PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The people who put on the yearly Pride Parade in Port St. Lucie have decided not to do it this year.
The Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast, which is in charge of Saturday’s event, and the city told CBS12 News that they made these changes to this year’s event because they were worried it might break a new law that the governor is expected to sign any day now.
This law says that anyone who knowingly exposes children to live performances with adult themes will be punished.
Volunteers from the Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast are getting ready for a big party at the MidFlorida Event Center in Port St. Lucie.
There will be music, food trucks, drinks, and live entertainment, such as drag shows, at the event.
But they say that the plan was changed for the weekend and the parade was canceled because some players might have broken a new rule that protects children from being exposed to lewd, adult entertainment.
No one from the Pride Alliance would talk to us on camera, but the president of the group, Jack Waldroup, told us that the parade was canceled because people were worried that a drag queen in the parade could be arrested and fined if a child saw them, even if they were just smiling and waving to the crowd.
When we pointed out that’s not what the bill says, Waldroup said it was a city choice and wouldn’t answer any more questions.
The Port St. Lucie City Attorney told CBS12 News in a written statement that Waldroup was told he could go ahead with the parade as long as there wasn’t any lewd behavior.
The statement says that Waldroup told the city that he didn’t want the parade to happen because the group couldn’t control what people in the parade might do. They have also decided that only people over 21 will be able to go to Pride Fest. This means that the parade will not happen.
