A sold-out crowd of more than 500 people attended the Equality Florida Pinellas Gala on April 20 held at the Salvador Dali Museum, making it the best attended gala ever in the state. The record-breaking crowd also brought in a record amount of money in Pinellas for the organization – $223,000 and counting.
The evening started with a proclamation read by St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, who spoke about the city’s commitment to diversity and hailed the passage of its domestic partner registry last year among its accomplishments in making the city a better place for the LGBT community.
See a Shot on Site photo gallery from the EQFL Pinellas Gala
It’s steps like that in cities across the state that have changed the momentum of the battle for LGBT equality, Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith told the audience.
“We’re at a tipping point,” she said. “The Florida of today was almost unimaginable when we started so long ago. We’re seeing domestic partnership registries and protections passed in cities and towns across the state. It’s exciting, but we can’t stop fighting.”
Smith said that while momentum is behind the organization’s efforts, its supporters can’t stop pushing and only rely on that momentum to carry the state across the finish line of equality.
“I look forward to the day when my son, who will be two soon, will have little respect or knowledge for the fighting we had to do to grant him full equality,” Smith laughed. “We have to carry on the fight to ensure that the generation behind us has a better life.”
Seven impressive auction items, including international trips, helped raise $13,700 the night of the Gala. Those items, said Equality Florida’s Todd Richardson, helped make the Pinellas County Gala the most successful in the county’s history.
“It was an amazing night,” Richardson said. “I’ve heard nothing but positive buzz since the event.”
The organization’s next gala is scheduled for May 4 in Gainesville.
