ABOVE: LGBTQ advocates and allies, including Watermark’s Russ Martin (C), enjoy Sarasota’s 2019 Holiday Parade. Photo courtesy Project Pride.
SARASOTA | The recently-formed nonprofit Project Pride is celebrating its first Pride Month by hosting a number of virtual and socially-distant LGBTQ events through June.
The organization exists to celebrate, unite and support Sarasota’s LGBTQ community. It aims to organize quality, LGBTQ-inclusive experiences that are open for all.
“The mission of Sarasota’s Project Pride is to bring together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, their friends, allies and supporters in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of our LGBTQ community,” Project Pride’s website reads.
Co-founded by area advocates Joshua Beadle and Katie McCurry, Project Pride initially planned to host a wide variety of in-person festivities this June. Their plans were restructured in response to COVID-19.
The pandemic led Project PRIDE to begin hosting a number of digital experiences, uniting LGBTQ leaders throughout Sarasota to discuss the coronavirus and more. Beadle, Project Pride’s executive director, has interviewed more than 65 guests in recent months.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to showcase and spotlight so many diverse individuals and give them a fun platform to talk about the important work that they are doing for the community,” Beadle says. “I’ve met some really outstanding people and built some great relationships through this project.”
The nonprofit’s virtual series will commemorate the four-year mark of Pulse June 12. Beadle will welcome onePULSE Foundation Executive Director Barbara Poma to honor the 49 individuals who were killed in Orlando four years ago.
Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota, the area’s LGBTQ choir which has performed for more than 20 seasons, will also share a special musical tribute. Read more below:
Project Pride will subsequently hold its inaugural Pride Car Parade in Sarasota June 13. Beginning at 1 p.m., vehicles representing individuals and organizations – including Watermark – will show their pride on Main St. in downtown Sarasota.
“This is going to be a historic moment for Sarasota’s LGBTQ community,” Beadle says. “The LGBTQ community had its first float in the 2019 Holiday Parade and the response was tremendous. We won judges choice in the parade contest and had over 100 walkers and over 20 businesses and organizations sponsored our float.”
While the organization hopes to one day organize a full Pride Parade in Sarasota, doing so in its infancy and during a pandemic wasn’t feasible. “The idea of organizing a car parade was very doable,” Beadle says. “So, we made it happen and we are really excited to see how creative our community will get with their vehicles and to see the spirit of PRIDE that is created during the car parade.”
The parade is considered a non-spectator event in light of COVID-19, but the organization encourages those interested in supporting it to make outdoor reservations at restaurants along its route. They also plan to live stream the event via social media and Project Pride’s website.
To celebrate for the rest of the month, Project Pride will hold its inaugural Taste of Pride. From June 15-30, participating Sarasota hotspots including Sage SRQ will offer discounts and special or free menu items to celebrate Pride.
Sage’s head chef Christopher Covelli, who also serves as a Project Pride board member, says the venture was an ideal fit for the city’s community. “We have so many unique, LGBTQ-friendly businesses in Sarasota that it made perfect sense for us to partner with them to get the businesses and the community even more involved,” he says.
Covelli adds that it will allow participants to celebrate Pride “in a safe and relevant manor, especially given the world’s current situation.”
“Sarasota is known for many great things like our award-winning beaches, our highly-rated restaurants and our world-class performing arts, but we’ve never really been known for celebrating PRIDE as well as we could,” Beadle says.
“I am so excited about the impact Project Pride has had within our community in just a few months,” he continues. “It’s our team’s goal to be leaders in Pride and we want to put Sarasota on the map as a must visit LGBTQ destination – we are on our way at achieving that goal.”
For additional details about Sarasota’s thriving LGBTQ community, be sure to read Watermark’s annual Sarasota Living with Pride. For more information about Project Pride, including its virtual events, Car Parade and Taste of Pride, visit their website.
For the latest updates about COVID-19 and its impact on the LGBTQ communities of Tampa Bay, Sarasota and Central Florida, view Watermark’s frequently updated coverage here.
