NYC mayor Eric Adams trolls Florida's Don't Say Gay bill with new ad campaign
New York, New York - New York City mayor Eric Adams has started a new ad campaign urging Florida residents that feel disenfranchised by the state's Don't Say Gay bill to move to the big apple.
The mayor held a conference at city hall on Monday, alongside LGBTQ+ advocates, to reveal the new campaign ad.
"The department of education understands and acknowledges that every student deserves to be heard, seen, affirmed; especially our LGBTQ young people," said Kalima McKenzie-Simms, manager of LGBTQ+ programs for the NYC Department of Education.
"We believe we can end hate and foster empathy and understanding by creating a space where everyone can freely discover who they are."
Mayor Adams echoed that sentiment when he took the stage to address the crowd.
"This political showmanship of attempting to demonize a particular group or community is unaccepted," Adams insisted. "We are going to loudly show our support and say to those who are living in Florida, we want you here in New York."
The ad campaign will target markets across Florida including Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. Adams says the campaign will get over five million impressions and will be up for an 8-week period.
Billboards will include slogans like "People say a lot of ridiculous things in New York. 'Don't Say Gay' isn't one of them" and "When other states show their true colors, we show ours."
DeSantis has some history with New York
Adams described the campaign as "standing up and aligning ourselves with the men and women of the LGBTQ+ community."
On March 28, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics have deemed the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
The controversial bill prohibits "classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity" in Florida public schools for students in kindergarten to third grade.
DeSantis has adamantly defended the legislation with no signs of budging on the issue, despite backlash from critics and politicians around the country. He has also taken shots at New York in the past.
Florida has seen a notable rise in its population, which DeSantis attributes to his brand of fiscal conservatism.
DeSantis stated in a recent interview that, "states like Illinois, New York – they are in a [fiscal] tailspin, and they’re not probably going to be willing to change their policies."
On March 23, Team DeSantis released an ad via Twitter that featured former New York and Pennsylvania residents hailing the sunshine state and its governor as being superior to others.
Adams, meanwhile, has copped his own fair share of criticism for appointing pastor Fernando Cabrera as an advisor, despite the former Bronx council member's history of anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Pacific Press Agency