2025 Legislative Slate

Posted on 03/13/2025 by Charlie

Updated as of April 4, 2025

LGBTQ EQUALITY

OPPOSE HB 1571/SB 420: The Anti-Diversity in Local Government bill is an outrageous overreach by the state that eviscerates local government programs and services addressing diverse communities’ needs–defunding and banning them. It also threatens City and County Commissioners with removal for any official action that may fit under a broad and vague definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion based on race, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It threatens nondiscrimination ordinances, specialized community health programs, recognizing culturally significant events like Pride Month or Black History Month, and more. Sponsors are Rep. Black and Sen. Yarborough.

OPPOSE HB 1495/SB 440: The Don’t Say Gay or Trans At Work Bill proposes state regulation of pronouns in public and certain private workplaces, doubling down on anti-transgender rhetoric. It would shield employees from accountability for anti-trans intentional misgendering, and it would prohibit job applicants from even identifying as transgender or non-binary on a job application. The bill also attempts to prohibit LGBTQ-related cultural competency training requirements in certain workplaces. Sponsors are Rep. Plakon and Sen. McClain.

OPPOSE SB 1710: Legislation Removing Diversity and Equity from State Agencies is extremist political red meat that would make workplaces less supportive and inclusive. It seeks to defund DEI in state agencies and bans state contractors and grantees from using state funds for required DEI instruction or practices. It uses dogwhistles like “neopronouns,” “microaggressions,” and “gender theory,” in an attempt to stoke fear over nonexistent problems. These concerning provisions have been removed from the House companion, HB 731. Sponsors are Rep. Melo and Sen. DiCeglie.

OPPOSE HB 75/SB 100: Flags connect communities in an important expression of free speech. The Pride Flag Ban Bill bans displaying flags that represent a “political viewpoint” in or on government buildings. The bill sponsors say it is so broad that it includes Pride flags and even representations of a rainbow flag that could appear on posters, coffee cups, and lapel pins. This is a censorship attack on visibility in public spaces and classrooms for all minority groups. Sponsors are Rep. Borrero and Sen. Fine.

SUPPORT SB 144/HB 6039: With clear court rulings and the federal Respect for Marriage Act in place, the Florida Legislature must Repeal the Marriage Ban by deleting outdated, patently unconstitutional statute that bans recognizing same-sex marriage. The statute claiming that Florida recognizes only marriage between one man and one woman devalues our hard-won marriage rights. Marriage equality is overwhelmingly supported in our state, with nearly 2 out of every 3 Floridians voicing their support. Sponsors are Sen. Tina Polsky and Rep. Ashely Gantt.

YOUTH AND EDUCATION

Learning environments that value free thought, accurate information, critical thinking, and open communication are essential to student success. We also know that people are coming out at increasingly younger ages, and school is often one of the first places they do so. Safe and affirming schools where every student is protected and every family is respected are a key component of realizing full equality in Florida.

SUPPORT SB 930/HB 811: The Freedom to Learn Act would undo recent harms inflicted on LGBTQ and minority students by the DeSantis Administration, while safeguarding academic freedom and ensuring that schools protect every student and respect every family. It would allow age-appropriate instruction on topics including gender identity and sexual orientation; permit the use of affirming pronouns; ensure schools don’t forcibly out students when it could endanger their safety; narrow the grounds for book banning; and foster DEI initiatives on college campuses by allowing schools to financially support DEI programming and campus activities. Sponsors are Sen. Davis and Rep. Nixon.

OPPOSE SB 1618: The Defunding DEI in Schools Bill would prohibit school districts and charter schools from spending any state or federal funding on any programs or activities that advocate for or engage in “political or social activism.” Similar provisions in higher education have already contributed to universities shutting down critical programs and activities that help a diverse range of students learn and thrive. Sponsor is Sen. Calatayud.

OPPOSE HB 1255: As part of a broader education package, the Propaganda in Public Schools Bill contains a provision that would require schools to show misleading and medically inaccurate video content like the “Baby Olivia Video” created by a prominent anti-abortion group. Instead of ensuring public school students receive comprehensive, age-appropriate sexual health education, this bill would direct public dollars to push a political agenda in Florida’s public school classrooms. Sponsor is Rep. Trabulsy.

OPPOSE SB 1692/HB 1539: The “Materials Harmful to Minors” bill would increase book banning and censorship in Florida’s K-12 schools by rejecting a longstanding constitutional standard to make it easier to object to educational materials. Parents have long had the opportunity to challenge content in Florida’s schools, but under recent state laws, authoritarian practices like banning books and censoring curricula have drastically increased. Florida already leads the nation in book-banning, with over 4,500 books banned during the last school year. Further limiting students’ access to books does not protect students, it makes them less prepared to succeed. Sponsors are Sen. McClain and Rep. Bankson.

HEALTH & REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

The freedom to determine our own healthcare–including gender-affirming care, access to abortion, and HIV prevention and treatment–is crucial to our fight for LGBTQ equality. These are highly personal health decisions. They should be left up to individuals and families making informed decisions with medical professionals, not left up to Tallahassee politicians.

