Equality Florida Condemns DeSantis for Defacing Pulse Memorial; Calls on Floridians to #ShowYourRainbow in Response

Equality Florida Condemns DeSantis for Defacing Pulse Memorial; Calls on Floridians to #ShowYourRainbow in Response

Orlando, FL — In the dead of night, Ron DeSantis ordered part of the Pulse memorial painted over — defacing a sacred space in the heart of Orlando that honors the 49 lives stolen in one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history.

“This cowardly abuse of power, carried out under the cover of night, is a dangerous escalation of DeSantis’s campaign to erase LGBTQ visibility and censor our history,” said Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida. “We have endured decades of state-sanctioned discrimination. And, like every attack before it, this act is designed to spread fear, dispirit us, and push us back into the shadows. But just as we did in the hours after Pulse, our community will come together, look out for each other, and raise our flags higher. We refuse to be erased. We will not let hate win.”

In response, Equality Florida is calling on the Orlando community to gather peacefully tonight, August 21, 2025, at 6:00pm ET at the Pulse Memorial. For those unable to attend, we urge Floridians everywhere to make their visibility undeniable: wear rainbows, hang rainbow flags, display rainbow stickers, and flood social media with #ShowYourRainbow. 

Equality Florida also urges cities across the state to respond — not by backing down, but by building up: installing permanent exhibits of LGBTQ visibility, raising new memorials to honor those we’ve lost, from the Johns Committee to Pulse, and ensuring our history is not erased but made undeniable.

For decades, Florida politicians have tried to criminalize LGBTQ existence, dismantle families, and create a climate where violence is normalized. Monuments, murals, and rainbow crosswalks are not just symbols; they are powerful celebrations of LGBTQ existence. They are our commitment to remember, and our promise that these harms will not be inflicted again.

We must honor the 49 lives lost at Pulse with action, and we call on all Floridians to join us.