4 days ago
Hundreds gather to light Acosta Bridge rainbow for Pride Month in protest of the new FDOT rule
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ activists came together for two Pride events to kick off Pride month.
People brought their children, dogs, and their loved ones to light the night rainbow in Jacksonville.
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'The most important thing to us is simply to be treated equal to others,' said Don Tanner, who attended the events.
The first event is the annual Acosta Bridge Pride March. The march started in 2021 after the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) threatened to turn off the pride lights on the Acosta bridge for Pride Month.
The pride lights were kept on that year, and organizers for the event decided to keep it a tradition.
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Amy Glassman is the organizer for the Acosta Bridge Pride March. She said she plans on putting on this event next year.
'Lights or no lights there will always be rainbows on the Acosta bridge in June at this event,' said Glassman.
The second event is the Pride in our Freedoms Community Bridge lighting. The event first started in 2024, after FDOT launched its 'Freedom Summer Initiative,' which required all state-owned bridges to be lit in red, white, and blue from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
In addition, the FDOT announced a few weeks ago that state-owned bridges will light red, white, and blue only on federal holidays through 2026.
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This was the first time that both of these events were held on the same day.
As a result, hundreds of people came together from both events to light up the Acosta Bridge in rainbow colors on top of the red, white, and blue.
Matthew McAllister is the organizer for Pride in Our Freedoms. He said the lights shining together are symbolic.
'Without freedom there can be no diversity. And with no diversity, there's really no point in having freedom.' said McAllister. 'You cannot separate one for the other. '
Action News Jax reached out to FDOT, asking if they will allow state-owned bridges to light up in Pride Month colors after 2026. So far, there has been no response.
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