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CaptainTruth

(7,226 posts)
Fri Jun 2, 2023, 01:19 PM Jun 2023

LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days festival

Cross posting from GD.

LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days festival

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park rides, mingle with costumed performers, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside at hotels during Gay Days, a decades-long tradition.

Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws — spurring the most prominent gay rights group in the U.S. and other civil rights organizations to issue warnings the Sunshine State may no longer be safe — Gay Days organizers are still encouraging visitors from around the world to come to one of Florida’s largest gay and lesbian celebrations.

They say a large turnout will send a message that LGBTQ+ people are not going away in Florida, which is continually one of the most popular states for tourists to visit. If the hoped-for 150,000 or more visitors come to the half-week of pool parties, drag bingo and thrill rides at Orlando’s theme parks and hotels, then “that’s the point,” said Joseph Clark, CEO of Gay Days Inc.
-snip-

More at link.

https://apnews.com/article/florida-disney-desantis-lgbtq-gay-days-22811565acacb9c2209f53f73e097600]

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LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days festival (Original Post) CaptainTruth Jun 2023 OP
Good! FL has long been where many gays want to move (because it is warm). And they have SWBTATTReg Jun 2023 #1
That number might actually stay the hand OldBaldy1701E Jun 2023 #2
"Gay Days" take over Florida's Disney World. (Photos: Thomas Simonetti/Washington Post) LetMyPeopleVote Jun 2023 #3

SWBTATTReg

(24,131 posts)
1. Good! FL has long been where many gays want to move (because it is warm). And they have
Fri Jun 2, 2023, 01:51 PM
Jun 2023

lots of money for the most part. However, w/ Florida getting more and more expensive, I don't know if this is true anymore (w/ people moving to FL to live).

OldBaldy1701E

(6,374 posts)
2. That number might actually stay the hand
Fri Jun 2, 2023, 05:04 PM
Jun 2023

Of the DeSantis troopers. I doubt they can field tens of thousands of police just to patrol and cite people wearing boas and I doubt they could do much if those boa wearing revelers decided to really get spicy (read: belligerent over the DeSantis troopers out being brownshirts). But we will see. I just hope they don't have a 'Vegas sniper' scenario. I really, really hope that they don't.

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