TALLAHASSEE, Florida (LifeSiteNews) – As non-woke Americans brace for government agencies and corporations alike to saturate the national landscape with rainbow imagery commemorating LGBT Pride Month in June, Florida has taken yet another step against virtue-signaling by announcing the state’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge will instead be lit red, white, and blue all summer.
The Washington Examiner reported that Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue announced the bridge will be illuminated in the colors of the nation’s banner from Memorial Day on May 7 through Labor Day on September 2 for “Freedom Summer,” ending the tradition of giving the bridge rainbow lights for one week in June.
Manatee County Commission chairman Mike Rahn, who presides over one of the three counties joined by the bridge, added that the decision came from the office of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “My concern is if we’re going to do it (rainbow lighting) for one group, we have to do it for all groups, no matter what their political stance is,” he said in response to critics of the move. “I feel, personally, that the bridge is being politicized by different organizations.”
The move is the latest in DeSantis’ lengthy, proactive conservative record making Florida the place “where woke goes to die,” as he said in his second inaugural address. That record has included leading roles against left-wing indoctrination in education, Chinese government influence in state affairs, and woke ideology in the corporate world.
In February, he endorsed legislation to establish that only the American flag and the Florida state flag may be permitted to fly on government property, ending the habit of rogue local officials erecting rainbow banners. That bill died in committee in March, but is likely to be revived in the future.
As for Pride Month, it remains to be seen just what shape it will take in 2024. LGBT activists and their backers in government and media are as persistent as ever, but last year, LifeSiteNews observed a downtick in the number of mainstream corporations rebranding their logos and social media presences in rainbow themes. Earlier this month, major retailer Target confirmed it would be limiting the amount of LGBT merchandise to the most receptive locations as well as limiting in-store offerings to adult apparel rather than children’s versions, to the anger of LGBT activists.