Dr. Byron Green-Calisch at St Pete Pride’s office Jan. 24. (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)
ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride announced its 2024 lineup Jan. 19, 11 signature events guided by one of the most diverse boards in the organization’s history.
That body is led by Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, an LGBTQ+ advocate, business owner and consultant who is also Black. His election as president marked a first for Florida’s largest Pride celebration.
“Being the first Black president is indeed a big deal,” he says. “I also want to acknowledge that we have further to go!”
Green-Calisch hopes his leadership will help St Pete Pride continue building bridges to the community it’s served since 2003. More specifically, to connect with “organizations and individuals that may not historically have thought we would be open to them.”
“Representation in and of itself is important,” he adds. “We want to make sure that people are able to see what the future might look like — and we know that if you see something, you’re more likely to engage in it.”
A North Carolina native, Green-Calisch holds a Bachelor and Master of Science as well as a Doctorate of Education. He relocated to St. Petersburg on Pride weekend 2018, which he calls serendipitous, and joined the board in 2022 to leverage his work in adult education and diversity, equity and inclusion.
He jointly served as vice president in 2023 with Stephanie Morge, who remains in the role, helping to guide St Pete Pride’s largest celebration yet. The organization says it welcomed more than 500,000 people to the city last year throughout June, which followed the most anti-LGBTQ+ legislative session in Florida’s history.
“Before the month started I was genuinely concerned about our safety … and when it started, I was inundated with so much love,” Green-Calisch recalls. “By the time we got to the end of the month for our big parade weekend, I had goosebumps the entire day because I had not allowed myself to experience the anticipation of the joy that was going to be there.
“It just rushed over me very quickly, seeing so many young people, seeing so many trans folk come out and participate in the Trans March before the parade,” he continues. “Seeing the city come out in full force and witnessing their joy and excitement made all of it worth it.”
Green-Calisch and St Pete Pride’s board — a team which along with Executive Director Nicole Berman he calls “purely immaculate” — hope to recreate that feeling this year. Festivities will begin May 26 with the Mx. St Pete Pride Pageant at the Palladium.
A Pride Month Kickoff Party will follow in the Grand Central District June 1 and St Pete Pride’s LGBTQIA+ Youth and Family Day at North Straub Park will be held June 8. “Get Nude: Nothing But Your Flag” and Transtastic will follow, with specific dates and locations yet to be determined.
The Shades of Pride Festival, an LGBTQ+ Juneteenth Celebration, will be June 14-15. St Pete Pride’s traditional weekend featuring the Friday Night Concert, Parade & Festival with the Trans March and Street Fair, will be June 21-23 in their traditional locations. The Stonewall Reception will close the month, with more details to follow.
“There very well may be a retro feel to Pride this year but at the heart of it we will always remember how it started,” Green-Calisch teases. “Pride is a celebration of a riot and we will never lose track of that.”
For more information about St Pete Pride 2024, visit StPetePride.org.
