PHOTOS: St. Petersburg raises Pride Flag for fifth year

PHOTOS: St. Petersburg raises Pride Flag for fifth year

St. Petersburg | The city of St. Petersburg once again shared its commitment to the LGBTQ community by raising the Pride flag above City Hall June 21.

Community leaders and advocates gathered for the short ceremony, led by Mayor Rick Kriseman. “This is the fifth time that we have raised the rainbow flag above City Hall,” the mayor began, “and each time  that we have done so has been special.”

“But this one feels a little extra special to me,” Kriseman continued, “because I had this little re-election thing last year… and one of the reasons that I fought so hard, and that we all fought so hard, was that I was determined to keep this new tradition going and to ensure that Pride weekend remained both a successful event and an event that was fully embraced by both sides of City Hall.”

Kriseman subsequently introduced St. Pete Pride Executive Director Luke Blankenship to preview Pride weekend. “Without the support of everybody here, whether you’re media or you’re just a member of our community… without you, this event would not be possible,” he said. “There are few events that bring together groups of different ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations or gender identities like Pride… this is an amazing event.”

“This weekend,” Blankenship concluded, “make sure to bring a beautiful smile, your positive attitude and keep in mind that there is no experience like Pride because of the unique love and support that you’ll feel from everybody that attends.”

St. Pete Pride’s Sweet 16 is this weekend, June 22-24, 2018.

Photos by Dylan Todd

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