To help kick off Pride Weekend, Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson hosted a bike ride on the evening of Friday, June 23. Nearly 40 residents decorated themselves and their bikes and took part in the Pride Ride, which commenced at the Gulfport Historical Museum and consisted of a 30-minute tour of the city before ending at the downtown waterfront, where participants enjoyed beverages and camaraderie. “Everyone deserves the same chances, without discrimination against being who they were born to be,” Henderson wrote in his June 22 Gabber column announcing the Pride Ride. “The battle for equality is a battle for a kinder, more equitable society, which is beneficial for everyone, and that battle should belong to all of us.”
Jody Robinson of Gulfport bedazzled herself and her bicycle for Mayor Sam Henderson’s Pride Ride event on Friday, June 23. Robinson even brought her dogs Spirit and Angel along for the ride. 
Gulfport resident Stacey Purcell shows off her Pride-fully decorated trike that she brought for Mayor Sam Henderson’s Pride Ride on Friday, June 23.
