In anticipation of Pride Month, Florida has made a decision that seems to be against its residents’ wishes. Florida had requested that all state-owned bridges be lit in red, blue, and white instead of pride colors.
On Friday, May 31, 2024, 70 individuals gathered at the Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville, with pride flags. The group gathered to light the bridge up in pride colors, protesting a government directive.
The Florida Department of Transportation had directed all bridges owned by the states to be lit in country flag colors. This directive was part of Florida’s Freedom Summer 2024 initiative, and it was to be run from Memorial Day until Labor Day. As a result of Labor Day being on September 2, 2024, the bridge will not be displaying Pride colors.
The directive prevents bridges like the Acosta, Sunshine Skyway, and Ringling, from their normal display of rainbow colors in June. However, the initiative does not only affect Pride Month, it also affects National Gun Violence Awareness Month and Juneteenth.
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The relationship between Florida’s LGBTQ+ community and state governor Ron DeSantis has caused people to suggest the directive was intentional. In May 2024, DeSantis signed a bill commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law. The bill prevented teachers in government-funded schools from using certain languages or discussing certain topics with their students.
Additionally, the governor asked for free entry to state-owned parks during the Memorial Day weekend. He also issued a sales tax holiday on recreational items purchased in July 2024.
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In protest of this directive, a Jacksonville local, Matt McAllister, arranged a personal light show of LGBTQ+ colors. He had organized the event two days after the announcement was issued on May 28, 2024. McAllister was on his honeymoon when he made the decision.
According to McAllister, he had expected a crowd of less than forty people, but the turn had left him in a state of disbelief. Expressing his joy, he said, “We thought we’d get 35 people for the bridge” and, “That would be a good night — that we’d get a couple of pictures and send them to our friends and say we did something. That this took off in such a way is so pleasing.”
The crowd had helped him with the decorations and lit the Main Street Bridge in rainbow pride colors. The mix of colors between the Main Street Bridge and the Acosta Bridge was an expression of freedom in America.
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McAllister had gone on to say the protest was about rights and the freedom to enjoy those rights. He added that what made the protest special was the message it sent to people seeing it. He said the bright colors on the rainbow showed resilience and togetherness.
Audiences from across the Southbank Riverwalk had been brought cheering by the impressive light show. The gathering eventually evolved into a show with several light displays, fireworks, and colored fountains. An attendee of the event was Jessica Griffith, who came with her father, to show solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community. In an interview, Griffith said they were going to celebrate who they were while offering an invitation to others at the location. She added that they intended to remind members of the LGBTQ+ community that they were safe.
Another participant was Sherwin Salla, who highlighted the event’s importance as a community celebration showing strength. Additionally, Salla said it was more of a way to show her community that they were strong and supported.
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