Welcome to Gaynesville

By Fine Print Staff

The Struggle

By Erin Cass

Although Gainesville was named the 11th gayest city in America, don’t let these social venues distract you from our struggle for civil rights. While we live in a city with a gay mayor who has voted to protect LGBTQ people in the workplace, there are still many discriminative federal policies in place that affect us here.

Statewide bans on gay adoption and gay marriage are still in place in Florida, and there are no statewide employment protections.

In order to better protect yourself by learning about what rights you actually have and fighting for those you don’t have, get involved with a group that educates its members about the political status of LGBTQ people.

There are a few groups in Gainesville that do this now, the most active being the Queer Activist Coalition and the International Socialist Organizations. Both of these organizations are affiliated with Stand Up Florida, one of the largest gay rights groups in Florida along with Equality Across America, the group that organized the National Equality March last October in Washington, D.C.

Luckily, we live in a city where the LGBTQ community is very diverse, but we must still remain active to extend these rights outside our city limits.

The Scene

By Ricky Carter

In January 2009, I arrived in Gainesville fresh out of my private Catholic school, where I had been one of the lone “out” gay students. Because of this, during the college selection process, I focused on attending a school boasting of a healthy gay community. When I arrived in Gainesville, I was shocked to find that gay culture in this city was even more prevalent than I thought.

Immediately I joined Pride Student Union, which hosts different people from all walks of life in engaging conversation, education and entertainment. I joined the PSU executive board and got involved with Pride Awareness Month, which happens every year in April.

This year, Pride Awarness Month had its highest attendance ever, with packed houses at all its events. I was also co-director of the tenth annual drag show, Fierce and Fabulous, which brought the likes of Mimi Imfurst and Ongina from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve also found the University Club downtown near Main Street and University Avenue. Thursday night is the biggest night for the club, with drag shows and packed dance floors until closing time. There’s also an amateur drag show on Wednesdays, which I, as my drag queen persona Sunset Marmalade, take part in.

So welcome, or welcome back, to Gainesville. Don’t be afraid to explore this wonderful city.