Florida Agenda

WILTON MANORS 

STONEWALL STREET FESTIVAL

Sunday, June 24, on Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors’ main thoroughfare. The 13th annual Stonewall Street Festival, from 12 to 10 p.m. This year will feature a parade, over 125 exhibitors, activities, and A-List main stage entertainment, all through the day—including Andy Bell from 1980s pop group Erasure, who takes the stage immediately after the Summer Pride Twilight Parade, performing such hits as “A Little Respect” and “Chains of Love.”XXX The street festival will highlight local businesses, and include merchants and sponsors from the fields of health and wellness, recreation and entertainment, travel, community resources, and others. At 7 p.m., the parade kicks off on Northeast 20th Street and will follow Wilton Drive north to its Five Points finale. For more information, visit stonewallsummerpride. org.

 MIAMI 

“THE DONKEY SHOW”/THE ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER

Described by The New York Times as “Passion. Sex. A Rollicking Cool Party,” “The Donkey Show” opens on Friday, July 13, at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House. The celebrated smash hit is described as “the ultimate night fever—a crazy fun house of disco mirror balls and feathered divas, of roller skaters and hustle queens, enchanted by an ever-so-light sprinkling of Shakespearean magic.”

MIAMI BEACH BRUTHAZ

Thursday, July 19 through Sunday, July 22. Founded in July 2006 as an annual summer lifestyle event for gay men and women from around the world, Miami Beach Bruthaz includes a series of social, educational, and personalized activities that promote unity, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging. The event is focused around central themes of Knowledge, Culture, and Fashion. Miami Beach Bruthaz features an upscale White Party with a celebrity guest, a serious hip hop party, a rooftop pool party, and a men’s fashion show. The Saturday night party features the sounds of Brazil, and Sunday brunch at the Palace on Ocean Drive is surely not to be missed.

For more information, visit shop. miamibeachbruthaz.com.

ST PETE

ST. PETE PRIDE

The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride Street Festival and Promenade returns Saturday, June 30. The diversity of Southwest Florida’s LGBT community and visitors from around the world join local allies, business and community leaders, and supporters for a day of food, fun, dancing, music, and fun. St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District transforms into “Carnivale,” with an attendance estimated near 100,000.

Following in the great tradition of the Stonewall Riots and the start of the modern gay rights movement, St. Pete Pride has grown into one of the country’s largest Pride events. In 2011, the number of attendees topped 90,000.

For more information: stpetepride.com.

KEY WEST

WOMENFEST

20th Annual Womenfest will be held in Key West from September 4 through 9. Parties, dancing, film festival and outings for women.

For more information: womenfest.com.

ST. PETE PRIDE

The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride

Street Festival and Promenade returns

Saturday, June 30. The diversity of

Southwest Florida’s LGBT community

and visitors from around the world join

local allies, business and community

leaders, and supporters for a day of

food, fun, dancing, music, and fun.

St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District

transforms into “Carnivale,” with an

attendance estimated near 100,000.

Following in the great tradition of

the Stonewall Riots and the start of

the modern gay rights movement,

St. Pete Pride has grown into one of

the country’s largest Pride events.

In 2011, the number of attendees

topped 90,000. For more information:

stpetepride.com.

ST. PETE PRIDE

The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride

Street Festival and Promenade

returns Saturday, June 30. The

diversity of Southwest Florida’s

LGBT community and visitors from

around the world join local allies,

business and community leaders,

and supporters for a day of food,

fun, dancing, music, and fun.

St. Petersburgh’s Grand Central

District transforms into Carnivale

with an attendance estimated

near 100,000.

Following in the great tradition

of the Stonewall Riots and the

start of the modern gay rights

movement, St. Pete Pride has

grown into one of the country’s

largest Pride events. In 2009,

the number of attendees topped

80,000. For more information:

stpetepride.com.

ST. PETE PRIDE

The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride

Street Festival and Promenade

returns Saturday, June 30. The

diversity of Southwest Florida’s

LGBT community and visitors from

around the world join local allies,

business and community leaders,

and supporters for a day of food,

fun, dancing, music, and fun. St.

Petersburg’s Grand Central District

transforms into Carnivale with

an attendance estimated near

100,000.

Following in the great tradition of

the Stonewall Riots and the start of

the modern gay rights movement,

St. Pete Pride has grown into

one of the country’s largest Pride

events. In 2011, the number of

attendees topped 90,000. For more

information: stpetepride.com.

ST. PETE PRIDE

The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride

Street Festival and Promenade

returns Saturday, June 30. The

diversity of Southwest Florida’s

LGBT community and visitors from

around the world join local allies,

business and community leaders,

and supporters for a day of food,

fun, dancing, music, and fun. St.

