Jacksonville LGBTQ+ activists happy to see Acosta Bridge lighting up for Pride Month

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — June is pride month, which is why the Acosta Bridge will be lit up with rainbow colors from June 6-10. This is something activists like Amy Glassman are happy to see.

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“It’s important to have the bridge lights lit up for Pride because it’s a continuation of a president that’s already been set in our community,” Glassman said.

Glassman helped fight for the lights to be turned back on last year after FDOT had them shut off citing that JTA did not have the proper permit.

“We’ve had the bridgeland for so many occasions from everything from religious to national holidays to even just community events like the jaguars and other sports teams and most recently to show solidarity with Ukraine. And continuing to celebrate the diversity in our community is a very important thing,” Glassman said.

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This year it was unclear if that would be an issue again. A statement from FDOT showed it was working with JTA to determine if lights like the rainbow would be allowed.

“I think that since a message to the LGBTQ+ community that, we are do you have some support in the city. That there are leaders in Jacksonville who are willing to stand up for us.”

Pride colors are not just a statement to people in the LGBTQ+ community. Some believe they are a way to celebrate everyone, no matter if they are gay, lesbian, queer or an ally.

Joseph Baneth Allen is a gay man and every summer he puts a Pride display up in front of his home. This year, instead of hanging a flag, he got creative.

“I think it brings people together because it includes every color of the spectrum, and that’s what Pride is. It doesn’t matter who you are, who you love … You should be able to be unafraid of who you are,” Allen said.

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Using chalk, he colors the bricks the colors of the rainbow. He says it’s for everyone.

“People are proud of their faith, they’re proud of how they look, they are proud of who they are with. They are proud of their family. It’s the same for everyone. Regardless of who you are.”

It’s that pride that lead Amy Glassman to lead a march across the Acosta Bridge after the lights were shut down.

“Last year we got together on the Acosta Bridge in reaction to the whole debacle with the lights, and we ended up getting lights turned back on. It was wonderful, but we decided to go ahead and keep doing it,” Glassman said.

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It’s something she says will happen again this year, because even if the lights were shut down again, “Pride started with riots and protest and then it turned into a celebration. We want to honor that it’s also a celebration. We are using it to raise our voices but we are also celebrating one another by putting some color on that bridge, regardless of lights or no lights.”

Glassman said that you can’t shut down who people are.

“We’re gonna have our rainbows and we’re gonna have a bright colors and sense of community and we’re gonna walk together in solidarity,” she said.

The walk will be on Sunday at 10 a.m. Marchers will meet on the San Marco side of the Acosta Bridge.

"Pride is pride no matter who you are"

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