible rolled to a stop. “We know how to be there for each other.”

Many LGBTQ+ travelers have expressed concerns or decided to skip World Pride due to anxieties about safety, border policies and a hostile political climate that they say hearkens back to another time. But that did not keep international travelers and other participants away, with groups visible from Iran, Namibia, Kenya and Russia.

Along the parade route, hundreds gathered outside the National City Christian Church as rainbow flags and balloons lined its steps and columns. A child with rainbow face paint blew bubbles at the base of the steps while Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” blared from loudspeakers.

“D.C. is already one of the biggest cities in the country for celebrating Pride,” said Cheo White, 33, from Annapolis, Maryland. “But we are all collectively more united and turning out more because of what’s happening in the White House.”

Many have said the gathering has taken on a new meaning amid the Trump administration’s aggressive policies against protections for transgender Americans and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

David Begler, a 58-year-old gay man from Philadelphia, expressed disappointment that many international travelers felt unsafe visiting D.C. for World Pride but said he appreciates its presence in the city during this political climate.

“It’s the perfect time to have World Pride in D.C.,” Begler said. “We need it right now. I want us to send a message to the White House to focus on uplifting each other instead of dividing.“

Stay DeRoux, 36, usually plans a day trip to D.C. Pride from her home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. But this year, she and her wife, Deenie DeRoux, planned a full weekend.

“This is a really big year,” Stay DeRoux said. “There’s been a lot of turmoil. So it’s an amazing thing to be among allies, among people who love because we’ve experienced so much hate on a daily basis.”

For the day, the idea of threats and opposition took a backseat to the celebration. Streets were closed, but filled with floats, and impromptu parties broke out with music and food in streets adjoining the parade route.

Johnny Cervantes Jr., dressed in a black suit and top hat, headed to a grandstand at a church themed float to marry his partner of 28 years, Freddie Lutz, owner of Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant in Arlington, Virginia.

Events culminated June 8 with a rally and protest march and a giant street party and concert covering a multi-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue.

“This is World Pride in the best city in the world,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared as she walked the parade hand-in-hand with her daughter, Miranda.

Late June 7, the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department reported on its X site, formerly Twitter, that two juveniles were stabbed and a man was shot near Dupont Circle, one of the areas of celebration during Pride. A police spokeswoman said it was two incidents. The stabbings occurred during a fight between groups of juveniles. The juvenile victims were transported to area hospitals and both were conscious, police said. Less than an hour later, after police cleared Dupont Circle Park a male victim was shot in the foot just south of the park.

It was not known if either the incident was related to the celebration.

Despite the police presence in the area afterwards, revelers continued flooding nightspots.

TEL AVIV PRIDE PARADE CANCELED AFTER ATTACK

Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of The National LGBT Media Association

Tel Aviv authorities on June 13 canceled the city’s Pride parade after Israel launched airstrikes against Iran.

The Associated Press notes the Israeli airstrikes targeted nuclear and military facilities in Iran. Reports indicate the airstrikes killed two top nuclear scientists and the leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran in response to the airstrikes launched more than 100 drones towards Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted them.

The Tel Aviv Pride parade had been scheduled to take place on June 13. Caitlyn Jenner was to have been the event’s guest of honor.

Authorities, in consultation with local LGBTQ+ activists, last year cancelled the Tel Aviv Pride parade out of respect for the hostages who remained in the Gaza Strip after Oct. 7. Jerusalem’s annual Pride parade took place on June 5.

The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.

IN OTHER NEWS

SCOTUS MAKES IT EASIER TO CLAIM ‘REVERSE DISCRIMINATION’

A unanimous Supreme Court made it easier June 5 to bring lawsuits over so-called reverse discrimination, siding with an Ohio woman who claims she didn’t get a job and then was demoted because she is straight. The decision affects lawsuits in 20 states and D.C. where, until now, courts had set a higher bar when members of a majority group, including those who are white and heterosexual, sue for discrimination under federal law. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote for the court that federal civil rights law draws no distinction between members of majority and minority groups.

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP FROM ENFORCING ANTI-LGBTQ+ EOS

A federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements that LGBTQ+ organizations say are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said June 9 that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote DEI or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal. Plaintiffs say only Congress has the power to condition how federal funds are used, and that the executive orders restrict free speech rights.

CLAUDIA LÓPEZ RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA

Former Bogotá Mayor Claudia López has announced she is running for president of Colombia. “We begin today and we will win in a year,” she said June 3. López, 55, was a student protest movement leader, journalist and political scientist before she entered politics. She returned to Colombia in 2013 after she earned her PhD in political science at Columbia University. She would be Colombia’s first female president if she wins and would also become the third openly lesbian woman elected head of government — Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was Iceland’s prime minister from 2009-2013 and Ana Brnabić was Serbia’s prime minister from 2017-2024.

WORLD BANK RESUMES LENDING TO UGANDA

The World Bank Group has resumed lending to Uganda after suspended new loans to the African country in 2023 after President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act. It contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.” Reuters reported the bank decided to resume lending on June 5. Activists had urged the bank not to resume loans to Uganda. Richard Lusimbo, director general of the Uganda Key Population Consortium, last September described the “so-called ‘mitigation measures’ are a facade, designed to provide the illusion of protection.”

ALGBTQ+ COMMUNITY SIGNALS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES FOR BRANDS ABANDONING PRIDE AND DEI SURVEY

Bellanee Plaza

NEW STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE

National LGBT Media Association, or NGMA, announced this month that LGBTQ+ consumers are highly aware of the recent corporate shifts away from diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Consumers are also prepared to make decisive economic actions in response.

The survey was pulled from over 400 LGBTQ+ consumers, conducted throughout May 2025, and found that an overwhelming 88% have noticed companies reducing or pausing their LGBTQ+ support in marketing, advertising or DEI initiatives over the past year. The research was designed to understand consumer sentiment and purchasing behaviors in light of recent corporate actions around diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Readers of Watermark Out News also received the survey as Watermark Out News is a member of NGMA. NGMA works with organizations across the country to help effectively market to the LGBTQ+ community, reaching more than a million readers weekly.

The findings demonstrated that awareness is translating into concrete purchasing decisions that could impact corporations in the long run.

“This incredible survey by the National LGBTQ Media Association proves what we have touted for decades, that the LGBTQ+ community is a loyal supporter of those who support them, and they know who does and who does not show support,” says Rick Todd, publisher of Watermark Out News.

ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES ARE APPROACHING

When asked about their purchasing behavior, 75% of respondents indicated they would either stop buying entirely or reduce spending with companies that scale back LGBTQ+ marketing or diversity initiatives.

represents $1.4 trillion in U.S. purchasing power, according to recent Human Rights Campaign data, with global LGBTQ+ purchasing power reaching $3.7 trillion annually.

The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce estimates that there are 1.4 million companies run by members of the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.

LGBTQ+ owned businesses are defined as being at least 51% owned, operated, managed and controlled by a person(s) who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community (including non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals), according to the chamber.

The survey showed nearly 30% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+, which could also suggest the economic influence will grow.

Among the respondents whose companies previously sponsored Pride events but are no longer planning to do so, over 60% said they will either actively avoid the company’s products or that it negatively affects their perception of said company.

Several Pride parades were also short on cash. NYC Pride faced a $750,000 budget gap after losing corporate sponsors, according to its website. Mastercard, Citi, Pepsi, Nissan and PwC pulled sponsorship from NYC Pride. NYC Pride launched a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to help cover production cost and support for the LGBTQ+ artists.

There were 85% who actively support competitors who maintain their LGBTQ+ commitments, creating a clear competitive advantage for companies that remain steadfast in their inclusion efforts.

“I have read a lot of surveys and when you get to near 90% on anything, it is reason for concern,” Todd Evans of Rivendell, an LGBTQ+ advertising agency and NGMA member, said.

The survey showed consumers have strong expectations for corporate courage. Over 90% of respondents said they are more likely to purchase from companies that both advertise to LGBTQ+ audiences and actively advocate for policies protecting LGBTQ+ rights, even in the face of potential backlash.

“These statistics are nothing to laugh at, especially when you consider that the reduction in presence to the LGBTQ+ consumer seems to be just a knee-jerk reaction to a short-term political administration,” Evans said.

A MARKET THAT DEMANDS ATTENTION

If the global LGBTQ+ community were a country, it would represent the fourth-largest economy in the world. The LGBTQ+ community

“The corporate reticence has been palpable in our newsroom — we’re seeing major advertisers pull back from Pride sponsorships and LGBTQ+ marketing,” Benjamin Jenkins, publisher of Pride Source Media, said. “But what’s fascinating is how quickly local businesses are recognizing the opportunity these national corporations are leaving on the table.”

LONG-TERM BUSINESS CONSEQUENCES AHEAD

The survey response showed a clear understanding of market dynamics with 85% expecting companies to face long-term business consequences for cutting back their LGBTQ+ support. The majority believe these companies will lose both LGBTQ+ customers and their allies.

“Smart local businesses are stepping up their LGBTQ+ outreach right now, knowing they can capture market share and build incredible loyalty while their bigger competitors retreat,” Jenkins noted.

After Target rolled back its DEI programs, its stocks have plummeted nearly 34% since January and hit five-year lows. Foot traffic has also dropped nearly 10%.

Target issued an announcement, just four days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, stating that it planned to eliminate hiring goals for minority employees and “stressed the need for staying in step with the evolving external landscape.”

Despite the rollback, the company still released an annual Pride collection.

Pride parades in San Francisco and Kansas City were each about $200,000 short. For Chicago Pride, some of the corporate sponsors that were sponsoring Pride in 2024 did not sponsor this year’s parade. Some of those companies include Dyson, Nivea and Tiffany & Co. In 2024, the Capital One Café sponsored Miami Beach Pride, however the company was not a sponsor this year. St Pete Pride has also faced headwinds this year. There are still companies showing support, regardless of Pride Month. Liberty Mutual Insurance, PayPal, Grubhub, Adobe and others have shown support of the LGBTQ+ initiatives.

BEYOND THE PASSIVE CONSUMPTION LIES ACTIVE ADVOCACY

The survey revealed that LGBTQ+ consumers are willing to go beyond personal purchasing decisions to drive change. When asked what respondents would do when companies reduce LGBTQ+ support, they would:

• Stop buying products/ services (85%)

• Voice concerns on social media (65%)

• Sign or support petitions advocating for corporate LGBTQ+ inclusion (70%)

• Actively support competitors who maintain LGBTQ+ commitments (85%)

“With this bizarre attack on diversity and retreat of national corporate support for our community, the door is open for our local business to step up and reap the benefits of supporting their LGBTQ+ siblings,” Todd says.

For more information about the National LGBT Media Association, visit NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.

TRANS OF THOUGHT

The pitfalls of uneducated allyship

SIMONE BILES, THE

unquestionable title holder of

Greatest of All Time in Olympic gymnastics, recently went after Riley Gaines, a college swimmer who once tied for fifth with trans swimmer Lia Thomas and subsequently has made a career of persecuting trans athletes. The fact that she would have come in fifth even if Lia had not been allowed to swim has not prevented her from becoming the aggrieved poster child for conservative media in their thirst for anti-trans content, and no doubt made her a lot of money in the process.

A grift of the highest order, but I digress. What had agitated Biles was Gaines attacking a 17-year-old trans girl who was the pitcher of a high school softball team that won the class AAAA state championship in Minnesota. Simone stepped into the online fray and called Riley “a loser” and more for going after a trans kid. A largely cisgender-controlled liberal media went wild with praise calling her a true champion for trans athletes.

The truth however, when we parse what she actually said, fell well short of a full-throated defense of trans women in sports.

Her posts to Riley, aside from telling her to pick on someone her own size, which she further elaborated would ironically be a man, also said that work needed to be done to balance inclusivity with competitive “fairness.”

Implicit in her statement was the idea that the limited success of trans women in women’s sports indicated a problem that needed to be solved. This despite the

athletic league regulations already in place based on the best available science of trans sport performance, and the incorrect assumption that there are enough trans people in sports to make a segregated trans league even remotely viable.

In fact, the idea of creating a segregated league was lifted straight out of right-wing talking points. It showed an alarming lack of awareness for the historical justifications of past segregated leagues, and the fact that gendered leagues were created not to protect women, but to save men the embarrassment of losing to the “weaker sex.”

This was incredibly disheartening to me as a trans person. Even more so that this glaring flaw in her reasoning was completely ignored by liberal media in favor of selling the narrative that “Simone Biles is on the right side of history defending trans people! She truly is the GOAT!”

If that wasn’t bad enough, the next day Simone was forced to issue an apology, clearly crafted by her publicists in an ill-conceived attempt to appease all sides, after conservatives went nuts over her “body shaming” Riley by comparing her to a man. As if conservatives have ever given a flying f-word about body shaming except to ridicule the concept.

It was a transparently calculated move to use progressive language as a weapon, and it got the result they wanted. The headlines were nauseating with even a queer publication like LGBTQ Nation highlighting it as “Simone Biles Apologizes to Riley Gaines.” Given how few people typically read articles for clarification, for all the world it looked like Simone had relented on her defense of trans people.

