This Year's Miami Beach Pride Is All About Visibility

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, this year's Miami Beach Pride motto is "Growing Stronger Together," with a timely focus on South Florida's trans community and local activism.

"It's about embracing the culture and expertise within our community [and] those who speak out on social-justice reform," says Robert Legere, Miami Beach Pride's director of sponsorships and community outreach. "Our community is full of talented, smart, vibrant individuals, and we need to consistently embrace that."

With Tallahassee hellbent on passing anti-LGBTQ legislation, Pride events feel more urgent than ever. Lately, drag performers, who arguably embody Pride's vibrant energy and art, seem to be the group conservatives have set their sights on.

"Pride for us is not about a party per se," Legere adds. "The community needs to be firmly committed to standing our ground and being vocal in our rights with respect to being treated the same as everyone else."

Legere emphasizes that Miami Beach Pride can serve as a form of protest and support as trans and gender-nonconforming lives in Florida continue to be threatened and politicized. According to Equality Florida reports, more than 16 bills introduced in the state legislature would directly affect the rights of Florida's LGBTQ community members.

To show a sense of visibility and resistance, Miami Beach Pride has organized a series of events that kicked off on March 31 with the Pride flag-raising ceremony at Miami Beach City Hall. Also on the (gay) agenda is a queer art exhibit, the Miss Miami Beach Pride pageant, and a social-justice panel. All of it leads up to the festival April 15-16, with the parade along Ocean Drive at noon on April 16.

Having grown from 15,000 attendees in 2009 to 170,000 last year, Pride is diversifying its event lineup to showcase the many sides of the community. For instance, leading up to the weekend festival, it will host a family-centered Easter Sunday picnic and egg hunt at Pride Park on April 8.

"This is a big first for us, and we're embracing that," Legere says.
Legere hopes the event will encourage a growing understanding of queer inclusivity among youth.

Florida lawmakers have seemingly aimed to halt precisely that understanding. Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed two significant bills that would make it challenging to connect youth with LGBTQ discourse and representation. In March, the Florida House voted to extend the Parental Rights in Education (AKA "Don't Say Gay") bill to ban discourse on gender identity and sexual orientation to the eighth grade. It would also prohibit school staff from using pronouns different from a student's sex assigned at birth. The update is pending approval by the Florida Senate and DeSantis.

Under House Bill 1423, named "Protection of Children," kids would be prohibited from attending drag shows which the bill deems "an adult live performance."

For now, Miami Beach Pride remains all-ages and will feature performances by choreographer and recording artist Todrick Hall and RuPaul's Drag Race legend Shangela, both set to grace the AT&T Entertainment stage Sunday. On the day before, April 15, the stage will feature a Latin-heavy lineup with performances by Cuban rapper Osmani Garcia, reggaeton act Mariah Angeliq, Chilean-American singer Paloma Mami, and Puerto Rican pop singer Gale.

In the past, Pride closed with a vibrant firework display. This year, the Sunday night finale will go airborne as choreographed drones soar through the sky for "a nod to the trans community," according to Legere.

Amid Florida's wave of anti-trans legislation, Legere emphasizes the festival and parade will not alter its protocols or programming.

"It's an experience that I think changes a lot of people's minds or interpretation of what Pride means," he says. "But coming to Pride should be a moment of happiness for everyone."

Miami Beach Pride. Through Sunday, April 16, at various locations; miamibeachpride.com.