Pride Fort Lauderdale Not Just For Gay Guys

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Pride Fort Lauderdale doesn't want its signature annual PrideFest to be known as a gay man's event. Even though the festival has always welcomed everyone, organizers realized they needed and wanted more participation from women.

So this year they're making it happen.

Bryan Wilson, a board member, said PFL is going to focus more on including women in community events and targeting them for leadership roles.

Wilson said he was saddened to see New Moon, a lesbian bar in Wilton Manors, close down because of the space it offered to women. As a community organizer he recognizes the general lack of services offered to women and notes that the majority of the Pride board has been made up of men since he's been involved.

"So what led to these efforts is information from the community, close friends who identify as lesbian or bisexual women, who also brought this to my attention," he said. "It didn't feel like pride all across the country."

Wilson said he felt it was time to increase social services for women and start bringing them to the table.

"We have to reach out and target the women's community," he said. "We also have to target the trans community. And reach out to the black community."

As a part of this new outreach they've made sure to include a woman in this year's lineup ? DJ Citizen Jane, who will be deejaying on Saturday of this year's event as well as participating in the after party taking place in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Sonia Mitchell said there's definitely a need for increased inclusion within the community. While she enjoys working on the PFL board and working within the LGBT community, she said it's also a challenge.

"It gives me a chance to do what I enjoy doing, fight for people, fight for rights for women, for men, for kids," she said. "Having fun doing what you love doing doesn't mean you don't have obstacles or hurdles that you have to go over."

Mitchell has been serving on the PFL board since 1997.

"I'm still there because I'm looking forward to the day that the board looks equal, with women, transgender people, fluid people, questioning people," she said. "I love diversity so therefore I would love to see the day when it's more diverse."

She said usually at meetings she's the only female there, which makes it challenging.

"It's not easy going in the middle of a board, and you're the only girl and black person," she said.

Mitchell is happy with this newfound effort to be more inclusive.

"You have to allow people to feel welcome," she said. "If somebody comes into your home and doesn't feel welcome and warm, they don't want to stay long or be there."

The men on the board, she said, tend to stick together, and now there are very few women who attend board meetings.

But she noted that men aren't fully to blame - women should try harder if they want to see change as well.

"You can't just visit something once and say, 'I'm not coming back,' because you didn't hear what you wanted to hear," she said. "You're going to need to be the difference. Stay with it and be the justice that you want to see."

Katie Yankee, who works at SunServe, agrees that there is a lack of representation.

"I'd like to see the day when women look around and say they are well represented in terms of services for women," she said.

Yankee said she's glad to see a woman performing at the Pride Festival because DJ Citizen Jane could serve as a role model for young women within the community.

Yankee also said that women should get more involved even if they face obstacles.

"If we want to see change we have to make the change ourselves," she said.

Mitchell said change is slowly taking place, and she's glad to see Pride Fort Lauderdale has become involved with the Rainbow Ladies and has taken on two women DJs. Both women look forward to seeing what else Pride Fort Lauderdale accomplishes.