SUPPORT SB 932/HB 823: The Health Care Freedom Act restores Floridians’ fundamental freedoms to make their own personal healthcare decisions without political interference. This bill would repeal DeSantis’ unconstitutional 6-week abortion ban, remove barriers to life-saving healthcare for transgender youth and adults, and restore parents’ rights to make decisions about essential care for their transgender children. It would repeal the “License to Discriminate in Healthcare” that broadly allows healthcare providers and insurers to refuse service due to religious, ethical, or moral preferences, and the requirement for hospitals to question patients about their immigration status. Sponsors are Sen. Jones and Rep. Eskamani.

OPPOSE HB 1505/SB 1288: The Restricting Healthcare Access for Minors bill (also known as Birth Control Ban for Minors) would restrict minors’ access to birth control, STI treatment, and more without parental consent. Our public health system should prioritize young peoples’ ability to take responsibility for their health and proactively minimize health risks, not punish them when they are at risk and fearful of having difficult conversations with certain adults. Sponsors are Rep. Plakon and Sen. Grall.

OPPOSE HB 1517/SB 1284: The Civil Liability for Fetuses Bill is an anti-abortion bill that would empower abusers to sue Floridians who have accessed abortion care and their doctors–a frightening possibility for survivors of domestic violence that could have widespread ramifications for access to reproductive services. It seeks to address a nonexistent problem, as Florida law already allows individuals to sue for negligence and medical malpractice leading to loss of a pregnancy. Sponsors are Rep. Greco and Sen. Grall.

PROTECTING DEMOCRACY

Equality Florida’s theory of change rests on the notion that changing hearts and minds can change laws. That system requires a fair and functioning democracy free from censorship, government overreach, and authoritarian power-grabs. Thus, we work to ensure a free democratic process that protects everyone and treats everyone with respect.

OPPOSE HB 1205/SB 7016: The process to get an amendment on the ballot in Florida is already the strictest in the nation, requiring nearly one million signatures to get on the ballot and 60% support from voters to pass, but End Citizen-Led Amendments aims to create additional and extreme barriers to putting proposed amendments on the ballot. This legislation is one of the greatest existential threats to our democracy and would silence the will of voters across every issue. Sponsor is Rep. Persons-Mulicka.

OPPOSE HB 1381/SB 1414: Participating in elections would be more difficult under several provisions of the Elections Restrictions bill. The legislation eliminates certain early voting days, reduces the forms of identification that voters can use at polling places, and ends the ability to request a vote-by-mail ballot by phone. All of these are important measures that provide more access to democracy for Floridians. Sponsors are Rep. Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Ingoglia.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

SUPPORT SB 450/HB 271: The Hate Crimes Law Expansion would amend existing hate crimes law so that crimes of prejudice based on gender, gender identity, or certain forms of disability are also considered hate crimes. Transgender women of color are disproportionately the victims of hate-motivated violence. They deserve the full protection of law. Sponsors are Sen. Berman and Rep. Rosenwald.

SUPPORT SB 1340/HB 1235: When an LGBTQ person is the victim of a crime, the “panic defense” shifts blame onto that person for the crime committed against them. Eliminating the Gay and Trans Panic Legal Defense would ensure that assailants cannot escape liability for harming or killing an LGBTQ person due to bogus fear about the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Florida should join the nineteen states and District of Columbia that have already banned the panic defense. Sponsors are Sen. Smith and Rep. Harris.

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Gun violence prevention is a key part of our work toward LGBTQ equality. The Pulse Nightclub tragedy was a devastating reminder of how lethal discrimination against our community can be, and gun violence is a civil rights issue disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, particularly transgender women of color.

OPPOSE SB 814: The Campus Carry Bill would permit the concealed carry of firearms on any college or university campus in Florida, including in dormitories and at sporting events, making educational campuses, and the communities they serve, less safe for everyone and potentially exacerbating gun violence at Florida institutes of higher education. Sponsor is Sen. Fine.

OPPOSE HB 759, SB 94, & SB 920: Florida law sets the age required to purchase firearms at 21, but these bills would Repeal Marjory Stoneman Douglas Firearms Safety provisions to allow 18 year olds to purchase and carry firearms, undermining promises made in the wake of the 2018 Parkland tragedy. Sponsors are Rep. Salzman, Sen. Fine, and Sen. Collins.

SUPPORT SB 1338: There is no legitimate reason for private citizens to have the military-style assault weapons used by the shooters at Pulse in Orlando and at schools nationwide. The Ban on Military Assault Weapons is critical to enhancing gun safety policy and keeping these weapons of war out of our streets and classrooms. Sponsor is Sen. Smith.

FIGHTING RACISM AND SEXISM

Attacks on the LGBTQ community–particularly transgender Floridians–have been a starting point for broader attacks on minority communities. A new suite of anti-diversity bills repeals references to women’s and minority inclusion across a wide range of statutes. The women and minority provisions repealed by these bills serve important state interests and goals in creating a fair and representative playing field. These bills also delete existing legislative findings like “The Legislature finds that there is evidence of a systematic pattern of past and continuing racial discrimination […]. It is determined to be a compelling state interest to rectify such discrimination […]” (HB 1185). Equality Florida opposes these measures to the extent they undermine women’s and minorities’ representation, engagement, recruitment, or contracting, from membership on state boards to supplier diversity programs and more.

2025 Legislative Slate