ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — We are still in Pride Month! That typically means dressing up in bright colors, wearing your best Pride outfits, and celebrating at your local Pride parade. But the festivities might look a bit different this year because of COVID-19.
St. Pete Pride is one of the largest Pride parades in the country and the largest in Florida. Even though the parade is canceled, we spoke with Richard Brandt, the Secretary and Head of Entertainment for St. Pete Pride, and he’s given us some ways we can still celebrate!
“Pride is, it's not something you just have for 30 days it's you know, something you have for the entire year,” Brandt said.
Supporting Black Lives Matter:
Brandt says you can’t support pride without really supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
“And the reason being is one of my next points of educating yourself on Pride history, but without Black trans individuals of the LGBT community. Pride wouldn't exist in the current form or shape that it does currently,” Brant said.
Learning about Pride history:
The next thing you can do is educate yourself on Pride history and those who paved the way for the LGBTQ community.
“In the LGBT movement, not knowing where we came from,” Brandt said. “It's hard to celebrate and know where we are and where to go from here.”
Getting to know others in the community:
Another great way to celebrate pride is staying local and interviewing someone who's older in the community to find out their history and what experiences they've had to see how far we've come.
Donating time or funds:
Donating time or money to nonprofits that support not just the LGBTQ community, but also the Black community during these times
Conversations with family members:
Having heartfelt conversations with family members and friends about what Pride means to you, sharing your LGBTQ experience because we are all unique.
“They're all different,” Brandt said. “The differences are what makes everything so unique and really what the rainbow flag is about is celebrating all of our differences and coming together in the diversity that we have.
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