New gay pride chapter forms in bay area

The group, St. Pete Pride Inc., wants to hold more inclusive events. It also is tired of Tampa-centered parties.

By KATHRYN WEXLER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 25, 2003

A new gay pride chapter is forming in St. Petersburg to promote the arts downtown and hold family-oriented events.

The group essentially has splintered from the Greater Tampa Bay Pride Organization Inc., which has counted on regionwide support for fundraising parties it throws a few times a year.

The breakaway comes at a time when Greater Tampa Bay Pride is wracked with troubles, both monetary and in the arena of public relations.

At least one former board member is out thousands of dollars for helping to fund two poorly attended events last year.

Greater Tampa Bay Pride, founded in 1992 as a social outlet for the gay and lesbian community, is in the process of reorganizing under a new name, Pride Foundation of Tampa Bay Inc. It also will have a different board.

But the corporate changes haven't quieted grumbling about what went wrong.

"Nothing picks up a party like good gossip," said Don Bentz, president of Greater Tampa Bay Pride, and the frequent target of blame.

Against this backdrop, a group called St. Pete Pride Inc. saw an opportunity to go its own way.

The group wants to create events that are more low-key and inclusive. It also has tired of the Tampa-centered parties that were the hallmark of Greater Tampa Bay Pride.

"Their main goal was to create unity in the Tampa Bay community, and that would be fine; but they've had 10 years to do that, and they didn't," said Brian Longstreth, a real estate broker and co-chairman of St. Pete Pride.

"Our goal is to promote St. Petersburg pride," he said.

The move hasn't come without separation pains. As it turned out, Greater Tampa Bay Pride was already loosely planning some events in St. Petersburg when St. Pete Pride announced it had formed and was preparing a summertime street festival.

"Tampa Bay Pride had reached out to do some events in St. Petersburg, and we felt our community had grown enough to do our own," Longstreth said.

The initial rift has been mended, according to people on both sides of the bay.

"We talk about ways we can help each other," Bentz said. "This just adds more chances for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons to celebrate their gay pride."

But Greater Tampa Bay Pride is still dealing with problems on another front.Robert Bromwell Jr. said the organization still owes him $62,000 for partly funding a July 4th event at the Raymond James Stadium and a chartered cruise in November. Bromwell blames Bentz for the organization's dire straits.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars that have gone through that organization, and people who are very upset because they can't get any accounting," Longstreth said.

Otherwise, St. Pete Pride is staying out of the fray.

"We wanted a separate corporation," Longstreth said. "That was the consensus."

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