(Graphic via Equality Florida)

TALLAHASSEE | As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation advances rapidly through the Florida Legislature, Equality Florida is mobilizing supporters and sending them to the State Capitol to fight for LGBTQ+ rights Feb. 17 and Feb. 18.

In an urgent appeal to supporters, Equality Florida warned Feb. 9 that the next two weeks could determine whether multiple bills targeting Florida’s LGBTQ+ community become law. The organization noted public pressure is critical to slowing or stopping them.

Equality Florida is renting buses to bring hundreds of Floridians to the Capitol to pack committee hearings, meet with lawmakers and visibly oppose the measures. The organization set a $15,000 fundraising goal to cover the cost of transportation for volunteers.

Their goal is to flood the Capitol, pack committee hearings and “be the sand in the gears” that stops these bills from moving any further, Executive Director Stratton Pollitzer told supporters in an email.

Among the proposals causing concern are bills that would expand Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” policies into government workplaces and certain private businesses. According to Equality Florida, the changes could make it easier for employees to harass transgender coworkers without repercussions.

Other measures would increase legal liability for teachers and mental health providers who support Florida’s transgender youth. Advocates argue the bills could discourage providers from offering care and make it significantly harder for transgender young people to access mental health services.

Equality Florida says the legislative push is part of a broader political strategy by Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative allies. The organization advises state leaders are targeting LGBTQ+ communities, particularly transgender people, amid what it describes as broader leadership failures. 

The first one-day bus trips was scheduled for Feb. 17, departing Sarasota with a pickup in Tampa. The second is set for Wednesday, Feb. 18, departing Orlando with a pickup in Gainesville. 

Equality Florida is asking supporters to contribute toward travel costs, estimating $50 for a one-way seat and $100 for a round trip.

“We must fight every fight, show up in every room where our rights are being debated, and always outnumber the opposition,” Pollitzer said. Read more below:

For more information and to make a donation, visit Equality Florida’s website.

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