Trans candidates demand their seat at the table in the Florida legislature
Ashley Brundage, Nathan Bruemmer, and Vance Ahrens are all vying to be Florida's first transgender lawmakers.
October 28, 2024
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Ashley Brundage, Nathan Bruemmer, and Vance Ahrens are all vying to be Florida's first transgender lawmakers.
"Right now, we’re seeing a large push for authoritarianism, where we have the state government telling people how they can live their lives, who they can love, how they can express themselves," says out Florida House candidate Nate Douglas.
"The government cannot excuse its indirect censorship of political speech simply by declaring the disfavored speech is 'false,'" the judge wrote.
“As a parent, it is heartbreaking to see my right to make healthcare decisions for my child taken away by political bullies, and the hurt and harm that has caused my child,” one parent of a trans youth said in a new legal brief.
“The only child that was harmed in this entire investigation was my own child,” Jessica Norton said of her daughter's ban from playing girls' volleyball — a sport her daughter had played for years.
Stephen Jay Thorn, a retired teacher, was incensed that the judge dismissed a challenge to the law and made light of bullying.
A lower court had ruled that the law should be permanently blocked, but this decision reverses that.
Anyone who had the page bookmarked and tries to go to that section now will end up at a generic "Things To Do" page instead.
Local media reported that hundreds of books ended up in dumpsters.
In recent years, Florida has stepped up efforts to limit access to transgender health care for adults and children, but frequently run into skepticism in the courts.
“There is no way around it, I’m being punished because I am the parent of a transgender student,” Jessica Norton said in a statement to the media.
It will get even wilder as the final night on Thursday approaches.
The state had asked Judge Robert Hinkle to put his June ruling against the restrictions on hold, but he said no.
The anti-LGBTQ+ governor blamed "sexual" fringe festivals across the state for making it impossible to allow any grants to reach organizations. Advocates have cried foul.
The one-time Republican power couple fell from grace after the Ziegler's were revealed to have had threesomes with women — something advocates have said is hypocritical given the couple's previous anti-LGBTQ+ stances.
Jessica Norton, the mother of a trans student who briefly played on the Monarch High School volleyball team, spoke during a public comment period at a Broward County School Board meeting on Tuesday.
“It’s also important to acknowledge and celebrate the significance of our election for Florida’s LGBTQ community, who have been relentlessly attacked and demonized by the majority party in this Legislature over the past few years,” Smith said on Friday.
The state had banned the care for minors and restricted it for adults.
Matt McAllister spoke to The Advocate about how he rapidly organized 70 people to light up the Main Street Bridge over the St. Johns River as gay as possible for Pride Month.
This drag performer reflects on the lasting impact the state's anti-drag bans have had a year after they were put into motion.