NYC Says Gay: City Sends Pro-LGBTQ Billboards To Florida

NEW YORK, NY — Florida is about to get a colorful message from New York City.

Five city-funded billboards set up Monday across Florida will denounce the state's newly-passed "Don't Say Gay" bill, and deliver a message to LGBTQ Floridians.

“Come to a city where you can say and be whoever you want,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “Today, we say to the families living in fear of this state-sponsored discrimination that you will always have a home in New York City.”

The five Florida billboards — set up through donated space and artwork — will run for eight weeks in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach starting Monday, officials said. The artwork will also be spread on social media.

The "Don't Say Gay" bill — which bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade — was signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.

The law also bans such lessons that are not "age-appropriate" or "developmentally appropriate" for older students.

Supporters claim it protects children from exposure to harmful ideas — American Principles Project president Terry Schilling told The Guardian the legislation is “necessary to protect children and their innocence."

But human rights advocates contend the bill represents a targeted attack on the LGBTQ community and have garnered the support of Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who has reportedly promised to help have the law repealed.

Said the mayor, “Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is the latest shameful, extremist culture war targeting the LGBTQ+ community."

The show of solidarity comes about a month after Adams spurred outrage by appointing to his administration three pastors with a history of anti-LGBTQ views, including a senior advisor who once praised a Uganda law that imposed life sentences for homosexuality.

The advisor, Fernando Cabrera, remains on the payroll and reportedly earns about $227,000 a year.

Advocates said Monday they are still "disappointed" in the appointments, but have decided to work with the mayor

"There's lot we can do together and we remembered the mayor's history on behalf of the LGBT community, so we're moving onward," said activist Allen Roskoff.

Still, the appointments were not lost upon New Yorkers who took to social media to respond to the mayor's announcement.