During a weekend in which Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis took his presidential campaign to Iowa, tens of thousands of people attended "Gay Days" events at Disney World.
The country's largest LGBTQ+ rights organization joined other civil rights organizations late last month in issuing a travel advisory for Florida, warning that newly passed laws and policies may pose risks to minorities, immigrants and gay travelers.
Despite that, throngs of people arrived in the Orlando, Florida, area for pool parties, rides, and drag bingo to mark the start of Pride Month, the New York Post reported.
"Right now is not the time to run," said Joseph Clark, CEO of Gay Days Inc., whose events are welcomed, but not sponsored, by Disney, the Post reported. "It's not the time to go away.
"It's time to show we are here, we are queer, and we aren't going anywhere."
Many people supporting Pride Month wore red shirts with "Say Gay" or "Don't say DeSantis" on them.
"We're here because it's Gay Days, it's that simple," Illinois resident Mark Stegall told The Washington Post. "Disney welcomes everybody. Maybe the governor of Florida doesn't, but Disney does."
The event, which started in 1991, has become one of the largest Pride gatherings in the U.S.
"The birth of Gay Days was really about being visible at a time when it was dangerous to be visible," Brandon Wolf of Equality Florida told The Washington Post. "The same is true now."
Not everything during the weekend went off as planned.
Organizers said reservations at the host hotel came in slower than normal. One event — the Taste of Gay Days — was scratched after restaurateurs voiced concerns, The Washington Post said.
In April, the Walt Disney Co. sued DeSantis in federal court, asking the court to overturn state efforts to control Disney World.
Disney accused DeSantis and his administration of illegally using the state government to punish a company for voicing an opinion that should be protected by free-speech rights.
Disney had criticized a Florida law banning classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger children.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.
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