- Nick Cardello
- Kevin Beckner at Hamburger Mary's
Last Wednesday's 7-0 vote by the Hillsborough County Commission to repeal the eight-year-old ban on gay pride events is significant not only to the local LGBT community, said Ybor City business owner Carrie West, but to the gay community nationwide.
"I had friends call me immediately on Friday and ask 'What is going on down in Tampa? We just heard the news in Seattle,'" West said Sunday afternoon at a party celebrating the repeal at Hamburger Mary's in Ybor City. "So this is not just a local issue. This is a national issue and also a worldwide issue … opening up the doors to a lot of people coming here to visit in Tampa Bay. We're excited!"
"It's a great celebration, it's a great day, it's a great week, actually, for Hillsborough County," said Commissioner Kevin Beckner, the man who pushed for the repeal. "So finally we're able to take a step forward to begin the re-branding process of our community as a more inclusive community, so this is a new beginning."
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2013.