The flirty staccato of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” mingled with the cheers of eager spectators as the parade poured down North Orange Avenue, while floats and flags streamed down the route. Rainbow-clad revelers stood packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the downtown sidewalks hoping to get a glimpse of the joyous cavalcade.
Come Out With Pride Orlando, one of the largest pride celebrations in the southeast, celebrated their 20th anniversary on October 19. Thousands filled Lake Eola Park to get a glimpse into this hallmark of the Orlando LGBTQ+ scene.
“It’s a chance for all of us—community members and allies—to come together as our authentic selves, to love openly and to revel in the spirit of Pride created by us and for us,” said Tatiana Quiroga, Executive Director of Come Out with Pride Orlando.
This year’s celebration featured a new parade route spanning from North Orange Avenue to North Eola Drive. The event was preceded by many anticipatory pride events held by local Orlando businesses, from drag bingo to happy hour. While the event only lasted from 12-10 p.m., festivities carried off into the early hours of the morning at nearby gay clubs, such as Southern Nights and Savoy Orlando.
Quiroga began the celebrations with a reminder of the community’s roots. “As we reflect on the history of our movement, especially the bravery of Black and Brown trans women at the forefront of the Stonewall riots, we have a poignant reminder of how far we’ve come and how vital it is to keep moving forward,” she said.
While June has been more widely celebrated as Pride Month since its establishment in 1999 by Former President Bill Clinton, October is often overlooked as a key part of queer history.
“Does anybody here know their queer history?” shouted Quinn Swearingen, Community Organizer at Equality Florida—the oldest LGBTQ+ organization serving all of Florida. His voice echoed far past the muffled microphone as he asked the crowd once more, “Can anybody tell me what the first pride was?”
Clamoring shouts rose from the crowd as they reflected on the history of their community: “A riot!”
Much of modern-day pride celebrations often cite the Stonewall riots as the beginning of the mobilization of the LGBTQ+ movement.
Police raids on gay bars were common in the 1960s, but in the early hours of June 28, 1969, matters would quickly grow out of control at Stonewall Inn. Tensions between queer residents and police officers sparked a riot that inspired a series of protests in the following days.
While Pride Month exists in honor of Stonewall, Come Out with Pride in Orlando falls every October in honor of LGBTQ+ history month.
LGBTQ+ History Month was first proposed in 1994 by Rodney Wilson, a gay history teacher from rural Missouri. He sought to create queer-friendly curriculum to bring to his classrooms. While the month would be in planning for years with organizations attempting to get it recognized, it would finally receive national recognition in 2009 by Former President Barack Obama.
The month was largely chosen because it contains National Coming Out Day on October 11. This day is marked on the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1988. This march occurred nearly a decade after the First March on October 14, 1979, bringing over 100,000 queer Americans and allies together to demand their voices be heard.
So, when considering Come Out with Pride, the event was planned to coincide with these pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history and to continue the tradition of past parades and marches.
AJ Eagle, Board President of Come Out with Pride, said, “We see ourselves as keepers of the flame.”
20 years later, that flame has grown far beyond its humble beginnings. The original Come Out with Pride was organized by the Metropolitan Business Association, now known as The Pride Chamber, in coordination with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Union at the University of Central Florida. The event was held on October 9, 2005, near the Orange County Regional History Center. The event would later move to Lake Eola Park in 2007, and by 2023, attendance would skyrocket from a humble 10,000 guests to over 220,000.
Come Out with Pride remains the largest single-day event in Orlando and contends to be the biggest single-day pride in Florida.
The parade draws in a plethora of different vendors and organizations all joining together to embody this year’s theme: “Colors of Courage.” Quiroga seeks to show the endurance of the LGBTQ+ community and resilience in its continued fight for visibility.
Rollins College attended the parade, represented by members of Spectrum and PRISM.
“Spectrum is a student-run organization for LGBTQ+ students and allies on campus.
It serves to bring everybody together, and it’s a safe space for any LGBTQ+ people and allies,” said President of Spectrum Reagan Baker (’26). PRISM exists as a similar identity-based group for LGBTQ+ faculty and staff.
“I think that it’s important for queer youth to know that there’s a future for them,” saodBaker (’26). “It’s really easy to get wrapped up in the ongoing oppression of LGBTQ+ identity in Florida.”
As attendance continues to skyrocket, Come Out with Pride Orlando continues to commit themselves to “curating inclusive experiences that celebrate and embody the spirit of queer resilience.”
Comments are closed.