Jesse Scheckner
SAVE is making it easier than ever for LGBTQ-aligned activists to organize and participate in events and protests.
The South Florida nonprofit just unveiled its new Action Center. It’s an online portal through which visitors can sign up to speak at a local City Commission meeting, contact elected officials, register to vote, learn lobbying skills and volunteer for events.
Democracy is under attack, the group says, and the time to act — boldly and locally — is now.
“The assault on American values, the erosion of democracy, and the emboldening of extremists is an affront to who we are. Ignoring this won’t solve anything. It is time we look these threats in the eye, gather our community, and fight back,” a Friday statement from the Miami-based organization said.
“National organizations alone cannot do this work for us. If we are going to win this fight, we must invest in local organizations. That means breaking old habits and recognizing that our best defense begins in our own backyard. SAVE is part of the last line of defense in South Florida. We will hold the line, defend the truth, and execute a regional strategy to fight back. But we need you with us.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-dominated Legislature have enacted several laws in recent years targeting LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices. They include a ban on classroom instruction of gender identity and sexual preference in public schools, easier book-challenging policies for school libraries and criminalizing the use of bathrooms or participation in sports not matching a person’s sex at birth.
Republican lawmakers this Session are carrying bills to ban pride flags and other banners with “political viewpoints” at government facilities, prohibit certain employees from having to use the preferred pronouns of coworkers and outlaw diversity, equity and inclusion at medical schools.
Miles Davis, Director of Advocacy and Communications for SAVE, said the Action Center “will serve as a central hub for supporters to participate in initiatives that drive real change at the local level.”
“Our goal with the new Action Center,” he told Florida politics, “is to empower individuals to take meaningful action in support of LGBTQ+ equality through advocacy, civic engagement, and community involvement.”
