{"id":214506,"date":"2026-04-01T13:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214506\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T13:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:26:08","slug":"unf-pride-club-decries-new-anti-dei-bill-as-act-of-erasure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214506\/","title":{"rendered":"UNF Pride Club decries new anti-DEI bill as \u2018act of erasure\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UNF Pride Club at the University of North Florida is concerned that the recently passed SB 1134<\/a> contributes to a larger erasure of the LGBTQ+ community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bill, passed by the Florida Legislature on March 10, bans local governments from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spinnaker spoke with UNF Pride Club President Ausare Hicks, who described this recent legislation as an act of erasure. Hicks also elaborated on the UNF Pride Club\u2019s experience serving as an executive commission under the UNF Student Government (SG) following the UNF Office of Diversity and Inclusion\u2019s phase-out<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n

SB 1134 threatens LGBTQ+ visibility<\/p>\n

Though this Florida Senate bill does not ban Pride festivals or parades in the state, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez acknowledged<\/a> the bill would establish new restrictions on supporting or promoting them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we want taxpayer dollars to be used to put on certain events that have to do with DEI, promoted by local governments? No, we don\u2019t,\u201d Perez said to the press inside the Florida House chamber. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t inhibit the ability for local governments to be able to have a gay Pride festival if that\u2019s what they choose to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Equality Florida<\/a>, a self-described civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ members in Florida, expressed concern that the bill can still be used to target LGBTQ+ programs and protections.<\/p>\n

\u201cDebate over the bill made expressly clear that LGBTQ+ people were a central target of the legislation,\u201d states the Equality Florida website. \u201cThe public record, the bill sponsors\u2019 own statements, and hours of legislative debate revealed the animus driving the effort to pressure local governments into pulling back from recognizing or resourcing programs targeting LGBTQ residents and other historically marginalized communities,\u201d the statement says.<\/p>\n

If the bill were signed into law, Gov. Ron DeSantis would also remove any officials found in violation of the legislation.<\/p>\n

Hicks said that although this anti-DEI sentiment has long existed during DeSantis\u2019s term, this specific legislation threatens LGBTQ+ voices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in the interest of erasure, because that [bill] means no Florida government officials, state or local, can openly help fund the pride parade or celebrations or events,\u201d Hicks said. \u201cIt\u2019s trying to really finalize the current American narrative, trying to solidify that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hicks said DeSantis\u2019 influence at the local level, including the delegation of which lights are shown on state bridges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of similar to the legislation he [DeSantis] passed about the bridges in Jacksonville not having rainbow colors up,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), under DeSantis\u2019s \u201cFreedom Summer\u201d initiative, mandated<\/a> that state bridges, including those in Jacksonville, display only red, white, and blue lights from Memorial Day to Labor Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This policy blocked rainbow lighting for Pride Month.<\/p>\n

UNF LGBTQ Center<\/p>\n

Former director of UNF\u2019s LGBTQ center Manuel Velasquez said the bill raises \u201cimportant questions\u201d about whose voices are heard in communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt its core, this bill limits the ability of local communities to support initiatives that recognize and uplift people from different backgrounds,\u201d said Velasquez. \u201cFor many people, those programs aren\u2019t abstract ideas; they are real spaces where we can feel seen, supported, and connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velasquez said the response to the bill is the most important, encouraging advocacy, voting, and conversations about the bill and similar matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange has always been driven by people who choose to stay informed, speak up, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them,\u201d said Velasquez. \u201cRegardless of where someone stands on this bill, one thing remains true: your voice matters, and your voice equals your vote.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hurdles follow DEI office phaseout<\/p>\n

Following the UNF Office of Diversity and Inclusion\u2019s phase-out<\/a>, which erased the Intercultural, Interfaith, LGBTQ, and Women\u2019s centers, Hicks explained that becoming an executive commission under SG has been a necessary adjustment to remain an entity on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say it\u2019s a lot more hurdles than we\u2019re all used to because there\u2019s a lot more oversight, a lot more things like funding that need to be approved,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n

Hicks became the president of Pride Club earlier this semester and explained that, though taking this role aligns them more closely with SG and thus the university, they feel it\u2019s important to speak out against initiatives that erase LGBTQ+ voices.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a holder of identity, you can\u2019t really be indifferent,\u201d Hicks said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UNF provided no comment on the concerns related to this bill.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The UNF Pride Club at the University of North Florida is concerned that the recently passed SB 1134…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-214506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}