By Dakota Parks for Inweekly There are ghosts in Morgan Coby’s songs. Some take the shape of grief. Others linger as shame, loneliness or the ache of wondering whether you deserve healthy love. Through their Pensacola-based indie-folk and folk-punk project Sideswept Bangs, Coby weaves those threads into songs that invite listeners to find pieces of themselves in the music. “Maybe you’ve also lost someone close to you, or maybe you’ve felt lonely and scared, searching for hope

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly Indigo Lett never set out to become a trans activist. Most days, they’re busy shelving books at the public library, devouring graphic novels, cheering on their favorite soccer teams, longboarding or livestreaming video games on TikTok. But they always make time for trans people in need. After a decade of involvement with Strive, serving as secretary, treasurer and social media coordinator, Lett has recently stepped into the role of president. They

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly What happens when two queer clowns, a pile of bananas and the crushing weight of fascism collide? You get “How to Make a Banana Pot Roast,” a hilarious, unsettling fever dream of a film by artists Rainn Forrest and Bea Hurd. Through gender clowning and a feast of unruly food imagery, the project explores queer and trans identity, intimate friendship, sexual liberation and the absurdity of living through an increasingly authoritarian political mome

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly Pensacola is no stranger to censorship. With the local school district removing more than 1,600 books from library shelves, and even an independent bookstore pulling LGBTQ+ titles, Escambia County has repeatedly found itself at the center of national debates over free expression. But when Pensacola State College students were informed just one week before their student magazine was set to print that any articles containing LGBTQ+ content were not

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly Pride month is often defined by crowded bars, late nights and dance parties that cater to younger crowds. But this month, one local event is shifting focus to the generation that helped pave the way, offering LGBTQ+ adults 50 and older a Pride celebration of their own. The inaugural Silver Pride Tea Dance is hosted by Sunday’s Child and Stamped Film Festival. Organizers hope to create a space where LGBTQ+ elders feel celebrated and connected. “At

for Inweekly Happy Pride Month to all who celebrate. We made this issue just for you. If your group chat has officially run out of ideas for how to make this month special, we’ve got you covered. Between drag events, dance parties, outdoor meetups, and, of course, PensaPride, June in Pensacola will be busy and queer as always. Whether you’re looking to find community or just figure out what’s worth leaving the air conditioning for, we rounded up our favorite ways to help you

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly One question raised at Stamped Film Festival was all it took to kickstart Pensacola filmmaker William Mettlach’s career. Now, a nationally traveling writers festival is coming to town, and it’s built to amplify stories like his. This weekend, the Del Shores Foundation Writers Festival, presented by the Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation in partnership with Stamped Film Festival, will bring queer Southern storytelling and real-world career-building o

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly The revolution won’t be televised—but it might be scribbled in the margins of a spiral notebook or stapled into a zine on the back of a book truck. This April, in honor of National Poetry Month, Perfect Day Books is inviting the community to show up, write every day and see what rises to the surface. Specializing in stories often left off the shelves, like banned books and works from queer and BIPOC authors, the independent mobile bookstore is lau

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly For many families in Pensacola, support just got a little closer to home. With the launch of PFLAG Pensacola, long-needed resources are now available to LGBTQ+ individuals, their families and allies throughout the city and across Northwest Florida. At the center of that effort is Lee Poteat, who was brought on as the chapter’s president after relocating to the area in 2025. Before moving to Pensacola, Poteat and his husband lived in Rome, Ga., whe

A Community-Sourced Reading List for Pride Month

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly There’s a lot to be angry—and scared—about this Pride month. As corporate companies quietly abandon DEI...

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly When it comes to fighting for change, Angelique Godwin doesn’t take “no” for an answer. She just works harder. Whether she’s studying for her doctorate, performing a drag routine at Cabaret, delivering a keynote speech, marching in the streets or lobbying at the Florida State Capitol for queer and transgender rights, you’ll most likely find her boots—or high heels—on the ground, working to uplift trans-led organizations and the communities they se

Escambia County, where Bodacious Bookstore & Café is located, has become a battleground in the national fight over book bans and censorship.

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly When thinking about LGBTQ+ social groups, square dancing might not be the first thing that comes to mind....

By Dakota Parks for Inweekly It’s a Saturday night at Pensacola’s new queer bar, and chaos is part of the charm. Laughter erupts as fog...