Exhibit, Speakers and Concert Round Out LGBTQ Programs in Gulfport

Contact: David Mather; (727) 893-1075; dmather@mygulfport.us

GULFPORT, FLORIDA: Throughout June, LGBTQ Pride Month will be celebrated by a full slate of programs sponsored by the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Public Library. All programs are open to the public and take place at the Gulfport Public Library (5501 28th Avenue South), unless otherwise noted.

The first event will be an opening reception for the exhibit, “Rags: A Survey of LGBT Periodicals,” on Wednesday, June 1st at 7 p.m. The exhibit examines the history of gay newsweeklies across the country and the significant role they played in bringing LGBT people together. Included in the exhibit are newsweeklies that operate in “gay meccas,” such as San Francisco, Washington DC and Fort Lauderdale, as well as underground publications in rural America. Chris Rudisill, Executive Director of Stonewall National Museum and Archives, will provide opening remarks. The exhibit will be on display throughout the month of June. The opening reception is free and complimentary refreshments will be offered.

Two “Lunch and Learn” programs will take place during Pride Month.   Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch while enjoying presentations by visiting speakers.   Lunch and Learn programs are free of charge. On Thursday, June 9th at noon, “From Gay Surfers to Old Lesbians Organizing for Change: Developing an LGBT Initiative at a State University in Florida,” will be the topic presented by Matthew Knight, Assistant Director of Special Collections at the University of South Florida (USF). The Special Collections Department at USF includes a variety of historically significant LGBT materials, including some “extraordinary” items donated over the years. Knight will show and discuss the range of items in the growing LGBT collections, including some of the most notable and interesting items among them.

A second Lunch and Learn opportunity will be presented by Gulfport author, educator and lecturer Susan Gore on Thursday, June 23rd at noon.   “RFRA Madness and the Law of Unintended Consequences” is Gore’s subject, posing an initial question, “What does a ‘mom and pop’ florist in Oregon and a $3.3 billion corporation have in common?”   Both have challenged legal mandates that require serving the public and their employees without regard to sex, sexuality or gender identity. Pushback to “gay marriage” has emerged in the form of 22 state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) that claim to protect citizen’s “sincerely held religious beliefs” by providing religious exemptions to nondiscrimination laws.   Gore will discuss RFRAs in the U.S. and some unintended consequences likely to result from the current “RFRA Madness.”

A fun and lively evening, “Friends of Dorothy: Music from the Land of Oz” will be the final program in the Pride Month series on Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm. The show will feature well-known Tampa Bay singers and actors Sara DelBeato and Michael Raabe performing musical selections from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz,” “Wicked,” and other Oz-related music. This special performance will be held at Gulfport’s Catherine Hickman Theater (5501 27th Avenue South). Tickets are now available for a suggested donation of $15 each at the Library, the Gulfport Casino and the Gulfport Beach Bazaar. Ticket sales benefit the LGBTQ Resource Center.

The LGBTQ Resource Center is a project of the non-profit Circle of Friends of the Gulfport Public Library. The Center is the first of its kind in a public library setting in Florida and was established in 2015. For more information about Pride Month programs or the Resource Center, contact the Library at (727) 893-1074.