A tech conference dropped Miami over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. There’s a push to save it
The Pivot conference that brought tech buzz to Miami last month has scrapped plans to come back bigger in 2023 after Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature this week passed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill barring education on sexual orientation before the fourth grade.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has launched an effort to save the 2023 Pivot conference, holding up progressive policies in the Miami area as a contrast to what Tallahassee produces. She cited the county endorsing community identification cards for undocumented residents and others without state-issued IDs, as well as a symbolic resolution urging state lawmakers to reject the law regulating instruction on sexual orientation.
“Last month, the entire County Commission voted against the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill,” Levine Cava, a Democrat in a nonpartisan post, wrote in a letter Thursday to Kara Swisher, co-host of the Vox podcast that gave the three-day South Beach event its name. “I’ve spent my career advocating for the rights of our LGBTQ+ community. ... Simply put: the bill is cruel and ignorant. It has no place in our state and no place in Miami-Dade County.”
The letter is the latest example of Levine Cava attacking the legislation, which is backed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican.
In response to the Levine Cava post, DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw said the criticism was misleading. “Please read the bill,” she wrote. “It’s called Parental Rights in Education, it doesn’t mention the word Gay or single out LGBT people at all. It’s about age appropriate education.”
The legislation prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity before the fourth grade, and requires any lessons for older students be appropriate for their ages. Supporters call it a way to block inappropriate discussions of sexual topics from classrooms, while critics see it as homophobic for singling out sexual orientation as a concern.
Levine Cava attended the “Pivot MIA” conference, which declared Miami “America’s most vibrant and future-forward city.”
One of the events speakers was Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2024. He has stayed out of the debate over the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, which DeSantis supports as he prepares for a potential presidential run in two years as well.
Other speakers included Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson and Jason Miller, a White House advisor to former President Donald Trump.
Swisher, a gay parent, called the legislation “shameful” in a Twitter post Tuesday about the conference’s planned abandonment of Miami next year.
“Shameful act by the Florida GOP and as a parent of four, this is not what it means to be one,” she said. “To reiterate, a significantly expanded Pivot event — after an epic one there in February — that was going to take place in Miami in 2023 will now not.”
On Thursday night, Swisher responded to Levine Cava on Twitter: “Thx for this thoughtful letter — we’ll be in touch to talk at least. Obviously this bill hits me personally too, but we do know Miami-Dade is a wonderful part of Florida that focuses on the future.”
In an email Thursday to Pivot MIA attendees on Thursday, Swisher said the event will not come to Miami in 2023 once DeSantis signs the bill into law. “We hope you will stand with us,” Swisher wrote, “and we look forward to seeing you at Pivot next year — wherever that may be.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 2:26 PM.