(Photo via City of Tampa/Facebook)
TAMPA | Local LGBTQ+ advocates, city officials and other supporters gathered June 12 at City Hall to raise the Pride flag in recognition of Pride Month.
Mayor Jane Castor led the brief ceremony, calling on Tampa to move beyond “diviseness throughout our nation” and “always remember that our similarities far outweigh our differences.”
City Council Chairman Alan Clendenin also spoke, highlighting Tampa’s commitment to inclusion, the Stonewall Riots and the nine-year mark of Pulse.
“We’re never far away from turning the clock back,” he shared. “So we always ave to rise up and hear our voices and fight for those freedoms, to fight for that inclusivity, to fight for the freedom to live in this wonderful city and this wonderful nation.”
“An emotional ceremony today as we raised the Pride flag above City Hall in celebration of Pride Month and our city’s diversity — but at half-staff today in honor of Pulse Remembrance Day,” Castor also shared afterwards.
“Nine years ago, 49 lives were lost and 53 were wounded in a mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando,” she continued. “We honor their legacies and their families, the survivors and all those impacted by that tragic day.”
View Watermark Out News’ video and photos from the ceremony below:
Photos by Luis Salazar.
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