June is LGBTQ Pride Month, and events are held regularly across the state. But at least one Central Florida county will see its first-ever pride gathering. Lake County Pride President and CEO Danielle Olivani, who uses they/them pronouns, says the family-friendly event will go forward as they work to both challenge and abide by a new state law called the Protection of Children Act. Supporters like Gov. Ron DeSantis say it prevents children from seeing quote “adult live entertainment,” but opponents fear the law’s ambiguity could be used to shut down drag shows or theatrical performances.
Olivani says this Lake County Pride event was four years in the making.
Danielle Olivani:
It began in 2019. I was a paralegal. And I had noticed that there was something really missing in Lake County and what was missing was support for LGBTQIA youth. And that's primarily our focus. That's also when I decided that I would like to have a pride here in Lake County.
Nicole Darden Creston:
When you say have a pride, do you mean have a pride event, or have a Pride Parade...?
Danielle Olivani:
I've always envisioned it and tailored it to be a family event. So this is a pride celebration. Unfortunately, this year, we're not having a parade, maybe next year. But yeah, it's just a pride celebration.
Nicole Darden Creston:
Tell me what that looks like.
Danielle Olivani:
Well, that looks like a great bunch of performers that we're going to have beginning at 4pm, continuing until the end of our event, which is at 10pm. We're going to have a youth area, we are going to have a DJ who's going to be playing all day, we're going to have so many different booths of different organizations that share our vision. We designed this event to also be intersectional. We stand with all underrepresented and marginalized communities here. So it's so important that we all come together. And that's also why I wanted to have the pride to celebrate not only our community, but their communities as well.
Nicole Darden Creston:
So where are you having this event?
Danielle Olivani:
We are having it in the county seat, which is Tavares, Florida, and it's going to be in Wooten Park, which is right there downtown and a beautiful park. It's a beautiful area. And I felt it important to have it there because it is the county seat, you know, ordinances and things like that are decided there. And it's where the courthouse is, and it's a hub. And I think it's a great representation of the area as well.
Nicole Darden Creston:
Speaking of the new laws, do you anticipate any issues for your event?
Danielle Olivani:
Well, I mean, I think right now, this is uncharted territory. I've worked closely with Equality Florida, and they will be there at the event. I have consulted attorneys. I have definitely read the legislation, my gosh, a lot. And I mean, we will follow what we need to do in order to stay in compliance. But we will never back down and we will never not have this event. We will have backlash, that comes with the territory, but I certainly don't see it stopping us in any way.
Nicole Darden Creston:
Are you planning to have drag entertainment at this Pride event?
Danielle Olivani:
Yes, I am, Nicole. Oh my gosh, we have Tammy Brown from "RuPaul's Drag Race," coming from California. We have incredible local legends like Darshelle Stevens and the list goes on and on. Yes, we proudly are having drag artists at our event.
Nicole Darden Creston:
And you mentioned that there are also some children's events. It sounds to me...correct me if I'm wrong, you are actively challenging some of what's laid out in the new law.
Danielle Olivani:
That's exactly what we're doing, Nicole. Drag is never specifically mentioned, we already have public decency laws put in place in Tavares, across Florida, in every city. As far as things that are specifically mentioned - I have full faith in the artists that are going to be at our pride to interpret that in a way where they are complying. I remember reading something a while back where someone pointed out the fact that even something like Rocky Horror Picture Show could be interpreted as profane. And the way the bill is exactly written, a song choice will have to be carefully considered. Different types of dance moves will have to be considered. Obviously their wardrobe will have to be considered. There is nothing lewd and lascivious about us. There is nothing that we should feel we need to hide from. We have the same rights to be seen as anyone else.
Nicole Darden Creston:
Are you taking safety precautions?
Danielle Olivani:
Of course, the safety of our attendees is of the utmost importance to all of us, the city, my board, myself, of course. We're taking all the necessary safety precautions.
Nicole Darden Creston:
What is it that you would like people to take away from their experiences at this event?
Danielle Olivani:
Lake County Pride definitely stands with the LGBTQIA community during this critical time. And we want to honor our community. We want to let young people know that their community is a safe place for them. We welcome them, we see them and we hear them. And also, we honor the elders in our community, who because of this are reliving all of the negative memories and things that have happened in the past that they have already went through, when people hated them for simply being themselves. And like I always say, when one adult supports an LGBTQIA youth, the chances of them participating in self-harm decreases dramatically. So imagine what an entire community will do, when they say, "We support you, we see you and we care about you."
