No matter how many laws they pass against us we will not take it laying down. Pride will go on! Once again Pride parades are under attack in Florida.
South Florida Sun SentinelBy LISA J. HURIASHJanuary 31, 2024Pride event organizers are forging ahead with this year’s celebrations across Florida. And they’re hoping to draw larger crowds than last year, when some celebrations were canceled due to the state’s political climate.Among the hurdles that organizers say they’re now facing: It has become more challenging to secure sponsors.Not all companies want their names connected to Pride events “because of economic concerns but also political concerns,” said Patrick Gevas, spokesman for Miami Beach Pride, which will start its week of events April 5. “Sponsors are worried about spending going into an election.”The Stonewall Parade & Street Festival, one of South Florida’s largest pride celebrations, will take place on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors on June 15. Finding sponsors has risen as a primary concern, said Jeffrey Sterling, CEO of Stonewall Pride Inc. “It’s a No. 1 topic,” Sterling said.
The animosity that the right-wing is having it affect on us, people are going back into the closet and businesses don’t want to be associated with us.
“Overall with the political climate, the LGBTQ community still feels under attack by the governor,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. “The atmosphere has not overall changed, but there is a renewed sense of determination for a lot of people in the LBGBTQ community to show up and support the parade marchers.“They have to, right? To show they are visible, real people, not a threat and they don’t need all these bills … that curtail their rights.”[…]“The pushback by the courts on things like drag queens” has made people feel empowered, he said. “So I think people are starting to feel a lot more confident that the government is being put back in its place to serve the people and not run the people.”
We will not be subjugated, we will not become second class citizen.
All these anti-LGBTQ laws are being fought in court, Florida Republicans changed the Freedom of Information Act so that the state does not have to tell the voters what they are doing, so the voters will never know how much these laws are costing to be defended in courts.
The new law, labeled by its sponsors as the “Protection of Children Act,” prohibited any person from knowingly admitting a minor to an adult performance. It also authorized the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to fine, suspend, or revoke the operating or alcohol licenses of hotels or restaurants if they admit a child into an adult performance such as a drag show.[…]In response to a lawsuit filed by an Orlando restaurant, U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell issued a preliminary injunction against the new law, concluding that it violated First Amendment rights.The state is currently appealing that decision before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In November, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from DeSantis’ administration that would have allowed enforcement of the law during the legal battle.
Financing is always a problem with Pride celebrations, it is a tightrope walk between not having enough funding to becoming too commercialized.
It has left some financial hurdles. The festival organizer still owes the Broward Sheriff’s Office an outstanding balance of $33,396, and also another $8,000 to the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department.The city of Wilton Manors is willing to help. The City Commission is expected to vote in February whether to approve a $50,000 sponsorship to help pay for last year’s overdue security and public safety bills. Any funds that remain from the city’s support will be applied toward the 2024 bills.[…]Sterling said he hopes the city becomes an official sponsor, with the potential for contributing $50,000 each year. “It’s an opportunity for our inclusive city to make a public statement and lead by example,” he said. “We need a leader to stand up and say this is important.”
It is important to remember that the sponsors face retribution from a vengeful Republican governor and legislature.
No matter what they throw at us we will stand tall!
Remember... Cooper Do-nutd (‘59), Dewey’s (‘65), Silver Lake’s Black Cat Tavern (‘66), Compton Cafeteria (‘66), and Stonewalegll (‘69) we didn’t back down then and we will not back down now!
"The animosity that the right-wing is having it's effect on us, people are going back into the closet and businesses don’t want to be associated with us." Harry Hay in one of his essays predicted this would happen. "Everyone will be anything but "gay" he said. He also told us how to avoid this from happening. Did anyone of the misleaders listen. NO. They went about their merry way begging for a piece of the pie and a seat at the table. Isn't it due time that the Pride groups pay their outstanding debts and then go out from there? Reminder to them, Honey you can only really afford beer. I have to wonder when did the LGBT movement become so privileged? To think that they can just take.
ReplyDeleteI agree and remember Cooper Do-nuts, Dewy's Black Cat, Compton and Stonewall where the people fought back but the newbies on the block are on a whole different planet then those whose shoulders they stand on. A sorry shame and enough to turn this old queer straight. HA!!!!!