TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Pride Diversity Parade kicks off Saturday, March 23, at 4 p.m.
In the weeks leading up to the parade, ABC Action News spoke with a few of the grand marshals about the honor and to hear about how they have impacted the LGBTQ+ community in Tampa.
Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is the “Trailblazer” for Tampa Pride 2024. He played a major role in launching Tampa Pride a decade ago.
“It was about 10 years ago. The parade had stopped occurring for a long time and the organizers came to my office and asked whether or not the city would be willing to be a participant. Be a sponsor. Be heavily involved because the weight of the Mayor’s office and the symbolism of that mattered," said Buckhorn.
He continued, "I said absolutely. I said unequivocally we are a city that celebrates its diversity. It doesn’t matter to us the God you worship, who you love, the language you speak we want everyone to feel welcome. So, for me, it was a no-brainer. So we said yes, we are in. We are going to be the major sponsor, and the parade has grown over the past decade into what it is today."
Dr. Gary Howell is a Grand Marshal for Tampa Pride 2024.
He is a psychologist in the Tampa Bay area, working to support the mental health of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I am really focusing right now this point on trans youth. That’s been my primary focus for the past several years, especially in our state, where it’s not always a safe place to be trans, but also with LGB people as well. More and more hate crimes are happening across the country, and it sends a message to our community to kind of unite, so I really focus a lot on that in my practice,” said Dr. Howell.
Dustin and Daniel Johnson are this year’s Grand Couple.
When they met, they knew they wanted to start a family. The Johnsons ended up adopting six children so the siblings could stay together, and added another baby to their family this past summer.
“How do you think your story impacts the LGBTQ+ community?” asked St. Germain.
“Good question. We get that a lot. I think there are multiple facts of that. First, we want to be a shining example that LGBTQ families exist. We are out here doing the work, adopting and fostering, helping kids have safe and loving homes. Outside of that, the state of Florida has unique things around laws and protections we are facing every day, so continue to advocate so those after us can have the same hopeful experience that we did. Truly that’s what we want. We want to show everyone that this is possible,” said the Johnsons.
On Saturday, you can watch the Tampa Pride Diversity Parade LIVE on ABC Action News Plus starting at 4 p.m.
If you’re interested in attending the parade or any of the festivities this weekend, click here.
