Bella Dunbar grew up in Vero Beach — a town she describes as less than inclusive for LGBT and Latinx people — where she and her brother struggled in finding their identity, community, and acceptance.
Just out of college in 2017, she credits a friend for inviting her to her first Gay8 (GayOcho) gathering where she found her people, her place, and a chance to explore her identity. It was aligned with her Cuban roots and gave her a sense of family.
“I just started crying, I didn’t know any of these people, but it felt like home to me … I just never left,” she said. “So much love in one room … We all have a place here.”
Dunbar describes this feeling and its transformational power as “the Gay8 Magic.” From that first gathering, Dunbar began volunteering. She quickly began managing social media — a skill she turned into her business, Vida Digital — and came to lead LYNN’s Girl Central party, recently renamed to honor the party's late founder Lynn Bove.
“Our party is such a beautiful melting pot of what we are and what we can be … [Lynn] was so loving and kind,” she said. “I do everything I can to still make it exactly how she would like it.”
Dunbar sees her work and its continuation as transforming the community.
“Gay8 makes it about acceptance and love. Little Havana was not somewhere you went with your partner — now there’s always something rainbow,” she said. “We’ve given [our community] an opportunity to be accepting.”
Homepage: OUT & PROUD 50 2023