“The colors are the full progressive rainbow, which includes Black and brown,” Vaughan, 37, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
On Thursday, June 26, Vaughan, who was named the City of St. Petersburg’s LGBTQ+ Liaison last April, will welcome members of the community back to the mural for its annual touch up. “It’s less because of wear and tear and more so to do a community project,” the New York City native added.
That effort is emblematic of so much of the work the Sunshine City does to make itself as inclusive as possible—a project that will be on display this weekend when the Southeast’s largest Pride parade takes over the downtown waterfront.
“At our core, we are a place where everyone is supported, is loved, is welcomed, and that’s just who we are,” Brandi Gabbard, councilwoman for St. Pete’s District 2, told CL. She added that leading with empathy gets to the core idea that people have more in common than they do differences. “We want to welcome everyone with diverse perspectives and diverse lifestyles. If you want to be part of a beautiful place, come to the city of St Pete, because you’re welcome here.”
Vaughan took it a step further and said St. Pete residents understand the historical makeup of the city and realize that it takes every person in the city to make it what it is.
“Even if you may not be completely for LGBTQ rights, you do understand that there are some individuals here that are gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, or trans, who have history in the city, who make up the city, and who contribute in huge ways,” he said.
Vaughan grew up in Harlem under homophobic circumstances during the ‘90s and stayed in the closet longer than he wanted to. He didn’t find a community until after he started college and moved to Chicago. But he spent even more years unlearning parts of his past before he felt comfortable.
“I wish that people had the opportunity to just be themselves,” he said, adding that he didn’t want the next generation to have the same experience. So he got into education, earned master’s degrees in social justice and journalism, then taught college and high school. But in the classroom teaching “Beowulf” was not where he belonged.
“My place was working with people who felt like they were marginalized, people having issues at home, and really working with those kids to let them know that things are going to get better—life’s going to get better,” Vaughan added.
He’s been doing that work in different capacities for the last decade, and just this week spent time distributing an official city flag that is Pride themed. And, yes, there is still a lot of work to do.
Valerie Smith, journalist and co-founder of St. Pete publication The Sapphic Sun, acknowledges and appreciates that the city has done a lot for the LGBTQ+ community and continues that work.
“But a lot of the support for the LGBTQ+ community that comes from the City of St. Pete has been very tautological. They’re saying ‘We are allies because we say we’re allies. We’re a good place for gay people, because we say we’re a good place for gay people,’” Smith told CL.
She points to the economic impact of parade festivities—$67.2 million according to a firm that partners with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater—and adds that, “they would be stupid not to be supportive of the LGBT community.”
Smith, and other progressive members of the community who protest Pride from the inside, point out that LGBTQ+ members of the community often experience discrimination in rental and housing markets—others even feel uncomfortable about the large police presence at the parade. But their dissent has its eyes on a bigger purpose.
“They aren’t here just to protest and make waves,” Smith added. “It’s about really pursuing a just city.”
Major Markus Hughes, the St. Petersburg Police Department’s own LGBTQ+ liaison, recognizes and acknowledges the historical context that often contributes to the discomfort or fear some members of the LGBTQ+ community feel around police—particularly those who are also people of color or immigrants.
“These are valid concerns, and we approach them with understanding and a commitment to strive for improvement,” Hughes told CL, adding that building trust is “a continuous process that must be nurtured through transparency, accountability, and genuine engagement.”
As LGBTQ+ liaison for SPPD, Hughes is publicly out and meant to be a resource for community members who may feel more comfortable engaging with someone who shares a part of their common identity.
At the parade this weekend, Hughes says SPPD will work to execute its mission to provide safety and protection for residents and visitors including those who may understandably feel cautious or hesitant around cops. The visibility of police, Hughes added, plays a key role in prevention and response efforts.
“We have never shied away from that reality. We meet it with respect and a commitment to showing, through our actions, that every individual in this city deserves to feel safe, heard, and valued,” he said. “We are proud of the progress made, and we remain focused on strengthening those relationships every day.”
Vaughan is also working every day on behalf of the city and its LGBTQ+ residents every day. As organizations that support LGBTQ+ causes lose funding, he is constantly working to see where there are gaps in support for his neighbors—and looking for unique solutions to help them.
“We want people to stay here. We don’t want all of our LGBTQ+ residents to feel like Florida is not a place for them,” Vaughan added. “We want them to know and feel like St. Pete, despite anything that’s happening to Florida, that they can have a home here, and that they can have a voice.”
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This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2025.