“It's important for us to celebrate being able to live freely and love who we love it's also a reminder that we must continue to support each other and work towards equal rights in employment and housing at the state and federal levels. “We have struggled through the past few years and we are going to get through it TOGETHER! Celebrate your Pod, your People, your Pride!” “Miami Beach Pride is a time to honor how far we've come as a community- but also how much further we still need to go,” adds Michael Gongora, Miamiīeach's first openly gay elected commissioner. “There has never been a moment in my lifetime when community was so important,” says David Sexton, Many feel that this year's festival is important to bring people the community together. travel ban may have some effect on the festival attendees. Pride attracts visitors from all over the world, however this year the U.S. Having LGBTQ+ youth and seniors in the same venue helps to create an environment where we can see one another, and how far we have come.”
It is vital for a thriving LGBTQ+ community to have these “Pride is one of the only places where all aspects of the LGBTQ+ community can gather in one place.
“As the founding executive director of Miami Beach Pride, it gives me great joy to see what it has become,” says Cindy Brown now Senior Program Manager at Lambda The event has become a highlight of the Miami Beach calendar making organizers proud. Miami Beach Gay Pride Festival first event only attracted a crowd of 15,000 people whereas the 2019 festival attracted over 140,000 people. Miami Beach became a gay mecca in the '80s and '90s but it wasn't until April 2009 that a city-sanctioned Gay Pride Parade was organized. The Sunday parade running along the iconic Ocean Drive returns along with a COVID compliant festival located on the sands of Lummus Park. After last year's cancellation due to COVID-19, this year's party, usually set in April, will take place on the weekend of September 18-19 with events starting on September 10. This year, Miami Beach Pride returns with an impressive roster of events making it one of the most diverse and colorful Pride celebrations in the world. Has affected the world and Gay Pride celebrations have been canceled or postponed in cities around the globe. LGBT+ travelers often choose to visit cities during Pride celebrations to bond with like-minded people. For example, Equinox and SoulCycle, which have sponsored Pride, faced a consumer boycott in August 2019 after the chairman of their parent company said he was hosting a fundraiser for then-President Donald Trump, who advocates say is anti-LGBTQ.According to The Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures, “The first organized gay pride week was celebrated in Miami Beach in early 1972 with a march on Lincoln Road protesting a city law banning cross-dressing.” Gay Pride has become an international celebration of gay cultures and Pride Festivals around the world boasting rosters of star-studded events, performances, and parades. There are also concerns from members of the community that brands support Pride while taking political stances that harm the LGBTQ community. These critics argue that brands don’t really care about the community, pointing to a lack of supportive messages throughout the rest of the year. These brands are not seen as authentic advocates, as they were not contributing directly to LGBTQ causes but instead portrayed as paying for exposure. Some don’t welcome large-brand sponsorships to Pride, arguing that sponsorships take the focus away from issues of LGBTQ marginalization. Brands including T-Mobile, Alaska Airlines and MasterCard featured supportive messages and announced donations to support the queer community. In 2019, the number of brands participating in Pride reached an all-time high. However, corporate adventures into social issues aren’t always well-thought-out or -received.įor example, consider corporate involvement in annual Pride Month celebrations. Another is Stella Artois’ partnership with to end the global water crisis, which has provided clean drinking water to over 2 million people so far. Yoplait’s campaign to address patronizing attitudes toward moms is an example of corporate advocacy. Advocates take a more active role, working to change political, economic and social systems.Ĭompanies can be advocates when they create campaigns to promote institutional change and provide financial support for groups engaged in creating social change. A company can serve as an ally when it works to increase awareness about issues affecting marginalized groups.