Presidential Pride
It's not every day you get to have a pow wow with the President of the United States, but at least two localsâ┚¬â€Âand their partnersâ┚¬â€Âhad that chance on June 29 during a special LGBT Pride luncheon at the White House. Equality Florida communications director Brian Winfield and Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus president Sally Phillips both attended the luncheon, and offered their take on the occasion. Winfield documented the visit with posts on Facebook from the White House. Photos posted featured Obama and White House staff, along with a direct quote from the president himself to â┚¬Å”certify, within weeks, not months, the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell.â┚¬Â Phillips was also enthusiastic about her trip and in a letter to caucus members shared that openly LGBT administration appointees were on hand to detail workshops on aging LGBT Americans and other issues directly related to our community. â┚¬Å”The overall take away from our visit is that President Obama has made LGBT issues and equality a priority,â┚¬Â Phillips wrote.
Flash mob without the â┚¬Å”flashâ┚¬ÂÂ
Okay, so by definition a flash mob is when a mob of people flash into a dance routine, taking the unsuspecting public by surprise, right? So what do you call a flash mob that holds open rehearsals and announces its start time in the St. Petersburg Times Weekender section? A Not-So-Flash Mob? Just a dance mob? Whatever you want to call it, that's what happened in preparation for the July 4 â┚¬Å”Flash Mobâ┚¬Â performance to Katy Perry's â┚¬Å”Fireworkâ┚¬Â at the St. Pete Pier. A hundred or so people danced to the popular tune after several weeks of rehearsal with out dance instructor William Bryant of St. Petersburg. The pier has become a popular place for such events thanks to the success of a â┚¬Å”Thrillerâ┚¬Â flash mob a couple of years back that celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Michael Jackson hit. Come to think of itâ┚¬Â¦that one was advertised as well, but that didn't make it any less fabulous.
