Features

2nd Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride 2010

April 8, 2010

Saturday April 17th at 12 noon – 5th Street and Ocean Drive

Thanks to Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower, the most famous sandbar in the world has joined the ranks of world class cities like Sao Paulo, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Madrid that officially honor the gay and lesbian community by hosting its second city-supported pride event April 17, 2010.

Miami Beach Gay Pride 2010

The 2nd Annual Pride Parade and festival is a celebration of the extraordinary strength, beauty and contributions of South Florida’s LGBT community. It’s an exciting all-day event featuring a parade along beautiful Ocean Drive with floats and including the inspiring legacy couples, a festival with exciting celebrity presentations and musical performances, and an expo with LGBT-friendly vendors, businesses, refreshments and food, plus a family-friendly play zone. Lesbian, gay, bi, trans, straight and PROUD!

An initiative of City of Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower, last year’s historic inaugural Gay Pride event brought out over 23,000 people from all walks of life and cities from across Florida and across the world, making Miami Beach Gay Pride the city’s largest one-day event. If you weren’t there last year, you missed an amazing event. An event so special it almost impossible to put into words. Mark your calendar as this year is sure to be even better. Tell all your friends and make plans now to march, dance, party, come out and make history with this 2nd annual LGBT Pride celebration, our day to celebrate, stand united and proud. Don’t miss this extraordinary day OUT!

Grand Marshals

Daniel “Dan” Choi is an American infantry officer in the United States Army who has served in combat in the Iraq war during 2006-2007. He became an LGBT rights activist following his coming out on the “The Rachel Maddow Show” in March 2009 and has been publicly challenging America’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which forbids lesbian, bisexual and gay (LBG) service members from serving openly.

Sharon Gless is an American character actress of stage, film and television who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on “Switch” (1975–1978), as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series “Cagney & Lacey” (1982–1988) and as Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series “Queer as Folk” (2000–2005). She is an Emmy Award winner currently playing Madeline Westen on “Burn Notice.” She played Jane Juska in “A Round-Heeled Woman,” a stage adaptation by Jane Prowse, the first production of which ran in San Francisco in early 2010. She is also well known for her activism in regards to equal rights for all.

Some of the Celebrity Guests

Alexis Arquette was born Robert Arquette in Los Angeles, California, to Brenda “Mardi” Olivia (née Nowak), an actor, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Arquette’s siblings are actors Rosanna, Patricia, Richmond and David. Arquette is also the sister-in-law of actress Courteney Cox, who is married to her brother David. At the age of twelve, Arquette’s first job was in 1982 where she was cast as “this little kid who’s on a ride with all these women and whatnot” in the music video “She’s a Beauty” by The Tubes. In 1986 Arquette debuted on the big screen with an uncredited bit part as “Alexis,” the white-faced friend/bandmate of the sexually ambivalent, angst filled teenager Max Whiteman in the classic hit comedy “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.” At twenty-two, Arquette landed her first significant acting role, playing a transvestite named Georgette in “Last Exit to Brooklyn.” Sixteen years later, she went through her own transition from male to female, an experience that was documented in the film “Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother,” which debuted at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Crystal Waters is an American dance music singer and songwriter. She is the great-niece of legendary singer/actress Ethel Waters. Waters enjoyed three major pop–dance hits in the early/mid ’90s: “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” (1991), “100% Pure Love” (1994) and “Say… If You Feel Alright” (1997). She is also the singer in “Destination Calabria,” a 2007 hit release by Alex Gaudino, a mashup which uses vocals from her 2004 “Destination Unknown” and instrumental from Rune RK’s 2003 “Calabria.”

Robin S. is a singer-songwriter who scored success in the 1990s with such hit singles as “Show Me Love” (which was her debut single and a #1 Club hit) and “Luv 4 Luv.” She has had 6 number ones on the Billboard dance chart.