The Orlando Pride’s Exploria Stadium.Photo: Stacy White/SPP/Shutterstock
The Orlando Pride NWSL team has apologized to a group of supporters after they were barred from displaying a banner that read “gay” during a match last Saturday.
On Tuesday, the team said they made a “mistake” when asking the Black Swans social organization to remove the sign, which the group made in reference to Florida’s widely-criticizedParental Rights in Education bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The Pride,a club that has publicly supported LGBTQ issuesin the past, said the decision to remove the banner was made based on “signage policies and procedures” that ignored the “important meaning” behind the group’s intentions.
“Over the past two days, the Orlando Pride leadership team has taken part in numerous discussions with supporters, players, front office and team staff, as well as community leaders in LGBTQ+ activism, to address, listen and learn from Saturday’s events,” the team said, in part.
“It is a privilege and duty to create a safe, inclusive environment at Orlando Pride matches, and the Club deeply apologizes for violating that trust through this incorrect decision,” the team continued.
The team said the Black Swans now have the approval to display the banner at Pride home games.
“Over its seven-year history, the Orlando Pride and its players have been on the forefront of supporting equality initiatives, both in the local Orlando community and through its online platforms, and it is critical to continue with this mission,” the team said in their statement.
“… the mistake made on Saturday does not define what the Pride stand for,” the team added.
The “Don’t Say Gay Bill” has not yet been signed into law but will ban Florida teachers from talking to students in kindergarten through third grade about “about sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Its sponsors say the topics are not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
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LGBTQ activists and some state lawmakers have warned that the bill will explicitly marginalize gay and queer youth.
Advocacy group Equality Florida has said that the bill “demonizesthe LGBTQ community” and warned that if the “vague language [is] interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher, or family, we will lead legal action against the State of Florida to challenge this bigoted legislation.”
source: people.com
