Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis (Photo: Shutterstock)

Last month we reported on how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was marking Pride Month in the most petty way possible. As part of his “Freedom Summer” initiative, major Florida bridges would be lit in red, white and blue between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 

This, of course, means no special lighting to mark events such as Pride Month or Juneteenth.

Bridges such as the Sunshine Skyway over Tampa Bay and the Ringling Bridge in Sarasota, among others, usually have rainbow lights for a few days each Pride Month.

Many LGBTQ+ people and allies in the state were unhappy about this. Some decided to protest in the best way possible on Friday night. They walked onto the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville with flashlights. They then lit up the bridge for a short while with rainbow colors. 

The organizers are a group called “Pride In Our Freedom”, according to News4Jax.

Jacksonville.com reports that around 70 protestors walked along the pedestrian walkway beside the Main Street bridge.

“I thought it came off great,” Jacksonville resident Matt McAllister, who helped organize the lighting event, told the media outlet. 

“We thought we’d get 35 people for the bridge,” he said. “We thought 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 bridge also had its red, white and blue lights running down its middle. 

McAllister said he was on honeymoon in Leipzig, Germany, when he heard about the decision not to allow rainbow lights on the bridges. The city was formerly part of East Germany. McAllister, aware of Leipzig’s history, found the DeSantis administration’s orders chilling. 

“Freedom is unnecessary if there is no diversity, and diversity is impossible without freedom,” McAllister told News4Jax. “So tonight, what you’ll see in symbolic light is the red, white and blue that symbolizes our freedom.”

“And, of course, the rainbow, which symbolizes our diversity, that these aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, they can only exist in and of one another. And I think that’s a beautiful message.”

Fellow resident Sherwin Salla, who joined in the event with an orange flashlight, said, “The biggest thing was just showing solidarity and making sure that our freedom is holding. It was more of a fun celebration to show our community that we still stand strong.”

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris mark Pride Month

Unsurprisingly, Ron DeSantis did not issue any Pride Month messages on his social media. However, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both did so – prompting thousands of angry comments from some conservatives. 

Related*

GOP Rep. demands he join Pride parade despite organizers not wanting him there

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