Manatee Pride Brings LGBTQ Community Together In Bradenton

On March 5, 2022, hundreds of people came to Bradenton Riverwalk for Manatee Pride, hosted by ALSO Youth. It was the first Manatee Pride since the pandemic began, after the festival was canceled in 2020 and twice in 2021. Board President Mary Tavarozzi said ALSO has always kept Pride a family event, because “we’re a youth organization and we’re here to serve the youth.”

Tavarozzi explained why so many young people came out: after nearly two years of isolation, they were anxious about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the Legislature. She shared that young adults from ALSO had met with state lawmakers over Zoom to speak against it, and that the spring calendar included ALSO Prom at the Out-of-Door Academy and a summit for school GSAs.