Resistance Report Week 1: Attacks On Citizen-Led Amendments

We’ve officially entered the 60 most dangerous days in Florida: The 2025 Legislative Session.

This session, DeSantis and the GOP supermajority are pushing an extreme agenda of censorship and government control, taking aim at our rights and freedoms — including bills that make local pro-LGBTQ and equality policies illegal, attack the very existence of transgender Floridians, ban Pride representation, and dismantle DEI and minority support and inclusion programs.

There’s a lot to keep up with, {{FirstName or 'Friend'}}. That’s why we’re starting our weekly Resistance Reports again! We’ll be covering legislative news and ways to join the resistance, media highlights from the Equality Florida team, and critical updates from the frontlines.

HISTORIC: Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) and his husband, Jerick Mediavilla, on the Senate Floor on the first day of the 2025 Legislative Session.

In addition to a number of bad bills moving through the legislative process (which we’ll get into below!), the Trump Administration continues to target individual rights and freedoms, especially for transgender Americans. The overwhelming amount of breaking news out of Washington, D.C. is a calculated strategy designed to overwhelm us and make us lose hope. But we know how to organize against it.

Join us for a virtual briefing on Wednesday, March 12th from 6-7pm EST to hear from Equality Florida and our national partners at ACLU, Lambda Legal, and Democracy Forward on how we’re fighting back in the courts against these attacks — and how YOU can get involved.

We will be in the Florida Capitol every single day of Florida’s 60-day session - and we need you with us! Join hundreds of citizen lobbyists at our Pride At The Capitol campaign kick-off on Tuesday, March 18th and Wednesday, March 19th. This is our chance to show our collective power and make our voices heard. Here’s what you can expect:

🏳️‍🌈 March 18th: Kick-off with a training and legislative briefing, then we’ll move into the Capitol for a press conference and lawmaker meetings with an assigned small group — followed by an evening reception to unwind and connect with fellow citizen lobbyists.

🏛 March 19th: More lawmaker meetings with your small group, attending committee hearings as needed, and fighting back at every turn.

🏳️‍⚧️ March 20th: Stay for the 2nd Annual Let Us Live March, a powerful rally led by transgender leaders and organizations across the state.

Can’t make it on those dates? Don’t worry! This is a session-long program. We’ll have more information shortly on how you can join us any week of legislative session to help fight back!

If you can’t join us in person, please consider a donation to help us get as many people to Tallahassee as possible. Every dollar counts!

Now, let’s get into what happened this week in Tallahassee and what we’re focusing on.

🚨OPPOSE: End Citizen-Led Amendments (HB 1205/SB 7016)🚨
Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

• What it does: These bills attempt to effectively End Citizen-Led Amendments that allow people to put policies on the ballot for a vote, but Florida already has some of the strictest requirements in the nation for citizen-led amendments. These would consolidate legislators’ power and deny people a say through their vote.

• What happened: HB 1205 had its first hearing in the House, and it was a jam-packed room. Over 100 people showed up to oppose the bill. THIS is what the resistance looks like. Ultimately, HB 1205 passed out of its first committee by a 14-4 vote, but it was a strong show of collective power. Now, the bill heads to its second and final committee in the House — State Affairs. Its Senate companion bill, SB 7016, will be heard in its first committee on Monday at 1:30pm EST.

• How you can help: We need you to contact members of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 7016.

Jon Harris Maurer, Public Policy Director for Equality Florida, Testifies Against HB 1205.

🚨 BAD BILLS TO WATCH 🤬

Pride Flag Ban Bill (HB 75/SB 100)
Sponsors: Sen. Randy Fine and Rep. Alex Borrero

• What it does: Flags have historically been used to connect communities in an exercise of free speech. The Pride Flag Ban Bill bans government buildings from raising any flag that represents a “political viewpoint,” including Pride Flags. Born largely from far-right activists protesting LGBTQ pride flags on government buildings, it attacks visibility in public spaces and classrooms for all minority groups.
• What happened: This bill has already passed through its first of three Senate committees. It hasn’t been scheduled for another committee hearing just yet, but it’s important we keep the pressure on!
• How you can help: Contact the lawmakers on the next Senate and House committees and tell them to vote NO on SB 100/HB 75.

Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work 2.0 (HB 1495/SB 440)
Sponsors: Sen. Stan McClain and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it does: This bill enacts state regulations on pronoun use in public and certain private workplaces. It shields employees from accountability for anti-trans harassment and intentional misgendering, and prohibits the inclusion of a transgender or nonbinary gender option on any job application or related employment form. The bill also prohibits LGBTQ-related cultural competency training requirements for government workers.

Anti-Diversity In Local Government (HB 1571/SB 420)
Sponsors: Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. Dean Black

• What it does: These bills prohibit local governments from enacting DEI-related policies, ordinances, or resolutions, and can subject local officials who previously voted for them to removal from office. This outrageous state overreach censors local governments and restricts their ability to respond to community needs and priorities.

Banning Diversity & Equity In State Agencies (HB 731/SB 1710)
Sponsors: Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Rep. Lauren Melo

• What it does: This legislation would defund DEI in state agencies and ban state contractors and grantees from using state funds for DEI; the House bill has additional anti-DEI measures for state boards and healthcare education.

🏆 THE GOOD BILLS 🏆

We’re keeping up the pressure on lawmakers to support and co-sponsor these bills, and we need your help.

🏆 The Health Care Freedom Act (HB 823/SB 932) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Anna V. Eskamani and Sen. Shevrin Jones

• Restores Reproductive Rights: Repeals Governor DeSantis’ 6-Week Abortion Ban, reinstating abortion access up until the start of the third trimester, in line with broader medical and legal standards.
• Protects Medical Care For Transgender People: Eliminates restrictions on essential medical care for transgender individuals, ensuring access to treatments supported by leading medical authorities like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association.

🏆 Freedom to Learn Act (HB 811/SB 930) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Angie Nixon and Sen. Tracie Davis

• Safeguards Academic Freedom: Repeals provisions of the Stop WOKE Act and the “Don’t Say LGBTQ” law, protecting the right to teach honest history, discuss systemic injustices, and fully address LGBTQ topics in educational settings.
• Promotes Inclusive Education: Allows higher education institutions to fund DEI programs and activities on campus, and requires the inclusion of LGBTQ history in public education, alongside Holocaust education, African American history, and women's contributions, and restricts book-banning practices by limiting who can raise objections to school materials to only parents of public school students.

Send a message to lawmakers urging them to support the two Freedom bills.

🏆 Hate Crimes Law Expansion (HB 271/SB 450) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Mitch Rosenwald and Sen. Lori Berman

• What it does: This legislation would amend Florida’s existing hate crimes law so that crimes of prejudice based on gender, gender identity, or certain forms of disability are also considered hate crimes. This is especially urgent given the rate of hate violence against the transgender community.

🏆 Gay & Trans Panic Legal Defense (HB 1235/SB 1340) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Rita Harris and Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith

• What it does: Eliminating the “Gay and Trans Panic Legal Defense” as a viable legal defense tool would ensure that assailants cannot escape liability for harming or killing an LGBTQ person because the assailant claims a bogus fear about the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

🏆 Repeal the Marriage Ban (HB 6039/SB 144) 🏆
Sponsors: Rep. Angie Nixon and Sen. Tracie Davis

• What it does: With clear court rulings and the federal Respect for Marriage Act in place, the Florida Legislature must repeal the existing marriage ban that remains on our statute books by deleting outdated, patently unconstitutional statute that bans recognizing same-sex marriage.

Our public policy team has been reviewing hundreds of bills filed this legislative session. Stay tuned for our full legislative slate of priority bills Equality Florida supports and opposes in our week two Resistance Report.

As we continue over the next 54 days, we must remember that our voices matter, our actions matter, and our movement matters.

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok for the latest updates.

Together, we will resist, and we will make a difference.