Still, DeCarlo said, the community took comfort in the embrace of supporters from around the country. The Pulse tragedy underscored the need for better outreach to the Latino community, he said. The center, which receives nearly 8,000 visitors a month, hopes to continue to expand its services. . In the wake of the massacre, the center provided intensive counseling services, winning recognition from the American Association of Counseling for their efforts. While countless LGBT centers and organizations have sent letters and messages of support, many asking how they could help during the difficult time, ultimately, DeCarlo said, the community had to help itself. Terry DeCarlo, executive director of the Orlando GLTB Center, also sees the weekend as part of healing process for Orlando. "If you look back at the last four decades, it has not been all rainbows for the LGBT community," he said. Standing together as a community in the face of hatred and bigotry has long been a common theme at many pride festivals, Prystajko noted. The festival has grown steadily for the past 11 years and, despite rescheduling the event due to Hurricane Matthew, Prystajko expects this year’s festival to be its biggest yet - around 150,000 people - in large part due to the Pulse tragedy. Pulse employees, victims' family members, first responders from the Orlando police and fire departments and Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orlando City Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Orlando Police Chief John Mina will all serve in one large group as the parade’s grand marshalls.Īt night, the names of the 49 victims will be read and fireworks will light up Orlando’s skies over Lake Eola. The day’s celebrations will feature remembrances of lives lost in the massacre. “Any idea of business as usual evaporated on June 12,” Prystajko said. That joy will inevitably be tempered by the lingering grief for the missing friends and for the loss of the sense of security the gay community in Orlando once shared. “The pain is easing, but I think we really haven’t had a whole community coming together,” said Jeff Prystajko, communications director for Come Out with Pride, the non-profit that has organized the event for the past 12 years. “Hopefully we want people at the end of the day to go home with some bit of joy, that they were glad they came.” Now, for the first time since June 12, the community will come together in what has traditionally been the LGBT community's most joyful day of the year, the Come Out with Pride Orlando festival and its signature event, The Most Colorful Parade. You can enjoy a concert by watching the Orlando Gay Pride.Watch Video: Orlando plans to turn Pulse nightclub into a memorialĮxactly five months ago, a gunman bent on mayhem changed Orlando’s LGBT community forever when he killed 49 people enjoying a Latin night dance party at Pulse, the city's preeminent gay nightclub. And the Orlando Pride is a place where all members of the LGBTQ community can celebrate their lives and their culture. The city is a welcoming place for everyone from the LGBT community to the general public. Although the event is not as large as its counterparts in New York and San Francisco. In addition to the parade, the Orlando LGBT community celebrates the LGBTQ community. Its organizers have incorporated a number of local organizations and businesses to create a fun and safe environment. The LGBTQ community is proud to be represented at the Orlando Gay Pride festival.
Several vendors will offer a range of goods and services. It features a parade, a market place, and over 15 live performances. The event is the largest LGBT pride festival in Florida and is attended by over eighteen thousand attendees. The event will feature a live stream of the performance. The Florida LGBTQ Center will present “The Gay ’90s Musical.” The proceeds from the production benefit the center and Come Out With Pride. The show will feature LGBT+ trailblazers of color in song. The Orlando Gay Chorus will perform “We Shall Overcome: Celebrating the Diversity of the LGBT+ Community” on the Amphitheater stage. While Orlando has a distinctly Latin flavor, it also has an incredibly welcoming community. And attend one of the many other events to celebrate this event. Come out to Orlando for its annual LGBT Pride Parade.
With its theme parks, vibrant communities and beautiful beaches, Orlando is a city that caters to all types of people. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate gay pride, Orlando is the place to be.