It was St. Petersburg’s first LGBTQ Pri march sce the onslght of the Covid-19 panmic, and jt three months after Florida’s ernor signed what crics ll the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Contents:
- ‘WE SAY GAY’: FLORIDA’S LARGT PRI PARA DRAWS HUNDREDS OF THOANDS
- LGBTQ+ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR GAY DAYS FTIVAL
- LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
- FLORIDA GAY PRI PARA NCELED AFTER ANTI-DRAG SHOW LAW PASS
- FLORIDA TOWN NCELS ANNUAL GAY PRI PARA AS DESANTIS SET TO SIGN ANTI-DRAG BAN
‘WE SAY GAY’: FLORIDA’S LARGT PRI PARA DRAWS HUNDREDS OF THOANDS
* gay parade in florida *
“Florida is excement, ’s sunshe, happs, relaxatn … and all really hot-lookg people, ” said Carrie Wt, Print of the GaYBOR District Coaln Tampa’s Ybor Cy. Year-round, gay tourists om all over the world e to Florida to enjoy everythg om paras to film ftivals to roo events terg to the LGBTQ muny.
While the foc of this ftival is the dozens of documentari and short films chroniclg the liv of gay, lbian, bisexual and transsexual people, some e jt for the fancy soire.
LGBTQ+ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR GAY DAYS FTIVAL
LGBTQ people are flockg to Florida this weekend to take part Gay Days, Disney's Pri celebratn. * gay parade in florida *
What began 1991 as an unofficial weekend where LGBTQ visors show up at Disney World and wear red has blossomed to one of the world’s most popular and well-known weekends for gay and lbian tourist.
“We were voted the number one global statn 2013, which we’re exced about, ” said Chris Alexanr-Manley, Print of Gay Days, Inc. The Tampa Bay Bs Guild, the Bay Area Human Rights Coaln, and the Tampa Bay Gay Men’s Chos e together to host this film ftival, screened at the historic Tampa Theatre.
Petersburg’s first LGBTQ Pri march sce the onslght of the Covid-19 panmic, and jt three months after Florida’s ernor signed what crics ll the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN
Along wh rabow hats, eye makp, clothg and flags, there were prott signs the sea of Pri revelers, cludg those that said “We say gay” and "Bans off our bodi. The measure, which crics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, prohibs classroom stctn on genr inty and sexual orientatn Florida classrooms for stunts “ krgarten through gra 3 or a manner that is not age appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards.
McKeon hosted a booth where he sold water bottl, T-shirts and stickers wh “Jt Say Gay” emblazoned across the ont of each em. In the week until the “Don’t Say Gay” law tak effect — and a moment time that for many queer people has brought a sense of unease about their future — the ever-faiar “pri as prott” rea lored how many celebrated the largt event of s kd Florida, a state that has propelled self to the center of the latt culture war.
FLORIDA GAY PRI PARA NCELED AFTER ANTI-DRAG SHOW LAW PASS
Dpe the 90-gree heat and humidy that ntued to the early eveng hours and a smatterg of anti-gay protters holdg signs that said “J Lov You” and “How Can I Pray for You, ” patrons stayed for hours after the para, visg vendors and lol bs, and dancg North Strb Park. -- Tens of thoands of LGBTQ+ people are flockg to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park ris, mgle wh stumed performers, dance at all-night parti and lounge poolsi at hotels durg Gay Days, a s-long though Gov.
Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have champned a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws — spurrg the most proment gay rights group the U. And other civil rights anizatns to issue warngs the Sunshe State may no longer be safe — Gay Days anizers are still enuragg visors om around the world to e to one of Florida's largt gay and lbian say a large turnout will send a msage that LGBTQ+ people are not gog away Florida, which is ntually one of the most popular stat for tourists to vis.
If the hoped-for 150, 000 or more visors e to the half-week of pool parti, drag bgo and thrill ris at Orlando's theme parks and hotels, then “that's the pot, ” said Joseph Clark, CEO of Gay Days Inc. Gay Days is a bon 's not lost on the anizers that the highlight of the weekend will be a Saturday meetup of LGBTQ+ visors at the Magic Kgdom at Walt Disney World, where the first Gay Days started as a sgle-day celebratn 1991. Currently, Disney is embroiled a legal fight wh DeSantis over the ernor and Republin lawmakers' takeover of Disney World's erng district — after Disney officials publicly opposed legislatn that crics have dubbed “Don't Say Gay.
FLORIDA TOWN NCELS ANNUAL GAY PRI PARA AS DESANTIS SET TO SIGN ANTI-DRAG BAN
— recently issued a travel and relotn warng for the state, jog the NAACP, the League of Uned Lat Amerin Cizens, the Florida Immigrant Coaln and Equaly the LGBTQ+ advocy group said wasn’t llg for a boytt of all travel to Florida, said wanted to highlight new laws passed by the Republin-ntrolled Florida Legislature that they said are hostile to the LGBTQ+ muny and rtrict abortn accs, as well as make the state unsafe for many by allowg people to rry ncealed weapons whout a participants the Pri Cup athletic petns at Gay Days cid not to e, forcg the ncellatn of dodgeball and flag football tournaments. But the multi-sport petn that is held annually at Gay Days will still have beach volleyball, golf, pickleball and before the travel advisori were issued, some regular Florida visors were rensirg their plans. “It’s ls a csa and more like, ‘I’m not gog to spend my money where bad thgs are gog on, ’” Hayn the anizers of Gay Days and their supporters say that Orlando is as gay-iendly a cy as they e, earng a perfect sre on the Human Rights Campaign x, which measur how clive ci are of LGBTQ+ rints and visors.
“We live a bubble here Orlando, where even wh the chaos Florida, we feel safe here, ” said Jeremy Williams, edor--chief of Watermark Publishg Group Inc., a Florida-based media pany that is one of the sponsors of Gay Days has survived past challeng, cludg the early years when Disney posted signs at the Magic Kgdom's entrance warng visors there was a large gatherg of gays and lbians and offerg pass to other parks for guts who might be offend.
Over the last three s, though, the theme parks and rorts have thrown down the wele mats as Gay Days has bee a profable bounce between the sprg break and out-of-school summer crowds. Durg Gay Days the 1990s, hundreds of anti-abortn activists wh Operatn Rcue protted outsi Walt Disney World, and the Southern Baptist Conventn ced the gatherg llg for a boytt of all thgs Disney. Some Christian groups tried to buy air time durg Gay Days the late 1990s to prsure people to renounce their sexual orientatn, but mastream TV statns Orlando rejected the Clark, the CEO of the Gay Days bs, had his wish, DeSantis would accept an open vatn to see one of the drag shows durg this year's ftivi.