As Miami Beach Pride prepares to return from March 27th to April 6th, 2025, past controversies surrounding political participation in the event have resurfaced. State Rep. Fabian Basabe (R) is now speaking out about his experience at Miami Beach Pride 2024, claiming he was excluded from the event due to political bias.
In a social media post regarding Pride 2024, state Rep. Basabe criticized the decision to label him a “security concern,” arguing that it was a result of coordinated political activism.
“My exclusion from the Miami Beach Pride Parade shows lack of engagement and inclusion by those who demand inclusion,” he wrote in a social media post from 2024. “This is dangerous for our community, especially our children. What kind of example are we setting, when we show them that unless they check a specific box, they have no voice?”
Though state Rep. Basabe wasn’t formally invited to participate in the he event, he instead attended as a spectator, engaging with the crowd. He alleged that Equality Florida, a nonprofit organization that receives taxpayer funding, had activists at the 2023 event distributing false information about him and agitating the crowd to create a manufactured security issue.
The controversy has prompted a response from Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, who has written a resolution encouraging Miami Beach Pride to allow full participation from all elected officials. Similarly, Commissioner David Suarez introduced a resolution to address what state Rep. Basabe calls "selective exclusion based on political bias."
He also noted that only after Commissioner Suarez’s resolution did Miami Beach Pride extend a last-minute invitation, which he says further exposes their "hypocrisy and partisan maneuvering."
“Nonprofits benefiting from taxpayer dollars should not be allowed to operate as ‘private clubs’ that pick and choose participation based on political alignment,” he said in an exclusive statement to The Floridian.
As the 2025 Miami Beach Pride event draws nearer, the discussion surrounding political participation applies pressure to organizers to clarify their stance on inclusivity in what is supposed to be a celebration of diversity and unity.
