I didn’t plan on using this space to weigh in on the abhorrent murder of Charlie Kirk. Our views didn’t align during his life and I don’t find much value in debating them after his death.
My mother even asked me not to write about him. Not because she was familiar with his work, but because she’d seen the political pushback against anyone who dared to question the man’s rhetoric over the years.
With love and apologies to my mom, that’s exactly why I have to write about him. Or at least the American landscape we find ourselves in since he was assassinated.
It’s one that continues to evolve, so far to the detriment of our First Amendment rights. That became particularly clear with the temporary suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” by ABC after the talk show host weighed in on Kirk’s death.
After the conservative figure was killed — which although it should go without saying, was wrong on every level — my hope was that Americans might find some common ground.
That maybe this time, finally, we could all agree that no one should be gunned down in this country. Not school children, not churchgoers, not people enjoying a concert or their favorite LGBTQ+ nightclub, not Democratic state lawmakers and not right-wing activists. No one.
I hoped that for once we could put our political differences aside and agree that this country has a serious gun problem. That we might work toward the obvious solution. Sometimes I’m an idealist.
Of course it didn’t happen. In large part because the Trump administration, as is usually the case, used another American horror story to further divide us.
It was opining on that fact that led to Kimmel’s suspension. Days after he publicly shared condolences to the Kirk family, Kimmel weighed in on inflammatory and dismissive Republican rhetoric, including Trump’s own words.
While I fully acknowledge that a private entity like Disney, ABC’s parent company, has every right to respond to an employee’s content on their network, it’s clear that isn’t what led to Kimmel’s suspension. Instead, the Federal Communications Commission stepped in.
The FCC regulates communications by radio, TV, wire, satellite and cable nationwide and is responsible for implementing and enforcing America’s communications law and regulations. It’s now run by Commissioner Brendan Carr, who wrote about the agency for Project 2025. He accused Kimmel of intentionally misleading the country and more.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” he shared. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest broadcasters that have yet to re-air Kimmel, shared they would stop airing it, and ABC temporarily suspended it. The president, of course, celebrated the move.
Which isn’t surprising. Trump used most of his first term to attack the free press and he’s used much of his second term to weaken it.
As Reuters points out, the First Amendment “protects free speech and other rights against government interference,” something Trump’s never been able to stomach. The outlet adds that courts “have said that protection includes rights against the government pressuring third parties to engage in censorship,” which is clearly what happened.
It should chill every American that a man was gunned down in broad daylight. It should also chill every American that the federal government is silencing anything it views as dissent.
Kimmel’s return only came after significant public outrage and a boycott weakened Disney’s stock, though I doubt we’ve seen the last issue from Trump or the FCC. It’s all yet another reminder that local, independent journalism is more important than ever. I obviously have my favorite outlet, but please continue to support us all.
In this issue we focus on happier news. We speak with Project Pride’s new leadership about the inaugural Gulfcoast Pride, which was postponed after last year’s hurricane season. The organization and long overdue celebration promise to serve LGBTQ+ Floridians in new and exciting ways.
Tampa Bay news stands in contrast as Tampa Pride announces a 2026 hiatus and the termination of its president. Creative Pinellas also confirms its significant funding loss.
In Orlando, Parking Spaces for Pride unites the region and honors the 49 lives lost at Pulse. We also chat with the man behind the curtain as “The Wiz” prepares to ease on down to Florida.
Watermark Out News is proud to be your LGBTQ+ news source. Please stay informed, support those who support you and enjoy this latest issue.
