In a new ad campaign launched on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams’ administration denounced the Parental Rights in Education Bill, dubbed by many the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” and encouraged Florida residents to move to New York.
The digital campaign will be active from April 4 through May 29, delivering approximately 5 million impressions at no cost to New York taxpayers, Adams said during a press conference at City Hall Monday morning.
“The space is given. The billboards are given. The ads are given,” Adams said. “Outside of the people who live in this city who understand that we can’t treat people unfairly, they’re rising up like New Yorkers do.”
The campaign – designed in partnership with VMLY&R, GroupM, BCW and H+K Strategies, all companies owned by advertising firm WPP – will run on digital billboards and social media in five Florida markets, including Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West. Palm Beach, according to the mayor’s office.
“We’re going to loudly show our support and tell those who live in Florida that we want you here in New York. We want you right here in New York,” Adams said. “We’re also the ones advocating and aligning with the men and women of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw responded to the campaign on Twitter Monday afternoon.
“If someone is so opposed to @GovRonDeSantis defending parental rights they are leaving for a crime dystopia, Florida will be better off without them,” Pushaw tweeted. “Countless NYers have moved here since the pandemic. I doubt many will leave due to our lack of instruction in K-3 gender theory.”
DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Bill into law on March 28. It prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and has been denounced by various politicians, activists and celebrities.
Adams himself faced backlash from the LGBTQ community after hiring Fernando Cabrera and Gilford Monrose in his Faith and Community Partnerships office, and Erick Salgado in his Immigration Affairs office. All three have expressed anti-LGBTQ views in the past.
The mayor addressed the controversy during Monday’s press conference.
“It’s not a community that’s going to be silenced. If they see something they don’t like, they’re going to let you know,” Adams said.
“They’ve expressed concerns about the hires we’ve made, and we’re going to keep moving forward.”
