TAMPA, Fla. — Thousands of people took to the streets of Ybor City for Tampa Pride with a message much bigger than collecting beads.
Karina Bond and Rachel Westling said Pride is about being yourself and loving one another. They've been dating for five months.
"It's family and there's family," Westling said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were patrolling the streets of Ybor City, but people here at Tampa Pride said their safety concerns stretch beyond this event.
"There's so many laws being written about us that want to erase our identity. So, having a safe space like this where we can be out and we can be proud, we can live, we can love, we can be happy, that's what makes it important," Bond said.
They said last session, the Florida legislature discussed several bills targeting the LGBTQ community.
"It hurts. It felt like we made so many wins with the legalization of gay marriage and now we feel like we're going backwards where people have to hide again," Robyn Russ said.
This is Robyn Russ and her child Kairi's first time participating in Tampa Pride.
"As Kairi gets older, they need to see their people," Russ said.
Russ said this space feels accepting, but she's learned nowhere is completely safe.
"There are harmful people everywhere. So here we're paying attention, we're keeping an eye on everything around us," Russ said.
The lesson she wants Kairi to learn from this is to always be alert, but approach everyone with love.
"Everyone is still a person. It doesn't matter who you are as long as you're not a bad person," Kairi Russ said.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said his officers are out in full force tonight to keep people safe, but they cannot do this job alone. He said if you see something, say something to help keep everyone safe.