Pride at Any Age

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 last year’s Stamped Film Festival, we hosted an intergenerational roundtable event where LGBTQ+ individuals from ages 18-70+ engaged in a moderated discussion about their lives and experiences,” said Laynie Gibson, president of Stamped Film Festival. “We got overwhelmingly positive feedback about the segment, and one participant, Storne Shively, remarked about how amazing it was to feel connected to the community and that she had been struggling with isolation.”

That conversation lingered long after the festival ended. Gibson said planning for an elder-centered Pride event began almost immediately afterward.

“Storne unfortunately passed away earlier this year,” Gibson said. “Which for me highlights even further the importance of this event. This is for all of us, and it is for her.”

For many LGBTQ+ elders, loneliness is compounded by circumstances unique to the community. Some grew up during decades when being openly queer could cost someone their housing, career or family relationships. Others lost entire friend groups during the AIDS crisis. Many are less likely to have children or traditional support systems as they age.

Addie Quina, supervisor of the Bayview Senior Center, said those realities continue to affect older LGBTQ+ adults today.

“LGBTQ+ older adults are more likely to live alone, less likely to have children and often face higher rates of social isolation,” Quina said. “Research shows that LGBTQ+ older adults who remain connected to their community experience better mental health and fewer instances of depression or suicidal behavior.”

Quina said Pride celebrations in Pensacola have historically centered younger crowds, leaving many older adults without spaces intentionally created for them.

“Cities throughout the country have seen a rise in Pride events for our ‘silver’ generations over the past several years,” Quina said. “Local community members who work closely with the older adult population have seen a huge lack in programming and outreach for LGBTQ+ adults. The Silver Pride Tea Dance was created to mend that gap.”

While the event centers LGBTQ+ adults 50 and older, younger guests, dates and plus-ones are welcome, with organizers hoping the afternoon fosters intergenerational connection rather than separation.

“Celebrating LGBTQ+ joy across generations means preserving our culture and history, allowing us to honor those that came before us while also charting a path forward,” Gibson said. “Their stories paint a direct picture of the work that paved the way for us to have the rights we do today. Together we are stronger and more resilient, we are less isolated and we can protect one another.”

Rather than hosting the event in a nightclub or bar, organizers chose the Bayview Senior Center, embracing the tradition of the tea dance, a daytime social gathering with deep roots in queer history.

Long before Pride festivals filled city streets, underground tea dances created space for LGBTQ+ people to find community, connection and joy in a world that often denied them all three.

“A tea dance is a celebratory, daytime party to connect,” Gibson explained. “This party will feature live music from Lex and the Luthors, the incredible emcee stylings of Chesley from Polkadot Entertainment, an open bar from the folks at Dorothy’s, heavy hors d’oeuvres and resources from Stamped Film Festival, Sunday’s Child, Oasis and other folks in the community who want to connect.”

Additional participating organizations will include Pensacola Free Mom Hugs, Emerald Coast Equality, Pensacola PFLAG and Emerald Waves Squares. Because the event received funding support through the Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation, HIV education and prevention resources will also be available in a stigma-free, approachable environment.

“I hope people walk in this room and feel pure unadulterated joy,” Gibson said.

Silver Pride Tea Dance

What: A celebration for LGBTQ+ adults ages 50 and up

When: 3-6 p.m. Sunday, June 7

Where: Bayview Senior Center, 2000 E. Lloyd St.

Cost: Free; $10 suggested donation benefiting Stamped Film Festival and Sunday’s Child

Details: @_sundayschild, @stampedfilmfestival