Category: LGBTQ+

Pride Month & Rural America

Debbie Roney Smith on

It’s currently Pride Month. Pride began as a celebration and chance to remember the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. New York was persecuting gay people and frequently criminalizing their activities and presence.(1) It was illegal to simply exist as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Activists such as Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and many other patrons of The Stonewall Inn fought back against a violent police raid. Their actions helped reignite the modern gay rights movement in the United States. Pride was a celebration of LGBTQ voices, culture, and activism. 

And there is LGBTQ+ history to learn, explore, and celebrate everywhere, including rural communities. This might not fit in the mainstream cultural image of LGBT individuals. Most popular media features the community living in cities or on coasts; the home base for the cast of Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye is a very high-class apartment with an ambiguous city backdrop. Yet an estimated three million or more LGBT+ people call rural America home despite the surge of anti-LGBTQ legislation threatening to chase them out; as of today, there are at least 520 anti-LGBT bills in the U.S.

Even Want to learn more? Here are a few projects that explore LGBTQIA2S+ folks living in rural, small-town, or country communities. 

2023 STAMPED Film Festival

Debbie Roney Smith on

The Stamped Film Festival is coming soon! From September 28th to October 1st, come out to the Pensacola Little Theatre to celebrate the artistic contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) films and filmmakers. The festival began in 2012 and strives to foster a more inclusive local community. In fact, its current name, Stamped, is a throwback to the mid-1990s when LGBTQ visitors would “stamp” their money so that local officials and business owners would know the extent of the LGBTQ+ community’s economic impact. 

Stamped is a multi-day festival that provides educational outreach to the Gulf Coast region. The festival is a celebration, acknowledgment, and remembrance for those in the community. There will be awards and prizes. The festival is free to attend, and offers a family-focused day that is acceptable for all ages. Visit the Stamped Film Festival website for more information, including the TBA film lineup. 

Pride Month

Debbie Roney Smith on

It’s Pride Month! Celebrated annually in June to commemorate its roots in the Stonewall Riots of June 1969, this is a time to not only celebrate the LGBTQ+ community but learn about the dangers facing the community today and identify ways to help. 

by Jonel Art

Pride started as a riot; in June 1969, the NYPD violently raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. This sparked six days of protests and riots in the area as the community fought back against the unfair oppression. The riots elevated what was considered a fringe culture to the front-page news. A year later, activists in New York marched through Manhattan to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – this was the first Pride celebration.

Pride Month was officially recognized as a national event in 2000(1). Despite an increase in anti-LGBT laws sweeping through Florida in the last few months, those who haven’t fled the state for their safety are determined to celebrate and create a space of acceptance and support. Here are some LGBTQ+ events to take part in this month:

  • PensaPride Festival (June 24th) at Cordova Square Park, 1100 E. Brainerd St.
  • Bay Pride Fest (June 10th) at McKenzie Park, 36 Oak Ave
  • Tallahassee Pride Events

Lunafest

Debbie Roney Smith on

Tallahassee will be hosting LUNAFEST® this month. The film festival will occur on October 7th at the Challenger Learning Center. LUNAFEST is an annual traveling film festival that began in 2001. The festival features women and gender-nonconforming storytellers exclusively. The event has featured over 170 filmmakers in over 2,700 screenings nationwide. Additionally, the festival has raised more than 6.5 million dollars for women’s causes (see their website for more information). Tickets to the festival include a pre-screening reception and access to an after-party at La Florida. There are also VIP tickets available that include additional perks at local restaurants and bars.

Purchase tickets HERE.

Talk Lift Heal (GYM)

Debbie Roney Smith on

There’s a new gym in Tallahassee. Talk Lift Heal is a trauma-informed gym located in Railroad Square. It is a gym that is dedicated to cultivating a space that helps improve mental health, physical health, creativity, safety, and healing. It is female-owned and operated, and is open to anyone and everyone! They’re focused on making gyms less intimidating for all bodies from all backgrounds. Talk Lift Heal offers individual services as well as trauma-informed group classes and nutritional coaching. 

