Tallahassee’s pride fest took place in Kelmen Plaza this weekend, just steps away from the Florida Capitol where a lawmaker last week called members of the LGBTQ+ community mutants and demons. Event organizers say that’s one reason Pride Fest is important.
“This is who we are. We’re just people. We’re petty fabulous people, but we’re just people," saysTyler Clark-McLendon.
Clark-McLendon is the board chair for Tallahassee Pride. They hope the event can help fight misinformation about the LGBTQ+ community.
"With the misinformation and the misguidance and the labels and the hateful bigoted commentary coming out of the legislature, really trying to legislate the erasure of our community, it is more important now than ever to be visible," Clark-McLendon says.
Clark-McLendon says Pride is about is about members of the LGBTQ community being proud of who they are, but it’s also fighting for their right to be treated with dignity and equality.
Several bills that would impact the LGBTQ+ community are slated for a vote Wednesday on the House floor. The measures include a bill that puts rules in places about gender specific public bathrooms, a bill aimed at baring children from attending drag shows and a bill that bans gender affirming care for transgender kids and limits access to care for adults.
