Defying DeSantis, Florida Pride Marchers Light Up Jacksonville Bridge with Rainbow Colors
LGBT Floridians demonstrated that they didn’t need state permission for queer visibility.
Last year, when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a ban on the cherished tradition of lighting up Florida bridges in rainbow colors for Pride, queer activists brought flashlights and did it themselves.
This year, as the hordes of rally-goers approached the Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville, flashlights in tow, the drawbridge began to rise—with no warning and no boats approaching, organizers told Erin in the Morning. The bridge stayed upright until the marchers turned around and left, but they didn’t go home.
Instead, organizers pivoted and walked to the nearby Acosta Bridge, which is contiguous. There, they celebrated Pride with the full spectrum of the rainbow—showing they didn’t need permission from the state for queer visibility.
“We organized our friends and community to make it happen,” said Erika d’Amore, one of the organizers behind the action. “I want everyone to know that they have every right and every ability they need within them to make their own statements. We need to work together to make sure that we don't get erased.”
The governor’s office and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) did not respond to requests for comment as to whether the bridge had been raised for the purpose of stifling the march.
“I wouldn't put it past the governor's office to do something like that,” said Florida State Representative Angie Nixon in an interview with Erin in the Morning. She attended the bridge lighting to show support for LGBT Floridians.
“The governor chooses to be a jerk [but] there are people here that are for them and see them and love them,” Rep. Nixon said. “They should be loud and proud about whoever it is that they are.”
Earlier this year, a trans woman in Florida was arrested for entering a women’s restroom in the State Capitol. It is one of the most dangerous states for LGBT people. Erin in the Morning’s risk assessment map warns trans travelers to avoid it altogether if possible. Florida has also been the vanguard for various anti-LGBT policies, such as the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the forced detransition of incarcerated trans people.
In contrast, the bridge lighting honors the Stonewall Riots of June 1969, which was sparked by Black trans people and drag queens resisting police violence at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The uprising inspired queer liberation actions across the country and the globe. It is widely regarded as a watershed moment for the LGBT rights movement as it is known today.
Reverend Madison Hilt, a pastor at Riverside Church in Jacksonville—who herself is trans, and spoke at the march—told Erin in the Morning that events like the bridge lighting are an important reminder of what Pride is all about.
“It means showing solidarity with my community and showing love,” she said. “My beautiful beloved home in the state of Florida has been and always will be a melting pot of different people.”
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When I no longer see crosses and fish symbols plastered all over cars, I might consider making my queerness less visible. Until then, they can just look another direction if it bothers them so much.
Every day there is a new atrocity projected at LGBTQ community, immigrants, and people who struggle against poverty, or have their healthcare taken from them. The fact that folks fight against it gives me hope. I am a nearly 80 year old white man but will continue to struggle against the government as long as I can, Fight!!!