(Graphic courtesy OUT Arts & Culture)
GULFPORT, Fla. | OUT Arts & Culture will host its inaugural OUTies Awards Gayla May 31 from 7-10 p.m. at the Gulfport Casino, celebrating their rebrand and the local organizations that have supported their work.
OUT Arts & Culture exists to educate, celebrate and inspire all who value a deeper understanding of those who are LGBTQ+. Formerly the LGBTQ Resource Center, the organization launched in 2015 at the Gulfport Public Library, began operating as an independent nonprofit in 2019 and with its rebrand, moved to a new facility in Gulfport.
“The OUTies recognize those that have been integral to our evolution from a 250-volume book collection at the Gulfport Library into OUT Arts & Culture,” Board President Paul Raker explained in a press release. “OUT Arts & Culture is the only nonprofit in Pinellas County that focuses solely on humanities-based programs and continuing education scholarships through an LGBTQ lens.”
The evening will feature DJ Lucy Blu and be emceed by drag entertainer Brianna Summers. The official dress code is “Gulfport glam,” which includes everything from tuxedos and gowns to shorts and flip flops. Guests will enjoy dancing, desserts and more.
Tickets begin at $25 at a “Runners” level. OUT Arts & Culture says runners “volunteer critical time, talent and passion to make events happen that are at the HEART of our mission.” For $50, the “Fans” level, guests “attend our events and applaud enthusiastically, inspiring us to BE MORE.” At $100, investors will “fuel our signature programs — ArtOUT, ReadOUT, SpeakOUT — financially and enable us to GROW into new areas.”
The gala’s honorees include the Gulfport Public Library as the City of Gulfport Ally; Pinellas Public Library as the Foundation Ally; Raymond James Pride Inclusion Network as the Corporate Ally; Florida Humanities as the Nonprofit Ally; Stetson College of Law as the Education Ally; Gulfperk Coffee Bar as the Small Business Ally and Watermark, which will be honored as this year’s Media Ally.
“It is an honor to be recognized in OUT Arts & Culture’s inaugural awards celebration,” Watermark Publisher Rick Todd says. “We have been longtime supporters of each other which is so important in helping the LGBTQ+ community thrive.”
A special Founders Award will also be awarded to “the 2019 LGBTQ Resource Center board and others who established the LGBTQ Resource Center,” organizers also shared. Read more below:
The inaugural OUTies Awards Gayla will be held from on May 31 from 7-10 p.m. at Gulfport Casino, located at 5500 Beach Blvd. S. in Gulfport. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit OUTArtsAndCulture.org.
