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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:
But his official video was criticized for creative editing.
A more accurate video of the "welcome" he received can be seen here.
\u201cFlorida Republican State Representative Fabian Basabe, who is under investigation for slapping an aide, voted yes on expanding Don\u2019t Say Gay bill and argued in favor of anti-trans laws, did not get a warm welcome at the Miami Beach Pride Parade.\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681670018
Here's another one.
\u201cFlorida Republican and trust-fund kid State Representative Fabian Basabe, who is under investigation for slapping an aide, voted yes on expanding Don\u2019t Say Gay bill and argued in favor of anti-trans laws, showed up at the Miami Beach Pride Parade. People were not happy.\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681744881
Many echoed the protesters' criticisms and condemned Basabe's anti-LGBTQ+ views.
\u201c@tomaskenn @BillyCorben @AlfredSpellman Why do I think this was for sound bites to plug into ads for his right wing voting base? \u201cSee how brave I am and how horrible these people are.\u201d\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681744881
\u201c@tomaskenn @BillyCorben @AlfredSpellman The absolute gall\u2026\u2026.talk about tone deaf !\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681744881
\u201c@tomaskenn @BillyCorben @AlfredSpellman The nerve of that man to show up for a parade but apparently be soulless when it matters. Shame is right.\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681744881
\u201c@tomaskenn @RexChapman @BillyCorben @AlfredSpellman So Fabian's not too smart? That seems to be the norm for Republicans these days.\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681744881
\u201c@tomaskenn Politicians like this make more money by trolling. They\u2019ll fundraise off the \u201cLibHate\u201d from out-of-state far right billionaires. He\u2019s not in office to represent that area\u2019s voters. He\u2019s there for the next rung up on the ladder for himself in the right-wing ecosystem.\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681670018
\u201c@tomaskenn lol, why would he even go to a pride parade if he hates it so much?\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681670018
\u201c@tomaskenn Why did he even go to the pride parade if not to gloat?\u201d— Thomas Kennedy (@Thomas Kennedy) 1681670018
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.