To be clear, I am not saying Simone Biles is a transphobe, but like so many cisgender people who fancy themselves allies, she is showing her support has limits borne of a lack of education. I only wish she had taken the time to learn what she needed

to know before she chose to pop off at Riley in such a high-profile exchange. One that I think ultimately hurt trans people more than helped us by endorsing the idea of trans exclusion as a reasonable proposition. And she is far from alone in this regard.

from Arizona, Ruben Gallego, recently said that concern over trans participation in sports is “legitimate.” With friends like these, who needs enemies?

The thing is, if you are going to go around saying trans women are women with your full chest, then you

fact created a clear division between trans women and our cisgender sisters that at some level, if you are honest with yourselves, is based on discomfort with trans bodies and misogynistic European ideals of women’s bodies. After all, how can the small successes of trans women be

Everywhere trans people turn, it seems we are being let down by wishy-washy cis allies without the tools to properly defend us.

Everywhere trans people turn, it seems we are being let down by wishy-washy cis allies without the tools to properly defend us.

Governor of California Gavin Newsom, 2028 presidential hopeful and liberal darling for standing up to Trump over the unrest in LA, has stated outright that he thinks trans women participating in sports is unfair to women. The Democratic Senator

actually have to do the work to make sure you can offer an educated defense. It cannot just be a hollow rallying cry to stoke support from liberal fans and constituencies that ultimately folds at the slightest provocation and when we need it most.

The moment you agree with the transphobes to draw exclusionary boundaries on trans womanhood; you put to lie the phrase. You’ve in

taking anything from women’s sports if we are actually women? You can’t have it both ways, but some of you, like Simon Biles, are sure trying. Trans people deserve better from our allies.

Maia Monet has her own trans lesbian themed YouTube channel at YouTube.com/MelodyMaia.

Melody

Maia Monet

Ryan Williams-Jent

THE GOOD PAGE FEATURES

positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue we introduce Silkpride, the queer and Chinese-focused organization in Clearwater.

Leo Andersen started the group, which is working to become a nonprofit, after two queer nonprofits in China were forced to close in 2023. A genderqueer Hebei native living in Clearwater, the groups asked Andersen if they could send them books for preservation.

“I was on a cruise with bad signal and struggled to coordinate how to ship them out safely — tearing pages out, hiding book covers and names,” Andersen recalls. “A few weeks later, four huge boxes showed up at our Clearwater home. It became crystal clear to me that what I received was not just packages but the legacy of their movement they started 20 years ago.”

Andersen says that preserving history “is never the end goal.” Instead, Silkpride wants to return the materials to China once the groups can reopen and thrive, a promise that is core to its mission.

The Good Page

Silkpride elevates queer Chinese history, art and culture

Andersen also says supporters can view Silkpride’s work at pop-up events, exhibit tours and concerts by the Asian Rainbow Chorus, which the organization co-founded, and in-person visits are also available. Their office is located at 600 Cleveland St. S., #323 in Clearwater.

Silkpride is important because of the perspective the group offers, Andersen says.

“In China, there’s a long, beautiful tradition of queer expression — and surprisingly, not much open hostility like gay bashing,” Andersen says. “You’ll find gay bars in most cities, as long as you’re not forming an organization.

“However, for overseas Asians, things shift. At queer events in the U.S., we are frequently looked over. There are barely any Asian songs in queer concerts or drag shows. No vendors who speak our language, or sex toys with multi-language labels,” they continue. “If a proud Chinese queer is looking for home decorations, there are only a few options on Amazon like rainbow dragons or pandas. Nothing more. It feels like we’re guests at a party we helped build. Silkpride is here to change that too.”

Silkpride’s collection can be on its website. It features 3D scans and VR tours of “Sing Out! China!” and “We Fight & Respite.”

“Queer Chinese are often invisible — even in queer spaces — or seen only through academic lenses as an intersection of tags like ‘queer’ and ‘Chinese,’” they explain. “Silkpride says: we are not a case study. We’re strong communities with our own voice.

“We also carry lessons from the rise and sudden shutdown of China’s queer movement in the late 2010s — how to pivot from relying on big funders to individual support, and how to keep going through anger, censorship and burnout,” they continue. “That history matters. Especially now.”

Silkpride participated in WorldPride 2025 to prove that point. Festivities were held May 17-June 8 in D.C. and the organization presented “Silk Pride Around the World” at the World Pride Welcome Center. Due to its popularity, the exhibit was extended through Pride Month.

“The experience has been incredible — over 2,000 visitors in the first two weeks!” Andersen says. “I have seen people cry over some stories. Kids loved our stickers. And one organizer said to me they never imagined a queer Chinese exhibit in their city.

“The exhibit really captured the WorldPride theme: ‘Fabric of Freedom,’” they continue. “And it feels like the whole city is in a super-charged Pride mood that no one can stop us as long as we stand together.”

Locals can help support that work as well. Anderson says their dream is to open a permanent space for Silkpride in Florida.

“We’re the only queer Chinese museum in the world with over 1,000 artifacts, 300 books and a few dozens of interactive exhibit items,”

they say. “We believe Pinellas, my home, deserves that cultural landmark destination and a story to tell for decades. If you know of a space — or someone who might help — DM us on Instagram. Let’s make it happen.” Alternatively, you can catch Andersen — and Rain-bao, their organization’s Pride-colored, steamed bun mascot — at local Pride events. Andersen encourages one and all to “come by our booth and say hi” to support the Silkpride dream and learn more at SilkPride.org.

Interested in being featured in The Good Page? Email Editor-in-Chief Ryan Williams-Jent at Ryan@WatermarkOutNews. com in Tampa Bay or Central Florida Bureau Chief Bellanee Plaza at Bellanee@ WatermarkOutNews.com in Central Florida.

PHOTO COURTESY SILKPRIDE

PHOTO COURTESY SILKPRIDE

St Pete Pride celebrates its roots in 23rd year

Ryan Williams-Jent

ST PETE PRIDE WELCOMED OVER

300,000 people to the Sunshine City last year, a number organizers expect to top in 2025. Festivities culminate June 27-29 after more than a month of events.

Leading the charge has been Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, board president. He oversaw the nonprofit’s nationwide search for a new executive director and the restructuring of its 11-person board while helping plan this year’s 23rd annual celebration.

The board hired Bior Guigni in January, who previously served as the chairperson for USA Wrestling and the CEO of Beat the Streets New England.

