27 Apr Florida is getting out of control

Florida is getting out of control

Recently, according to AP news, Florida passed these laws as Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis added more wins to his agenda targeting the LGBTQ+ community as a state board approved an expansion of what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” law Wednesday, and the House passed bills on gender-transition treatments, bathroom use and keeping children out of drag shows.

But if this isn’t enough for this backwoods state, it’s not the only issue upsetting LGBTQ+ people in Florida. Also, Wednesday, the House passed a bill to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming health care to transgender minors, another DeSantis priority.

Now I know I speak about this a lot as I am for all rights for all people. But this is especially hard for me to hear as I worked for many years as a hair stylist and have come to know and love many from the LGBTQ community. I first hand saw the hatred they would constantly receive.
During the Aids crisis in the eighties, I saw many of my friends with partners they were with for many years not allowed to be with their partners, as they were dying because they had no rights. I saw many of my friends hide in the closet in fear of being outed, and I can tell you that this is no way to live.

This fight continues to break my heart as they just want the same rights as everyone else. Many of my friends and my parents’ friends made a living as drag queens. They eat dinner at our table every Sunday, and now they are yet again being labeled as deviants, trying to influence young people’s minds. Which is the furthest this from the truth. They just want to live in peace and be who they believe they are. Why is this so hard to understand?

So today, my friends, my message is that we must stand up for all people’s rights. Because as soon as someone starts taking rights away from one group it is a slippery slope for other rights to be taken away and before you know it we will be back in the 50s again where women didn’t have voting rights, black people having to sit on the back of the bus and the LGBTQ community being forced back into the closet. We all need to speak up and speak out because if we don’t, everyone’s rights will be at risk.
“Be the change you want to see,”
@TreadmillTreats