Defying DeSantis: Communities Show Their Rainbows as State Threatens Cities

Press Statement:
Defying DeSantis: Communities Show Their Rainbows as State Threatens Cities

St. Petersburg, FL — Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation have issued a new letter to cities threatening to withhold millions in critical emergency relief funding unless they remove street art, including rainbow crosswalks.

Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith released the following statement in response:

“Ron DeSantis is extorting Florida cities by threatening to withhold millions in taxpayer-funded relief unless they bow to his demands. This isn’t about safety. It’s a cowardly abuse of power and the latest in his campaign to ban books, whitewash history, and attack LGBTQ people. He’s already removed elected officials simply for disagreeing with him, nullifying the votes of Floridians and silencing local democracy. Cities must push back to protect the values that make them welcoming places to live, work, and visit.

DeSantis may paint over rainbows and art, but people are answering with defiance — chalking sidewalks, raising flags, covering cars with stickers, and businesses painting their parking lots with rainbows. These acts declare: we are not intimidated and we will not be erased.

For every rainbow DeSantis covers, our community will raise more — bigger, bolder, louder. They honor a history of resilience in the face of discrimination, from marriage bans and military expulsions to hate violence like the Pulse massacre.

Florida should be apologizing for those harms, not erasing symbols of resilience and survival. When forced into compliance, cities should respond with permanence: new memorials, public exhibits, and undeniable visibility.

Florida and the nation will respond by putting up art and murals and permanent symbols of respect and inclusion that are beyond the petty reach of DeSantis or Trump as they seek to curb our freedoms.

We call on every Floridian to #ShowYourRainbow. Stand up against censorship. Raise your flags higher. Hate will not win.”