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By KEVIN GRAHAMMarchers take aim at Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms in Tampa.
TAMPA - Dozens of decorated umbrellas were raised in downtown Tampa on Sunday afternoon but it had nothing to do with the weather. It was all about gay pride.
"Ronda Storms down on us. And we're still proud!" read cardboard signs, accented with cotton balls and fixed atop John Huls' and Jay Hoff's matching rainbow-patterned umbrellas.
On the opposite side of the sign were smiling portraits of Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms, who created a tempest of criticism by leading a 5-1 vote two weeks ago that forbids Hillsborough County government from acknowledging, promoting or participating in gay pride events.
Tampa police estimated that about 2,000 people joined the "Pride is Back" march Sunday from the John F. Germany Library to Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, which sits in front of the County Commission offices. They rang bells to symbolize healing, and when they arrived at the square they sang verses of We Shall Overcome and God Bless America.
Equality Florida, a statewide advocacy group for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, organized the demonstration.
"Our goal is to have this ban repealed," said Equality Florida spokesman Brian Winfield. "We're not going to rest until it is."
Sunday's march came one day after St. Pete Pride drew 35,000 people, the largest crowd in the festival's three-year history. June is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
The Tampa march included gay and straight, young and old. In town for St. Pete Pride, Candace Gingrich, the lesbian half-sister of former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, marched. Strip club king Joe Redner showed up with a sign that read, "Ronda, explain to your child what a homophobe is," referring to a comment the commissioner recently made.
"I do not want to have to explain to my daughter what it means to be questioning one's sexuality ... or what a transgender person is or what a bisexual is or what a gay or lesbian is. That is inappropriate," Storms said.
Raihan Alam, 32, of St. Petersburg saw no problem bringing his 21/2-month-old son, Ben, to Sunday's march. And he'll have no problem, he said, with talking to young Ben about homosexuality. He doesn't understand why Storms can't do the same. "You're not going to have a graphic conversation with your child," he said. "We want to teach him to not hate. To be tolerant and loving."
--Kevin Graham can be reached at 813 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com