Florida town cancels annual Gay Pride parade as DeSantis set to sign anti-drag ban

By Tatyana Pandanpolie

On April 21, 2023

Port St. Lucie’s “Pridefest” has been held for decades — until Republicans started to crack down on LGBTQ+ freedoms

AFlorida nonprofit has canceled its LGBTQ+ pride parade and restricted its “Pridefest” events to adults 21 and older in anticipation of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of a bill intended to prohibit children from attending drag shows.

The Pride Alliance of Treasure Coast announced the decision on Wednesday in a Facebook post, citing multiple conversations with Port St. Lucie officials ultimately advising the organization to “be on the side of caution” as they awaited DeSantis’ signing.

“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,” the post read. “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.”

A message regarding this weekend’s pride fest… support and follow Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast

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 dishearten 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.

-Pride of the Treasure Coast, Inc. Facebook post

On Wednesday, the Florida House sent the bill aimed at the Republican governer’s opposition to drag to his office. The legislation, which has not yet been signed, would give the state the power to revoke food and beverage licenses from businesses that admit children to those performances. DeSantis’ administration has already started to act against these businesses, attempting to pull the liquor license of a Miami hotel they allege exposed children to “lewd displays” during a Christmas drag show.

The bill is one of three attacking the LGBTQ community the Florida House of Representatives has passed; the others further target transgender youth and medical care for trans people.

The Florida Board of Education also approved an expansion of last year’s “Don’t Say Gay” law on Wednesday, enforcing a ban on classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through to the 12th grade as opposed to the initial limit up to the 3rd grade. 

“Gender ideology has no place in our K through 12 school system,” CNN reports DeSantis said on Wednesday during a South Carolina book tour stop. “It’s wrong for a teacher to tell a student that they may have been born in the wrong body or that their gender is a choice and so we don’t let that happen in Florida.”

In lieu of the parade, the Pride Alliance said in its post that it will be hosting a family-friendly “Party in the Park” event “where our youth can celebrate who they are as well in conjunction with the Sanctuary of the Treasure Coast.”

The event organizers also encourage people to continue to support and attend the Pridefest events in whatever form they take.

“We’re not protesting,” P.J. Ashley, the board president of Port St. Lucie’s Sanctuary LGBTQ+ Community Center’s, told WPTV. “We’re coming out to show that we’re not going to hide. We’re going to show up we’re going to enjoy each other. We’re going to be one.”

This piece was republished from the Salon.