ABOVE: St Pete Pride 2019 participants. Photo by Nick Cardello.
ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride has elected new leadership as organizers navigate future events and partnerships amidst COVID-19.
The organization’s 18th annual outing was projected to welcome at least 275,000 people to St. Petersburg last June. It was ultimately postponed until 2021 to ensure the health and safety of attendees.
Nathan Bruemmer will now serve as St Pete Pride’s board president, having completed a two-year term as vice president. Previous board members Stanley Solomons and Laura Legarreta will respectively serve as treasurer and secretary, with Susan McGrath continuing on as a board member. Vacancies remain and additions are forthcoming.
“We have a number of board candidates right now,” Bruemmer says. “Those that have come either from within the organization who have been volunteering for quite a while or who have been on other nonprofit boards.”
Bruemmer has served on St Pete Pride’s board for nearly five years, in which time he founded the annual celebration’s TransPride March. His tenure has given him the ability “to increase visibility for transgender, nonbinary and queer members of our community,” he says.
“There’s a really unique energy and vibe that this organization creates as a partner with this city,” he continues. “It’s tough coming into leadership during such a challenging time because there are a lot of unknowns, but I’m confident that we can get back to our roots.”
While St Pete Pride has traditionally promoted visibility for LGBTQ Floridians and their allies through community programming, COVID-19 has greatly limited their ability to do so in 2020. Bruemmer says that will change next month via their new collaboration with the Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
The nonprofits will virtually present the inaugural Tampa Bay Transgender Film Fest Nov. 20-22, a series of films depicting the transgender experience. The festival is free for the first few hundred registrants of each film and then just $1 to cover the streaming fee. First announced last month, Bruemmer hopes it will provide an opportunity for both visibility and education.
“There is something so powerful about the genre of film,” he says. “It allows the audience to share and learn about others struggles and dreams. As we connect with the characters, we often see our own humanity reflected back in their bravery, heartbreak and triumph … we can learn what it means to be better humans.”
Discussions surrounding St Pete Pride’s more familiar events are ongoing. In particular, Bruemmer says the board is weighing how to proceed with its annual Miss St Pete Pride pageant and holiday-themed Red & Green Party, traditionally held in December.
“We’re looking at what we have done in the past and planning for what’s possible right now, which is difficult,” he says. “We’re looking at a Plan A, a Plan B and maybe a Plan C.”
As for next year’s main event, Bruemmer says Pride season 2021 may look different. The organization is launching a new partnership with a Pride-themed 5K and remains committed to responsibly navigating COVID-19 concerns.
“It might look a little smaller and it might be focused on what we need locally,” he says, “but it will still be our Pride. It will be St Pete Pride.”
For more details about St Pete Pride, including its board members, sponsorships and volunteer opportunities, visit StPetePride.com. For more information about the Trans Film Fest, visit TransFilmFest.Eventive.org.
