Palm Beach County celebrates pride
Despite rain and an arrest, Pridefest of the Palm Beaches marched on to its most successful event in its 16-year history.
"The rain didnt keep anybody away. This is the first time we had protestors but that didn't stop the party either," Compass CEO Tony Plakas said. "It's really awesome to see this many people in one place who look and act so different feeling at home in Lake Worth."
More than 12,000 people were estimated to have attended the two-day festival organized by Compass.
"It is great to be here and show who and what we are," Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus President Michael Albetta said.
The festival's theme this year was "No Place Like Home" to announce and celebrate Compass' recent move to Lake Worth.
The building Compass is using in downtown Lake Worth is a partnership between the LBGT community center and the city of Lake Worth.
Compass was previously located in West Palm Beach. The community center took over the Mid-County Senior Center in downtown Lake Worth after the county moved out several years ago.
Compass renovated the entire building and just opened their doors at the beginning of March.
Compass is the largest LGBT community center in terms of staff and budget in the Southeast and fifth largest in the U.S.
This year's entertainment included dance/pop artist Jenna Drey, Karmic Flo, Tony Cruz, Shelina, Bev McClelland, Teri Catlin, Miami Beach's DJ Oren Nizri, Julian, Velvet Lenore and REBAR dancers.
Next year Pridefest will be celebrating 10 years in Lake Worth.
A main aspect of last year's festival was dedicated to educating festival goers on Amendment 2 that eventually passed with 62 percent of the vote. Amendment 2 banned gay marriage in the State of Florida.
Plakas said it may have passed statewide, but his organization helped defeat it locally in many places.
"I do believe we are learning something," he said. "Locally there are a lot of places where it did not pass. There are precincts in Lake Worth where we defeated the amendment. We're changing hearts and minds one at a time."
Many of the hearts and minds in Lake Worth have already been changed.
"We're very very proud to have such a diverse community," Lake Worth Mayor Jeff Clemens said. "We are proud to be say we are the most gay city in Palm Beach County."
But there were a few hearts and minds that were clearly not changed as they marched with the parade holding signs that read "Homo Sex is a Threat to National Security" and "We Don't Hate Homos/Repent Or Perish."
One of the protestors, John Kranert of Miami, was arrested for disorderly conduct. His friend and fellow protestor Douglas Berry of Miami, said they showed up to "stand against homosexuals."
"Pride has come a long way over time," Delray Beach resident Kevin Lerner said. "But it's still important to remind people to be true to themselves and to respect others."