There was some doubt that Tampa Bay could muster up enough man and womanpower to sustain two big Pride celebrations, but this spring it turned out there was more than enough LGBT team spirit to go around. St. Pete Pride in June was particularly jubilant this year, occurring as it did the day after the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, but Tampa Pride had a triumphant mood all its own. The first such event since Hillsborough’s 2005 countywide gay pride ban was repealed, it was not only a show of strength by the GaYbor community but also a chance to blow a nice big raspberry in the direction of Ms. Ronda Storms.
This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2015.