Pride fest spotlights arts talents in the LGBTQ+ community

At a table in the Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, Bren Bacon found a perfect space to watch the lineup of musicians during the Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest on May 4.

“I’m enjoying it,” Bacon said. “Zeta the Babe is amazing. “It’s my second time at this facility. I like it a lot. It’s very chill.”

Formerly known as the Harvey Milk Festival, the event highlights the local LGBTQ+ arts community and returns next year to its previous location of Five Points Park. 

The three-day festival began with the “Empowered” exhibition, a collaboration with SEE Space Alliance on May 2 and the art collective “Swamp Yell” at The Players Studio on May 3.

The lineup on May 4 brought together talent from the local area including Grace Cespedes, nowincolor, Brittany Zeff and MeteorEYES of Sarasota, as well as Zeta the Babe and Summer Hoop of Tampa. 

“This was not only just a Pride event. It's a great showcase of LGBTQ artistic talent, which we don't get to see as often in this community at a normal Pride event or function," said Jules Rayne, a local transgender activist and a community organizer with Equality Florida who was the keynote speaker at the May 4 event. "It's great to give voices to such a marginalized community, and that means everything to me to have their stories, their artistic talents, heard and seen.”

“It’s great to be a supporter of the community — to be part of the community,” said Andrew Ensign, a board member of Fabulous Arts Foundation.