ORLANDO, Fla. — One of the biggest Pride celebrations in Florida will scale back its festivities this year because it can’t find enough corporate sponsors to fund the event, organizers said.
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Come Out With Pride, which has been held annually in October since 2005, said it will abandon a portion of Lake Eola Park that hosted a hyperlocal showcase last year and make other unspecified adjustments as it works to reconfigure its event.
The showcase was part of an expansion last year, but its cancellation and others were tied directly to the lack of sponsorships.
“We’re having to go back to the drawing board and say, you know, what, what does the footprint look like?” Executive Director Tatiana Quiroga explained. “We’re not trying to pull off any magic here. Again, we’re a tiny nonprofit.”
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Quiroga didn’t say how many of last year’s sponsors aren’t returning, or why. However, the political landscape in Florida around gay and transgender rights and pride events has shifted dramatically in the last two years.
Some corporations, including Disney and the Tampa Bay Rays, have been penalized by the state government for opposing the views of Gov. DeSantis – Disney, specifically, for issuing a statement against the Parental Rights in Education law.
“I think that it’s becoming more and more commonplace for people to be openly transphobic or hateful and say things that were not okay a few years ago,” LGBTQ+ advocate Yasmin Flasterstein said.
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In many ways, the show will go on. Quiroga did not indicate the mile-long parade or nighttime fireworks show would be affected and said the festival parts that have been cut could be reinstated if additional sponsors come through.
In the meantime, the organization has been more aggressive about asking for private donations to make up the shortfall, something Quiroga said has never happened in the past.
“The biggest thing about Come Out With Pride is that we are a completely free event, where again, so many other prides don’t have the ability to say that,” she said. “We want to continue to offer this free event to the caliber that it always has been.”
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The other thing that hasn’t changed is the welcoming nature. Quiroga said the event would continue to be family-friendly and welcoming to all, though the message surrounding this year’s celebration would be slightly more somber in tone.
“The community has experienced a lot of challenges and a lot of direct attacks, so we want to make sure that the tone of the pride that we’re putting together is also reflective of that,” she said, “While at the same time creating an opportunity for folks in the community to have fun and rejoice and just be able to have a day where you can let your head hair down and be part of a larger community.”
She added that conversations with law enforcement agencies have been productive and she was confident this year’s celebration would be as safe as years past.
Come Out With Pride is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 21. More information about the event can be found on the organization’s website.
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