Logo via Pride of the Treasure Coast, Inc.‘s Facebook page.
The organizers and group that operates the LGBTQ+ Pridefest and Pride parade announced April 19 that in anticipation of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing Senate Bill 1438 (SB 1438), which effectively grants state agencies the power to target LGBTQ+ friendly businesses and events, Pridefest will only be accessible to residents 21 and older.
The announcement also notified the greater Treasure Coast community that the Pride parade was canceled. The Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast issued the following statement:
“As all of you know, the political climate that we are currently in has us all very concerned for our community. After multiple meetings with city officials, it is with a heavy heart that Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast has to announce that this weekend’s Pridefest will now be a 21 and older event.
The city has decided that with the likelihood that the Governor will sign the latest bill into effect this evening, that we will need to be on the side of caution and has required us to make this necessary change. We are obviously upset and disheartened that it has come to this. We also regret to announce that we will have to cancel our plans to bring back our beloved parade.
We hope that everyone understands that this is definitely not what we wanted at all and are working with the city to assure our safety as well as produce a positive event. We have held off as long as we could in making this announcement as we were hoping it would not have to be made. We hope that everyone still supports out community and attends this event! We will be making an announcement in the near future about a family friendly Party in the Park where our youth can celebrate who they are as well in conjunction with the Sanctuary of the Treasure Coast.”
Former state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who is currently running for a state Senate seat to represent the Orlando area, tweeted: “SB 1438 hasn’t even been signed into law, yet city officials are CANCELING pride parades + drag performances. The bill DOES NOT ban drag or pride. But it relies on vague language and harsh penalties to instill fear that inevitably leads to self-censorship– that was their goal.”
Brandon Wolf, the Press Secretary for the largest state-wide LGBTQ+ equality and human rights advocacy group Equality Florida, in a text with the Blade noted: “These are the intended chilling effects of DeSantis’ slate of hate legislation. Just as the Don’t Say LGBTQ law didn’t direct school districts to rip down rainbow stickers, this bill does not ban drag or pride. But it uses vague language and threats to induce self-censorship.”
Smith in a follow-up tweet urged; “Now is the time for our community and our allies to STAND STRONG, to proudly carry on with pride celebrations and drag performances, and join us in the fight against our state’s all-out assaults on our democracy and our freedom.”
The ACLU of Florida condemned the passage of Senate Bill 1438 (SB 1438) and its companion bill, House Bill 1423. Kara Gross, ACLU of Florida’s legislative director and senior policy counsel, responded to in a statement:
“Parents, not politicians, have the right to decide how to raise their children and what they are allowed to view. This harmful bill effectively revokes the rights of parents to determine what content is appropriate for their own families, even their teenagers. As if book bans and curriculum censorship weren’t enough, the Florida Legislature is now imposing its views on parents and families at the cost of LGBTQ+ people.
“Make no mistake: SB 1438 is a blatant attempt to erase drag performers and silence the LGBTQ+ community.
“The unclear and vaguely worded bill will impact businesses and venues that host plays, musical performances, art exhibits, and other forms of expression that the state may subjectively deem inappropriate. Will parents be able to take their families to the opera if there are singers performing in roles that require cross-dressing? What about Shakespeare performances? Furthermore, all it would take is a teen with a fake ID for a business owner to lose everything. We have grave concerns that businesses may end up self-censoring rather than running afoul of the law and risk losing their license or becoming entangled with the criminal legal system.
“With this bill, Gov. DeSantis and certain politicians are imposing their personal beliefs on Floridians by punishing private businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community. The Governor likes to tout that he is ‘pro-businesses,’ but this bill is anything but that. This is an extreme governmental overreach of power. This is not democracy. This is not freedom.”
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