There’s been an outbreak of outrage from MSNBC’s Joy Reid over something fairly straightforward: the recent decision by the Florida Department of Transportation. They’ve issued guidelines promoting uniformity regarding decorative illumination of bridges in the state. Their proposal? Lighting the bridges in patriotic red, white, and blue from May 27 through September 2nd. You’d be forgiven for missing the controversy. However, Reid decided to paint this idea as a blatant act of bigotry, a gross affront to the LGBTQ community. Let’s break this down.
Reid’s primary angst is due to the overlap of this time period with Pride month, which kicks off on June 1st every year. According to Reid, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is using this patriotic lighting scheme to downplay Pride month and to send a subtle message of hate to Florida’s LGBTQ community. This, to me, seems to be a stretch that would make any professional yogi blush.
Reid also protests DeSantis’ use of the term “Freedom Summer” for the seasonal lighting project. She criticizes him for piggybacking on the noble history associated with the term, established by civil rights activists in the 1960s. However, as a fellow journalist Bill Maher pointed out, “words migrate”. Labeling a summer event dedicated to patriotism and unity as a “Freedom Summer” should not be seen as a blatant act of cultural plagiarism.
The idea that DeSantis’ project minimizes the civil rights struggle is an enormous leap. Promoting patriotism and unity does not inherently equate to a denial or belittling of Pride month or the noble cause of civil rights. It seemed more like a transparent attempt to drum up controversy and misinterpret the intentions of the Governor’s office.
Reid’s agitated assertions underline her bias, suggesting that DeSantis is waging a war against various groups in his state. She labels the patriotic visual project as his newest weapon in this imaginary war. But being objective, it is quite the opposite – it aims to unite Floridians under a common cause; embracing their American identity.
Similarly, she reduces the Parental Rights in Education Act by leveraging LGBTQ lobby’s provocative label—”Don’t Say Gay”. The act simply provides parents more control over the education and development of their children. Reid, however, portrays it as an outright attack on the LGBTQ community.
In a time when American corporations use Pride Month as a marketing strategy, DeSantis’ “Freedom Summer” can be seen as a shift from propagating specific ideologies to embracing a broader patriotic identity. And yet Reid laments the absence of rainbowed bridges, putting forth an incongruent argument.
To conclude, the liberal media’s selective outrage and interpretation around events like “Freedom Summer” only further divides the American people. Florida is looking to unite its citizens under a common banner of patriotism, without undermining or devaluing any community or group within its borders. Instead of casting aspersion on such initiatives, let’s applaud and support these efforts towards unity and national harmony.
