Ron DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw, questioning why Leonardi was taking students to a “gay bar.”
The post soon went viral with many social media users, including Gov. “I was SO honored to be invited to chaperone Wilton Manors Elementary’s field trip to the incredible Rosie’s! The students and I had a fun walk over and learned a lot about our community!” Sign up today! You can also visit /groups/WMGazette to join the Gazette’s community Facebook page.But this year, Leonardi, who was sworn in in November, posted on Facebook photos of the lunch and of students standing outside the Rosie’s sign. The Gazette launched a Wilton Manors focused newsletter. “This is a community institution thriving in the heart of one of the U.S.’s largest LGBTQ populations.” “Anyone who’s visited Wilton Manors knows your trip isn’t complete until you’ve tried one of Rosie’s famous burgers,” Senior Political Director Joe Saunders said. They feel good coming here,” Zieba said.Įquality Florida also spoke out for the school and restaurant’s relationship. “There’s a lot of families where the kids are much older now but are still coming in because of that experience. They said they appreciate what Rosie’s does for the school throughout the year. Dozens of teachers, parents, and students, past and present, came by for dinner and to lean on each other after a rough couple of days. We're born this way!”Ī few days after the “controversy” erupted members of the Wilton Manors Elementary community showed up to support and say thanks. She is smart enough to know taking students to a restaurant owned by an LGBT individual isn't grooming them to be gay any more than taking student to Bona Italian would be grooming them to be Italian. “Fox News’ implication that she is grooming kids to be gay is absurd.
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Wilton Manors City Commissioner Chris Caputo at the time pointed out the nefarious undertones of the story. He called me a pedophile, that I was grooming children, and said he hopes that I die.” “I said we did host some elementary school kids. Vile comments were made towards everyone at the restaurant, including Zieba himself. “People started calling right away and blowing up our phones, sending emails through the website, putting comments all over our social media posts.” Rosie’s co-owner, John Zieba, told SFGN once Fox published an innuendo-filled story, things quickly got out of control. They tied up the phone lines, making violent threats, and hurling ugly slurs at whoever answered the phone. The threats have been referred to the appropriate authorities, and I will continue to work hard to engage with my community, spread positivity, and represent my district on the school board.”Īfter the Fox story was published Rosie’s was inundated with angry calls, mostly from places other than South Florida. These attacks have no place in our society. “My friends, family, and church have also been targeted.
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“Sadly, I've recently been attacked with bigoted comments and death threats,” Leonardi told SFGN at the time. Once Fox News posted a somewhat-factual version of the field trip, readers took it from there and fanned the flames of fear-mongering.Ĭomments, which were mostly from people who have never been to Wilton Manors much less to Rosie’s, targeted Leonardi, the school board, and the LGBT community at large. She posted pictures of the outing on her Facebook page, with the caption: “I was SO honored to be invited to chaperone Wilton Manors Elementary’s field trip to the incredible Rosie’s! The students and I had a fun walk over and learned a lot about our community! A huge thank you to Rosie's Bar and Grill for hosting this special field trip every year!”
On one of the days Sarah Leonardi, District 3 school board member, chaperoned the children. The headline read “Florida school board member takes elementary school students on field trip to gay bar: 'SO honored'” It’s part of the school’s Community Curriculum.īut Fox News did not provide any nuance in their story.
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They learned how a restaurant works by touring the kitchen, then how to order off a menu, pay the bill, and even tip. Over two days, kindergarteners and first graders walked down to Rosie’s Bar & Grill on Wilton Drive. Parents had to sign permission slips to allow the children to attend. The field trip was an annual event held by Wilton Manors Elementary School. When Fox News decided to cover a benign elementary school field trip to Rosie’s Bar and Grill the story blew up on right-wing media with conservatives lashing out at the bar, the school, and the school board member who chaperoned the annual trip.