“Bior had well-documented experience and was anchored here to the Tampa Bay region,” Green-Calisch shared. “We were overjoyed not only with her experience, but also her connection to youth — she’s brought a really deep, rich perspective.”

“I’ve always been a hospitality-driven person,” Guigni added. “Everything that I’ve done has been to serve others and to bring

communities together … and what led me to St Pete Pride was the need to engage more with my community.”

That’s true of St Pete Pride’s entire board. With Green-Calisch, it includes veteran members Stephanie Morge and Darius Lightsey, who serve as vice president and secretary, along with Molly Robison who has served in various roles over the years.

Alexander Green is board treasurer, while fellow newcomers Zoe Blair-Andrews, Trent Brock, Susan DiDino, Travis Geerdes, DeMario Jives and Chris Trevena round out the body. Guigni’s work with the team officially began in March, when St Pete Pride announced its 2025 theme, “Rooted In,” and this year’s 11 signature events.

“While our community knows the greatest form of resistance is JOY, we also recognize that this is a time of uncertainty, fear and sadness for our entire community, especially our sibs of the Trans experience,” St Pete Pride shared.

“Our Pride theme this year works to encompass both,” they continued. “The mighty Banyan tree that represents the St. Petersburg community and traditionally symbolizes wisdom, longevity and interconnectedness is both blooming above ground and rooted beneath the ground with the beautiful colors of Pride. This Pride season, St Pete Pride challenges every community member, ally and accomplice to ask themselves, ‘What is YOUR Pride Rooted In?’”

Green-Calisch calls the theme “a tribute to the deep roots we’ve planted here in St. Petersburg.” He says St Pete Pride is “rooted in resistance, in resilience, in love — and most importantly, community.”

That’s been on display since their 23rd season began May 2 with Shades of Pride. Its annual celebration of Black, queer joy elevated “the journeys of Black queer individuals — past, present and future,” welcoming 250 supporters to Nova 535.

Lightsey, who chairs the event, noted “St Pete Pride has been intentional about providing programming for all the diverse communities within the LGBTQIA spectrum.”

“All of our Pride events this year will emphasize how Pride is

PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

rooted in love, courage, resilience, resistance and community,” he promised, and they continued with the 2025 Mx St Pete Pride pageant May 25 at The Palladium. The third annual competition crowned St Pete Pride’s new Royal Court in “an unforgettable celebration of talent, authenticity and queer excellence.”

Nearly 20 contestants participated this year. Seduction Dickerson was crowned Miss St Pete Pride 2025, Dioscar DeMilo was crowned Mr. St Pete Pride 2025 and Roman Lewinsky was crowned Mx. St Pete Pride 2025.

Dickerson made history with her win. The lesbian entertainer became the first cisgender female to take the crown.

“With having what I thought was a roadblock, I was overwhelmed with joy knowing that I had just made history by introducing the pageantry system to the cisgender female community,” she says.

The organization “represents love, acceptance, visibility and empowerment,” Dickerson also notes. She’s excited to represent St Pete Pride because its “community spirit promotes equality, education, diversity and awareness about LGBTQIA+ obstacles.”

DeMilo calls St Pete Pride a platform for involvement, allowing him “to share and inspire others to feel welcome to dream and be themselves.” He notes that “as a gay man I know what it feels like not belonging.”

“St Pete Pride is a reminder that I am allowed to be happy and I am allowed to have a future in this world,” he adds. “I can’t wait to see everyone being proud of themselves. Be proud of who you are because you deserve it.”

Lewinsky agrees. The nonbinary performer lives in Orlando but has fallen in love with St. Petersburg.

“As a new ‘visitor’ I’m starting to learn that love is love in this community and it’s truly a network of loving individuals who all have a common goal,” they explain. “This court is filled with individuals who truly are passionate about the artform and the community. Each one of us has a different ‘drag’ background that I think is going to help us out collectively!”

Audiences have seen that for themselves since May 29, when members of the Royal Court first appeared with St Pete Pride. Its board assembled at St. Petersburg City Hall with elected officials to raise the Pride flag for the 12th year in a row.

“It is you who made this organization as large as we have gotten, it is you who have sustained us for the last 22 years and into our 23rd season,” Green-Calisch told the crowd.

“I am grateful for the roots that have sustained us. This community is rooted in resilience. It is rooted in tradition. It is rooted in love, but above all, we are rooted in St. Pete.”

St Pete Pride’s Kick-Off Block Party followed June 1 in the Grand Central District and their Youth and Family Day returned June 7.

The third annual event included their first-ever Pet Pride Parade before St Pete Pride’s 2025 Stonewall Reception June 12.

The annual fundraiser honors the origins of Pride and supports their work as a nonprofit. Morge was among the first to address attendees.

“I’ve lost track of the number of times we’ve been asked why we host Pride in June, given the brutal summer heat,” she said, “but our response is always the same. We are rooted in history.

“June 28, 1969 marked the beginning of the Stonewall uprising … a series of events between police and LGBTQ+ protesters [that] stretched over six days,” she continued. “…the events that unfolded over the next six days fundamentally changed

the discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ activism in the United States.”

Jay Toole, an LGBTQ+ activist who was there, later detailed her firsthand account.

“Every spectrum of color, every spectrum of sexuality, was out there,” she recalled. “There were hundreds of people, but it wasn’t just us. It was straight people out there with their children. There were Vietnam protesters out there … [and] guys from the Black Panthers out there.

“Hundreds of people were out there,” Toole stressed. “Gay, straight, Black, white, it didn’t matter — it was a moment in time where every person came together and said, ‘Stop. We have to stop this.’”

Green-Calisch spoke next, honoring former St Pete Pride Secretary Stanley Solomons for his 17 years of service. He also introduced this year’s grand marshals.

The 2025 honorees are Wendy Vernon, PFLAG Safety Harbor founder and president, and Alex Quinto, Equality Florida’s Safe and Healthy Schools regional manager and the co-leader of St Pete Pride’s Student Advisory Board. He also entertains as drag performer Alice Marie Gripp.

St Pete Pride announced six nominees May 29 and voting was live until June 2. Vernon says she was shocked by the recognition.

“There are so many deserving people in our community, I was honored just to be nominated alongside them,” she says. “Our trans and gender expansive loved ones’ rights are under

the Friday Night Concert with headliner Durand Bernarr. The Grammy-nominated artist will lead a show featuring local talent at Jannus Live.

“To have pride is to foster community anchored in love, inclusion and safety. To shine light in places of darkness and taking collective action to safeguard the inalienable rights of future generations,” he says. “I securely rest on the shoulders of Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Marsha P. Johnson and countless others who tirelessly fought with courage and conviction so that I — we — can live fully, freely and unapologetically in our truth.”

attack — at the state and national level — and this has emboldened local people to spread hate and disinformation.

