\u201cThe current political and economic climate, including challenges with corporate sponsorships, reductions in county, state and federal grant funding, and the discontinuation of DEI programs under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has made it increasingly difficult for our organization to sustain ongoing operations for 2026,\u201d Tampa Pride said in a Facebook post on Aug. 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following attacks on free speech in the form of book bans, mural erasures and the banning of DEI-related terms, Floridians and USF students worry about the future of Pride events in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a little disappointed that that\u2019s where things are heading,\u201d said a junior who is part of the LGBTQ+ community. \u201cI think it\u2019s just gonna lead to more things [like Tampa Pride] getting cancelled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This student also worries about LGBTQ+ friendly events on the St. Petersburg campus, like the annual drag show, which has happened for the past 15 years<\/a>, being cancelled.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Petra, a first-year history and psychology major, agreed. They told The Crow\u2019s Nest that Tampa Pride\u2019s hiatus could be a slippery slope.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe for one year, it could be useful for getting more support,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I think that\u2026if it continues for more than one year it\u2019s gonna be continually on hiatus and that\u2019s a dangerous thought.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Leo Faerberboeck, a sophomore anthropology and hospitality management major, benefited from attending Pride events when they were new to the LGBTQ+ community and he worries about what impact the Tampa Pride hiatus will have on the younger generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow more than ever we need to come together and have that community, so it sucks that [it] might be taken away from us,\u201d Faerberboeck said.\u00a0<\/p>\n While censorship is spreading into St. Petersburg and the city\u2019s USF campus, local organizations are working to keep Pride events intact.\u00a0<\/p>\n St. Pete Pride affirmed in an Instagram post<\/a> that they aren\u2019t going anywhere and planning for 2026 events is already underway.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur LGBTQ+ community deserves safe spaces, joyful celebrations, and lasting visibility, and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ll keep building,\u201d they wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n As an executive board member for the USF St. Petersburg branch of PRIDE Alliance, and I can confirm that we aren\u2019t going anywhere either.\u00a0<\/p>\n PRIDE Alliance and other organizations on USF St. Petersburg are still determined to support LGBTQ+ students and ensure that they have safe spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year, the Multicultural Programming Board (MPB) is hosting Art of Expression on Nov. 13. According to MPB, the event will \u201cshowcase art expression talent within the LGBTQ+ Community\u201d and feature \u201ckings and queens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Students can participate by volunteering for event set up and submitting art pieces that will be displayed in a zine.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like Tampa Pride, USF St. Petersburg\u2019s PRIDE Alliance and St. Pete Pride have both faced financial difficulties.\u00a0<\/p>\n St. Pete Pride president, Byron Green-Calish, told the Tampa Bay Times<\/a> that \u201cthe organization lost $150,000 to $175,000 in sponsorships this past summer\u201d and \u201callyship is needed now more than ever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n At USF, school-wide funding cuts to campus clubs and organizations have had a significant impact on PRIDE Alliance and forced us to carefully ration funding and limit certain events.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, this does not mean that the message that university and local pride organizations are trying to put out can be reduced by funding cuts or smaller events.\u00a0<\/p>\n Arianna Alves, a senior studio art major and a former executive board member of USF St. Petersburg\u2019s PRIDE Alliance, believes that pride comes in many different forms and therefore cannot be put on hiatus.\u00a0<\/p>\n She told The Crow\u2019s Nest that local pride organizations should come together and continue to make people aware of LGBTQ+ resources and events so that everyone in the community remains safe and supported through the next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ve, as a community, adapted to so much so I feel like we got this,\u201d Alves said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Petra reaffirmed this statement and urged local organizations to continue making safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. She and Faerberboeck are both confident that, despite the hurdles, the Tampa Bay area\u2019s LGBTQ+ community will persevere because new and young members can rely on community support in times of fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Pete, it\u2019s not in our nature to back down from stuff like this,\u201d Petra said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The anonymous junior agreed. They don\u2019t believe that this will cause long term harm to the Tampa Bay area\u2019s LGBTQ+ community.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what you take away from us, we are still here,\u201d they said. \u201cSo even though Tampa Pride is getting cancelled and other things in the future may be getting cancelled, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to ruin what St. Pete Pride is.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This student attended St. Pete Pride in Summer 2025 and said that they enjoyed being in an environment where they were surrounded by support and acceptance.\u00a0<\/p>\n They hope to continue attending the June festivities next year and in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n The organization concluded its Instagram post with a goal for the future and a call to action for the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTogether,\u201d they wrote, \u201cwe\u2019ll ensure Pride doesn\u2019t just survive, but thrives for generations to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1929-1024x768.jpg\")
PRIDE Alliance hosts meetings and events to educate and support USF students in the LGBTQ+ community.\u00a0
Photo courtesy of @usfsppride on Instagram\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t Post Views: 54
\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/a>
Written by: Julia Birdsall<\/a> on October 22, 2025.
Last revised by: Alisha Durosier<\/a>