A group of elected New York Democrats and LGBTQ activists gathered at Chelsea Piers in New York City to protest Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis appearing at a conference on Sunday.
Demonstrators held signs and banners calling for a boycott of the location, opposing the governor’s recent signing of the Parental Rights in Education bill that bans instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade.
New York state Democratic Sen. Brad Hoylman also took to Twitter to express his concerns over the event.
“As #LGBTQ elected officials we demand @ChelseaPiersNYC cancel the event with “Don’t Say Gay” Florida Governor @RonDeSantisFL during #pridemonth2022 in Chelsea, the heart of our community,” he tweeted.
As #LGBTQ elected officials we demand @ChelseaPiersNYC cancel the event with “Don’t Say Gay” Florida Governor @RonDeSantisFL during #pridemonth2022 in Chelsea, the heart of our community ⬇️⬇️⬇️@DeborahJGlick @ebottcher https://t.co/rGsUJMOq4D
— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) June 6, 2022
The event was hosted by the Jewish group called the Tikvah Fund, according to The New York Post.
“Local pols who attended the Sunday demonstration included US Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D- Upper East Side), State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D- Lower Manhattan), Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou (D- Chinatown), and Lt. Gov. contender Ana María Archila,” the outlet noted.
In addition to protesting DeSantis over the Parental Rights in Education law, some argued that the governor should not be speaking at the event during Pride Month.
Chelsea Piers released a statement on Friday noting its opposition to the governor’s policies, though it continued to host the event.
“Over the past 24 years, Pier Sixty has hosted hundreds of influential and notable events that span the spectrum of social and political issues. Pier Sixty has never controlled the content, program or speakers at these events,” according to the statement.
“Having said that, we could not disagree more strongly with many of Ron DeSantis’ actions in office. One response to abhorrent behavior is to counter it with positive action. Accordingly, Pier Sixty will direct every dollar it receives from Tikvah to groups that protect LGBTQ+ communities and foster and amplify productive debates about LGBTQ+ issues,” it added.
Despite the vocal group of protesters outside of the venue on Sunday, the popularity of DeSantis has continued to grow among many Americans.
DeSantis was included as one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” list released in May.
The Daily Wire recently reported that a 2024 presidential election straw poll conducted at the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado found that 71% approve of a DeSantis 2024 run, putting the Florida governor more than three points ahead of Trump. Meanwhile, that survey found that no other candidate had drawn even 30% support.