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Florida Democratic Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith speaking in the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2026. Credit: Mitch Perry\/Florida Phoenix<\/p>\n Florida Democratic Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith speaking in the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2026. Credit: Mitch Perry\/Florida Phoenix<\/p>\n
Members of the LGBTQ community and their advocates spoke out in the state Capitol Wednesday against the latest assortment of proposed legislation they call \u201csmoke bombs\u201d \u2014 culture war measures targeting the LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n
They contend these measures have been crafted to distract Floridians from the \u201cfailure\u201d of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his legislative allies to address the \u201creal crisis\u201d facing the state \u2014 lack of affordability, a housing emergency, and skyrocketing property insurance costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese distractions are intended to take our attention away from real corruption in the state Florida,\u201d said Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, speaking specifically to a bill (SB 1010)<\/a>\u00a0that calls for third-degree felony charges and up to $100,000 in fines for doctors and school counselors if they advise minors to undergo transgender therapies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s another smoke bomb intended to distract from the current grand jury investigation into the $10 million he laundered for Hope Florida and stole to pay for political advertisements,\u201d Smith added, referring to the investigation into Casey DeSantis\u2019\u00a0Hope Florida Foundation<\/a>\u00a0that began last fall in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n That investigation is focused on a $10 million donation the DeSantis administration steered to the foundation from a settlement between a Medicaid provider and the state over alleged overpayments. The foundation is reportedly under investigation for in turn steering money to nonprofits that then gave money to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee headed by Attorney General James Uthmeier, who was Ron DeSantis\u2019 chief of staff at the time.<\/p>\n State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, is a candidate for Orlando mayor next year. She said that despite the \u201chyper politicization\u201d of anti-LGBTQ proposals, the public is more open to that community.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a meeting with Orlando conservatives at the beginning of last year, and later I sat in on a trans support group to hear what their concerns were about policy, about politics, about their communities,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd despite what you would assume are two very different groups of people, their needs were exactly the same. They want us to focus on affordability. They want us to focus on safety. They want us to focus on good jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Equality Florida, the state\u2019s leading LGBTQ advocacy group, organized the press conference in Tallahassee, and invited parents of transgendered children to speak. Stratton Pollitzer, the group\u2019s executive director, said SB 1010 goes \u201cmuch further\u201d than legislation passed in 2023 banning doctors from providing gender-affirming care to patients under 18 years of age.<\/p>\n \u201cThis\u00a0would include counselors and therapists,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that these children have special needs. We heard that from a parent today, who talked about the crippling depression his son faced until they got a good therapist. This creates a scenario where you won\u2019t be able to find a therapist willing to talk to your family at all because they\u2019re afraid of a $100,000 lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Sad and angry\u2019<\/p>\n Juan Dominguez said that he and his ex-wife didn\u2019t know why their son Kai was \u201csad and angry at the world\u201d and neither did the doctors and psychologists who examined him, until they met a doctor in Miami who ultimately concluded that he had gender dysphoria and was potentially transgender. Dominguez says the challenge right now as a family is getting Kai gender-confirming medication, since the 2023 law prohibits physicians from treating minors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state is\u00a0becoming very challenging to live in if you have a transgender family,\u201d he said, adding that when Kai becomes an adult, he will make a decision about potentially gender-affirming or sexual reassignment surgery.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s not to say that he\u2019s going to do it anyways \u2014 transgender people don\u2019t necessarily go in the path of surgery right away.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the other bills LGBTQ advocates are opposing this session are HB 347\/SB 426, labeled the \u201cAdoption and Display of of Flags by Government Entities\u201d but what Equality Florida is calling simply the \u201cBan Gay Pride Flag\u201d measure. It would prohibit\u00a0governmental entities from displaying, placing, or causing to be placed certain flags on real property.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is literally the fourth year in a row that they have tried to do this bill, and every single year, we the people have defeated it,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n Other bills on Equality Florida\u2019s radar this session include:<\/p>\n HB 641\/SB 1642, \u201cGender Identity Employment Practices,\u201d which Equality Florida labels the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay or Trans at Work\u201d bill.<\/p>\n It would enact regulations on pronoun use in public and certain private workplaces. It would shield employees from accountability for anti-trans harassment via intentional misgendering, and prohibit inclusion of a transgender or nonbinary gender option on any job application or related employment form. The bill also would prohibit LGBTQ-related cultural competency training requirements for government workers.<\/p>\n HB 1001\/SB 1134 \u201cOfficial Actions of Local Governments.\u201d<\/p>\n This bill would stop cities and counties from funding, promoting, or taking official action as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion; prohibit counties and municipalities from expending funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or officers; and says that county commissioners, city council members, or any other county or municipal official acting in official capacity who violates certain provisions \u201ccommits misfeasance or malfeasance in office.\u201d<\/p>\n Equality Florida contends that the bill would effectively ban local governments from a range of actions like hosting or supporting Pride events, offering LGBTQ+ cultural competency training, or recognizing contributions of Black civil rights leaders during Black History Month.<\/p>\n Most Americans support anti-discrimination protections for transgender people, according to a\u00a0Pew Research Center survey from a year ago.<\/a>\u00a0But that poll also found the public favors GOP-backed policies barring gender transitions for minors and compelling trans athletes to play on teams that match their sex assigned at birth.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe bill would revise Florida laws that prohibit smoking and vaping of tobacco in public spaces to also prohibit smoking or vaping of a marijuana\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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