What pride means to me: Dan Renzi

Who is Dan Renzi
Dan first came to our attention in MTV’s Real World Miami, but since then he’s become a writer, blogger (danrenzi.typepad.com) and is now Editor-in-Chief of the Express Gay News, which is south Florida’s LGBT weekly newspaper (www.expressgaynews.com). Dan took us on a tour of Miami last year.

What does pride mean to you?
It’s a good time to remember that–despite how glamorous and fun the gay media says gay life is, with all the TV shows with gay characters and people coming out and such–not much has changed for many gay people in this country. People still need to feel like they can go somewhere and feel strength in numbers, seeing other people out there. I could get into the fate of gay people in the rest of the world, but I don’t want to start sounding like Sally Struthers. Anyway–that’s why, when there are gay pride events, it’s important for everyone to show up with a smiles on their faces.

What are you doing for pride this year?
South Florida is filled with Gay Pride events. The staff of our paper will be rolling down the street in a convertible, in the Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall Street Festival parade. But I am actually going up north to the Stonewall Ball, which is a fundraiser dinner for Compass, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Palm Beach. They have the same name, they’re on the same night, but they have nothing to do with each other. And neither have any association with Stonewall in New York. We have 17 different names for the word “gay,” yet we can’t come up with another name for their gay pride festivities.

Then I’m going to San Francisco’s gay pride, as the spokesperson for www.youcode.com. YouCode is sponsoring the Pride Run, so I am going to cheer on all the runners whilst I drink mimosas. Big fun.