ORLANDO, Fla. – While it’s quiet at Lake Eola Thursday afternoon, you can still see signs of the city preparing for Pride weekend — like a traffic advisory sign warning drivers of potential delays ahead of the upcoming Come out with Pride parade.
“We just want folks to be able to feel like this is their hometown Pride, despite the fact that it’s huge,” Tatiana Quiroga said.
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Quiroga leads Come out with Pride, which is the non-profit hosting the event this weekend.
The event draws hundreds of thousands of people, with an estimated 200,000 people expected to swarm the city in attendance.
Organizers said there will be more stages centered around local businesses and artists.
Quiroga said they also added a youth center in direct response to the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, which aims to eliminate certain sexual subjects from curriculum for K-3 students.
“We also wanted the youth of Central Florida to feel love and accepted and that they are also part of this community,” Quiroga said.
The theme of “inclusion” is being emphasized, especially for the trans community, grand marshal Shea Cutliff said.
“Many people in the LGBT community, the ‘T’ is often silent, or the ‘T’ is often forgotten, and this is a very intentional way to make sure the ‘T’ is never forgotten and is always included,” Cutliff said.
Cutliff said that as a grand marshal, her job is to showcase leadership, which is why she said that while people are celebrating life and love, she is also encouraging people to get active in their community.
“Just remember in a year like this, mid-terms are coming up. Hold our politicians accountable. Let’s hold each other accountable,” Cutliff said.
While inclusion and supporting local businesses are top of mind in Orlando Pride’s activities, safety will be more enhanced this year.
“Everything we did really was built around security this year,” Quiroga said.
Quiroga said they hired a new security team, and with the July 4 downtown scare still fresh in mind, organizers said the event space will be barricaded with multiple entry points to ensure people can feel safe.
“Those entry points will have metal detectors, which is different from years past, and the big thing is we ask folks to have a clear-bag policy,” Quiroga said.
Orlando officials said the city will activate its Emergency Command Center on Saturday.
Despite organizer concerns, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said department hasn’t received any reports of safety concerns.
“While we have not heard of any concerns from the community regarding this weekend’s festivities, we want to assure the public that Orlando is a diverse, welcoming, multicultural community that is committed to the equality of its residents,” wrote Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith.
Come out with pride already has events leading up to Saturday’s big parade, which is set to begin at 4 p.m.. For more information, click here.
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