Fearing the potential for a riotous confrontation, organizers have asked Florida Representative Fabian Basabe to refrain from participating in this weekend’s Miami Beach Pride parade.
Basabe’s actions during last year’s parade — blowing kisses to protesters while perched atop a vintage red Chevy convertible — prompted the decision, said Miami Beach Pride Board Chairman Bruce Horwich.
“It was the antagonistic approach he had to the people that were protesting him,” Horwich told OutSFL. “The police decided that he had to be surrounded with plainclothes police officers with weapons and uniformed police officers.”
Basabe, a Republican and former reality television actor, stunned the political world in 2022 by winning House District 106, which includes Miami Beach, a longtime liberal stronghold. His subsequent support of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ culture wars outraged the district’s sizable LGBTQ community, causing activists to harangue him during the parade with chants of “Shame!”
“It became a spectacle and there was an arrest or two made of the protesters,” Horwich said. “That’s not what we’re looking for. That’s not what our pride parade is about. It’s not a protest march, it’s a celebration.”
Basabe told The Advocate that excluding him from the parade violates his First Amendment right to free speech and to peaceably assemble on a public street. The event receives funding and resources from the county and city, Basabe noted.
Horwich said safety comes first and while Basabe is welcome to attend all Pride events, his presence in the parade puts too many people at risk.
“We have to be very concerned about the safety of not only him, but other people in the parade that are near him and also [the] safety of the people that are spectating,” Horwich said. “Safety is my No. 1 concern as chairman. I would never be able to live with myself if something happened at our parade or festival.”
The pride parade is scheduled to step off at noon on Sunday, April 14 along Ocean Drive and admission is free. For more information, visit miamibeachpride.com