The Squeeze Is On

They are afraid of the White shirts and red hats.

Looking back over the summer and Pride season we see that businesses are afraid! They are really afraid after what they did to Target! They turned off the tap. Bigotry won.

At least two Florida cities will not hold their annual LGBTQ Pride events

Pride organizers in Fort Myers cited funding issues, while those in Tampa also cited the political environment.

NBC News

By Jo Yurcaba

Sept. 26, 2025

Pride organizers in the Florida cities of Tampa and Fort Myers will not hold their annual Pride events this year, citing funding issues.

There will be no Pride Southwest Florida in Fort Myers in November, according to Michael Hange, a board member for Pride-SWFL, the nonprofit that has historically organized the event. Pride Southwest Florida debuted in 2009 and returned last year after a multiyear Covid-19 hiatus, according to organizers.

This is the part where fear comes in...

Adam Larivee, the president of LGBTQ nonprofit Visuality, which has had a longstanding relationship with Pride Southwest Florida, said the annual event will not happen because of a lack of sponsorship dollars. He said his organization recently agreed to combine with Pride-SWFL and take over the event going forward.

The are running scared!

“Our goal in this environment is exposure, education and experience,” he said, adding that he believes negative backlash to the LGBTQ community is often rooted in a lack of knowledge. “Our goal is not necessarily to ruffle feathers, but to say, we’re here, that Fort Myers is a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.”

You see that is how "Don't Say Gay" works, "rooted in a lack of knowledge" when you pull book from library shelves, 

Pride events face budget shortfalls as US corporations pull support ahead of summer festivities

AP News

By  OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ

May 31, 2025

Many U.S. corporations this year stopped supporting Pride events that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget shortfalls ahead of the summer festivities and raising questions about corporate America’s commitment to the cause.

The moves come as President Donald Trump has shown antipathy for trans protections and has attempted to roll back some LGBTQ+ friendly federal policies. Experts also note that a growing slice of the public has grown tired of companies taking a stance on social and political issues.

But you know what? Pride began without sponsors, Pride was just a bunch of people in the streets. Pride came about because of oppression. Pride came about because of the roots not the tops!

Pride is being reshaped. I have noticed a trend, I won't say new because it is where we began... with a group of people coming together in unity. Not with streets lined with vendors trying to make a buck off of us. It was with people coming together handing out flyers and spreading love.

More churches are holding Pride event as counterpoint to the non-affirming churches,  they are coming together with love and not hate.

We are learning who our fair-weather friends are. Who throws whom off the bus. We see who stands by us. We see what companies stand by us and we see those who were out just to make a buck.

It is time for people's pride again. We cannot be silenced, we have found our voices.