Homophobic DeSantis Campaign Staffer Cheers at LGBTQ+ Families Fleeing Florida

Florida’s leadership is thrilled to see LGBTQ+ people leaving the state. That’s according to the actions of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s former spokesperson and current campaign staffer, Christina Pushaw.

In response to news that queer families were choosing to escape the state — which is at the forefront of implementing draconian legislation severely limiting LGBTQ+ people’s rights, from what they can wear and say to what kind of medical access they have — Pushaw indicated her glee with the displacement of families who are seeking a better life outside the confines of Florida’s jurisdiction.

As DeSantis' rapid response director, Pushaw tweeted an article about the number of LGBTQ+ parents leaving the state, with an emoji of a waving hand.

A UCLA Williams Institute survey, cited in the piece by Florida’s Voice, found that half of 113 LGBTQ+ parents surveyed in Florida had considered moving because of Florida’s "don’t say gay" law.

A survey of parents found that 17 percent had already decided to move out of the state, while 11 percent had considered private schooling to prevent discrimination in their children’s education.

In a separate response to the article, Pushaw, who is a cisgender straight white woman, claimed that the word “queer” is an insult.

“Most people, gay or straight, oppose the idea of classroom instruction for young children about sexuality and ‘gender’ ideology. Those who don’t should move to California. The word “queer” is an insult and a left-wing political identity, not an orientation,” she wrote on Twitter.

Pushaw is one of the originators of the false and hateful “groomer” libel that conservatives have hurled at LGBTQ+ people for more than a year.

She often corresponds with Chaya Raichik, the creator of the anti-LGBTQ+ account Libs of TikTok on Twitter. Raichik and Pushaw are two of a number of characters online that foment anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment by pushing misinformation and casting queer community members as harmful to children or otherwise deviant.

DeSantis is believed to be setting up for a presidential run for the Republican nomination ahead of the 2024 election.