Pride Month, a national tradition celebrating and commemorating the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community, begins this Saturday, June 1. But controversy has been stirred up once again as Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration announced that state-run bridges may only be lit up in red, white and blue from Memorial Day through Labor Day (dubbed “Freedom Summer”), attempting to overshadow the celebration. While the color choice is uncontroversial, the decision to replace it with rainbow colors carries deeper political meaning that cannot be ignored.
In recent years, lighting up bridges or buildings with certain colors has become a powerful symbol of political and social movements. The White House was famously lit up in rainbow colors after same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015, and similar gestures are made in many cities each June to celebrate Pride Month. DeSantis’s directive to limit the color scheme to patriotic hues is a clear attempt to further marginalize the LGBTQ+ community, given his administration’s track record.
DeSantis’ hostility towards our community is well known. His administration has targeted us through harmful and exclusionary legislation. The move to limit bridge illumination is just another choice to erase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2021, when Jacksonville’s Ringling Causeway was suddenly replaced with rainbow colors for Pride Month, he claimed he had nothing to do with it, but this time, he seized the opportunity to take a more extreme stance while cloaking his actions in the rhetoric of freedom.
Frankly, I don’t need bridges lit up in rainbow colors to validate my family or to be proud of myself and the community I’m in. But what infuriates me is the Governor’s appropriation of the word freedom to promote his vision of a Florida that suppresses diversity, silences dissent, bans books, rewrites history, and limits the rights of women, voters, and the LGBTQ+ community. This is not freedom, this is oppression disguised as freedom.
The term “Freedom Summer” originally referred to a movement in 1964 to register Black voters and promote social justice. By repurposing the phrase, DeSantis is not celebrating the civil rights movement but distorting its meaning to support his own restrictive policies. His idea of freedom is a Florida where true freedom is suppressed and the voices of the marginalized are silenced.
Some may argue, and I agree, that bridge lights are an inconsequential issue. But these lights are symbolic of a broader struggle for visibility and acceptance. The skirmish over the bridge lights reflects the larger war for our freedom. When certain lights go out, so does the light of true freedom. The onslaught of attacks is constant, but not fighting back over even the smallest things leads to complacency and ultimately to acquiescence.
This summer is certainly about freedom, but not the freedom DeSantis has in mind. This is about our collective freedoms that are being eroded every day — our right to be who we are, to love who we choose, and to live without fear of discrimination or harm. We must make voters aware of the dangers posed by our current political climate and take action this summer.
This summer should be a beacon in the fight to protect our freedoms. DeSantis may try to erase Pride, but the essence of Pride — the celebration of inclusion and diversity — cannot be erased.
Our vision of freedom, where everyone can be proud of who they are, is brighter and more inspiring. So I say to you: Happy Pride, Happy Freedom Summer! Let’s show our true colors and fight for the freedom that includes us all.
Todd Delmay is the executive director of SAVE, a South Florida political advocacy group dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
