Republican lawmakers in Florida have sparked outrage after passing a bill that LGBTQ advocates say will strip trans children from their parents’ custody.
SB254 — which one former lawmaker has called “fascist” legislation — would allow the state to rip children from their parents when they are “at risk” or “subjected” to gender-affirming health care. The bill is written so that even a child of Floridian parents living out of state could trigger the law.
The Florida legislature approved three bills on Wednesday that aim to eliminate any expression of non-cis, non-hetero expression from public life.
HB1521 is the state’s restroom bill, which prohibits businesses from utilising gender-inclusive bathrooms.
SB1438 empowers the state to take punitive measures against businesses that host LGBTQ friendly shows or drag performances. It also gives the state the power to prohibit minors from attending events it deems “inappropriate.” Minors will be barred from events even if their parents consent, a policy that flies in the face of Governor Ron DeSantis’ educational agenda that favors parental consent to an extreme degree.
If SB1438 is made law, it would also likely mean the end of most Pride parades.
Alejandra Caraballo, a former staff attorney at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, noted on Twitter today that Treasure Coast Pridefest has already cancelled its parade for this year.
She previously condemned HB254 as a Florida-approved pass for kidnapping trans children.
Florida is a Fascist hellscape ruled by hateful bigots.
I am at a loss. I don’t know what we do to stop this. At this point, we may want to start thinking about funding an airlift to get trans kids and their families out of that Nazi nightmare.