On Saturday, February 14, Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center proudly presented the Palm Beach Pride Pageant: the search for their next Mr. and Miss Palm Beach Pride, honoring the artistry, charisma, and community spirit of local performers and honored last year’s winners J Wolf Lenore and Samari Black Starr. There were 2 female applicants and 1 male and congrats to your new court William Ross Lepaige and Laila Cox.
Also, that night, there were 2 events happening. The first was the opening night of Slow Burn Theatre Companies “Beautiful- The Carole King Musical” which tell the true story of Carole King’s journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Asa usual Slow Burn did an amazing job with this show!
The second was our Queen, Kathy Griffin, live at The Parker in “Kathy Griffin’s New Face, New Tour.” As usual Kathy was Hysterical and killed it the whole show. The best part was after the show when my friend of over 25 years, Daisy Deadpetals, got this pic with Kathy.
On Monday, February 16, Midland Medical in association with Noche Latina Florida presented the 22nd annual Miss and Mr. Noche Latina Pageant 2026 with an “Egyptian Gods” theme at Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale. The pageant honored the current Noche Court: Tiny D’Witshes, and Dionix Onix (who went on to win the title of Mr. Florida M.E.), Miss Florida Monica Simpson as well as the Noche Latina Family. There were 3 female applicants and 5 male applicants and, in the end, congrats to the new Miss and Mr. Noche Latina are Alma Alma and Alberto Gonzalez Espinosa.
On Saturday, February 21, The Stonewall National Museum Archives and Library presented their 2026 Gala at The Venue Fort Lauderdale where they honored Jon Stryker, one of the global LGBTQ+ movement’s most visionary, generous, and steadfast champions, and The Honorable Barney Frank, whose more than 30 years of fearless leadership in the U.S. Congress transformed the landscape of LGBTQ+ rights in this country as well as Janis Ian, a trailblazing artist whose voice, activism, and unapologetic authenticity have inspired generations. Together, Barney, Jon, and Janis joined the distinguished ranks of their Standing on the Shoulders of Heroes traveling exhibition — a testament to their legacy, their brilliance, and the countless lives they’ve uplifted. As is the case every year, this was a sold-out event!
On Sunday, February 22, The South Florida Pride Concert Band’s “Youth Pride Band Season 15” was presented by Floatarama. This event brought together high school students from across the tri-county area to perform alongside members of the South Florida Pride Concert Band—demonstrating the bridge-building power of music in our community. New this year was the introduction of the South Florida Pride Youth Jazz Band, led by Mr. Edgar Rubio, along with the inaugural Floatarama Jazz Band Scholarship in the amount of $2,500. Additionally, many more $1,500 college scholarships were awarded to members of the Pride Youth Band. This was a wonderful event!
