St. Pete Pride co-chairman calls County Commissioner Kevin Beckner a hero

When the St. Pete Pride parade heads toward Central Avenue on Saturday, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner will be leading the way.

Parade organizers selected Beckner, the region's first openly gay elected official, as grand marshal for the parade, which culminates with a street festival celebrating gay pride. Organizers expect attendance to hit 70,000.

"It's a really exciting opportunity," Beckner said. "Pride is very important. It allows people to be who they are. I think it's important that we recognize everyone for the value they bring to our community."

Update: St. Pete Pride co-chairman Brian Stipsit said the organizing committee selected Beckner unanimously for the honor. "Kevin has really been a hero to us in the community," Stipsit said. "He's a champion for a lot of our rights. We are proud of him."

Previous grand marshals have been national radio personality Derek Hartley and Susan Stanton, a former Largo city manager who had a sex-change operation.

Janet Zink, Times staff writer

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Comments

[The Pride is Right]

Kevin Beckner is in the news for being a respected community leader while Brian Blair is in the news for hitting his kids. Looks like the voters of Hillsborough County made the right choice in Nov.

[Just an observation.]

There will be a lot of disappointed people along the parade
route.

They were hoping Charlie was going to be the Grand Marshal.

I guess that it was only a rumor.

[Stonewalls and the PCSEC]

So powerful they had to import a poster boytoy.

[Paul]

How many mayor candidates will show up?

After all it is all about the vote.

[No More!]

Shame on the Times for giving press and/or paying attention to these people anymore. The Pride group, Stonewalls, and their supporters’ et al… have shown their true colors by virtue of that sham of a forum last week. Their colors are not the diverse and vibrant colors of the rainbow; rather the dark and dank colors of hypocrisy.

These people call for understanding, while trusting vitriol at those with differing viewpoints. They charge the world with discrimination, while knowingly engaged in it themselves. And they cry for equality, while actively limiting the equality of others.

Anyone who attends this event, particularly aspiring leaders and the media, only serve to prove that they condone and agree with this behavior. .. and that the gay mafia agenda; an agenda of exclusion, stands above our Democracy; a Democracy of inclusion.

[pride me baby!]

I'm proud and happy to hear that Kevin will be the GM at STP. It should be a day to remember especially 40 years after Stonewall. But there is still a long road to go before everyone can feel equal.

[Gays = Hypocrites]

You no longer have a right to speak of equality.

[gay men can be the most sexist]

Anyone ever notice the Stonewalls are a bunch of guys? Women do not seem to have a voice in that organization.

[?]

If gay men are guys, and gay women want to be guys… then how can there be any sexism?

[.]

How do you know the Stonewall guys are really guys and not women in drag? Some of them are pretty feminine.

[AHHHHHHH!]

Well then if the gay guys are really girls, and the gay women are still women... then how can ther be sexism there? I'm really confused... ooops, does that make me a Stonewall too?

[professor]

The well known culture of male homosexuality of the ancient Greeks was pretty much built on misogyny. Women were seen fit as slaves and childbearers and that was about it.

[TRP]

Confused is being kind to the Stonewalls - clueless would be another word. Boylan is the only one who knows what he is doing. The rest are too busy trying to be important or smoking with Donnelan

[RPT]

What they're doing to Jim D. is none of our damn business... and... Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!

[Ewwwwww]

RPT - you just put a picture in my head that I cant get rid of

[MeTooo]

I just had a vision of Lipinski and Jim D

[Q]

Boylan is hot - Jim D is not

[Live it if you choose, but don't expect me to pay for the fallout!]

It’s understandable why Beckner had to cross the bay to get some props from those who choose the un-natural lifestyle. When he tried to get Hillsborough taxpayers to fund the medical bills that can come from such a dangerous and un-natural lifestyle choice… the taxpayers told him to pack sand.

[PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE]

PEOPLE AT PRIDE: You would do soooo much better if this was truly a family "event" that works to establish that YOU are just like US. If you want us to support you PLEASE leave the "strange" sexual costumes, posters, and near naked people out of it.

As a straight man I support my gay friends and ALL your rights. I have attedned the parade in the past. However, I will not return with my family because it has turned into a strange event where "parts" are great and "other parts" do not belong.

Any Mayoral candidate needs to be careful to not get "caught" in pictures with some very parculiar people.

I WISH you would make this event truly family friendly and make it about your rights to be YOU. Leave the sex at home and you will be accepted by the city and EVERY mayorl candidate will show up.

[.]

This is exactly why the city should not support the parade

[Mary]

I agree with what please said. They want equality and different rights - but they continue to act like spoiled little children. You can't force someone to accept you. They need to earn society's respect. Bad behavior is bad behavior, it does not matter where it comes from. I don't understand how you can have pride in bad behavior and then show it off to the world and expect to be accepted.

[Yip!]

This is exactly why Rick Baker diss’d these fools and continued to win… regardless of the ever-so-powerful gay voting base in St. Pete.

[working class dog in this city]

This city should be ashamed of it's self for letting this go on .I hate that this city is gay friendly.We don't have a parade for being stright.Who really cares about your rights if you are gay. Keep it in your own bedroom.We don't want to know if you are a pitcher or catcher . We need a mayor to veto this event in our city.Go somewhere else bunch of F-gs

[Foster]

That is why we need Bill Foster as mayor

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