Anti-DEI bill threatening Florida Pride events gains momentum in GOP legislature

LGBTQ+ advocates in Florida fear the Republican-controlled Legislature will advance severe anti-diversity legislation supported by outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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The Florida Senate on Thursday took up and passed legislation barring any diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives funded by local governments. While the House postponed a vote on the legislation this week, observers of the process expect the measure to hit the floor next week, then be sent to the governor’s desk and signed into law.

“This legislation is a sledgehammer aimed at cities and counties that dare to recognize and address the diversity of the people they serve,” said Joe Saunders, who previously served as one of Florida’s first out lawmakers and now works as Equality Florida’s senior political director.

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“DeSantis and his allies are willing to sacrifice the critical support and inclusion that strengthen local communities to distract from his administration’s inaction, scandals, and corruption. A commitment to equity and inclusion makes us better. And our LGBTQ community will not be erased. As the bill heads to the House, lawmakers should reject this agenda of censorship and government overreach.”

Republicans defended the bill as an anti-waste measure, using similar rhetoric as that used by President Donald Trump’s administration to kill spending on LGBTQ+ initiatives domestically and abroad.

“It has been alarming to discover some of the items that are being funded with Florida taxpayer dollars under the guise of the approximately 10-year-old effort commonly referred to as DEI,” said Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough, the bill’s Republican sponsor, on the floor, as reported by Florida Politics.

Related:Trans activists march on Florida capital as erasure bill dies

Yarborough agreed to an amendment filed by out Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat, to ensure the bill doesn’t stop the city of Orlando from establishing and maintaining a memorial to victims of the 2016 Pulse shooting. A shooter who declared allegiance to ISIS shot and killed 49 people at the gay club. Most victims were LGBTQ+ or Latinx.

Saunders said he expects the House to take up the Senate bill last week. But consideration for Pulse victims aside, the bill still could set marginalized residents in the state back by years. “The anti-diversity in local government bill is incredibly broad and vague and is matched with sweeping penalties for local officials who are perceived to have violated it, including removal from office,” Saunders told The Advocate.

“In the Senate’s debate, it was clear the bills would impact decades of local progress for LGBTQ rights. Programs, services, and basic observances focused on the LGBTQ community will be banned by this bill, including nearly all local government support for pride festivals," Saunders said.

He said that he hopes the House will at least protect cities’ ability to support Pride events. But he said the legislation clearly has momentum.

Florida Rep. Fabian Basabe, a Republican representing Miami Beach, sent a letter to Miami Beach Pride last week asserting that much of the anger about the legislation was a “misunderstanding.” He said he would be happy to advise the organization on how to handle any impacts of the bill.

“Pride is not under threat, and it definitely isn’t going anywhere. If anything, this moment presents an opportunity to both strengthen and expand the event and ensure it continues to thrive for decades to come as a cultural festival that celebrates community, supports local businesses, and contributes to the vitality of Miami Beach,” he said.

Saunders dismissed Basabe’s distortion of the bill’s consequence.

“Fabian Basabe has a 100% voting record of anti-LGBTQ extremism. He has never once voted with the LGBTQ community, even as Florida has become the national petri dish for far-right anti-LGBTQ attacks,” Saunders said. “He voted for the drag ban. He voted for the ‘Don't Say Gay or Trans’ law. He cheered the removal of the Miami Beach rainbow crosswalk. He is a pariah, and no one in our community cares what he thinks.”

The Senate passed the legislation on a 25-11 vote, with one Republican, Florida Sen. Alexis Calatayud, joining Democrats in voting against it. Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, an out Democrat representing South Florida, said attempts to gloss over the impact of the bill wouldn’t fool residents of the state.

“You might not say it’s anti-LGBTQ,” he said on the Senate floor, “but the underlying tone is that it actually is.”

DeSantis has launched numerous attacks on LGBTQ rights during his eight years as Florida Governor, especially during the build-up to his failed 2024 presidential campaign. His term ends in January, and term limits prohibit him from running for re-election.

He has repeatedly supported the passage of the anti-DEI bill in the House and Senate.