TS Madison at Shades of Pride 2025. (Photo by Luis Salazar)
ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride kicked off its 2025 season with Shades of Pride May 2 at Nova 535, the nonprofit’s annual celebration of Black, queer joy.
This year’s event elevated “the journeys of Black queer individuals — past, present and future,” St Pete Pride shared ahead of time. LGBTQ+ activist and entertainer TS Madison returned alongside fellow advocate Craig “The Writer” Stewart to host the evening.
Shades of Pride also included a cocktail hour, assorted food, a special panel and performances. Featured entertainers included comedian Akeem Woods and Miss St Pete Pride Kiala Santi.
The entertainer said she was honored to participate.
“It feels good to be able to be a voice for our community,” the Royal Court member told Watermark Out News. “Especially being a person of color, being Miss St Pete Pride means a lot for me, because it lets other Black trans women know that we can do more in our community. We can be a voice. We can be an activist, and there are so many ways to be an activist so it just feels really good.”
Watermark Out News was on hand to help celebrate. View our photos below.
Additional reporting/photos by Luis Salazar.
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