TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Inside Metropolitan Community Church, boxes overflow with beads, signs represent who they are, and rainbow colors explode all over the sanctuary.
"I think that there's probably an expectation that, like, people who wear shirts like this don't go to events like pride," Pastor Jakob Hero-Shaw joked.
But pride isn't just a sidebar for the church; it's a pivotal part of who they are.
"The Metropolitan Community churches, it's a worldwide denomination. We were the first denomination to be completely inclusive of LGBTQ people," he explained. "And we were also instrumental in the early days of pride organizing."
1970 Los Angeles, a time when taking the streets to paint them every shade of color spectrum wasn't widespread. But the founder of the denomination, Reverend Troy Perry, joined others in crafting one of the first parades. A catalyst to today.
On Saturday, Metropolitan Community Church will march to the beat of a proud drum in St. Pete Pride's Parade.
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"Pride is like part of who we are as a church. We're not just like people who are going to show up. We believe in the importance of pride, of being in the streets, of being visible, and really sharing the message of what it means to have pride," he added.
This year is expected to be one of the largest to date. St. Pete Police said they're anticipating about 300,000 people to come out and celebrate.
It's one of the largest parades in the country. That obviously means there's a lot of work that goes into organizing it.
"I joke that this is a 364-day planning process that we take the day off the day of July 1, we all we all go into our separate corners, we relax and don't talk about pride," Byron Green-Callisch joked.
He serves as the Vice-President of St. Pete Pride. While the parade is the big event, there's an entire month of festivities.
"We want to show up. We want to bring our allies. People that love us and show them what, what queerness is all about and leaning into that space of joy," he added.
Amid a year of legislation focused on the LGBTQ+ community, that joy means more to St. Pete Pride than ever.
"I think that is the first thing that we have really leaned into is this idea that joy is resistance and showing up in our true authentic self is the way that we are going to push back and show representation of their true queer experience," Green- Callisch said. "We stand on the on the shoulders of our forefathers and foremothers by saying look, yeah, we are angry, we are mad, we are pissed off. But the way that we show up has to be something that's sustainable."
Hero-Shaw echoes those sentiments. Saturday marks 50 years since the Upstairs Lounge attack in New Orleans. 32 people, making it the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community up until the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
"My belief is that showing up and being present in the community and celebrating is a way to honor those whose lives were lost. I also really believe that the way that pride exists now with us being so open and in the streets and celebrating together and just such an amazing turnout that this event is going to get that is something that that the people who died in the Upstairs Lounge fire, never could have even imagined," Hero-Shaw said.
He continued, "So instead of it only being a time of grief, it's a time of celebration and joy, to see that even though things feel really hard right now. We've come so far in the last 50 years. And right now all of this legislation, all the attacks on our community. That's not going to stop our joy. That's not going to stop our celebration of who we are not going to stop our community from connecting with each other and having this message of love."
