Democrats Denounce Don’t Say Gay Bill Signing

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has signed the controversial Don’t Say Gay bill, which has incited the ire of Democrats and organizations. A number of Democrats have responded to the signing with them calling it an “unconscionable” decision while affirming that they will push back against the legislation.

Immediately after the signing, Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D) released a statement, denouncing the signing and reiterating her opposition.

“I want to be clear that identifying as LGBTQ+ and caring about LGBTQ+ kids is not ‘leftist agenda’ nor is it inappropriate for educators to acknowledge the fact that LGBTQ+ people are real and exist,” Eskamani said.

“The intent of this bill is to erase queer students and eliminate any programming that helps them feel safe and supported,” she continued, adding that “we heard from the Senate bill sponsor himself that he thinks children identify as LGBTQ+ because they want to be famous, and we heard comments from another Senator that ‘gay is not permanent.’”

She concluded that “this is what fueled the passage of this bill, and instead of solving problems like rising cost of rent in Florida, our Governor has continued to pursue a red meat agenda, attacking a group of people he clearly doesn’t think should even exist.”

Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) and state Senator Annette Taddeo (D), who are both challenging DeSantis for Florida’s governorship, also released statements on social media, decrying the Governor’s signing of the bill.

On social media, Taddeo commented that “Ron DeSantis once again sacrificed the well-being of our children to further his political ambitions,” saying that “all kids should be loved, included and accepted” before telling voters that they deserve “a governor that cares about all Floridians.”

Crist, who called the signing “unconscionable,” warning that “it puts LGBTQ children at risk” and that “it silences teachers from being able to communicate openly and honestly about LGBTQ issues” before calling on voters to support his campaign that will ensure the legislation is repealed “after November the 8^th of this year.”