“LGBTQ+ folks’ existence is resistance, so it’s so important to me to mobilize allies and collectively use our privilege to amplify the needs of our LGBTQ+ community,” Vernon continues. “They are my chosen family, and I will do anything to shield them from these attacks. I will continue to lead with love to create spaces for the community to heal and celebrate queer joy.”

Quinto, who was also a grand marshal in 2023, calls this year’s honor emotional. He says it was St Pete Pride where he “learned that queerness could be joyful, public and powerful.”

“To be seen again by this community, not just for what I do but for who I am, is overwhelming in the best way,” he explains. “There’s something incredibly powerful about being recognized both as a professional advocating in policy spaces and as a drag artist using performance as a form of activism … this honor affirms that they’re not just compatible — they’re both essential.”

Each will lead this year’s St Pete Pride parade on June 28, set to begin after the 2025 Trans March. The finale weekend was also preceded by Get Nude June 14, a partnership with the Tampa Bay Black Lesbians, Transtastic on June 18 and will follow the inaugural Womyn in Comedy June 21.

St Pete Pride’s big weekend will officially begin June 27 with

The 2025 Parade Day and Festival will feature additional headliners like TikTok personality Chrissy Chlapecka, “American Song Contest” alum Grant Knoche— who says “there’s nothing better than getting to share my music with a crowd that brings [Pride’s] kind of love and energy” — and two fan favorite “Drag Race” stars.

Audiences will enjoy performances from Denali, who can currently be seen on “All Stars” season 10, and “Canada’s Drag Race” winner Priyanka, also of “We’re Here” fame. Read our interview with the entertainer on p. 27.

St Pete Pride will return to the Grand Central District for its final event of season. The Grand Central Street Festival is expected to welcome hundreds of thousands of Pridegoers for entertainment and more. Highlights will include Cocktail’s main stage with headliners Kameron Ross, Aja, Dawn and Martha Wash.

“For over two decades, this city has shown up: marching, organizing, celebrating and standing with one another through every high and low,” Green-Calisch says. “…Let us carry our grief, our rage and our hope together. Let us build a future rooted in radical inclusion, unapologetic pride and revolutionary love. With every step forward, we remain rooted in joy, justice and you.”

St Pete Pride culminates June 27-29 in St. Petersburg. For more information about events before and during, visit StPetePride. com and read the official guide inside of this issue or at WatermarkOutNews.com.

TEAM 2025: 1) 2025 Grand Marshals Alice Marie Gripp (L) and Wendy Vernon at the Stonewall Reception. 2) L-R, the 2025 Royal Court, Roman Lewinsky, Seduction Dickerson and Dioscar DeMilo, at Youth & Family Day. PHOTOS BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

Hosted By:

Rick Todd

Jeremy Williams

SPONSORED

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Favorite FranchiSe

‘drag race’ winner Priyanka bringS international act to St Pete Pride

Ryan Williams-Jent

PRIYANKA SASHAYED INTO THE

spotlight after winning “Canada’s Drag Race” in 2020, the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” spin-off elevating the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent of the country’s queens.

The competition found the perfect representative for its inaugural season. Prior to her reign, Priyanka’s career began pre-drag as a children’s TV host and after it, she’s taken on the music scene and more.

The entertainer’s debut album “Devastatia” dropped last year, launching a new era and worldwide tour. She also led the fourth season of HBO’s “We’re Here” and created “Drag Brunch Saved My Life,” a Canadian series she hopes to bring stateside soon.

Before then, Priyanka will take the stage as a headliner for St Pete Pride. Watermark Out News spoke with the drag icon about her past, present and future, including a potential “Drag Race” return and what fans can expect from her stop at Florida’s largest Pride celebration.

WATERMARK OUT NEWS:

WHAT DREW YOU TO DRAG?

Priyanka: Drag is just the best. It’s literally the best thing in the world. I think that what drew me to it was finally being able to fit in somewhere. Kids’ television is my background, and I loved it there … and then when I discovered drag, and I was out of the closet and

around more people like me, I was like, “this is a really great way for my art to speak.” This felt like a way to be an artist.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO ARGUE DRAG CAN’T BE FOR YOUTH?

I’m the one “Drag Race” performer you can’t really challenge on this because I entertained children professionally as the face of a national network before I won a global show. I know how to entertain kids. I know how to entertain adults … [and] I wish I discovered drag at a younger age. I think one thing that we can all agree on as a society is … we need to communicate to the audience that parental discretion is advised. If you choose to bring your child, then that’s not on the performer. It’s like when Sabrina Carpenter does her “Juno” position and there are 12-year-old girls in the audience with her all bent over. We all know when we’re going to a Sabrina Carpenter concert [that] her music is all about flirting, sex and stuff that a young, 20-year-old-girl

CONTINUED ON PG. 29 | uu |

goes through. So I think the same rules have to apply to the drag community in terms of communicating to our audience what it is they’re getting.

Also, if you were to go to an all-ages drag brunch and I came out and did “My Neck, My Back” by Khia, I didn’t get the assignment, right? So I think there’s that conversation to have as well; I think with the right leaders, management, event organizers and promoters in place, as long as it’s communicated, I do believe that drag is for children. It is 100% for kids. Kids are the ones who see it for the actual art that it is, too.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST SINCE WINNING “DRAG RACE?”

I learned that I love to tell stories and I just started to learn how much I needed to trust myself. I think that’s the weird part. You do a show like “Drag Race” … but it wasn’t until after all the different things I did after that I learned to always trust myself and give myself time to dream. That’s when I’m at my best.

I learned to keep being that dreamer, and also that people get in their own way all the time, and you’re going to be working with people who get in their own way. So you can never let that poison you — because if I did, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wouldn’t even be on this phone call. I wouldn’t have U.S. Prides reaching out to me. I wouldn’t have gotten “We’re Here” on HBO, there are so many things that wouldn’t have happened.

I think that’s the main thing that I’ve learned about myself. Because it’s weird to go from someone who’s a people pleaser, who wants to fit in so bad ... to being this drag artist who can now finally make your own decisions and stand behind what you believe in. It’s a tough transition, that’s for sure, but the only person you have to please is yourself.

HOW DO YOU THINK “DRAG RACE” HAS CHANGED THE STATE OF DRAG?

With something like “Drag Race,” where they’re winning Emmys and there are spin-offs — and because of those spin-offs, I get to do “We’re Here” and I get to have my own TV show in

Canada, and I get to have a music career, and that’s just me — there’s just a huge impact.

