Sarasota seniors ring in Pride Month

Project Pride SRQ recognized long-term couples and newlyweds at Silver Pride this year, among other activities celebrating Pride Month.

By Dana Kampa
| 2:30 p.m. June 10, 2025

Sarasota
Neighbors

Kicking off Pride Month, two trolleys decorated with strings of rainbow flags and colorful flower leis rolled through the downtown area, receiving many smiles, honks and double thumbs up from passersby.

Attendee Toni Wright said this year's Silver Pride celebration at Senior Friendship Centers was spectacular.

"We're here to stay," Wright said. "I'm trans, and I'm celebrating my people."

When asked about the best part of the celebration, Wright said, "The love here today is unbelievable."

A full day of activities included dance performances, informational booths, and a "Legacy Couples" moment of recognition for those in attendance who have been together for decades.

Patricia and Cynthia Hevert said they have been together for 30 years, and they appreciated having a local event specifically for people who share their life experiences.

They have been longtime Sarasota residents, and they met at a bar on Main Street. The two shared a love of writing as a magazine writer and bookstore manager and hit it off immediately.

"When we were coming up, a lot of times, we had to hide our love," Patricia said. "It's so beautiful that we can celebrate it, in public, with a lot of other people."

As part of Pride Month, senior community members joined the Silver Pride celebration at Senior Friendship Centers.

The centers, along with Project Pride SRQ and Golden Girls Solutions, have uplifted members of Sarasota's LGBTQ+ community for the past three years with Silver Pride events.

President Jason Champion said there is a need for such joy-filled events amid divisive national discourse.

"This year has been bigger and better and stronger than before," he said. "We've had more elder LGBTQ+ members come out to understand why we are celebrating."

Champion said the legacy couples recognition is meaningful because, "It shows the representation of how you can live your life and enjoy it, just like everybody else in this world."

He continued, "I can't say this isn't a heavy moment in history right now, but the LGBTQ+ community was built out of resilience and resistance, and at this moment, we are united, strong and standing together."

Among the multitude of booths was Pink Haven and the Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, which provide support to community members who need support. Visit PinkHaven.org for details.

The senior-centric event was one of several taking place in June for Pride Month. Visit ppsrq.org/lgbtq-events-sarasota for upcoming events.

Michael Knapp, stage name Greta Gripp, performs an acrobatic routine at the Silver Pride celebration June 7 at Senior Friendship Centers.

Attendees at this year's Silver Pride event filled two trolleys and waved to passersby in downtown Sarasota as they celebrated Pride Month.

Dame Lindsay Carlton-Cline hits the dance floor for Silver Pride.

Friends Cathy Orban and Toni Wright share a smile after a trolley ride through downtown Sarasota for Pride Month.

Two trolleys took celebrants from Silver Pride through downtown Sarasota.

Silver Pride attendees waved their flags as they prepared to cruise through downtown before returning to Senior Friendship Centers.

Edie Kaplan and Bill Payton offer information about community resources available to those in need of support during this year's Silver Pride event.

Darcel Stevens leads those on the dance floor in the Electric Slide to the song "We Are Family" for Silver Pride.

Project Pride SRQ secretary Amanda Day hits the dance floor to "Wobble" by V.I.C. at this year's Silver Pride.

The Silver Pride event at Senior Friendship Centers featured community providers, including Drita Llolla from Bell Pharmacy, who offered information about inclusive health care, legal services and more.

Patricia and Cynthia Hevert said they have been together for 30 years.

Pride Project SRQ President Jason Champion welcomes legacy couples to the dance floor at Senior Friendship Centers.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.