Florida Governor DeSantis cuts arts funding because of ‘sexual’ festivals like Orlando Fringe Festival
By Phoebe Choi, FestForums | July 8, 2024
Photo courtesy of 10 Tampa Bay
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his decision to veto more than $32 million in arts and culture funding from the state budget, blaming the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival. DeSantis made his remarks during a news conference in Auburndale. He indicated the state may restrict funds for cultural nonprofits like Fringe in the future.
His response was that he cut funding because some was “being given in grants to things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff.”
According to Orlando Weekly, Orlando Fringe Festival producer Tempestt Halstead notes, “What DeSantis said about the Fringe Festival undermines the valuable work done by Orlando Fringe and the more than 200 other Fringe festivals worldwide…His mischaracterization damages our reputation as a whole. Without a valid reason to veto all arts funding, he used Fringe as a scapegoat, which is both unjust and absurd.”
DeSantis’s accusation elicited outrage from the staff and supporters of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, which is the largest and longest-running event of its kind in the United States, as well as its smaller fellow festivals in Tampa and Sarasota. The Orlando Fringe notes on their website, that they “strive to be unjuried, uncensored, accessible for artists and audiences alike, with 100% of ticket sales given back to the artists.”
From Orlando Weekly: In a statement, the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, which represents 32 festivals across North America, called on:
“Leaders and policymakers to recognize the indispensable value of the arts and to support and invest in these vital cultural institutions. … The recent veto of arts funding in Florida, accompanied by statements that mischaracterize our events, deeply concerns us. … To our friends and colleagues in Florida: We stand with you. Your work is invaluable, and your voices matter. Together, we will continue to champion the arts and ensure that Fringe festivals remain a vibrant and essential part of our global cultural landscape.”