On Saturday October 14th, Orlando held its annual Come Out With Pride event at Lake Eola Park. Come Out With Pride or just ‘Pride,’ was formed in 2005 and is a nonprofit organization composed of volunteers. The event is purposely organized close to National Coming Out Day, October 11th, along with National Gay and Lesbian History Month. The city comes together to celebrate the LGBT+ community and spread a message of love, positivity, equality, and to make an impact. According to a report made by Gallup News in 2015, Orlando has the 20th highest LGBT percentage among 50 of the top metropolitan areas, therefore Come Out With Pride’s mission to have and an allied community and encourage fellowship is happening in central Florida.
Being one of Orlando’s largest annual events, there was much to do along with the parade and festival. There was live music, dancing, and even a kids and family zone. There was an entire area called the #KeepDancingOrlando zone which was dedicated to remembering the victims of the 2016 Pulse shooting. Everyone that went seemed to have a great time and always had something fun to do.
Timber Creek’s very own Feminist Club worked with a local Planned Parenthood chapter to volunteer at the event. Co-President of the club, Senior Brandon Garcia explained, “We promoted preventative care and safe sex practices to anyone that wished to listen.” The club found that Come Out With Pride relates to TC students for the reason that there are LGBT+ students at school and allies who are giving support. “This was a great experience because we got to hear stories and share the importance of reproductive health and how that involves the LGBT+ community in all facets. It was a great event and a more interactive way of understanding the diversity of our community and how that ties to the overall idea of feminism and our club,” said Garcia. Club member, junior Nathalie Chowdhury, attended the event and was very happy with the experience she had, saying, “It was so amazing, honestly! It was just a place of pure happiness. Everyone was there to support freedom and love. I felt like even though I don’t identify as LGBTQ I was still a part of everything. I am an ally to the LGBT community and it was amazing that they were so welcoming to me. I think that the most important thing is that there was an unwavering sense of community and acceptance that represents what our community should stand for.”
The team of Come Out With Pride has already started planning for next year’s event, they hope to continuously bring love and equality to central Florida and its community.