Visit Talk Lift Heal’s Facebook page here to learn more or contact them to start your health journey. 

Fernandina Beach Pride

Debbie Roney Smith on

After a two-year hiatus due to Coronavirus, Fernandina Beach will be hosting its second annual Pride Parade and Festival. The event will be held on June 11th from 10 am – 6 pm. Fernandina Beach Pride will kick off with the parade before hosting a plethora of other fun activities. There will be live music, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, and more! Come down to Central Park, Fernandina for a fantastic day celebrating the local and surrounding LGBTQ+ community!

Learn more by visiting the official event website HERE.

Stamped Film Festival: Foo Foo Festival

Debbie Roney Smith on

From November 12-14th, Foo Foo Festival is hosting the Stamped Film Festival at the Pensacola Cultural Center. Starting at 5 p.m. on November 12th and ending with a family day on November 14th, this event focuses on LBGTQ films and creators. The highly vetted films will feature content that can vary from PG-Mature with the aforementioned ‘Family Day’ on November 14th. “Family Day” includes films that are suitable for all ages, a series of children’s activities from face painting, balloon art, and kids snacks.

While the show itself is free, reservations are required as seating is limited. Visit the Stamped Film Festival event page here to RSVP to this amazing event! Additionally, you can view trailers for the featured films, see a specific film lineup by day, and more. 

LGBTQ+ Center Awareness

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is National LGBTQ+ Center Awareness Day. For more detailed information on this national event, visit the LGBT Center Awareness Day website.

Since this annual event is designed to help advocate for the work of LGBT community centers everywhere, today’s blog is dedicated to highlighting the local LGBTQ+ Center of Bay County. According to their website, the Bay Center “is currently the only safe space with dedicated programming for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18 in the entire Panhandle of Florida, from Mobile, Alabama to Jacksonville, Florida.”

They offer support groups, a safe space, scholarships, community outreach programs, and more! The Center advocates for community engagement, offers volunteer opprotunities, holds events, and works hard to improve the wellness of the LGBTQ+ community while leading the charge for positive change in the area. 

Visit the Center’s official website to learn more. 

Open Mic Night

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today from 6 PM to 8 PM, Pensacola Poetry is hosting their last Open Mic Night of the year. Advertised as “Part group therapy. Part open mic,” Pensacola Poetry is the area’s longest-running poetry open-mic night. There is no censorship and no rules other than to poem responsibly. All genders, races, ethnicities, religions, et cetera are respected and welcome. Additionally, musicians, singers, and other artists are welcome! Come out and enjoy this wonderful community of poetry at the local Constant Coffee & Tea in East Pensacola Heights.

Visit their Facebook event page for more info and future events!

June is Pride Month

Debbie Roney Smith on

Did you know June is Pride Month? Pride Month is a direct effect of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a six-day long protest against the unfair treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. Things turned violent after a few LGBTQ+ people were arrested on questionable charges, handcuffed, and very publicly forced into police cars on the streets of NYC at the Stonewall Inn, the hub of the NYC Gay Community in the 1960s. The Uprising was started by Marsha P. Johnson, the “Rosa Parks of the LGBTQ+ Movement,” a Black transwoman and revolutionary activist. The first Pride march was held on the one-year anniversary of the Uprising on June 28, 1970 and was organized by the “Mother of Pride,” Brenda Howard. June 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of annual LGBTQ+ Pride traditions. The idea behind Pride is to promote dignity, equal rights, and self-affirmation as well as increase society’s awareness of the issues they face. A month-long celebration focused on uplifting and highlighting the joy of LGBTQ+ lives, Pride Month is also an opportunity to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues facing the community. Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, all celebrations will be held virtually via online streams and meetings to keep queer and transgender people safe at home. However, the community is still using this month to raise awareness about the current Black Lives Matter movement by bolstering those voices that are at the intersection of Black and Queer cultures. David Correa, the interim executive director of NYC Pride said that “Pride has always toed this line between protest and celebration. It might be more so in the protest realm this year—and I think that’s great.”

Marsha P. Johnson