I think it’s become bigger than anyone could imagine. Some people say, “there’s so many seasons now, how am I going to catch up?” but just watch the season that’s for you … you don’t have to watch all of it. I think people forget that “Drag Race All Stars” is for a specific kind of audience, and the new “Drag Race” is for a specific kind of audience, and “Canada’s Drag Race” is for a specific kind of audience. I think we’re used to there being one “Drag Race” and now that there’s so many, there are people who are overwhelmed. But I think it’s great. The more jobs for gay people and the more exposure for drag queens, the better.

WOULD YOU COMPETE AGAIN?

I’ve been asked to go back, not for “All Winners,” but I’ve been asked when “Canada vs. The World” came; they called me to ask me to do it, but I wasn’t at a time where I wanted to. I had kind of just won, I was still in my reign, and I was just releasing my first EP and wanted to tour the music. I didn’t want to be on TV right then, I wanted to be on the road and performing in front of my fans, and I felt crazy for turning down TV, especially coming from TV.

But I think that I would definitely be open to it, because I love “Drag Race” so fucking much. It’s such a fun show, and I love what it does for people. I also just love, as a fan, seeing

the glow up that you get. I can’t imagine watching season one and then watching, if I was to go back for another season, what that would look like and who I would be and just having that time capsule of my life.

But it’s all about timing. I mean, if a major pop star was like, “Priyanka, come open for me,” I would choose that over “Drag Race” because that’s where my career is going. So that’s tough to say, because I love “Drag Race” so much. It depends on the timing.

WHAT WAS YOUR TIME LIKE ON “WE’RE HERE?”

It was the most messed up, but also beautiful, tragic and dramatic thing I’ve ever done, ever. I didn’t realize the power of drag. I felt like I knew, but I didn’t know until I was shown how much it meant to small town America. We were in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We were in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, these small towns, and it was the best to go and meet people and get their stories.

I’m such a story person. I just love talking to people and hear about all the different walks of life, all of which was being healed through drag. What a gift. People always ask me, “weren’t you scared walking around Oklahoma and Tennessee?” And the answer is like, obviously, hello. The first day of filming, a big truck of like these scary men drove by us and called us all a slur and it was like, “okay, well, that’s day one of shooting, great,” but I also knew what I was getting myself

I think that having done my first album last year, I had my EP in 2021 and then debut album in 2024, now I’m able to create from a different space because I’ve toured so many times. So now I have more stories to share and more perspectives to write about. So it’s really cool. I feel like I’m really, really, really finding my unique perspective as an artist, versus trying to make songs that sound like somebody else.

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM YOUR PERFORMANCE?

into and the production kept us safe, of course.

But once you get over that first week, you’re living there. We lived there for two months, so you just become a regular of the town … I think fighting for small towns to be more inclusive is the key to inclusion.

WHAT’S IT LIKE BRINGING YOUR CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE TO THE U.S. RIGHT NOW?

I think about my career in Canada versus America, and I will just play at a music festival as one of the artists in Canada. It’s not “it’s Pride, so Priyanka performs” there; it’s very clear that I’m a year-round musician, and the same with the U.K. as well.

It used to feel like America was moving faster than Canada, and Canada had to keep up, but when it comes to integration of more queer people in media, Canada is definitely really pushing for it right now. It is happening in the States with ebbs and flows, but obviously, we want to see more of it. Hello.

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BRAND OF MUSIC?

Music is what took my “Drag Race” reign to new heights ... the music is the thing that really solidified me as an artist and gave fans more insight into who I am. Also, it is the one thing that sets my soul on fire. Drag is the vehicle and music is the art. It is the best. I’m working on music right now, and it’s so cool to be creating in this headspace, with this political climate, with what’s going on in the world, with my life.

It’s going to be me and two dancers with a full festival set. You’re going to be jumping and probably crying and sweating. I dance for half an hour, so I’m going to be sweating a lot, and it’s going to be just so fun and so free. My whole goal with any of my shows is to feel the way that I felt when I went to go to my first drag show — it’s just like total escapism, and that’s exactly what everyone’s going to feel when I hit that stage.

WHY ELSE ARE YOU EXCITED FOR ST PETE PRIDE?

I’m just excited because I’ve never been! I’m excited to look at all the vendors. I’m excited to walk around and meet people there, talk to them and see what it looks like. I love it … You get so used to your hometown prides, so I always love to go and discover and see what everyone else is doing for Pride and what their take on Prides are. It’s so cool.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT READERS TO KNOW?

I want people to remember that coming to Pride, supporting Pride is really important, and then also figuring out how to not make it a once-a-year habit is important. What else can you do outside of Pride month to help? Are you helping a charity? Are you going to support the gay clubs that exist, giving them a little bit of money to help them keep their doors open for other queer communities? Really thinking about how to keep giving back to the queer community especially is so important. Things that really can help us thrive as a queer community year-round, that is always the goal.

Priyanka will perform Saturday, June 28 at St Pete Pride. For more information about this year’s event read the official guide, available at all events, in Watermark Out News and at WatermarkOutNews.com. Learn more about Priyanka and her work at TheQueenPriyanka.com.

NEW HEIGHTS: Since winning the first season of “Canada’s Drag Race,” drag superstar Priyanka has appeared on HBO’s “We’re Here” and shared her music and more with the world. PHOTO BY SHAUN VADELLA

announcements TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

The Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber honored local businesses and nonprofits at their 2025 Pride in Business luncheon June 4. Award recipients included Metro Inclusive Health, Zubrick Magic Theatre and others. Read more on p. 10. Polk Pride celebrated a decade of serving Polk County’s LGBTQ+ community with events June 7-14, including their signature Pride in the Park. View photos and read more at WatermarkOutNews.com.

The Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County honored both Kori Stevens and Rick Kriseman, former mayor of St. Petersburg, on June 8. Read more and view photos at WatermarkOutNews.com.

St Pete Pride named Wendy Vernon and Alex Quinto/ Alice Marie Gripp as this year’s grand marshals. The organization also recognized Stanley Solomons, former board secretary, for his 17 years of service on June 12. Read more on p. 23.

