Arts Alive! podcast w/ Bill DeYoung: Nicole Berman, St. Pete Pride 6-6-23

Now in her second year as Executive Director of St. Pete Pride, Nicole Berman has such a busy June – it’s Pride Month – that we were surprised and delighted she found a couple of minutes to drop by to record an Arts Alive! podcast.

The month is jam-packed with events that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and, as Berman points out in this far-reaching interview, a good deal of them are family-friendly and open to everyone.

That’s what being inclusive means.

Berman describes not only the personal and professional journey that brought her to St. Petersburg, but the not-always-easy 21 years of St. Pete Pride. She and the others who make the organization run have no intention of being cowed by the uneasy cold air blowing across Florida these days.

The full support and cooperation of the City of St. Petersburg means an awful lot. Pride endures.

“I understand the need for representation and visibility,” she explains. “And I think there’s a lot of beauty in that shared experience. So you understand when you come to a Pride celebration that you’re around like-minded folks – people that don’t care if you’re gay, don’t care if you’re trans, don’t care what you have on. They want you to be there to celebrate, to share that collective joy.”  #stpetepride #stpetecatalyst #billdeyoung  #nicoleberman #tampabay #radio #radiostpete #stpete #stpetefl