For years, the City of Dunedin has welcomed LGBTs into the community. The City gives benefits to the same-sex partners of its employees and it has consistently celebrated broad diversity through festivals and events.
Now the area is focusing strictly on the LGBT community with the first-ever North Pinellas Pride June 18-20.
“North Pinellas has lost some bars over the years,” says NPP Committee Chair Gregory Brady. “And the community has lessened somewhat, but the County Commission and the City of Dunedin has done exactly the opposite. They have both passed substantial legislation [providing rights for LGBTs.]”
NPP is in no way affiliated with St. Pete Pride, which holds events throughout the entire month of June, and the state’s largest LGBT Promenade and Street Festival on June 26. Brady did say, however, that he and NPP have spoken with the St. Pete Pride board to make sure it wasn’t stepping on anyone’s toes.
“We did outreach to them and we are more or less in a partnership, mentally, with them,” Brady said. “We want people to realize that we are not creating an event to compete with St. Pete Pride or any other event. This is just another opportunity to celebrate diversity.”
The idea for a North Pinellas Pride event began with a discussion with Dunedin Mayor Dave Eggers, Brady said.
“He noticed a lack of LGBT participation in the city’s diversity week,” said Brady, who is the chair of the city’s Arts and Cultural Advisory Committee. “That’s when we decided we needed to celebrate further.”
Initial plans included a simple Sunday afternoon pool party, but that idea was scrapped because of limits it would place on the celebration. Eventually Beso del Sol Resort offered use of its pool for a party, which became just part of an arcing weekend event.
“So we now have a hotel that fits—there are two towers and it is just a beautiful property,” Brady said. “We’ve also spoken with the Parks Department and we’ll have a Pride day on Honeymoon Island.”
There is no street festival or promenade planned, since that’s already covered by St. Pete Pride, Brady said. But there will plenty of entertainment opportunities throughout the weekend—including a film screening by the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
The popular night club Blur has come on board and will house a female impersonator show on Friday—featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 2 winner Tyra Sanchez, and host a closing T-Dance on Sunday.
Eggers and City Commissioner Ron Barnett will read the official proclamation declaring the weekend North Pinellas Pride at both the City Commission Meeting on Thursday, June 17, at 6:30 p.m. and again at noon on Sunday during the main event—a Pride Family Picnic. Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala is also scheduled to speak.
“We found, once we started working on it, that we were overwhelmed by the community support and those willing to be on the committee,” Brady said. “There are so many people dying for something like this to happen.”
For a full schedule of events, visit NorthPinellasPride.com.
