Apr 27, 2022 - Politics

HRC puts "Don't Say Gay or Trans" billboard in Tampa

A billboard reading "Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomes you to FLORIDA the ("Sunshine" crossed out) "Don't say gay or trans" state"

Photo: Precision Strategies

The Human Rights Campaign is posting billboards around Florida billing the state's slogan as "The Sunshine 'Don't Say Gay or Trans State."

The big picture: LGBTQ+ advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit against Florida's "Parental Rights in Education" law, dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics.

  • HRC isn't part of the lawsuit, but the group launched the campaign to "raise public awareness around the ways Florida's image has been irreversibly damaged" by the law, HRC interim president Joni Madison said in a press release.

What they're saying: "Florida cannot be considered the 'Sunshine State' when Governor Ron DeSantis is putting so many of its constituents in harm's way," Madison said, per the release. "LGBTQ+ people are teachers, are parents, and yes, are students too — and we are going to keep fighting until this law is off the books."

Tampa's billboard is located on Westbound I-4 between Ybor City and the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.

  • There are three in Tallahassee and three more around Orlando.
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