Trouble Brewing in the Gay Community? Pride Festival 'Cancellation' Mayhem.

[stephendare]

This post was sent in by a faithful reader of metrojacksonville.com

Apparently there are lingering questions about the finances surrounding Jacksonville Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered advocacy group, inexplicably called "Merge"--formerly called The First Coast Pride Organization.

Here is the skinny from Miss Karrissa Wade, the editor of Big Boned and Bossy, a satirical local website.

Considering the comedic nature of the rest of the website, this is pretty strong stuff.
http://bigbonedandbossy.blogspot.com/2009/07/pride-fiasco-up-in-smoke.html

Jacksonville's First Lady, the savvy and incisive Miss Karrissa Wade has been deluged recently with the fairly shocking and deplorable news that Jacksonville's Annual Pride Parade has not only been cancelled, but that there are lingering questions as to why.

Lets start with the propaganda and half truths and work our way up to the outright lies and jaw dropping details:

First there is the legendary state of the Finances of the official committee which Jacksonville's gay community has entrusted with handling its non profit affairs, its newspaper, and the Pride Festival itself.

Despite heavy underwriting and generous donations given by many individuals, bars, and organizations over the past three years apparently the organization is penniless.

How could this be, Miss Wade is constantly asked. How could this possibly be?

Then there is the deteriorating quality for three years running of the two major projects which the Pride Committee is supposed to be handling. The gay newspaper, and the Pride Festival.

Gay newspapers around the country serve as the advocates and voice for the gay communities that they serve. We may have come a long way Baby, but we ain't there yet. And Jacksonville is still one of the most homodenying and homophobic cities in the nation. There is a real role that should be filled by our newspaper. Our issues are real and they are ignored by the mainstream media.

For example, where was our advocate newspaper when all of the gay bars were being raided and shut down this past year?

Miss Wade fails to remember them being anywhere except in the bars sipping cocktails.

When sailors were being discharged for their orientations at both NAS and Mayport, where was our paper demanding justice?

Another of Miss Wades Tea acquaintances points out that there hasnt even been an issue of the paper in a while.

Miss Wade wishes that she knew this for a fact, but it was invisible for so long, that she really can't tell for sure.

So much, thinks Miss Wade, for the first half of the two important things that our Pride Committee promised all of us that they would do.

Now for the Pride Festival itself.

When one thinks of Pride Festivals, one immediately thinks of the most important feature in all parades everywhere: The Parade.

Parades let every one of us participate. It is the one way that we get to go out, be visible, be ourselves in public, and show the rest of the world the joy and the pride that is a part of our community.

Parades everywhere, that is, except Jacksonville this year.

Instead, for the previous 10 years, we have had a picnic. Or, when the organization was working at its height, a Major Three Day Event at the Beaches.

How difficult can it be to organize gays into a big showy parade? Or even how expensive? Miss Wade has seen enough gay men and women line up and cut the fool to staff the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade whenever they announce free shots at the bar, so she is not going to be trifled with on this question.

You could cause a small riot just by pointing a couple of the queens at Incahoots and telling them Zac Efron was just seen in the parking lot.

Instead. Jacksonville, with its population of a million plus has barely been able to afford a picnic in the gayest park in Florida.

Last year, the entire Pride Festival had to happen inside the Bars and Nightclubs. That is because there wasnt enough money to sponsor events where there might be a cost in the rentals.

There was a parade, thank god. But that was because of the clubs and organizations stepping up at the last minute and donating their time and energy.

Oh? Miss Wade hears? There are gasps in the online audience? She remembers that no one really knew what happened last year.

At the last minute, with barely enough time to pull it together the Bar Owners and a few generous individuals were thunderstruck to find that there werent finances or planning in place for the festival and they had to put it together themselves.

So here we are this year, and now we are told that there will not even be a Pride Festival.

This comes with no notice at all, and no time to put anything together.

The Bars are having to sponsor their own events, and their own celebrations. At the last minute they have been able to pool their time and money to sponsor the Memorial Picnic.

