ORLANDO | Members of the LGBTQ community will gather for the Prides of Southeast (POSE) conferencein downtown Orlando on Feb. 7-10. POSE is a networking and educational conference designed to bring together Pride organizations from all over the Southeast for workshops, networking opportunities and social events.
POSE will be hosted jointly by Come Out with Pride (COWP) and InterPrideat the Holiday Inn Resort at Lake Buena Vista, one mile from the Walt Disney theme parks.
It’s been two years since we, as a country, entered into the reality that is the Trump Administration. The country feels more divided than ever and the phrases “fake news” and “it’s all a witch hunt” are commonplace.
The violence that seems to define who Americans are these days is also there, particularly in Florida, where there has been no justice for the five transgender women of color who were murdered and yet another mass shooting—this time at a high school in Parkland, Fla.—pulled the focus of the world to our state.
It’s here! That magical time of the year, kiddos—where the holidays are upon us and most people have a little more pep in their step and cheer in their voice.
It’s also that time of year when everyone is doing up lists. Santa has a list of nice and naughty children. Entertainment critics have lists of the year’s best films, shows and songs. Everyone has their list of all the personal changes they hope to make stick in 2019, me included. May the odds be ever in our favor.
ORLANDO | LGBTQ youth, organizations and allies will engage in a full day of interactive workshops at the fifth annual Orlando Youth Empowerment Summit, or OYES, at Valencia College’s West Campus in Orlando Nov. 3.
The free event is presented by the City of Orlando with one goal in mind—to empower LGBTQ youth. Guests can attend a variety of workshops dedicated to a range of topics such as career building, poetry, healthy relationships and LGBTQ history.
ORLANDO | Come Out With Pride held a Pride Rally at the Walt Disney Amphitheater during Saturday’s celebration at Lake Eola.
The crowd heard from Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and more.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced Oct. 8 that Orlando, St. Petersburg and Tampa each received a perfect score of 100 in the organization’s seventh annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI).
The report examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are for LGBTQ people who live and work in each city rated by the organization. The score is based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership’s public position on equality.
ORLANDO | Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced Aug. 7 that City Hall will be the first government building to house a multi-stall, all-user restroom in the state of Florida.
The announcement was made during Dyer’s 2018 State of the City where he laid out “60 reasons we love Orlando and are excited about our future.” The theme is meant to coincide with the mayor’s 60th birthday.
It’s always good to have friends in high places, and based on Orlando Magazine’s 2018 list, the LGBTQ community not only has some good friends, they also have some pretty powerful ones too.
Orlando Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful of 2018” issue was released recently and it was no surprise one of the community’s best buds, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer topped the list in Government and Politics.
ORLANDO | Hundreds gathered at the Pulse memorial June 12 to honor and remember the 49 lives lost just two years ago within the nightclub at the memorial’s location.
The crowd watched performances from the Orlando Gay Chorus, Blue Star, the Orlando Philharmonic and more.
ORLANDO | Noor Salmon, the wife of the Pulse gunman, was acquitted March 30 of charges that linked her to the nightclub shooting.
Salmon was charged with obstruction of justice and providing material support to a foreign terrorism organization.
A jury on Friday acquitted Noor Salman of charges that she helped her husband carry out the 2016 massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
Federal prosecutors charged Salman with obstruction of justice and providing material support to a foreign terrorism organization in connection with the June 12, 2016, shooting that left 49 people dead and 53 others injured. Salman’s trial began earlier this month at a federal courthouse in downtown Orlando that is roughly two miles from the Pulse nightclub.
FAVORITE LOCAL POLITICIAN/ACTIVIST
First: Patty Sheehan, Orlando City Commissioner – District 4
Second: Buddy Dyer, Orlando Mayor
Third: Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida House Representative – District 49
GREATEST STRAIGHT ALLY TO THE LOCAL LGBTQ COMMUNITY
First: Buddy Dyer, Orlando Mayor
Second: Anna Eskamani, Florida House candidate – District 47
Third: Darren Soto, U.S. House of Representatives – Florida’s 9th District
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