It Started With a Flag

Genece Minshew

In June of 2018, on a Tuesday evening, Mayor Johnny Miller decided to fly the Gay Pride flag over City Hall. I wasn’t there, I wasn’t even in town. There was no organized Pride group in town, but there was and always has been a gay community that called Fernandina Beach and Nassau County home.

A crowd gathered and applauded the recognition that a Gay Pride flag represents. After that flag came down at City Hall, many of the people who were there signed the flag. We still have it as a symbol of acceptance and acknowledgment that Fernandina Beach is a welcoming and affirming city for all citizens.

As you can imagine, all hell broke loose, and later that fall a resolution was put forth to the city commission that allowed only three flags to fly on city property: the national flag, the state flag and the city flag – ignoring the fact that there was no city flag at the time. After a few rounds of back and forth, the resolution passed. However, during the discussion at city commission meetings, then-current commissioners strongly encouraged the LGBTQ Community to host a parade instead. At that moment, Fernandina Beach Pride was born.

We got to work and hosted our first parade and festival in June 2019. We had no idea if anyone would come. We had no money to speak of, so we raised small amounts of funds almost weekly. Kayak Amelia gladly sold our t-shirts in their store downtown. We got a few sponsors. Musicians offered to play for free. The police helped us with the logistics of the parade and the festival. We applied for a permit and received it. People offered to help.

Parade and Festival day came. Suddenly we had an event. All the city commissioners attended. Commissioner Kreger helped carry the American flag. At the festival more than 100 people got a free HIV test. A couple of local moms put together a kid zone, with yoga, ukuleles, art projects, face painting and glitter sunscreen. We had about 30 businesses and local non-profits sign up for vendor booths. We did have a short G-rated drag show with three drag queens that danced to music and had a grand time. About 1,000 people showed up and it was a day of celebration, love and acknowledgment.

One of the most memorable parts of the entire day was when the parade marched past Memorial United Methodist Church on Centre Street. A crowd of more than 100 people was standing there with signs that said, “You Are Loved.”

Then came 2022 and we held our second parade and festival with more than 2,000 attendees. Fernandina Beach celebrated with us.

But as we look back on the past year, we also see something very different. Something was changing. National and state conversations around gays, lesbians, transgender folks and drag queens have become divisive and hateful. Sadly, that same divisiveness and hate have shown up on our doorstep. Children are being used as a reason to deny our right to assemble.

But we will not be deterred. Fast forward to today. Even though the COVID pandemic shut us down for two years, we have not stopped working in and for the entire community. We joined the local Chamber of Commerce. We started our Pride Scholarship Program and to date have provided $8,000 in scholarships to local graduating seniors who identify as LGBTQ or as allies. We support and promote local groups such as the FOAR FROM HOME team, the Sugar Pointe Music Festival, the City Youth Advisory Board Movie Nights at Main Beach. We participate in local parades.

Who are we? We are your friends, relatives, neighbors. We are your doctor, your attorney, your local waitstaff, your public safety officer, your librarian, your nurse.

We invite everyone to come and enjoy our Pride Parade and Festival on June 10 at Central Park. It will be a day of fun, food, great music and – most importantly – love. We are proud to be part of the fabric of this community.

Genece Minshew is a retired telecommunications industry executive and a long time advocate and fighter for equal rights for all. She lives in Fernandina Beach with her partner of 38 years and a lazy Old English sheepdog.