News and Press

"That mitigates so much harm that students have been facing for the last year-and-a-half," said Maxx Fenning, the executive director of PRISM, a LGBTQ+ organization for young people in South Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on a losing streak. From presidential primaries to drag queens to Disney, DeSantis hasn’t racked up one major victory since his re-election in 2022.

Now you can add a loss on “Don’t Say Gay.”

Late Monday afternoon, the Associated Press (AP) reported that Florida education officials reached a settlement in a civil rights lawsuit targeting the 2022 law known as “Don’t Say Gay.”

His microphone was silenced. A moment later, two burly goons were grabbing him by each arm and forcibly removing him from the proceedings. His crime? Speaking out against a bill to allow teens and students to own guns, including assault rifles. Maxx Fenning was speaking before a House Committee in Tallahassee. Members were considering a bill (HB 1223) to allow 18-year-olds to own guns, including assault rifles. In the middle of his comments, he was silenced.

When Steven Rocha received his new driver's license — one that matched his gender expression — he nearly cried. "There were so many spaces he would have to present his ID, and as a queer transgender man, it was "always kind of uncomfortable and sometimes scary depending on where I was to essentially be outed by my license that wasn't up to date."