(L-R)
Charlie Gerdes, Kanika Tomalin,Darden Rice, Karl Nurse and Amy Foster watch as St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman signs the Freedom to Marry petition at St. Petersburg City Hall June 12.
Photo by Steve Blanchard
St. Petersburg On June 26, the opening day of St. Pete Pride weekend, a rainbow flag will be hoisted above City Hall during a special ceremony officially recognizing St. Petersburg’s LGBT community.
Mayor Rick Kriseman shared that plan, as well as many other “points of pride” during a special city council meeting on June 12—a day he proclaimed as “Freedom to Marry Day” in St. Petersburg.
Kriseman signed the “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” petition in a private ceremony, before reading it aloud in council chambers. He also read a proclamation declaring the month of June as St. Pete Pride month in the city.
“Marriage is an important and meaningful institution that all citizens of the City of St. Petersburg and the State of Florida should have the freedom to participate,” Kriseman read aloud, with a large rainbow flag adorning the back wall of the council chambers. He added, “June is Pride month celebrating our city’s LGBT community and the contribution to making our city a better home for all people. Same-sex couples are raising children and contributing to the betterment of our city and society every day.”
Krisman is the first sitting mayor of the city to fully support St. Pete Pride in its 12 year history. He plans to be the first mayor of the city to march in the parade, which is at dusk on Saturday, June 28 in the Grand Central District.
The reasons for his support of the LGBT community were listed in the proclamation, which touched on the city’s Human Rights Ordinance, which was amended in 2002 to add sexual orientation as a protected status in housing and public accommodations. He also mentioned Pinellas County’s HRO and the addition of gender and identity and expression to those protected.
He also mentioned the city’s financial support of Pride this year in his proclamation and cited the estimated $10.5 million the festival brings to the city each summer.
And the mayor didn’t stop there. He announced the newly created position of LGBT liaison to the Mayor’s Office, which he awarded to city marketing director Robert Danielson. He also announced that Lt. Marcus Hughes of the St. Petersburg Police Department will serve as the LGBT liaison to the police.
“Both serving as a point of contact for LGBT business owners and residents,” Kriseman explained.
The proclamations received praise from council members Darden Rice, and Steve Kornell, who are both members of the LGBT community. Rice, who won her seat in November, is also a grand marshal in this year’s pride parade.
“I fully applaud the mayor for understanding the importance of diversity and inclusion,” Rice said. “It’s an honor to serve with him. The issue of inclusiveness is close to my heart. The mayor has acted with courage and I stand with him in making diversity and inclusion a priority in our community.”
St. Pete Pride executive director Eric Skains thanked the mayor for his support, and said that the evolution of Pride is significant.
“What started off as a march has turned into a celebration,” Skains said, referring to the Stonewall Riots of New York in 1969. “But on days like this, we see that the dominoes of inequality are collapsing and I am thrilled we have such a diverse city here.”
St. Pete Pride is a three-day celebration this year. A concert at the State Theatre is scheduled for Friday, June 27, the organization’s first-ever night parade begins at dusk on Saturday, June 28, and the street festival is slated for 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday, June 29.
For details, visit StPetePride.com.
