Anti-Gay Florida Lawmaker Shows Up At Pride Parade–And It Went About As Well As You'd Expect

Republican Florida state Representative Fabián Basabe received a hostile welcome at the Miami Beach Pride Parade last weekend.

Basabe attended the event to show his support for the local LGBTQ+ community and wave a rainbow flag, but was met with boos and calls for his resignation from many in the crowd.

A video of Basabe at the parade was posted to his YouTube channel, but it only showed him smiling and waving from the back of a convertible.

You can see Basabe's version of the day's events here:

youtu.be

But his official video was criticized for creative editing.

A more accurate video of the "welcome" he received can be seen here.

Here's another one.

Many echoed the protesters' criticisms and condemned Basabe's anti-LGBTQ+ views.

Basabe won the election for District 106 in November 2022 after portraying himself as a moderate Republican.

However, he has largely voted along party lines since taking office. This has included support for several bills that have been criticized as anti-LGBTQ+.

Equality Florida, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, has accused Basabe of backtracking on promises to support the local LGBTQ+ community. The organization has protested outside Basabe's office and criticized his support for the expanded ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which prohibits acknowledging LGBTQ+ people in Florida classrooms up to the 12th grade.

In response to Queerty's inquiry about Basabe's views, a spokesperson for Equality Florida stated that Basabe "campaigned promising to be a legislative ally to the LGBTQ community and for abortion rights and has instead been nothing more than a rubber stamp for DeSantis’ extreme, bigoted agenda."

The spokesperson also noted that the expanded ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill has led to "books with LGBTQ+ characters being banned and rainbow stickers being peeled from school windows." They called Basabe a "mouthpiece for the DeSantis brand of right-wing chaos" and called for his resignation.

Basabe has yet to respond to the criticism from Equality Florida or the negative reactions he received at the Miami Beach Pride Parade.