TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay's LGBTQ+ community continues to be outspoken about legislation passed in Tallahassee which they feel unjustly targets them.
Florida's state legislature just sent a bill to Gov. DeSantis' desk that critics say is harmful to the LGBTQ+ community.
The parental rights in education bill, also dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, would bar conversations and teaching about sexual or sexual orientation along with gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, or whenever it isn't considered age-appropriate.
It also gives parents the right to pursue legal options if they feel the policy is being violated.
"We're going to make sure that parents are able to send their kids to Kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum," DeSantis said during a press conference during the Strawberry Festival in Plant City.
While the governor has expressed his support for the bill, leaders in the LGBTQ+ community disagree.
"I think it's very demeaning. I think pushing that upon people, it's not for everybody, but again, that's his feeling. I don't think that should be law," Carrie West, the president of Tampa Pride, said.
With all the movement happening in Tallahassee, West says it seems the state is taking steps back.
"The state of Florida should be a very progressive state, which it has been. A lot of parts of it, they're conservative, but it's all about education," West said.
That's why this year's pride parade will not only be a celebration of how far the LGBTQ+ community has come but a fight to keep everyone united.
"It's all about celebrating who you are, and who you feel you are," West explained. "It's a day of celebration around the people that you represent and what you want to feel."
Nearly 100,000 people are expected to pack Ybor City for the Tampa Pride Diversity Parade.