LGBTQ+ community marches to Florida Capitol in powerful protest of Trans Erasure Bill (Anatoliy Cherkasov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) The LGBTQ+ community in Florida has marched to the state capitol, to protest against proposed legislation activists are calling the “trans erasure bill”. Hundreds of trans activists and allies marched to the capitol in Tallahassee on
Florida
John Walter Lay (L) was fatally shot at West Dog Park in Tampa (R) last week. (Facebook/Yelp) Last week, a 52-year-old gay man was fatally shot in a Tampa dog park in what his friends are describing as a hate crime. When he was shot, the victim had reportedly just had a run-in with another
The manifesto of Ryan Palmeter has been released. (JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S OFFICE) The manifesto of a gunman who killed three Black people in Florida is littered with extreme racism, homophobia and transphobia. On 26 August 2023, 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter shot and killed 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr, 29-year-old Jerrald Gallion, and 19-year-old Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr.
The family of a gay man who was allegedly killed by his cellmate are calling for jail reforms. (Getty Images) A family in Florida is calling for jail reforms and preparing to make a wrongful death claim against a Broward jail after gay man Janard Geffrard was allegedly killed by his cellmate. Geffrard, 29, was
A Florida Republican is seeking to ban Pride flags (Canva) A Republican lawmaker in Florida has introduced legislation to ban Pride and ‘political’ flags from local and state government buildings. David Borrero, who represents Northwestern Miami-Dade County, filed the House Bill 901 – also called the ‘Display of Flags by Governmental Entities’ bill. If passed,
A group of LGBTQ+ women were attacked by men on the streets of Miami, Florida. One of the victims said the men shouted homophobic slurs at the group before becoming violent. (YouTube/NBC News) At least two LGBTQ+ women, including a lesbian and trans woman, were horrifically attacked and beaten by a group of men in
Moms for Liberty’s co-founder has refused to step down from her school board. (Getty) The co-founder of Moms for Liberty (M4L) has refused to step down from her local school board despite all other board members voting in favour of her resignation. Bridget Ziegler, who co-founded M4L – the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group and SPLC-designated extremist
Legislation across Florida has made it more difficult for pro-LGBTQ+ teachers to do their job. (Getty) Florida’s biggest cities have been named and shamed as some of the least LGBTQ+ friendly in the US. Out of the 50 cities on the list, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville were bottom of the barrel, being listed in 40th,
Pink will be handing out banned book titles in Florida this week. (Getty Images) As if she wasn’t already one of the most iconic celebrity allies, Pink has pledged to give away 2,000 copies of the most frequently banned books to fans at her upcoming Florida gigs. In an act of protest against Florida lawmakers’
Neighbourhoods in Orlando, Florida have introduced Safe Place Initiatives for members of the LGBTQ+ community. (Getty Images) A number of Republican lawmakers in central Florida have warned against the state’s LGBTQ+ Safe Place Initiative and said they are considering “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to prevent it from going ahead. The city-sponsored program,
Several multiplexes in Florida are seeing their final shows tonight before Hurricane Idalia hits the state in what’s expected to be a category 3 storm with surges of 15 feet on the state’s Gulf Coast side. Deadline hears that at least 24 cinemas are closing in Florida tonight including but not limited to AMC locations
The Florida medical board committee approved a prospective rule that will ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth under the age of 18. (Getty) The Florida medical board committee approved a proposed rule banning gender-affirming medical care for trans youth, making it one step closer to reality. A joint committee of the Florida board of medicine
Pete Buttigieg thanked LGBTQ+ teen Zander Moricz for his “voice and adovacy” in the fight against Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.(Paras Griffin/Getty for Essence) US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a heartfelt letter to a teen activist who is part of a lawsuit challenging Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. Zander Moricz gained widespread media attention
Darryl Darling, a US Marine veteran, tackled a man to the ground for carrying a grenade in a queer bar. (Screen captures via YouTube/WPLG) A man was tackled to the ground after he pulled out a grenade at a popular queer club in Wilton Manors, Florida. On Tuesday (15 August), an unnamed individual walked into
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the ‘Don’t Say Bill’ in March. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sarasota County teachers in west-central Florida must now out their students if they come out as LGBTQ+ to them under new guidance. The district released new guidance ahead of this school year to align with the state’s Parental Rights in Education
