During one of the hottest days of the year, the Rosemary District near downtown stayed packed throughout the day while hundreds gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Harvey Milk on May 21.
The eight-hour festival was just part of a weekend of events honoring the first openly gay elected official who was gunned down in San Francisco.
â┚¬Å”It's hot, but I'd rather it be like this than raining,â┚¬Â said organizer Shannon Fortner, who was busy throughout the day making sure the entertainment lineup and vendor booths ran like clockwork.â┚¬Â I'm thankful for all of the support.â┚¬ÂÂ
Temperatures reached the mid-90s by midafternoon but streams of supporters continued to arrive at the fenced of area dedicated to the festival.
This is the second year for Sarasota to celebrate Harvey Milk Day and also the second year that Harvey Milk was officially honored by government officials. Before leaving office, California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger proclaimed May 22 Harvey Milk Day. That is the date of the late city councilman's birthday.
â┚¬Å”I think that seeing such a diverse group of people out here says a lot about what Harvey Milk was all about,â┚¬Â said Cassandra Diaz, an 18-year old who spent part of the day listening to music with her high school friends. â┚¬Å”If you look around you see every age and every race. You even see every sexuality.â┚¬ÂÂ
Diaz, who is straight, said she's hopeful for a future where rights are given to everyone, regardless of race or orientation.
â┚¬Å”It's going to be up to my generation to make same-sex marriage legal and to get politicians past all of the lame arguments they have against respecting gay people,â┚¬Â she said. â┚¬Å”Things are slowly changing and I think that Harvey Milk would be proud of the progress we've made.â┚¬ÂÂ
Speakers and bands occupied throughout the day and attendees heard from Equality Florida as well as Todd Kachinski Kottmeier, an author who was a speaker at the inaugural event last year.
â┚¬Å”I'm excited to be back here to speak,â┚¬Â he said. â┚¬Å”This is a great event that means a lot to us and, hopefully, to the people who are here
today.â┚¬ÂÂ
The festival began on Friday, May 20, with an art exhibit showcasing themes of equality. The art is still available at The Red Panty Press where Ciera Galbraith will serves as curator. Galbraith has worked for more than two years as Gallery Director of The University of Florida Reitz Union Art Gallery.
â┚¬Å”We'd like support from the American community as a whole,â┚¬Â Fortner said said. â┚¬Å”We need everyone to be part of the movement, not just the gay population.â┚¬ÂÂ
For five years, Fortner has been in a relationship with her partner, Kelly, but the two have been forced to live apart due to immigration laws. Kelly is from the United Kingdom and current marriage laws in the United States prevent Fortner from sponsoring her so they can live as a couple. Fortner does have some hope, however, that the Uniting American Families Act currently in Congress will pass and change the laws.
â┚¬Å”Harvey Milk focused on the community as a whole, while creating a safe place for the queer community to be themselves,â┚¬Â Fortner said, when asked about what people should take from the festival. â┚¬Å”He cleaned up his district. He was a sounding board for equality and justice. He was a tremendous advocate of a world where people, gay or straight, would no longer need to live in fear.â┚¬ÂÂ
That message was conveyed by speakers and by bands on the stage. The street festival ended around 10 p.m. after headlining group Ha Ha Tonka wrapped its set.