ABOVE: (L-R) U.S. Reps. Charlie Crist, Darren Soto; State Reps. Anna Eskamani, Michele Rayner and Carlos Guillermo-Smith; Mayors Buddy Dyer, Rick Kriseman and Jane Castor. Photos via each lawmaker’s Facebook page.
More than 100 current and former elected officials from throughout the state showed their support for transgender youth May 12, signing onto a letter directing Gov. Ron DeSantis to oppose legislation targeting the vulnerable population.
The letter urges the governor to “Let Kids Play,” a response to legislation which discriminates against transgender youth who play sports that passed April 28. The governor shared his support for the measure on Fox News April 30.
Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, notes it is the state’s first anti-LGBTQ law in more than 20 years. The organization released the letter to illustrate the legislation’s harmful effects on all Floridians.
“We, the below signed elected public servants of the State of Florida, denounce any efforts to discriminate against our state’s transgender youth,” it begins. “We stand united to oppose all attempts to enshrine anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into law and reject efforts to exclude transgender people from public life, including participation in sports.”
It goes on to detail how the legislation will threaten not only educational institutions but Florida’s economy as a whole, which is currently working “to rebuild the industries most harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Transgender youth deserve our love and support, not cruel attacks because of who they are,” the lawmakers urge. “We celebrate our diversity in Florida as our strength and believe that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should have the freedom to be who they are. All Floridians, including transgender Floridians, deserve the opportunities, education, and freedoms that come from the ability to play.”
“We call on the Governor and all elected leaders to reverse this dangerous path and allow existing guidelines, not fear and ignorance to prevail,” it concludes. “The undersigned stand together in our commitment to, ‘Let the Kids Play.’”
Read it in full below:
We, the below signed elected public servants of the State of Florida, denounce any efforts to discriminate against our state’s transgender youth. We stand united to oppose all attempts to enshrine anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into law and reject efforts to exclude transgender people from public life, including participation in sports. The recent action from leaders in the Florida Capitol that removes transgender youth from teams and categorically bans transgender students from future participation in sports is discriminatory and creates enormous risk for schools and universities tasked with implementing a poorly constructed policy that threatens expensive lawsuits if transgender young girls are allowed to play. These measures threaten our economy even as we work daily to rebuild the industries most harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Industries that are most impacted by the terrible signals this sends about who we are. Florida is a state that should be open for all. A state where every visitor, business, resident, and player can thrive.
We, the undersigned, recognize that our transgender youth are our state’s most vulnerable. They are most likely to experience violence or to be marginalized in their communities. As elected leaders we should be working to build the understanding of our communities about their unique needs. The anti-trans attacks from our state leaders are deeply troubling, are rooted in anti-LGBTQ animus, and must be challenged. We stand in stark contrast to this animus and stand together in our commitment to create communities that embrace diversity and inclusion for all Floridians – especially transgender Floridians.
Let’s be clear. The transgender youth sports ban is a threat to all Floridians. The consequences for states that have passed anti-LGBTQ+ laws are clear. States like North Carolina, Texas and Georgia have lost billions in revenue from lost conventions, canceled tournaments and tourism boycotts after passing anti-LGBTQ laws. We stand together with the Miami Heat, Misfits Gaming Group, and the NCAA who oppose this legislation to block trans youth from playing in secondary and post-secondary schools.
For over a decade, athletics in Florida have been guided by policies that balance the competitive nature of sports with the necessity to give transgender students access to the educational, development, and leadership opportunities that participating on a sports team can provide. Reversing existing policy and replacing it with an unwarranted blanket ban is wrong.
Transgender youth deserve our love and support, not cruel attacks because of who they are. We celebrate our diversity in Florida as our strength and believe that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should have the freedom to be who they are. All Floridians, including transgender Floridians, deserve the opportunities, education, and freedoms that come from the ability to play.
We call on the Governor and all elected leaders to reverse this dangerous path and allow existing guidelines, not fear and ignorance to prevail.
The undersigned stand together in our commitment to, “Let the Kids Play.”
Signatories include current and former lawmakers from all levels of government, 109 in total as of its initial publication. They include the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture Nicole “Nikki” Fried, the sole Democrat in the Florida Cabinet.
Five members of the U.S. Congress also signed, all members of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Caucus. Among them were Central Florida’s Reps. Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto as well as Tampa Bay’s Rep. Charlie Crist, the latter two of which serve as vice chairs for the group.
Notably, Crist announced May 4 that he is running for governor. After the anti-LGBTQ legislation passed he shared that in contrast to DeSantis, “I have a different message to every trans kid in Florida: you are welcome here and you are loved.”