CONDOLENCES

Tampa City Councilmember Gwendolyn Henderson died June 10 at 60 years old. Read more on p. 10.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Tampa Bay realtor Brian Walsh, Flex Traffic School owner Tito Rhodes (June 20); Former Watermark account manager Russ Martin, Tampa Bay chauffer Marty Theriot, St. Pete handyman Adam Miller, Freelance writer Skyla Dawn Luckey, KW Realtor Jordan Conover (June 21); Polk County history maker Sarah Fortney, ‘Coolest Realtor in Tampa Bay’ Tabi Deas, Regent Event Coordinator Dylan Chadwell, LGBTQ+ advocate Jason Lee (June 22); Tampa Bay performer Ashlee T. Bankx, Tampa Keller Realty star Bill Knecht, Derby diva Mark O’Hara, Tampa Bay entertainer Russell Mania, The Mertailor Eric Ducharme (June 23); Tampa U.b.U. Salon artist Jeremy Beauchamp, Proud parent Suzanne Cohen, Tampa Bay mainstay Jeremy Fetters, St. Petersburg realtor Todd Fixler, Transparent Benefit Solutions founder Liam Arrington, Diamond in the rough Lindsey Burkholder (June 24); Tampa Bay activist Guadalupe Vargas, St. Pete twirler Dan Radwanski, Tampa outdoor enthusiast Scott Buttelwerth, Nielsen manager Will Edwards, LionMaus Media co-founder Megan Hickey, Project Pride President Justyn Hunter-Ceruti (June 25); Metro Inclusive Health Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Brian Bailey, Tampa Stageworks Theatre Artistic Director Anna Brennan, LGBTQ+ activist Aaron Horcha, Helping hand Amy Dalzell, Compass realtor Taylor Welch (June 27); Family woman Arleen Batronie (June 28); Black Rose Photography owner Morgan Le Shade, Musician Todd Wathen (June 29); Tampa Bay realtor Steve Blinder, sports enthusiast Steve Forchielli (June 30); Mellow Mushroom Sarasota owner Karen Atwood, St Petersburg leather man Matt Wolf, Mad Theatre of Tampa’s DJ Holt, St. Petersburg artist Julia Wingle, Shy guy Ian Henderson (July 1); Tampa philanthropist Matt Bachman, former Metro Inclusive Health CEO Lorraine Langlois, Sawmill performer Sofonda Cox, St. Pete graphic guru Michael O’Connell, PFLAG Tampa President Trevor James, Balance Tampa Bay socialite Alvin Providence (July 2).

1

FAMILY BOND: Jessica Bond, Alicia Joy and Eli Bond enjoy St Pete Pride’s Family Day at North Straub Park June 7. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

2 FLYING HIGH: (L-R) Hillsborough County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus Treasurer Peter Horstman, City Council Chair Alen Clendenin and Tampa Pride’s Joe Ebbing attend the city’s Pride flag raising June 12. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

3

ST PETE PROUD: Former St Pete Pride secretary Stanley Solomons is recognized for his 17 years of service at the Stonewall Reception June 12.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

4

SHINING WITH PRIDE: (L-R) Colleen Cherry, Councilmember Gina Driscoll, Jim Nixon and Bryan Karl Casañas Scarsella strike a pose at the City of St. Petersburg’s Pride Pop-Up event June 6.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

5 ROWDIE BUNCH: The Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay sing at Rowdies Pride Night June 14. PHOTO VIA THE TAMPA BAY ROWDIES’ FACEBOOK

6

PROUD WOD: CrossFit St. Pete members showcase their Pride with a special Workout of the Day June 14 benefiting The Trevor Project. PHOTO BY JENS MATHRE

7 10 YEARS: Polk Pride board members and volunteers mark a decade of serving Polk County June 14.

PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

8 PINELLAS PROUD: The Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County present their annual Pride & Progress fundraiser June 8. PHOTO BY LUIS SALAZAR

announcements CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS

Kolbie Blair Matthews won the 2025 Miss Gay Days Pageant, held during Gay Days at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld June 5-8.

José Luis Dieppa, Jen Cousin and Andrea Montanez were recognized and honored by Alianza Center and Del Ambiente during their First Friday celebration June 6 for their work advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.

The City of Winter Park proclaimed June as Pride Month at their commission meeting June 11 inside City Hall. Thor Falk, founder of Winter Park Project, spoke at the meeting and said the proclamation validates what he believes in the Winter Park Project. The meeting also proclaimed June 19 as Juneteenth in Winter Park.

Come Out With Pride launched the Colors of Courage Collective, a bold, intentional initiative dedicated to uplifting and celebrating queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color across Central Florida. The movement will hold its first Juneteenth Pride celebration on June 21. Read more at WatermarkOutNews.com

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS

Watermark Out News sales manager Danny Garcia, LGBTQ+ activist Stacy Gayle, former Watermark Out News intern Natalie Caballero, Central Florida drag performer and owner of Ritzy Rags & Wigs Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate (June 19); Photographer Jonathan Croft, Flight attendant Andrew Elder, Miracle of Love’s Mpowerment program coordinator Lester Burges, Chiropractor and Joie De Vivr owner Dr. Will Llewelyn (June 20); Drag legend Ange Sheridan, Steelers fan Jimmy Guzic, Central Florida Softball League diva Eric Hans, WONDER Award-winning performer Gabriel Quijano (June 21) (June 21); Florida House District 40 candidate RaShon Young (June 22); Central Florida Training And Development Consultant Mark Pierpont, Seminole County Public Schools theater educator Ayò Jeriah Demps, UCF Musical Theatre Specialist Jim Brown (June 23); Former Parliament House bar manager Dana Tetreault, Arkham Assailant Amanda Hippensteel (June 24); Orlando Fringe Patron winner Nanci “Mama B” Boetto, The Ribbon Project founder and Embellish FX proprietor Ben Johansen (June 25); Mother to the publisher Ginger Bentz, “God is a Scottish Drag Queen” performer Mike Delamont, former Watermark intern Sophia Mackrides, roller derby team captain Amber Luu (June 26); Orlando realtor Chad Gibson, Central Florida artist John Jacopelle (June 27); O-Town DJ and aspiring MD Chris “Cub” Mendez, Central Florida visual designer Adam McCabe (June 29); Photographer Dixie Lee Todd, Central Florida performer Serenity Rosé (July 1); “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Coco Montrese, Tim Vargas of Embellish FX, Former Putnam County Courier Journal editor B.J. Laurie, actor extraordinaire Tommy Wooten, Central Florida drag entertainer Lisa Lane, Assistant General Manager at JJ’s Fusion Grille Sandra Nasrallah, Equality Florida’s Salvatore Vieira (July 2).

