Naples Pride News Archives

The city is requiring the drag show to be 18+ and indoors. Organizers say the city's police department is also nearly tripling their security fees for the event.

Naples Pride filed a lawsuit on April 10, 2025—represented by ACLU Florida and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP—along with a preliminary injunction over the weekend, against the City of Naples for violating our First Amendment rights by censoring our use of family-friendly drag as a form of celebration.

The lawsuit, brought by the ACLU of Florida and law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP on behalf of Naples Pride, argues the City of Naples has violated the First Amendment by prohibiting drag performances in their public parks

Naples Pride has sued the city of Naples after the Florida municipality ramped up security costs for this year’s event. City officials said opposition to the event at meetings prompted the city’s actions and that there would likely be excessive protests at the event.

While the Naples, Florida City Council voted 5-2 to approve the 2025 Naples Pride Festival on June 7 in Cambier Park, we are saddened that the five council members who voted in favor of the event also imposed a caveat: drag performances must occur indoors, in the dark, and be restricted to 18+ audiences.

Roughly 20 attendees gathered at the Collier County Courthouse and made their way to the admin offices, eventually concluding at Cambier Park. Naples Pride spearheaded the event.

U.S. citizens will be able to select the gender neutral "X" as a marker on their passport books starting April 11, the State Department said Wednesday. It made the announcement on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual day on March 31 that celebrates transgender people.

Members of Naples Pride, the advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ issues, will march through downtown as a finale to an afternoon campaign against two education bills targeting them.

On Friday evening, a group gathered in Naples to protest what’s being called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The tandem bills moving through the state legislature would outlaw instruction on gender identity and sexual preference in Florida public schools.

The Naples Pride Center was officially open; the first of its kind in Naples, and was created to be a place of solace for those learning more about themselves and their identity.

Local and religious leaders have responded to an anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ video shared on a Collier County student’s social media.

Naples Pride is super family-friendly,and combines performers , musicians, lots of drag queens, food and drink and kids' activities, as well as merchant tents.

Donations from this year’s festival will go toward opening a Naples Pride center for community resources and education to help others.

In case you weren't able to make it, check out the images we have taken from the Naples Pride Event.

The mission behind Naples Pride is to create a yearly event that also serves as a safe space for those in the community.

Here's a peek into the Naples Pride second annual event in Naples, Florida on June 2, 2018