Against the backdrop of increasing divisiveness in the world, Saturday evening’s inaugural Vero Pride dance party at the Heritage Center was an uplifting display of unity and diversity. The all-inclusive sold-out crowd was a rainbow-hued demonstration of the unconditional acceptance of members of our local LGBTQ community.
“This is going to openly acknowledge the LGBTQ community here in town and celebrate it,” said Stephanie Hocke, who hosted the event with Shelley Adelle and Katie Gastley.
They are co-founders of A1A (Amendment One Activists), which through outreach events seeks “to create opportunities for citizens of all stripes to come together and edify these rights while building common ground and community.” They enlisted the support of event planner Karen Nemson and Indian River Charter High School drama teacher Michael Naffziger, and as sponsorships poured in tickets quickly sold out.
Making a red-carpet entrance, guests had their pictures taken with “Rocky Horror Picture Show” actors from the Charter High School, who were also performing Sunday night at the Majestic Theatre, and with the evening’s flamboyant Key West drag performers, Jessica Deveraux & Company.
While Orlando’s DJ Kahn cranked up the music inside, other guests made their way to the open bar on the outdoor patio where Paella King Chefs whipped up aromatic paella in three enormous pans. The fun didn’t end even after the entertainment and dancing, as many made their way over to Kilted Mermaid for an after-party.
The group previously hosted events such as a March for Science on Earth Day, and a Thank a Uniform gratitude event at Walking Tree Brewery.
“Because we had those successful events, members of LGBTQ reached out to see if we would be interested in hosting a Vero Pride event, because it had never been done before in Vero Beach. We decided to host a dance party to pull people together in order to cultivate an attitude of unity and acceptance,” said Adelle. “We have a large LGBTQ community in Vero Beach that are present but mostly invisible. A1A felt like it was our responsibility to bring supportive visibility to this marginalized portion of our community.”
“To all the people who say, ‘Wow, you’re doing this in Vero?’ I have to say, the response has been overwhelmingly supportive; we’ve had to turn away more than 100 people who wanted tickets,” said Hocke. “It represents a changing of the stigma.”
“Part of the mission of A1A is to create events to bring people together who may or may not share the same ideology,” Adelle explained. “Doing events-based outreach is critical to create a space container for civic discourse and conversation. The ultimate point is to show progress and to show that everyone has a place here in Vero Beach.”
“The real headline is that despite what the majority might think in this community, there’s a large contributing and supportive presence for the LGBTQ community here in Vero Beach,” added Hocke.