Dereiao and Santiago came from Miami to share in the festivities on Saturday on Central Ave in St Pete.
Saturday in St Petersburg it rained. It rained a lot. But it didn't dampen spirits. And it didn't stop St Pete Pride 2013. Yes, there was some smeared mascara, and the weather did not make for a good hair day. Yet the parade and festival went on, wet and wild.
Last week's ruling on DOMA and California's Prop 8 was still on the minds of many in attendance on Saturday. London from Tampa says he is still celebrating the recent Supreme Court rulings.
In a historic move, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn participated in the St. Petersburg event for the first time. St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster, while signing an LGBT Pride Proclamation just days before the festival, did not attend, citing a prior commitment.
The parade's Grand Marshals (male division) were GaYbor Coalition leaders Mark Bias and Carrie West. This year, St. Pete Pride let the community vote on who it would like representing them in the St Pete Pride celebration. Nominees were divided into three categories: male, female, and community group. With nearly 4,000 votes coming in, Bias and West, founding members of St Pete Pride, won the men's contest.
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2013.