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Miami Beach is going to be crawling with loud, feisty, LGBT this Saturday for Orgullo, the first ever Hispanic LGBT pride event. Organizers put together a saucy line up of Hispanic entertainers, including Jose (from Minuto de Fama), Adora & Teddy Behr, Marytrini, Mariloly, and Shanay Bright. Unfortunately, multi Grammy Award winner Olga Tañon, who had been scheduled to headline the show, canceled.
“Much to our dismay, we had to terminate Olga Tañón’s participation in Celebrate Orgullo. The reason is a very personal one and has nothing to do with the event, the Hispanic and/or LGBT community, or the South Florida community. Tañón has always publicly supported the Hispanic and LGBT communities throughout her career,” said Olga’s manager Denizard Billy in a published statement.
Even so, the show will go on. We caught up with Josue Santiago, one of the founders and organizers of the event.
New Times: If there is already a Miami Beach Pride, why the need for Orgullo?
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Josue Santiago: The Hispanic culture is integral in the South Florida
community. Our culture is rich and diverse, and it is the spice the
punches up the flavor of the community. From our experience at the
successful Miami Beach Pride, we noticed that, like the make-up of the
mainstream community, a significant portion of attendees were Hispanic
and most were interested in those things that they could identify with.
Also, we felt the need to recognize members of the our community that
have supported the Hispanic LGBT community and to achieve this, we’ve
named Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower as our honorary Orgullo Queen and we
will be honoring officer Juan Sanchez. Overall, that is why we came
together to produce an event exclusively for the Hispanic community.
How did the event come about?
Aside from what I answered above, Ivan Cano, general manager of the
Palace Bar in South Beach, brought together the initial team comprised
of local community leaders a few months ago to execute on the concept
rather quickly. The members then each brought in other
community-oriented volunteers and divided the responsibilities to get it
all done.
Can you tell us some of the things people can expect when they attend?
At the end of the day, it’s all about coming together and celebrating
the contributions of the Hispanic community. People can expect to have
good food, great drinks, and an excellent time in beautiful Miami
Beach. We have an excellent line-up on our stages that will showcase
talent of all walks from the Hispanic community, from local to
international levels.
Who do you hope attends Orgullo? Who would you like to reach?
We hope that everyone from all walks of life attend Orgullo. We’re
working hard to create a family atmosphere that Hispanics and those who
love them, can appreciate and enjoy.
Move those hips this Saturday at Lummus Park on 12th Street and Ocean Drive from noon to 6 p.m. The event is free. Visit
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