Former Tampa Pride Secretary Mark Bias (L) and President Carrie West. (Photo via Tampa Pride’s Facebook page)
TAMPA | Tampa Pride apologized early Dec. 5 for a derogatory social media post regarding drag from Secretary and Festival Director Mark Bias, who resigned amid outcry later that evening.
Bias is the partner of Tampa Pride President Carrie West and among other things, a co-founder of the celebration’s current iteration. The two have been heavily involved with Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community together for decades.
Bias’ social media post, publicly shared from his personal page, drew widespread condemnation. He erroneously wrote that “In Shakespeare times women were not allowed to perform on stage. DRAG was Doing Role As Girl,” a common misconception.
“If the men were performing a role as the Queen of England they were called a DRAG Queen,” he continued. “How do you feel about women claiming to do DRAG on stage today? I think it should be called Fake DRAG.”
Calls for Bias’ apology and resignation quickly followed. LGBTQ advocates throughout Tampa Bay noted that many drag performers are not men and that their art is valid.
Their response prompted an apology from Tampa Pride that afternoon.
“Tampa Bay is a culturally rich community strengthened by its incredible diversity. The mission of Tampa Pride is to bring visibility, validation, and respect to all members of our extended family,” the organization wrote. “We strive to provide a safe and welcoming space for all performers and the public to express who they truly are.
“We would like to apologize to the community, but especially to anyone who may feel invalidated or hurt by a recent post from a member of Tampa Pride,” they continued. “Member’s opinions do not reflect Tampa Pride as a whole and our mission of love. We will do better going forward, and we will continue to work towards a more equitable future for everyone.”
Advocates called for action in response. Late Dec. 5, Tampa Pride issued a subsequent statement announcing Bias’ resignation.
“To our valued Tampa community: on behalf of Tampa Pride we want to reiterate our dedication to see progress in our community,” they wrote. “Your voices matter to us, and we understand that words are meaningless without action.
“Mark Bias has resigned his position from Tampa Pride effective immediately,” Tampa Pride continued. “We also must instill a renewed sense of community and trust in Tampa Pride. As always we would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to attend the monthly meeting on 12/13.”
The board of directors closed by calling it “a space with the sole purpose of listening and sharing opinions and ideas.” It will be held at the Hampton Inn and Suites, located at 1301 E. 7th Ave. in Tampa, at 6:30 p.m. View the post below.
Watermark reached out to Tampa Pride President Carrie West and Bias for additional comment. West advised Bias is “very sorry … and stood up and resigned.” He noted there are “no true feelings of negativity to the community from the board nor myself.”
“May we have more volunteer workers supporting to help make Tampa Pride a better place … in this world where crazy things are happening,” he added.
Tampa Pride’s next meeting will be held Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Hampton Inn and Suites, located at 1301 E. 7th Ave. For more information about the organization, visit TampaPride.org.
