Reply #5: I hope you don't mind me piggy backing. I went to the protest in Kenneth City Florida [View All]

There were only about 20 people there, but they were there. The sky was threatening, but there was a nice breeze. Kenneth City is a municipality in Pinellas County, which most people wouldn't know wasn't part of St Petersburg. A lot of people would think it was rednecky, some might think this particular neighborhood to be trashy. It's actually just a blue collar mixed use area where tradesmen aren't ashamed to park their trucks in front of their houses or work out of their garages.

The LGBT folks were standing on 66Th street, which I actually expected to be very busy, but it wasn't. I don't live up there, so visits are rare, which meant that I noticed how hard this area is being hit by the recession. KFC is closed. Sherwin Williams is closed. Two big box stores are gone. The Shell station is closed. The pawn shop was closed. Two of the three corner stores in the neighborhood behind this are closed. The gay bar is hanging on, I don't know how.

it was a low key protest, about 20 folks waving signs and flags on the main drag. Two women came out of the used car dealership, employees, on their way home. They made what I interpreted as faggy gestures to each other with regard to the protestors. But there were no nasty remarks from the cars passing on 66th street. Many cars and everyone on a scooter gave a friendly honk. No middle fingers were extended that I could see.

Sometimes people say things about Florida that makes me think they have never been here. They have an idea about the South in general and Florida in particular that we're stuck in the 1930's. A Ford F350 dually from the block behind the protest pulled up to the intersection, and asked them what they were doing. A woman explained to him. He gave her a big thumbs up and honked his horn as he drove away. His son was in the passenger seat.

Then it rained, and folks went inside or left.