Miss Wade doesn't normally dish out more credit than abuse, but she feels her faithful readers will forgive her by naming the people and organizations who managed to pull this off:

Metro
Incahoots
AJs
BootRack
Bo's Coral Reef
and HandyMan To Go.

Without them, there would have been nothing at all.

But where is the money that has been collected by the "Pride" Committee?

One of the Bar Owners sent an inquiry email to find out what happened to all the cash that had been contributed earlier this year:

    From: (redacted)
    Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 6:05 PM
    To: a.solomon@mergejacksonville.com
    Subject: Re: 2009 First Coast Pride Events Cancelled


    What about all the money that was raised this year with the agreement that there would be a parade. The bars still want a parade even if we can't afford the main event.

    The records for this organization are public record? Correct??

    So can you please send me a copy of the funds raised and money spent so we can see what's going on. The bars will be meeting next week to figure out the next step and these records are neeeded. Thanks

    (Redacted)



They recieved a curious response:

    From: a.solomon
    Subject: RE: 2009 First Coast Pride Events Cancelled
    To:( redacted)
    Date: Monday, July 13, 2009, 2:32 PM

    July 13, 2009

    Thank you for your most recent e-mail inquiry regarding the cancellation of the 2009 First Coast Pride event(s). It is truly unfortunate that both businesses and residents of the First Coast will have to forfeit the production of Northeast Florida’s largest pride festival activities.

    All sponsors and vendors of the 2009 First Coast Pride Festival are refunded directly. Any and all individual donations made to Merge Jacksonville, Inc. are unrestricted donations to the organization and are tax deductible; however, they are not refundable.

    Contributions made to Merge Jacksonville, Inc. between November 1, 2008 and October 31, 2009 will be reflected in our 2010 annual report. This report will be made available in April 2010.

    In order to ensure the 2010 event(s), it will be necessary to secure sponsorship opportunities before October 31, 2009. We sincerely hope that you will consider becoming a sponsor.

    Aaron Solomon
    Events Director
    Merge Jacksonville, Inc.
    1-888-411-OITC ext 703


Under other circumstances, Miss Wade would be amused, if not outright envious of this response. She wishes she could be just that Gangsta.

"You gave your money, and we are keeping it.
Well get with you next year with the books. (that is if you still remember it)
By the way. You got some change and a smoke?"

This last part, Miss Wade thinks, is the absolute best. It takes balls to panhandle two minutes after you got caught purse snatching.

One final note: More hilarity ensues from the notice that has been posted on the Merge Website.

The 2009 Pride Festival has been postponed.

The notes say that it will take place in 2010.

Really? Really?

Will all the banners read Happy Belated 2009 during the 2010? What about the 2010 parade? Will we get to march twice to make up for this year? Or will they simply delay celebrating 2010 until 2011?

Is there a possibility that President Palin will be elected while the Jacksonville Gay Community is still in 2011?

The mind fairly explodes.

There are a lot of unanswered questions. So far the hottest one is "Did the Pride Committee (and no one else) go Partying in Atlanta?" if so, who paid for it?

Miss Wade is going back to her boudoir to see if she can find her ass kicking boots.

She wants to make Nancy Sinatra proud.

If this keeps up, she will make Sigourney Weaver proud.

[reednavy]

Hold up, where does Shane Denmark fall into this at? He's the head of something around here.

I posted about this a few weeks back, and this is a travesty to the community.

If anyone remember the guys with the umbrellas last year, make it known, I was one of them. I was the one with the blonde wig and kiddie crown of Strawberry Shortcake.

[reednavy]

I'm fairly sure he is the head of First Coast Pride, or somewhere along those lines, fron what I've been told and personally knowing him.

