ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- City officials and LGBTQ leaders raised the rainbow flag at City Hall for Pride Month events during June.
Mayor Ken Welch and other speakers at the event threw jabs at the Florida legislature and state government in Tallahassee, following several culture war clashes over LGBTQ-related issues.
Welch urged the audience to shout "We Are St. Pete" and to "say it so they can hear you in Tallahassee." Nicole Berman, executive director of St. Pete Pride, declared that "trans rights are human rights, Black Lives Matter, (and) LGBTQIA+ individuals deserve the right to live authentically without the fear of discrimination or violence." Berman also insisted that Pride shows "no matter what legislators or public figures are telling us, that we are welcome here... not just accepted but celebrated... not just welcome but necessary."
This follows clashes over the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics, which banned discussion of sexual orientation and other topics in public school classrooms, which was modified by a court settlement to say that those topics may be discussed as long as they are not part of instruction. Other flashpoints have included efforts to remove books from school libraries with LGBTQ themes, efforts to crack down on minors' attendance at drag shows, and a state decision to light the Sunshine Skyway in red, white and blue all summer long, pre-empting an effort to use Pride colors during June. State lawmakers considered a bill that would have banned Friday's ceremony, by prohibiting cities from flying non-governmental flags from buildings, including the Pride flag.
Supporters say these laws are aimed at protecting children from inappropriate discussion of sexual topics and indecent exhibitions by drag performers. The decision to light the Skyway for "Freedom Summer" came following the objection by a Manatee County commissioner.
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