If you’ve been up to date on Florida’s gay history, the name Wilton Manors may sound familiar. A city of 11,000 people, it’s South Florida’s most celebrated “Gayborhood,” ranking second in the U.S. for its percentage of gay couples as a proportion of its total population.
Gay history in Wilton Manors traces back to the late 1980s, when, according to the city’s website, it elected Broward County’s first openly gay official. Since then, its gay community has prioritized establishing a safe haven for everyone.
Among Wilton Manor’s most notable achievements is the “We Do” ceremony hosted in 2015, where 37 gay couples celebrated their union after same-sex marriage became legal in the state. In 2018, Wilton Manors became the first city in Florida with an all-LGBTQ+ City Commission. Still, the city might be best known for organizing South Florida’s most prominent pride event of the year: Stonewall Pride Parade & Street Festival.
According to the event’s website, the festival, which takes place June 17, attracts about 50,000 attendees and has a direct economic impact of more than six million dollars for the city.
Starting at 3 p.m. and followed by the parade at 7 p.m., visitors can expect over 120 vendor booths, about 150 locations to join the parade throughout Wilton Drive (the city’s main business district), seven stages showcasing live music and 16 bars within the festival’s grounds with their own indoor entertainment and unique atmosphere.
For Jeffrey Sterling, CEO of Stonewall Pride Inc., the festival allows the gay community to “energize each other, participate in the political system, change the sense of involvement in the community and keep the positive energy going.”
Sterling explains that after the political obstacles that the LGBTQ+ community encountered in the past year, it’s important to keep fighting for their rights. “We’re facing fears right now because legal changes are very grey, and the law is so broadly interpreted,” he says. “A doctor [in Florida] can choose not to treat you if you are gay. It’s scary stuff for 2023 in the U.S.”
To avoid confrontations with state authorities, Stonewall Pride Inc. (the nonprofit running the event) is doing what is necessary to keep the festival going. Sterling says that because “everything can be considered a violation today, even if it’s not included in the law,” attendees must follow new rules and codes of conduct. If the festival ever gets canceled, it will bring devastating economic and social damage to the county.
“The gay community has fought for a long time to get married and have kids, and that comes with responsibilities, like setting an example for children,” says Sterling. “People in the festival and the parade need to act as if a 5-year-old is watching them. We’re trying to make a festival without violating the law.”
One thing stays the same – after so many controversies around the drag community, it is still welcome to attend and participate in the parade. “The government believes that the drag population has no place, but that’s not who we are,” says Sterling.
For more information about Stonewall Pride Parade & Festival visit, stonewallpride.lgbt.
Photo by Dan Perez