It is a shame the St. Auggie Pride has a better website and is only 2 years old!
http://www.ancientcitypride.org/

Here's ours:
http://www.firstcoastpride.com/

I'm actually sort of enraged at St. Johns County having it's own, when they know damn good and well they're part of Jacksonville's pride organization. I guess being sandwiched between Daytona/Palm Coast's and Jacksonville's, yet part of isn't good enough, so they started their own. These two need to MERGE and become one, now we have competing prides, wtf is next?!

[reednavy]

Who is Shane Denmark, Reednavy?

This is apparently a very big controversy.  What do you know about it?

I'd just really like to know, wtf is the money, where'd it go, what was it spent on and how could this have happened?! Our pride used to be a helluva lot larger from what I've learned. The 12th largest city in the nation can't even have a f*cking pride parade, this is another check on the bad list for the city. No reasons, no excuses why a part of the population can't garner enough support and donations, even in a Right leaning city such as ours. Look at Nashville!

[ChriswUfGator]

Somebody's got their hand in the cookie jar...

[reednavy]

Somebody's got their hand in the cookie jar...

There's no other way to explain it. Unless they bought some condo in Fort Lauderdale, lol.

[stug]

This is the one that takes place in Five Points, right? What a bummer that it's been canceled. It's something I genuinely look forward to.

[reednavy]

This is the one that takes place in Five Points, right? What a bummer that it's been canceled. It's something I genuinely look forward to.

That was the MOSAIC dance last year at 5 Points Theatre. The parade alos happened to end there as well.

[stug]

No, it wasn't Mosaic. They close off Park Street, march from Willow Branch park, and end in Five Points where there's a big street party. Is Pride Fest something different?

[reednavy]

Apparently there are massive amounts of money that no one can account for.

And according to the letter that Karrissa has on her blog, they don't intend to give accounting to anyone until next April. (10 more months?)

Gives them enough to cover their tracks. There has to be some legal ways to get to see the records, they're a public group and as such, should provide info on where this money went.

[reednavy]

Apparently the previous people that ran FCP, did not file tax returns for years, and incured a $10,000 tax lein. Pride last year operated in the red at the end of the year. Maybe that explains something. However, there shouldn't be an excuse as to why we can't raise that maoney and get this boat afloat again.

[reednavy]

It seems pretty simple, Reed.

Are you being sarcastic, real, or what.

I just have no real idea who to believe right now, it's just such a shame.

[GatorShane]

Justin, not to be a bitch, but putting the blame on Shane Denmark is absurd .He  has worked his ass off over the past several years,a lot of times using his own funds to finance different things. I find it ironic that the same bar owners who have fought each other over petty shit for years are now up in arms. You want to know why the eatnt was cancelled? The gay community in this city(a city that I love by the way) is probably the most apathetic in the country. The bar owners are only in it for themselves and there is way to much in-fighting. I too am very dissapointed that there wont be a parade or festival this year, but please dont put the blame on someone has has been an integral part of the gay community for most of the 17 plus years that I have known him. More of us need to get involved at a grass roots level. I plan to start an organization soon called Visable Pride. This would encourage bar owners and businesses to display their pride in simple ways such as flying the rainbow flag from their buildings. I also plan to submit an application to the city council to have part off Riverside declared Jacksonvilles official Rainbow District. This is what we all need to do if we want the gay community here to thrive, not put the blame on Shane Denmark. He doesnt desrve to be criticized after all of his hard work. And whoever this Karissa is, her response is typical of a bitchy drag queen.

[GatorShane]

I dont know if the bars were involved this year, but I do know they were invited to participate in the past. Shane Denmark has chaired the pride committee for several years, as well as run the newspaper, organized the festival, parade and block party. He is also responsible for organizing the Steppin Out events which encouraged members of the gay community to visit different Jacksonville venues each month in support of pride. Listen, I dont pretend to know all of the politics that go on behind the scenes, but the memebers of the community and the bar owners can be hard to deal with at times.

[TheProfessor]

Maybe Ancient City pride can be bigger and better this year since no Jax Pride.  Pool everyones sponsors/effors into one good pride event in St. Auggie.