Additional signers include openly LGBTQ state lawmakers Sen. Shevrin Jones and Reps. Carlos Guillermo-Smith and Michele Rayner – as well as proven allies like Rep. Anna Eskamani, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
Openly LGBTQ Tampa Mayor Jane Castor also signed, as did St. Petersburg City Councilmember Darden Rice. Mirroring Castor in her neighboring Tampa Bay city, Rice could become St. Petersburg’s first openly LGBTQ mayor next year.
View a full list of elected signatories below and an up-to-date list here, as elected officials who still wish to sign can do so at this link. Read more about the bill and contacting your elected officials at EQFL.org.
Florida Cabinet
- Commissioner of Agriculture Nicole “Nikki” Fried
Members of Congress
- Congressman Charlie Crist
- Congressman Ted Deutch
- Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy
- Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
- Congressman Darren Soto
State Senators and Representatives
- State Senator Lori Berman
- State Senator Shevrin Jones
- State Senator Jason Pizzo
- State Senator Tina Polsky
- State Senator Darryl Rouson
- State Senator Linda Stewart
- State Senator Victor Torres
- State Representative Kristen Arrington
- State Representative Robin Bartleman
- State Representative Christopher Benjamin
- State Representative Kevin Chambliss
- State Representative Dan Daley
- State Representative Tracie Davis
- State Representative Fentrice Driskell
- State Representative Nicholas Duran
- State Representative Anna Eskamani
- State Representative Joy Goff-Marcil
- State Representative Margaret Good (former)
- State Representative Michael Gottlieb
- State Representative Carlos Guillermo-Smith
- State Representative Omari Hardy
- State Representative Adam Hattersley (former)
- State Representative Christine Hunschofsky
- State Representative Evan Jenne
- State Representative Andrew Learned
- State Representative Angie Nixon
- State Representative Michele Rayner
- State Representative Joe Saunders (former)
- State Representative Kelly Skidmore
- State Representative Allison Tant
- State Representative Geraldine Thompson
Local Elected Officials
- Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford
- Boca Raton Councilmember Monica Mayotte
- Boca Raton Councilmember Yvette Drucker
- Brevard County School Board Member Jennifer Jenkins
- Brevard County Soil & Water Conservation Supervisor Chelsea Partridge
- Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief
- Broward County School Board Member Debra Hixon
- Broward County School Board Member Rosalind Osgood
- Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar
- Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott
- Broward County Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor Emma Collum
- Broward County Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor Alissa Schafer
- Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Ty Panserga
- Cooper City Mayor Greg Ross
- Coral Springs Commissioner Nancy Metayer
- Davenport Commissioner Brandon Kneeld (former)
- Delray Beach Commissioner Ryan Boylston
- Lauderdale Lakes Commissioner Marilyn Davis
- Hallandale Beach Commissioner Sabrina Javellana
- Hollywood Commissioner Caryl Shuham
- Deerfield Beach Commissioner Bernie Parness
- Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Steve Glassman
- Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Ben Sorensen
- Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis
- Gainesville Commissioner Adrian Hayes Santos
- Haines City Commissioner Anne Huffman
- Hillsborough County Commission Vice Chair Kimberly Overman
- Hillsborough County School Board Member Jessica Vaughn
- Hollywood Vice Mayor Linda Sherwood
- Key West Commissioner Jimmy Weekley
- Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Sarah Malega
- Lake Worth Beach Vice Mayor Herman Robinson
- Largo City Commissioner Eric Gerard
- Miami Commissioner Ken Russell
- Miami Beach Vice Mayor Michael Gongora
- Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber
- Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson
- Miami Shores Mayor Crystal Wagar
- Miami Shores Village Vice Mayor Daniel Marinberg
- Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava
- Miami-Dade School Board Member Luisa Santos
- Miami-Dade School Board Member Lucia Baez-Geller
- Monroe County Commissioner Heather Carruthers (former)
- Monroe County Commissioner Mike Forster
- North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin
- North Miami Councilman Alix Desulme
- Oakland Park Commissioner Matthew Sparks
- Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings
- Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer
- Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan
- Osceola County Commission Chair Brandon Arrington
- Osceola County Commission Vice-Chair Viviana Janer
- Palm Beach County Commissioner Robert Weinroth
- Parkland Commissioner Jordan Isrow
- Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo
- Pinecrest Councilmember Anna Hochkammer
- Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice
- Pinellas County School Board Member Caprice Edmond
- Plantation Councilmember Jennifer Andreu
- Plantation Council President Denise Horland
- Pompano Beach Mayor Rex Hardin
- Sarasota County School Board Member Shirley Brown
- St. Petersburg Council Vice Chair Gina Driscoll
- St. Petersburg Councilmember Amy Foster
- St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman
- St. Petersburg Councilmember Darden Rice
- Tampa Mayor Jane Castor
- Tampa Councilmember Luis Viera
- Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey
- Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tem Jeremy Matlow
- Tallahassee Commissioner Jack Porter
- Wilton Manors Commissioner Mike Bracchi
- Wilton Manors Commissioner Julie Carson (former)
