Project Pride SRQ and the Senior Friendship Centers recently collaborated to present Silver Pride 2026, a free Pride Month event celebrating LGBTQ+ community members ages 50 and better.
The event featured live entertainment, food from Mellow Mushroom, tabling by local vendors and community partners and information about resources available for senior-related services as well as LGBTQ+ support and advocacy.
More than 700 community members attended the event at the Senior Friendship Centers – Project Pride SRQ’s largest-attended event of the year to-date.
The partnering organizations dedicated the day to “Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future.” At least 30 couples who have been together for five, 10, 15 – even as many as 60 years – were recognized for paving the way with love and authenticity for future generations.
“Older LGBTQ+ adults helped make today’s visibility possible. This event has allowed us to celebrate their legacy while also reminding the broader community that inclusion must extend across every age and stage of life,” said Project Pride SRQ interim executive director Justyn Hunter-Ceruti. “Our collaboration with Senior Friendship Centers is meaningful because it connects LGBTQ+ inclusion with the broader work of aging, wellness, dignity, and community connection. Our partnership helps ensure LGBTQ+ older adults are included not as an afterthought, but as an important part of the community we are all building together.”
Entertainers included the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Azara Ballet, Diversity Voices Choir, Dingbat Theatre Project, Tap Kats, Dame Lindsay Carlton-Cline, and DJ Janine. There was also a panel presentation, titled “Aging Out Loud: LGBTQ+ Life, Legacy, and Belonging Across Generations,” moderated by local television personality Joey Panek. It featured panelists Christie Castro, CEO of HomeWell Care Services of Manasota; Chris Covelli, chef and owner of Sage Restaurant; Christine Jennings, board member of Senior Friendship Centers and Sunshine From Darkness; and MJ Jianelli, director of strategy at Orenda Health and Wellness.
“Senior Friendship Centers believes connection is essential at every age,” said Declan Sheehy, chief advancement officer for Senior Friendship Centers. “Through our partnership with Project Pride SRQ, we have been thrilled to create a welcoming space where LGBTQ+ seniors and allies can gather, celebrate love, access resources, and be reminded that they are valued.”
Sponsors included HomeWell Care Services, Bank of America, Aviva Senior Living, Bath Fitters, Dan Denton, Humane Society of Sarasota County, Millennium Physician Group, and Sarasota County Democratic Senior Caucus.
For more about Project Pride SRQ, visit ppsrq.org. For more about Senior Friendship Centers, visit friendshipcenters.org.
Submitted by Sharon Kunkel
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Silver Pride event celebrates LGBTQ+ seniors in SRQ
Reporting by Special to the Herald-Tribune, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Special to the Herald-Tribune, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
