DeSantis Appearance At Chelsea Piers During Pride Month Sparks Outrage

CHELSEA, NY — "Boycott Chelsea Piers" and "Don't Say DeSantis" were among the loudest chants Sunday as protesters and LGBTQ advocates gathered in Lower Manhattan to protest Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' appearance at Chelsea Piers.

DeSantis was speaking as part of a conservative Jewish conference within the recreation complex.

Multiple Lower Manhattan elected officials criticized Chelsea Piers for agreeing to host an event where DeSantis was speaking — especially during Pride Month.

Earlier in 2022, DeSantis signed legislation that banned classroom discussion of sexual orientation for certain age groups, which was named by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Chelsea Piers, which currently has its Twitter icon set to the backdrop of a Pride flag, released a statement on Friday saying that it would donate all the money it received from Sunday's event to groups that protect LGBTQ+ communities.

"Over the past 24 years, Pier Sixty (Chelsea Piers) 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," Chelsea Piers added in its statement. "Having said that, we could not disagree more strongly with many of Ron DeSatnis' actions in office."

Assembly Member and Congressional candidate Yuh-Line Niou said Chelsea Pier's pledge to donate money wasn't enough.

"Chelsea Piers’ offer to donate proceeds from the event to LGBTQ organizations is not just inadequate, it is insulting and out of touch," Niou wrote on Twitter. "If they think that platforming bigotry and homophobia and then trying to appease us with a donation is allyship, they are gravely mistaken."

Lower Manhattan Council Member Erik Bottcher also spoke out against DeSantis' appearance.

"Ron DeSantis demonizes our community to cultivate the Alt-Right, rehashing awful tropes about us, implying that we’re pedophiles who ‘groom’ children," Bottcher tweeted. "The reality is that children are being harmed by his rhetoric. How dare he. He is not welcome in Chelsea."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Brad Hoylamn and Lt. Gov candidate Ana Maria Archila were all at the protest on Sunday.

The title of the speech DeSantis gave at the event was, "The Florida Model and Why It's Good for Religious Americans," reported the New York Post.

You can check out photos from the protest here.