Petersburg’s Grand Central District

transforms into Carnivale with

an attendance estimated near

100,000.

Following in the great tradition of

the Stonewall Riots and the start of

the modern gay rights movement,

St. Pete Pride has grown into

one of the country’s largest Pride

events. In 2011, the number of

attendees topped 85,000. For more

information: stpetepride.com.

ST. PETE PRIDE

The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride
Street Festival and Promenade
returns Saturday, June 30. The
diversity of Southwest Florida’s
LGBT community and visitors from
around the world join local allies,
business and community leaders,
and supporters for a day of food,
fun, dancing, music, and fun.
St. Petersburgh’s Grand Central
District transforms into Carnivale
with an attendance estimated
near 100,000.
Following in the great tradition
of the Stonewall Riots and the
start of the modern gay rights
movement, St. Pete Pride has
grown into one of the country’s
largest Pride events. In 2009,
the number of attendees topped
80,000. For more information:
stpetepride.com.

ST. PETE PRIDE
The 10th Annual St. Pete Pride
Street Festival and Promenade
returns Saturday, June 30. The
diversity of Southwest Florida’s
LGBT community and visitors from
around the world join local allies,
business and community leaders,
and supporters for a day of food,
fun, dancing, music, and fun.
St. Petersburgh’s Grand Central
District transforms into Carnivale
with an attendance estimated
near 100,000.
Following in the great tradition
of the Stonewall Riots and the
start of the modern gay rights
movement, St. Pete Pride has
grown into one of the country’s
largest Pride events. In 2009,
the number of attendees topped
80,000. For more information:
stpetepride.com.

CALL TO ACTION: Call on Clear Channel Outdoor to Explain Rejection of St Pete Pride Billboards

Clear Channel Outdoor, the world’s largest outdoor advertising firm reaching millions of consumers, has rejected two gay pride ads in its local Tampa Bay, Florida market. The ads were submitted by St. Pete Pride organizers.

One ad features a gay couple with the caption: “my family is FUN.” The second ad features a lesbian couple with the caption: “my family is FREE.” Both were intended to advertise the upcoming St. Petersburg Pride celebration happening on June 26.

While Clear Channel Outdoor declined to run those two ads, the company did approve two additional pride related ads:  One features a drag performer, with the caption “my family is FIERCE” and a second features two dads sitting on the couch with their son, with the caption “my family is FABULOUS & FEARLESS.”

As reported by WTSP-TV in Tampa, “In an email to Clear Channel Outdoor, St. Pete Pride Executive Director Chris Rudisill wrote, ‘the images that were not selected do not contain anything that is sexual, immoral, illegal or otherwise offensive in nature.’

“’I’m almost certain that you have had billboards in the market which display men and women in both friendly and romantic ways,’ he continued.  ‘I can’t seem to understand where these images would be any different, except for the fact that they portray two men and two women, respectively.’”

Clear Channel Outdoor declined to explain its decision and issued this statement to local media.

“As a matter of policy we don’t discuss creative decisions about signage,” Tom O’Neill, the company’s local vice president for real estate and public affairs, wrote to the St. Petersburg Times via e-mail.  “We do think it’s important to refute suggestions that CCO is not willing to display images of LGBT couples showing affection. Previous years’ campaigns for St. Pete Pride prove that is not the case.”

Rejection of the two ads has prompted St. Pete Pride to cancel its contracts with Clear Channel Outdoor.

Take Action Now

GLAAD stands with the local organization St. Pete’s Pride and urges you to demand that Clear Channel explain why it refused billboard images of loving and committed couples, reverse its decision and apologize to the Tampa Bay area LGBT community.

Contact:

Tom O’Neill, V.P. Real Estate and Public Affairs,
Tampa Bay Division Clear Channel Outdoor
727.299.2458
tomoneill@clearchannel.com

Jillian Hanner
Clear Channel Outdoor, Tampa Bay Division
727.571.2224
JillianHanner@clearchannel.com

GLAAD Contacts:

Daryl Hannah
Media Field Strategist
(646) 871-8012,
Hannah@glaad.org

Richard Ferraro
Director of Public Relations
(646) 871-8011
ferraro@glaad.org

GLAAD’s Advertising Media Program, incorporating the former The Commercial Closet Association, became a program of GLAAD in 2009.  In addition to housing a comprehensive database of LGBT-themed ads with analysis and commentary, GLAAD will be advocating for fair, accurate and inclusive images in ad media and working with advertising

media professionals to provide consultation and training on LGBT visibility and issues.