Gabrielle Russon
LGBTQ advocates are celebrating several bills — including one that could have banned Pride flags flown at government buildings — stalling out this Session.
“Once again, we’ve done what many thought was impossible: not one anti-LGBTQ bill passed this session,” Equality Florida’s Executive Director Nadine Smith said in a statement Saturday.
The Legislative Session ended Friday although lawmakers failed to pass a balanced budget.
Some of the dead bills including HB 75/SB 100 that would have banned government buildings, schools and universities, from flying flags that represented a “political viewpoint.”
The proposal was sponsored by outgoing state Sen. Randy Fine before he left for Washington, D.C.
“How would we feel if the city of Palm Bay or the city of Ormond Beach flew the Make America Great Again flag from City Hall? How would we feel if a teacher hung that in their classroom?” Fine said during a March committee hearing. “The idea is whether it’s political viewpoints that we agree with or we disagree with, let’s keep that stuff out of government buildings.”
Equity Florida lobbied against the bill with its public policy director Jon Harris Maurer calling the flag ban “unnecessary, unclear, unconstitutional and dangerous.”
“It does not help Floridians struggling with insurance and housing affordability,” he said. “Instead, it is a made-up solution to a culture war for political purposes, but it will have real harms.”
Ultimately, Fine’s bill was withdrawn, failing to reach the Senate floor.
Equity Florida also heralded the defeat of other bills, including HB 1495/SB 440 to prevent governments from using the preferred pronouns for people who are transgender and other bills targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI.)
The organization pointed to its grassroots campaign this Session with 400 LGBTQ activists lobbying during “our largest largest advocacy week ever,” 16,000 emails sent to lawmakers and about 325 in-person meetings with legislators.
“It’s students and seniors, faith leaders and frontline workers, parents and teachers, standing together and making sure lawmakers hear us loud and clear: we will not back down,” Smith said in a statement.
13 comments
B. Bach
May 3, 2025 at 12:33 pm
It’ll be back.
Gaëtane Eccleston
May 3, 2025 at 3:38 pm
I’ve gotten 2 checks for a total of $9,200…this is the best decision I made in a long time! This extra cash has changed my life in so many ways, thank you!”
Go ON my ProFILE
Hung Wiil
May 3, 2025 at 9:32 pm
YAG backwards.
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
May 3, 2025 at 12:45 pm
NO TAXPAYER-SUPPORTED BILLBOARDS. ANYWHERE.
Government buildings exist to keep the workers and the customers dry, and to prevent the filing cabinets from rusting. I am paying for them for that purpose, and nothing else.
Ya wanna have a billboard for the values you’re peddling? Good: go rent a billboard somewhere. Do not try to highjack the walls in taxpayer-supported government buildings.
Vote Libertarian.
Tommy Lee Matthis
May 3, 2025 at 4:59 pm
“Libertairn”. Riiiight.
Earl Pitts American
May 3, 2025 at 5:54 pm
CHASTIZED for disrespecting my Buddy Larry. Earl Pitts American
Earl Pitts American
May 3, 2025 at 5:51 pm
Thank you Larry for your Sage Political Wisdom and advice,
I, Earl Pitts American, will be an owner soon in Matlachea and we can hang out, talk politics, fish off my back yard, chase skirts, and pass a doob soon.
Earl Pitts American
Oh and drink a brewskie or 3
LawLib
May 3, 2025 at 2:40 pm
A “fine” and deserving “”tribute” and farewell to Randy Fine. Will be interesting to watch him act out among his Republican peers in the halls of Congress.
Michael K
May 3, 2025 at 3:16 pm
Time to stop the irrational fear and hatred toward people who are our family members, co-workers, neighbors, civic leaders, church members and friends.
I hope Mr Fine spends some time getting to know the truly fine gay people who serve with distinction in the US House and Senate. And maybe he’ll learn something about tolerance from some of DCs extraordinary museums, theaters, concert halls and the Library of Congress.
New Bottles
May 3, 2025 at 4:44 pm
It’s the same ol’ whine from these TQ-er types. Get it through your heads. Nobody cares what you do in the privacy of your own homes, but get out of my face with it, quit trying to force it onto my kids, quit wasting the time of lawmakers with your efforts to get regular Americans to put up with your stupid peculiarities, and quit spending my money to finance it. It’s your life, not mine, and it is going to stay that way, and if you were a decent American you would admit it.
Michael K
May 3, 2025 at 5:45 pm
Your money? Your money?
I’m not asking you to turn queer (it’s not a choice). Just asking to stop the hating and follow your own dvice: I’m not telling you how to live your life. Please don’t dictate how I live mine. Fair enough?
New Bottles
May 3, 2025 at 8:52 pm
Between your own four walls, dumbass.
Oscar
May 3, 2025 at 10:41 pm
Time to primary and vote out pathetic spineless Republicans that refuse to return sanity to Florida and end the woke freak show. This war is far from over leftist bedwetters.