TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – With Tampa Pride returning to the streets of Ybor City this weekend, the couple chosen to lead the parade are happy they are able to be the face of family representation in the Tampa Bay area.
Joy and Lael Winheim have known each other for over 20 years. After meeting and being close for a while, they lost touch before running into each other during grant writing training.
Through their work within the LGTBQ+ community, they were nominated to be grand marshal couple of the pride parade taking place in Ybor City this weekend.
“We are still kind of shocked ‘cause we’re not sure how that happened. I do a lot of work in the HIV community, and a lot of the times, the LGBTQ community and the HIV community intersect,” said Joy. “So I think between that work, I also am involved in Balance Tampa Bay, which is an LGBTQ support, or social [organization].”
As coronavirus restrictions continue to lift, Joy said they’re very excited to be a grand marshal couple, as the parade and celebrations are going to be televised this year.
“There’s so many people that are struggling with how they identify and to be able to watch it on TV and say, ‘these are people that are acting like I look and feel,’ and just some positive affirmation, especially kids that come out to the parade and it’s just a different idea of what family is and what families look like, because it so family-friendly. So I’m most excited about being able to be a part of that,” said Joy.
“I came out as a young person in Tampa 30 years ago, 30 something years ago. So it’s really nice to be full circle. I’ve come a long way, you know, since I was 19-years-old and you know, just really nice to recognize we’re in a city that celebrates all sorts of families,” said Lael.
Lael has worked a lot with children in her career, both as a teacher and in museums. She said one of her biggest goals was to incorporate the concepts of diversity of gender identification and sexuality into playtime.
She said that’s the safest place to explore being someone who is different from who people think you are.
“Put on a princess hat, or put on a tutu and run around,” said Lael. “And a lot of children who come out eventually as trans or non-binary talk about their experiences in play and how that’s really rooted in when they first felt in that recognition of themselves.”
As mothers to a 14-year-old son, both Joy and Lael are proud to show the family dynamic as a gay couple.
“LGBTQ families have the same issues as every other family,” Joy laughed. “Teenagers with messy rooms and routines and schools and everything else. Everything is the same, it doesn’t matter the parental makeup.”
Lael said they are fortunate their son has not endured a lot of teasing, but the couple knows families whose kids have.
In recent news of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida, the couple doesn’t believe it is going to have an overall effect on Tampa pride. Joy said despite the usual protesters, she isn’t anticipating any other trouble.
“I think people are going to come out in force and we’re just going to yell ‘gay’ from our car the whole entire parade route,” Joy said.
Overall, Lael believes the recent controversy may have a positive effect.
“We’ve come so far. The reality is, especially kids, are still having a lot of the same struggles. They’re having them younger and more openly, maybe, than we did, but [the bill is] not okay,” she said. “It’s lighting a fire under people who have been neutral or complacent to say, ‘no.’ We’re fighting. We’re going to say gay. We’re going to scream it from the rooftops, which is going to be great.”
Tampa Pride takes place this Saturday in Historic Ybor City.
The event will take place at the Hillsborough Community College Ybor Campus and the main stage for the event will be located in the Cuban Club courtyard.
The 2022 diversity parade will take place on Saturday, taking its route east from the corner of Nuccio Parkway and 7th Avenue, down 7th Avenue to 20th Street. The parade begins at 4 p.m. in front of Centro Ybor.