(Screenshot via Winter Pride\/Instagram)<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG | Winter Pride<\/a> has announced this year\u2019s second annual celebration will include \u201cGlobal Rainbow: We Rise in Light,\u201d an LGBTQ+-focused laser installation.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a moment when LGBTQIA+ visibility is being challenged nationwide, Winter Pride is responding with light, visibility and purpose,\u201d the nonprofit shared Jan. 12. The group is fundraising to illuminate the city\u2019s skyline with \u201ca large-scale rainbow laser\u201d from the Mari Jean Hotel<\/a> Feb. 19-21.<\/p>\n Organizers say the inaugural Winter Pride<\/a> welcomed 57,000 supporters to St. Petersburg last February. The festivities preceded the removal of the city\u2019s Progressive Pride street mural<\/a> and more, which inspired this year\u2019s celebration to become even more visible.<\/p>\n Winter Pride Executive Director Rob Hall<\/a> notes that \u201cGlobal Rainbow: We Rise in Light\u201d is about more than the removal of local ar<\/a>t, however.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about the growing voices in Tallahassee and Washington that are actively trying to erase LGBTQIA+ people from public life,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis is our response. We are choosing light over fear, visibility over silence and love over erasure.\u201d<\/p>\n The installation will be provided by Global Rainbow<\/a>, led by celebrated artist Yvette Mattern. Her large-scale laser works have appeared in New York, Miami, London, Provincetown, Las Vegas and Berlin.<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout my work around the world, I\u2019ve learned that light carries meaning far beyond aesthetics,\u201d Mattern says. \u201cIn moments when communities are pushed into silence, light becomes a form of presence and protest.<\/p>\n \u201cBringing Global Rainbow to Winter Pride Saint Pete is about refusing to disappear, choosing visibility over fear, and reminding people that even in dark moments, we can still be seen,\u201d she continues.<\/p>\n Fundraising for \u201cGlobal Rainbow\u201d is underway, efforts which were initially backed by Inclusive Care Group<\/a>, from which Watermark Out News has requested comment. Winter Pride says they were \u201cthe first major contributor, along with donations from individuals across the community who believe in standing up for inclusion, dignity and belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n The project is not yet fully funded and fundraising efforts continue here.<\/a> Winter Pride also plans to host a launch gathering Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. to light the installation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you donate, you\u2019re not just funding an installation,\u201d organizers noted. \u201cYou\u2019re helping create a moment of collective visibility and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor many in our community, these lights are meant to be a reminder that they are not alone,\u201d Hall added. \u201cThis is a project we\u2019re building together and we\u2019re inviting others to help us bring it to life.\u201d<\/p>\n David Fischer<\/a>, a Winter Pride board member who owns the Mari Jean Hotel, also shared that the installation \u201creflects the heart of St. Petersburg and the strength of its community.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more and view video below:<\/p>\n Winter Pride is scheduled Feb. 15-22 in St. Petersburg. Donate to \u201cGlobal Rainbow: We Rise in Light\u201d here<\/a> and learn more at WinterPrideSaintPete.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Screenshot via Winter Pride\/Instagram) ST. PETERSBURG | Winter Pride has announced this year\u2019s second annual celebration will include…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116599,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":{"0":"post-116598","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-st-pete","9":"tag-st-pete-headlines","10":"tag-st-pete-news","11":"tag-st-petersburg","12":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","13":"tag-st-petersburg-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}