Resistance Report Week 3: This is what democracy looks like!

We’re BACK! In a powerful show of unity and resistance, 400+ volunteers joined us for week three of the legislative session at our Pride At The Capitol Kick-Off! Their presence in Tallahassee made a HUGE impact and secured some immediate wins in the process! The entire kick-off was a powerful reminder that when we show up in force, we can accomplish great things. If you joined us in Tallahassee, we can’t thank you enough. If you haven’t had a chance to join us yet, there are still many more upcoming opportunities to stand on the front lines with us.

As soon as we arrived in the State Capitol, we mobilized against a slate of extreme bills being heard in the Florida Senate. Our citizen lobbyists swamped the committee and submitted 1,000+ comment cards, which unexpectedly delayed two bad bills from consideration and bought us more time to stop the bills! 

THIS is what democracy looks like! 

While there’s still a long fight ahead of us — it was incredible to see each person using their voice to fight back against the attacks we’re facing this session. 

As part of our kick-off event, we hosted a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda with our Pride At The Capitol volunteers and a powerhouse lineup of speakers! We were joined by several LGBTQ lawmakers, including Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, Representative Michele Rayner, and Representative Mitch Rosenwald. Pro-equality champion and LGBTQ accomplice Representative Anna V. Eskamani also joined us! Equality Florida’s Deputy Director Stratton Pollitzer and Director of Transgender Equality Angelique Godwin sent a powerful message to extremist lawmakers: They’ll have to go through us. And the resistance is working. 

While we have had some early wins, we must remain vigilant! Not only are we working to defeat every bad bill introduced, but we’re also mobilizing to restore our rights and building a future for Florida that we all deserve.

Volunteer advocates also had the opportunity to hear from LGBTQ champion Senator Shevrin Jones at our Pride At The Capitol evening reception and from pro-equality champion Representative Dotie Joseph during lunch at the House Democratic Office.

Hundreds of transgender and nonbinary Floridians and allies joined the 2nd Annual Let Us Live March! This powerful rally, led by transgender leaders from across the state, was held on the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol Building as we protested the attacks on the existence of transgender people by Governor DeSantis and extremist lawmakers.

The continued assaults on transgender Americans at the federal and state levels serve as calculated strategies to divert attention from lawmakers' failures to address the real issues impacting us. But here’s what extremists keep forgetting: Transgender people exist — always have and always will. And we’re not going anywhere! 

We also want to give a special shout-out to all of the grassroots transgender leaders across the state who made the annual Let Us Live March possible again this year!

Our ongoing Pride At The Capitol program is a crucial element of our work to stop or minimize the impact of bad bills and prepare for legal challenges against any that are passed into law.

But this effort relies heavily on pro-equality supporters like YOU taking action. Your presence in Tallahassee, your stories, and your participation in committee hearings are crucial. We’ll be in the Capitol through all 60 days of the legislative session — join us on the frontlines by signing up to support our effort in-person during any of the remaining days and weeks ahead. 

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 take you through exactly what happened in Week #3, what's still coming, and how you can take action.

🚨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 take any official action to removal from office. This outrageous state overreach censors local governments and restricts their ability to respond to community needs and priorities.
   
• What happened: SB 420 PASSED out of the Senate Community Affairs Committee on a party-line vote. During committee, the bill was amended and made worse despite the sponsor's claim that they were addressing concerns. While the amendment removed the blatantly unconstitutional retroactivity, it now expressly bans local government funding for DEI and abolishes "any such existing ordinances, resolutions, rules, regulations, programs or policies." Dozens of pro-equality supporters testified in opposition to this bad bill. Next, the bill heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Volunteers testifying against SB 420 in committee.

• How you can help: We need you to contact lawmakers right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 420.

🚨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.

• What happened: SB 1710 PASSED out of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on a party-line vote. But not before hundreds of volunteers attending our Pride At The Capitol event testified in opposition to the bill. HB 731 has been scheduled for a hearing in the House Government Operations Subcommittee for Tuesday, March 25th from 12:00PM to 3:00PM.

Volunteers pack the committee room and an overflow space to testify against bad bills.

•  How you can help: We need you to contact lawmakers right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 1710 and HB 731.

🚨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.

• What happened: This bill was originally scheduled for a hearing this week in the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee. Citizen lobbyists from our Pride At The Capitol campaign submitted over 1,000 speaker cards on a number of bad bills moving through this committee, including SB 440, and were able to get the bill temporarily postponed. That was a big WIN, but there’s no slowing down! The bill has now been scheduled for a hearing in the same committee this coming Tuesday, March 25th from 1:30-3:30PM ET.

• How you can help: We need you to contact members of the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 440.

🚨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’s coming: SB 100 has been scheduled for hearing in the Senate Community Affairs Committee on Tuesday, March 25th from 11:00AM-1:00PM ET.

• 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.

🚨 Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (HB 1505/SB 1288)🚨

Sponsors: Sen. Erin Grall and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it does: The Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill would restrict minors’ access to birth control, STI testing and 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.

• What’s coming: SB 1288 has been scheduled for hearing in the Senate Education Pre-K - 12 Committee on Tuesday, March 25th from 11:00AM-1:00PM ET.

• How you can help: Contact the lawmakers on the Senate Education Pre-K - 12 Committee right away and urge them to vote NO on SB 1288.

The resistance is making headlines! We’re going to continue showing the world what it looks like to resist, fight back, and WIN.

As we continue over the next 40 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.