Tag: Pride Parade

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News Round-Up: June 25, 2021

Out singer/songwriter KENTÖ
Out singer/songwriter KENTÖ
Out singer/songwriter KENTÖ

Some news items you might have missed:

• Nevada Independent: After receiving a cancer diagnosis in March 2020, Shawn Dixon decided she would organize the first-ever Pride parade in her small town of less than 8,000 residents. Her dream of “years and years” will become a reality in Winnemucca, Nevada, on July 16 & 17.

• Reuters: Respect LGBT rights or leave the European Union, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told his Hungarian counterpart as the bloc’s leaders confronted Viktor Orban over a law that bans schools from using materials seen as promoting homosexuality.

• Instinct Magazine: The valedictorian of a New Jersey high school was almost censored and silenced during his graduation speech by his principal when he began to touch on mental health and his sexuality. But thankfully, the student’s memorization skills saved the day.

 

• New York Times: The Manhattan district attorney’s office has informed Donald Trump’s lawyers that criminal charges against his family business, the Trump Organization, in connection with fringe benefits the company awarded its chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg, could be announced as soon as next week.

• Justice Dept: Michael Atkinson, 28, Pablo Ceniceros-Deleon, 21, and Daryl Henry, 24, were sentenced to prison terms for their involvement in targeting gay men for violent crimes. The sentences ranged from 11-22 years for luring five men (using the Grindr dating app) to a vacant apartment in Dallas where they held the men at gunpoint, kidnapped, carjacked, and assaulted them.

• Out Music: I recently shared the latest from out singer/songwriter Kentö, and today the artist (top photo) drops the official music video for the single, “Silhouette.”

“Silhouette” is the first single from Kentö’s upcoming album release, Strangers, slated for release later this year. Kentö shares, “I feel like I’m finally making music that is really expressing the sounds that have been in my head all along.”

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Driver In Wilton Manors Pride Crash Apologizes For ‘Horrible Accident’

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.
The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.
(screen capture)

The man who was behind the wheel of the truck that accidentally killed one Wilton Manors Pride parade participant over the weekend and injured two others has issued a statement and apology.

From The Daily Beast:

Fred Johnson Jr., who has been named by police as the driver of the vehicle that veered out of control killing one person and injuring two others at Saturday’s Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, FL, has offered his “sincere regrets to all those who were impacted by this tragic event.”

In a statement sent to The Daily Beast, Johnson, 77, who is a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus—as were the deceased, James “Jim” Fahey, 75, and two injured men, Jerry Vroegh, 67, and Gary Keating, 69—wrote, “This was a horrible accident… I love my Chorus family and the community, and would never do anything to intentionally harm anyone. Please know that I hold my fellow Chorus member, Jim Fahy, in my heart forever and offer my condolences to his friends and family.”

Fort Lauderdale police are still gathering evidence, but have acknowledged the incident seems to have been an accident.

Apparently, due to health issues Johnson was unable to walk in the parade so he was chosen to drive the white pickup truck. As he moved the vehicle into position for the start of the parade, the truck accelerated unexpectedly, striking the victims.

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Wilton Manors Pride Incident Unintentional Not A ‘Terrorist Attack’

(screen capture via 7News Miami)

The latest news regarding the incident at the Wilton Manors Pride event on Saturday which left one attendee dead and another hospitalized appears to have been unintentional.

From the AP:

A member of a men’s chorus group unintentionally slammed into fellow chorists at the start of a Pride parade in South Florida, killing one member of the group and seriously injuring another, the group’s director said Sunday, clarifying initial speculation that it was a hate crime directed at the gay community.

The 77-year-old driver was taken into custody, but police said no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

The elderly driver had ailments that prevented him from walking, according to a statement Sunday from Fort Lauderdale Police, who said he was cooperating with the investigation and there was no evidence drugs or alcohol was involved.

Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Paul Rolli told the AP in a phone interview, “The early investigation now indicates it looks like it was a tragic accident, but nobody’s saying finally what it is.”

Out Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis was present when the incident occurred and told WPLG it had been a deliberate attack.

“This is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community,” Trantalis said. “This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated, and it was targeted against a specific person. Luckily they missed that person, but unfortunately, they hit two other people.”

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Truck Drives Into Wilton Manors Pride Parade Killing One, Injuring More

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.

The alleged driver of the truck that drove into attendees at the Wilton Manors Pride parade.
(screen capture)

Tragedy struck the twilight Stonewall Pride march in Wilton Manors, Florida on Saturday leaving one person dead and two others are injured after a truck drove into attendees just before the beginning of the event.

The pickup truck driver appeared to be part of the march but then suddenly accelerated when he was told he was next in the procession according to WSVN-TV.

Two adults were transported to a local hospital where one later died, according to a police spokesman. The other remains hospitalized with serious injuries but is expected to survive. A third victim is in a stable condition.

The car narrowly missed a vehicle carrying Democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was clearly “deeply shaken” but unharmed.

The event was canceled and and an investigation is underway according to Wilton Mayor Scott Newton in a statement to the press.

Out Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis was in attendance and told WPLG he believed it was a deliberate attack.

“This is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community,” he said. “This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated, and it was targeted against a specific person. Luckily they missed that person, but unfortunately, they hit two other people.”

But later reports indicate the incident may have been an accident. At this point in time there hasn’t been any definitive announcement.

Justin Knight, the President of the Fort Lauderdale’s Gay Men’s Chorus, confirmed in a statement that the driver was “part of the Chorus family.” Knight added, “To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community.”

Local10 reporter Christian De La Rosa, who witnessed the incident, reports the driver was taken into custody.

“He appeared to be part of the parade,” he noted, “he was wearing a Pride shirt.”

Some theorize the jump to believe the incident was an ‘attack’ is due, in part, to a bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in April which assigns civil immunity to anyone who drives a vehicle into protesters that are blocking a road during a “riot.”