The Real Housewives of Miami has announced its first out lesbian housewife, who’s married to tennis star Martina Navratilova Julia Lemigova will join the cast in season four when it begins on 16 December. A Russian former model who won the Miss USSR title in 1990, Lemigova is married to Czech-American former professional tennis player
Evan Bialosuknia, 17, was crowned homecoming queen. (Instagram) A trans teenager has finally felt like she “actually belongs” after being elected homecoming queen at her high school in Orlando, Florida. Evan Bialosuknia made history at Olympia High School as her fellow students overwhelmingly elected her to be their homecoming queen. “Made history,” the teen wrote
Donald Trump introduces Florida governor Ron DeSantis during a homecoming campaign rally. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Florida governor Ron DeSantis beat out Donald Trump in a straw poll for potential 2024 presidential candidates. In a poll of 371 conservative-leaning voters, 74 per cent said they would approve DeSantis as a presidential candidate. Trump, meanwhile, notched up a
People running on an athletics track. (Pexels/Snapwire) A Republican lawmaker in Florida, US, filed legislation Thursday (11 February) that would ban “trans men from competing in girls sport” and we’re not sure if he knows exactly what he means here. In an effort to pose a fresh test to the trans-inclusive vision presented by Joe
Alexus Braxton. (Facebook) Alexus ‘Kimmy Icon’ Braxton, a Black trans woman and “beloved daughter”, was found dead 4 February amid a surge of unrelenting violence that has left LGBT+ activists drained and alarmed. Braxton, 45, was killed in Miami, Florida, in an apartment complex in the northern Andover Lakes Estates neighbourhood. She was based in the
Donald Trump-appointed judges reverved a vital ban on therapists offering conversion therapy – a denounced and debunked pseudosicenfitic practise – Friday (November 20), branding the ban “unconstititional”. Also called reparative therapy, medical organisations across the world have widely rejected the treatment as traumatising and psychologically scarring, especially to minors. In fact, the American Academy of
The re-elected mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida has vowed to stand up to hatred after facing horrific homophobic abuse on the campaign trail. Dean Trantalis, the city’s first openly gay mayor, was returned to office by voters on November 3, despite a night of mostly-difficult results for Democrats across Florida. Fort Lauderdale mayor was subjected
Singer Ricky Martin speaks during a Hispanic heritage event with Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Ricky Martin visited the Pulse Massacre memorial site Tuesday (September 15) to honour the 49 victims of the horrendous attack, while calling on Americans to vote f0r the Biden-Harris ticket in November. Martin,
Trans women Gabriela Amaya Cruz (above) and Jae Bucci claim they were mistreated in a Miami jail (Instagram/@ladyparaiso) Two trans women have described the “dehumanising” treatment they faced at the hands of police after being arrested at a Black trans lives matter demonstration. Gabriela Amaya Cruz and Jae Bucci were among more than 30 people
A Florida school superintendent thinks being LGBT+ is a “personal choice” and cited God as the source for his claim. Bay County School Superintendent Bill Husfelt doubled down on his views at a school board meeting on Tuesday (July 14). Husfelt had previously been asked at a Republican roundtable dinner if he thought being LGBT+
Another Black trans woman has been killed in a brutal shooting, making her at least the 21st trans person murdered so far this year in the United States. Bree Black was found dead at her home on Friday night (July 3) after a fatal shooting. Police in Florida were called to the 200 block of
A Florida appeals court has ditched vital LGBT+ discrimination protections in the middle of a global pandemic. Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeals struck down the law, which protected LGBT+ people’s right to public accommodation, employment and housing, in a ruling last Friday (May 1). Plaintiffs in the case argued that the LGBT+ protections, which
PJ McClelland, from Florida, passed away from coronavirus on April 11. (Fox News) A 37-year-old non-binary person who passed away from coronavirus this week kept a heartbreaking online journal of their experience. PJ McClelland from Florida, who died on April 11, had gained hundreds of followers as they shared their experience of having COVID-19 through
Henrietta Robinson was ‘ beacon of light in the transgender movement’ (Facebook/Miami Beach Pride) A trans woman known as ‘Grand Lady of Miami Beach’ has died of coronavirus, marking yet another LGBT+ leader lost to the disease. Henrietta Robinson, 79, was a renowned figure in the LGBT+ community and was celebrated as one of the
Democratic Florida lawmaker Al Jacquet is under fire for referring to his primary opponent as a “batty boy” – and is now accusing his critics of racism. The politician, who has sat in the Florida House of Representatives since 2016, came under fire for referring to Omari Hardy, who is challenging him for the Democratic