As they celebrated their 25th year, the Orlando Gay Chorus also named James Rode as their new artistic director and conductor. Rode, who is also the vocal director for Celebration High School in Osceola, was excited and pleased to be at the helm for the OGC’s 25th year. Rode showed what he was capable of with his inaugural OGC concert One Voice at the Plaza Live which celebrated a quarter century of music in the LGBT community.
The Hope and Help Center raised funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS for the 20th year with the Orlando AIDS Walk March 28. The two-mile march around Lake Eola brought more than 1,400 walkers and raised over $120,000. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence led the walk followed by 89 registered teams and individuals.
Finally, Pride has come back to Tampa. After more than a decade away, Tampa Pride came back stronger and bigger than ever March 28. With more than a hundred vendors and a huge parade, the streets of historic Ybor City were filled with 40,000 fans of pride and pageantry and had a front seat to history as the first major Pride celebration of the year in the country kicked off welcoming diversity in Tampa.
We gotta take a stand, and stand TIGLFF did. During a time in Florida where which bathroom transgender people use seems to be the government’s business, the Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF) stood up against the anti-trans bill by mandating that any theater wishing to show films during the film festival and at TIGLFF events must offer gender neutral restrooms. The policy shift came during TIGLFF’s annual retreat where organizers were finalizing plans for the October festival and discussions consistently returned to the pending “bathroom bill.” The policy began immediately with TIGLFF’s screening of “Boy Meets Girl” March 18 at freeFall Theatre.
The SunCoast Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church suffered a loss when Reverend Sherry Lee Kennedy unexpectedly passed away March 11. Rev. Sherry founded the SunCoast MCC church in 1995 and passed just after the church celebrated their 20th anniversary. During the congregation’s first Sunday service after her death, Rev. Sherry’s seat was left vacant with just her Bible resting on it. The Bible was left open to Jeremiah 29:11, Rev. Sherry’s favorite verse.
Breaking down the barriers which are long thought to be just for men and no gays allowed, the New York Fire Department swear in their first female and openly gay chaplain March 3. Rev. Ann Kansfield will serve as the eighth FDNY chaplain, six which are Christian and one who is Jewish. Rev. Ann is a pastor from Brooklyn and told the New York Times that it would be great if she could be a part of the effort to diversify the FDNY. When do we get an all chaplain version of the FDNY calendar?
For the first time in forever, LGBT groups get to march in the Boston St. Patrick Day parade. OutVets, a gay military veterans group, and Boston Pride, a Massachusetts’ gay rights group, marched with other local organizations in the annual St. Patrick celebration March 15. For the last 20 years a ban has been in place from the event organizers preventing the LGBT community from having any groups march. A ban which has left Boston mayors boycotting the parade and refusing to march. In other news, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh marched in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston this year because of progress.
Suzanne Noe, the founder of ProSuzy.com, officially retired March 27 with a big White Party at the Gulfport Casino. Noe began ProSuzy.com more than 14 years ago as a way to meet lesbians in the community and it became a business to open up new worlds, events and businesses to women in the Tampa Bay area. Noe, who stepped back from the business in 2013 but did not officially retire until 2015, upped and moved to The Villages to enjoy some golf, softball and maybe learn to play some bridge. Do you have any sevens?
How can you teach my child, you’re a lesbian?!?! Jaclyn Pfeiffer, a teacher at Aloma Methodist Early Childhood Learning Center, said she was let go from the school March 19 after her girlfriend, Kelly Bardier, began working as a substitute at the same school and rumors of their relationship began. Bardier was also released from her part-time job as a substitute teacher. The couple filed suit and in a settlement in May were awarded a monetary settlement, a retraction of their terminations and positive letters of reference.
