Florida's Jacksonville Acosta Bridge is lit up like a rainbow on the St. Johns River to honour LGBTQ Pride Month.
The multi-coloured lights will glow all week to commemorate the month, which remembers the June 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City when patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn tavern staged an uprising to resist police harassment and persecution of gays.
The 27-year-old bridge gained its 2500 feet of LED lights back in 2020 and now the 1,645-foot long bridge's colours are changed often to honour different events or celebrate memorials such as pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Honouring Pride Month with multi-coloured lights is not being allowed on every bridge in the US, though...
The Florida Department of Transportation recently rejected a request from Sarasota City to light up its John Ringling Causeway Bridge in conjunction with the month-long Pride celebration, despite the state having approved many other lighting displays over the past years.
Sarasota Mayor, Hagen Brody, wanted to light the iconic bridge with Pride colours for June as part of his continued mission to create a more inclusive city. The lighting would have joined a downtown car parade, restaurant tastings and street mural art.
“It's frustrating,” Brody said of the denial. “I think the state is being a little rigid. I didn't think this request would be anything controversial. It’s really surprising to get push back from the state.”
The refusal has caused outrage among many people across Florida, especially the younger generations.
When word spread across the social media platform 'Tik Tok', the story gained massive attention from across the world, with videos addressing the situation garnering up to a million views.
Despite the sudden outrage felt by thousands over the rejection, the Florida Department of Transportation are sticking to their original statement and have declined to comment any further, so for now the situation will likely remain a frustration for many.
What do you think about this story? Do you think the John Ringling Causeway Bridge deserves to be lit up in rainbow?
Share your thoughts in the comment section down below!