Parking is available at city garages at 13th & Collins and 7th and Collins on a first-come-first-served basis.
If you plan to attend the next Gay Pride Parade and Festival, all events along Ocean Drive run from noon- 7pm and are free to the public. Interested couples of more than five or ten years can also post retro and recent photographs at the website where current galleries feature men and women who’ve celebrated up to 56 years together.
Part of a week long celebration, Gay Pride week will include a gay cruise and a legacy celebration honoring LGBT couples who have been in committed relationships for more than 20 years. The Festival usually kicks off at noon with celebrity guests, musical performances, refreshment vendors and a family-friendly play zone. The 4th annual event will be held on Apwith a kick-off reception, a parade, a Lambda showcase and an after party. The 2011 parade attracted over 35,000 people who enjoyed the music, dancing and colorful attire that made Ocean Drive a part of the rainbow community. To celebrate the LGBT community and their allies, South Beach hosts the GAY PRIDE PARADE each year to promote tolerance, education and awareness. He spoke two nights later at a meeting of the Lauderdale Beach Republican Club.South Beach is a unique and diverse community with a global, warm and welcoming vibe. Last week, the lone Republican on the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, Bruce Roberts was in the majority on a 3-2 vote on a resolution supporting same-sex marriage. After six months of criticism from a faction of the party that didn't like what she said or how she said it, she resigned and moved to Connecticut. The party fought over the issue during several gatherings last year after the then-secretary, Cara Pavalock, publicly supported Republicans and conservatives who supported same-sex marriage. "Thank you for standing against ungodly same-sex marriage," said Gillies, who went on to quote from the Old Testament book of Leviticus calling homosexuality "an abomination." When Truex called Republican Jack Gillies, co-founder of Tea Party Fort Lauderdale, to the front of the room to introduce the night's keynote speaker, Gillies first said he wanted to commend the conservative wing of the party. Gay-related issues have proven contentious for the Broward Republican Party in the last year. "That's just homophobia at its worst, and the right wingers of the Republican Party should be ashamed of themselves. "Chip and Heather should not be attacked for participating in the Stonewall parade," Keechl said. Ken Keechl, the openly gay Democrat who was defeated by LaMarca in 2010 and is seeking his party's nomination to challenge him in November, also rode in Saturday's parade. It suggests quite the opposite."Īsked if that means she thinks people shouldn't vote for LaMarca or Brinkworth, Kilcullen said, "Well, everybody to their own." Kilcullen said she emailed the photos and comments because "I don't think Republicans should be marching in gay parades because our platform does not suggest that we do that. We don't discriminate when it comes to who we serve." And that's important to me because we serve all the students in this district. "School Board seats are nonpartisan for a reason. If that means that I don't get your vote, that means I don't get your vote."īrinkworth also didn't like the idea that political party affiliations could play a part in school elections. She said she told the man that "I have family members and friends who are gay and I support them and love them. At a recent political meeting, she said someone asked about her position on issues related to gays and lesbians. "I love and fully support my LGBT family and friends and I stand behind my decision to show my support for any student," she said. "I don't have any concerns about my principles."īrinkworth, reached during the School Board's lunch break, said she has absolutely no regrets about riding in the parade.
I've been a Republican all my life," he said. "I don't have any concerns about the kind of Republican I am. LaMarca, a former chairman of the Broward Republican Party, rejected suggestions that he doesn't represent his party.
I'd much rather be educated on issues by talking to people than getting talking points from someone or some organization telling me how to think."
He said he attended to "show everybody – as attending events in the black community and attending events in less Republican areas – I'm a commissioner that's always there. LaMarca used to represent Wilton Manors, but redistricting removed the city from his district, meaning "I didn't go there for votes." "I represent a significant portion of Broward County's gay community, and they like everybody else has issues that come before the County Commission," LaMarca said. LaMarca, reached before the County Commission convened, said he has participated in the parade in the past, before he was elected and since.