PHOTOS & TEXT BY MINDY ROSIER-RAYBURN | This past Sunday, I was among the members of the LGBT community, electeds, and allies who gathered at Chelsea Piers to let the West Side fitness destination know how we felt about their decision to provide a home for the ultra-conservative Jewish Leadership Conference, whose guest speakers included Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Shanda!

I was out there loud and proud! How dare they? To hold an event such as this, during Pride month, and in a thriving LGBTQ community! I put my boots to the ground as an ally, as a leader in this community, and as a teacher, I showed up. Personally, I didn’t expect Chelsea Piers would cancel. Why should they? They got paid. Yes, they said they would donate that money, but the damage is already done.

Shame on them!

As a teacher, I can go on and on about my issues with the stranglehold Gov. DeSantis put what teachers can and cannot say. Teachers are not grooming or indoctrinating children. If teachers were able to indoctrinate their students, we would have done so a long time ago. All homework would be done, and they would behave in class.

What we do teach about is family. Families come in literally all shapes and sizes and yes, genders. What if a student has two moms or two dads? Shhhh, don’t talk about it or you’ll be fired. Shhhhhh, don’t talk about it because someone else says it’s shameful. I fear for the mental health of our LGBTQ youth based on our current climate, in which some schools are not the safe havens they are supposed to be.

Gov. DeSantis and the majority of the Republican clan have been using scare tactics that have unfortunately worked. Similar “Don’t Say Gay” bills are starting to pop up elsewhere. These cretins do not care that they are peddling bull, because at the end of the day, it is about money and power.

Gov DeSantis proclaimed Sunday night how we tried to cancel him and was gleeful we were unsuccessful. I disagree. We showed up and made sure he knew how we felt and how he was not welcome. This is what we need to do for our LGBTQ community, we show up, we fight for their rights, for their lives, because it is the right thing to do, the humane thing to do, because it is simple common decency. Love over hate, each time. I will keep showing up!

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