LGBTQ+ coalition stages first anti‑corporate Pride march in Florida

An LGBTQ+ coalition opposed to corporate influence in Pride events - as well as the involvement of police and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - has held its first standalone march in Florida. The People’s Pride Coalition, founded in 2024, mobilised around 50 members on Saturday, 14 March for a grassroots demonstration through Ybor City in Tampa. 

The group began its march in Centennial Park, carrying protest signs and Pride flags. Alongside its objections to corporate sponsorship and the presence of law enforcement at Pride celebrations, the coalition also used the event to speak out against the wars in Gaza and Iran, as well as federal immigration enforcement. 

The coalition has taken part in the St. Pete Pride Parade for the past two years, specifically to challenge what members say is the over‑commercialisation of the event. But this year marked the first time they organised a march entirely of their own - in part as a response to Tampa Pride cancelling its 2026 parade and festival due to financial pressures, shrinking sponsorship, cuts to public grant funding, and the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes under Governor Ron DeSantis. 

V Garcia, a member of the coalition and the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said the group viewed the cancellation as a call to action. “We wanted to show that we could have a Pride without corporate sponsorships - that we do not need corporations in order to celebrate our queerness and to be out and proud,” Garcia said. They added that community leaders should not “roll over” simply because funding has disappeared, arguing that Pride remains possible even without large backers. 

Participants also underscored the political and historical significance of Pride, emphasising its roots in resistance to police violence - specifically the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Their message throughout the march was a return to a more radical, community‑driven Pride centred on liberation, protest and mutual solidarity rather than corporate branding. 

The People’s Pride Coalition says it plans to continue organising alternative Pride events in the coming months, aiming to build visibility for those who feel sidelined by mainstream celebrations and to affirm Pride’s origins as a movement of protest rather than profit.