It was St. Petersburg’s first LGBTQ Pride march since the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it comes just three months after Florida’s governor signed what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

By Nicole Slaughter Graham and Zachary Schermele

Photo by Melody Timothee

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Florida’s largest annual Pride march returned to St. Petersburg this past weekend for the first time since 2019. This year, however, the celebratory event took on a more activist tone as revelers contended with the lingering coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, and a new state law limiting LGBTQ classroom instruction.

St. Pete’s Pride Parade drew an estimated 300,000 people to the downtown waterfront parks Saturday for the event’s 20th anniversary, according to organizers. Along with rainbow hats, eye makeup, clothing and flags, there were protest signs in the sea of Pride revelers, including those that said “We say gay” and "Bans off our bodies.”

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