1

RED SHIRT PRIDE: Magic Kingdom park attendees gather in front of the castle wearing red shirts for the 34th Gay Day on June

7. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

2

ERIN IN WONDERLAND: Erin Foley performs her comedy show, Out for Laughs, at Girls in Wonderland for the 25th anniversary on June 6. PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

3

PRIDE PROCLAMATION: Gina Duncan and Nathan Bruemmer show support at the Winter Park commission meeting on June 11 to mark June as Pride Month. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

4

ORLANDO STRONG: Danny Garcia takes a selfie with Scrubs, Orlando Health’s canine mascot, June 7 during the CommUNITY Rainbow Run in downtown Orlando. PHOTO BY DANNY GARCIA

5

BITTERSWEET GOODBYE: Watermark staff have a luncheon at Acropolis in Orlando on June 12 to send off editor-in-chief Jeremy Williams as he leaves to New York. PHOTO BY RICK TODD

6

ORLANDO UNITED: Protesters stand on the corners of South Orange Ave in downtown Orlando June 14 during the “No Kings” protest against Trumps administration. PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

7

WINTER PARK PRIDE: Thor Falk, founder of Winter Park Project, (L) speaks at the Winter Park commission meeting June 11 with Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio behind him. PHOTO BY BELLANEE PLAZA

8 THE VILLAGES PROTEST: Florida Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith attends the “No Kings” protest with the Villages Democratic Club on June 14. PHOTO VIA CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH’S FACEBOOK

community calendar

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Miss Vicki’s Memorial & Celebration of Life

SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 3 P.M.

SOUTHERN NIGHTS, ORLANDO

Longtime LGBTQ+ ally Miss Vicki passed away May 18. She was 78. Southern Nights Orlando will host a memorial and celebration of life for the Orlando icon June 22, doors open at 3 p.m. Service will be officiated by Ms. Darcel Stevens and will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m. The service will be followed by a special “Legends of Drag” show at 5:30 p.m., which will benefit Miss Vicki’s family. For more information, visit Facebook.com/SouthernNightsOrlando.

Watermark Out News’ Out & About Networking

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 6-8 P.M.

LGBT+ CENTER, ORLANDO

Join Watermark Out News for our June networking event in Orlando. This month’s event is hosted by and benefits the LGBT+ Center Orlando. The event is free to attend and will include light bites and your first drink on the house. Raflle prizes will be passed out, so bring cash with you! All proceeds raised will go to The Center Orlando. For more information, go to WatermarkOutNews.com.

TAMPA BAY

St Pete Pride’s Womyn In Comedy

SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 7-10 P.M.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, ST. PETERSBURG

St Pete Pride’s inaugural Queer Womyn in Comedy will welcome headliner Chaunte Wayans and special guest Paris Sashay. Local acts include Daphne Ferraro, Georgia Dawkins and Rachel Covello and general admission is $20 with VIP available for $50. Learn more at StPetePride.com.

Willam Live! at The Wet Spot

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 8 P.M.

THE WET SPOT, ST. PETERSBURG

Drag superstar Willam kicks off Pride weekend, bringing her sharp wit, unapologetic attitude and boundary-pushing performance to St. Petersburg. Local talent will also perform and general admission is free. VIP experiences are available at CocktailStPete.com.

EVENT PLANNER

ST PETE PRIDE 2025

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Anime Festival Orlando, June 20-22, Rosen Plaza, Orlando. AnimeFestivalOrlando.com

Spooky Empire, June 20-22, DoubleTree by Hilton SeaWorld, Orlando. SpookyEmpire.com

Proud in the Cloud, June 21, The Ranch, St. Cloud. ProudInTheCloud.com

Love & Liberation: A Bold Unapologetic Juneteenth Pride Celebration, June 21, Central Florida Fairgrounds, Orlando. ComeOutWithPride.org

The Official Pride Bar Crawl, June 21, Underground Public House, Orlando. CrawlWith.Us/Orlando

Pride Month Cook Out, June 22, 314 E. Alferd St., Tavares. 352-360-5835; LakeCountyPride.org

Forgotten Broadway, June 24, Judson’s Live, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

“Shucked,” June 24-29, Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando. 407-358-6603; DrPhillipsCenter.org

“Spring Awakening,” June 6-22, Theater South Playhouse, Orlando. 407-601-4380; TheaterSouthPlayhouse.org

The Pride Chamber’s State of the Chamber luncheon, June 27, National Entrepreneur Center, Orlando. 407-420-4895; ThePrideChamber.org

Sunset at the ZooCelebrating LGBTQ+ Pride, June 27, Central Florida Zoo, Sanford. 407-323-4450; CentralFloridaZoo.org

Dillon Francis, June 27, The Vanguard, Orlando. The Vanguard.Live Heart, June 27, Kia Center, Orlando. 407-440-7000; KiaCenter.com

OUTCON Orlando, June 28, Central Florida Fairgrounds, Orlando. 407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.com

The Orlando Oddities and Curiosities Market, June 28, Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee. 321-697-3333; OHPark.com

Ladies of the 80s Drag Brunch, June 29, The Orlando Pop Up Room, Orlando. Facebook.com/ TheOrlandoPopUpRoom

TAMPA BAY

Tampa Fringe 2025, Through June 22, Kress Contemporary & The Commodore Ybor, Tampa. 727-513-8433; TampaFringe.org

Avril Lavigne: The Greatest Hits, June 20, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa. 813-740-2446; LiveNation.com

“Brokeback Mountain” 20th Anniversary, June 20-24, Tampa Theatre, Tampa. 813-274-8981; TampaTheatre.org

Shade Showcase, June 21, The Garage, St. Petersburg. Facebook.com/ OFCLGaragePage

Pride Pool Party Funraiser, June 22, Casa del Merman, St. Petersburg. 727-310-4130; CasaDelMerman.com

Summer Youth Music Festival, June 22, Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg. 727-767-9666; BayboroBrewing.com

Pride in Real Estate, June 24, The Study, St. Petersburg. 727-827-2024; Facebook.com/Groups/ PrideInRealEstate

Friday Night Concert, June 27, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg. StPetePride.com

St Pete Pride Trans March and Parade, June 28, Downtown, St. Petersburg. StPetePride.com

Pride Drag Brunch, June 28, Red Mesa Cantina, St. Petersburg. 727-896-8226; RedMesaCantina.com

“The Rocky Horror Pride Extravaganza,” June 28, Green Light Cinema, St. Petersburg. HellOnHeelsRHPS.com

Lick It Satur-Slay, June 28, Thyrst, Largo. 727-240-0150; PlurCentral.com

Love Out Loud Drag Queen Brunch, June 29, Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa. 866-388-4263; Casino. HardRock.com/Tampa

St Pete Pride Street Festival, June 29, Grand Central District, St. Petersburg. StPetePride.com

SARASOTA

Diverse Perspectives: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Education, Community Day School, Sarasota. PPSRQ.org

Florida’s largest Pride celebration culminates June 27-29 with the Friday Night Concert, Trans March, Pride Parade and Street Festival. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD