By Kate Plummer
Copyright newsweek
A Florida Pride organization has canceled its upcoming events because of the “political and economic climate.”The Tampa Pride Board announced on Facebook that it was taking a one-year hiatus and that its director’s contract was not being renewed.Why It MattersFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis has launched a number of initiatives aimed at tackling what he terms “woke” culture. In 2022, he signed HB 1557, nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which banned “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner.”What To KnowA letter to the Tampa Pride Board’s president Carrie West said her contract would conclude on August 31, 2025. The letter, posted on Facebook, read: “We recognize the festival and parade’s significant financial contribution to local businesses and its vital role to our LGBTQIA+ community. However, this pause is necessary for the organization to regroup, reassess our long-term strategy, and identify additional avenues of funding to secure the future stability of Tampa Pride events.”It also said: “The current political and economic climate, including challenges with corporate sponsorships, reductions in county, state and federal grant funding, and the discontinuation of DEI programs under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has made it increasingly difficult for our organization to sustain ongoing operations for 2026.”The organization will not host its annual Pride Festival and Diversity Parade or other events, according to the letter.It comes amid other anti-DEI measures in the state. In September, St. Petersburg removed the words “diversity” and “equity” from two city offices.Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has removed rainbow-colored LGBTQ+ Pride crosswalks in multiple cities in the state including a rainbow crosswalk created in Orlando as part of a memorial for the 49 people fatally shot at the Pulse nightclub in 2016.At the national level, President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year to remove officials overseeing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs.What People Are SayingWendy Via, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism told Newsweek: “The cancellation of the Tampa Pride events is the latest outcome of a coordinated nation-wide campaign by right-wing political figures and organizations to chill public participation and coerce companies into withdrawing their financial sponsorships for events that celebrate the diversity that makes our country great. Draconian anti-LBGTQ+ policies and legislation in states like Florida, and across the country, are having their intended impact – to marginalize and dehumanize a segment of our population as a major step toward implementing an authoritarian state.”Zach Eisenstein, Director of Communications at The Trevor Project told Newsweek: “The Trevor Project’s research shows that LGBTQ+ young people who have access to welcoming and supportive spaces and communities report lower rates of suicide risk compared to those who do not. Yet, only 20% of LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S. reported having access to affirming community events. It’s critical to understand that anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric take a real and measurable toll on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. State lawmakers ought to encourage safe, supportive community events that welcome all residents, not just some.”Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told Florida Politics she expects a pride celebration to still occur in the city next year “in some form.””Tampa’s Pride events have been volunteer-driven and supported by the community. The grassroots support is still there, and this moment is an opportunity to rethink and reinvigorate Tampa’s Pride celebration by drawing on history but also looking to a brighter future.”What Happens NextSt. Pete Pride, which hosts the largest pride parade in the Southeast U.S., has said that its 2026 events will continue.
