ABOVE: Charlie Crist speaks at the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus conference in July. Photo via Crist’s Facebook.
ST. PETERSBURG | Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist has unveiled his Equality for All initiative ahead of Florida’s Aug. 23 primary election, his plan to protect and empower LGBTQ Floridians.
Crist has represented Florida’s 13th congressional district since 2017. The Democrat has served as a vice chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus while championing LGBTQ legislation and causes throughout his term.
According to Crist’s campaign, which detailed the Equality for All plan Aug. 16, it prioritizes the health, safety and freedom of LGBTQ Floridians. It was formed in response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ “ongoing attacks on Florida’s LGBTQ+ community with the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law attacking LGBTQ+ youth, his administration’s attack on trans health care and his devil-may-care attitude toward the Monkeypox and meningococcal disease outbreaks.”
The plan details six ways Crist will work to protect LGBTQ Floridians, beginning on his first day in office should he become governor. The congressman vowed to sign an executive order protecting LGBTQ Floridians from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Crist will also appoint regional LGBTQ community liaisons to report directly to his office, “so when crises strike, the governor is the first to know and take action.” Continuing his work as a congressman, Crist also vowed to fight Monkeypox and Meningococcal Disease “by providing clear, accurate and timely communication” and access to vaccines.
Crist advises he will also order the Department of Children and Families to investigate the discredited practice of conversion therapy as child abuse while working to ban it. To protect transgender health care, he has also vowed to restore Medicaid coverage for age-appropriate, gender affirming care.
Finally, the plan notes Crist would repeal Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law, currently impacting students and educators throughout the state. Read the plan in full below via the campaign:
CHARLIE’S EQUALITY FOR ALL PLAN WILL:
■ Sign An Executive Order On Day One Protecting LGBTQ Floridians: Charlie will extend the non-discrimination Executive Order to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. In Florida, state law bans discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations by race, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin or marital status – but state law does not ban discrimination against LGBTQ Floridians. As a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Charlie has been fighting for the Equality Act at the federal level, and will get the job done in Florida.
■ Appoint Regional LGBTQ Liaisons: Charlie will appoint regional liaisons to the LGBTQ community who will report directly to the governor’s office, so that when things like Monkeypox or meningococcal disease impact the community, the Governor will be the first to hear about it and take action.
■ Fight Monkeypox and Meningococcal Disease: Charlie will improve Florida’s pathetic Monkeypox response by providing clear, accurate communication, acquiring as many vaccines as possible, and make vaccines fully available for prevention for at-risk groups. On July 14, Charlie was the first official in either party to press the Biden Administration on the federal response on Monkeypox. While it’s true that the virus is currently most prevalent among men who have sex with men at the moment, we know – if not contained early – Monkeypox will spread across our state, impacting everyone. He’ll also increase awareness of meningococcal disease and accessibility of vaccines. While neither is a “gay disease,” Charlie will make sure that every health agency is responsive to all Floridians no matter who you are, who you love, what color you are, or what language you speak.
■ Order The State To Investigate Conversion Therapy As Child Abuse: As a cosponsor of legislation to ban so-called “conversion therapy” in the United States, Charlie knows this harmful practice is nothing more than child abuse. That’s why as governor, he’ll push to ban conversion therapy and direct his Department of Children and Families to vigorously investigate conversion therapy as child abuse.
■ Protect Trans Health Care: Charlie will restore Medicaid coverage for age-appropriate, gender-affirming care and require that all medical standards of care are made by medical consensus not politics. On Day 1, Charlie will fire DeSantis’ quack surgeon general.
■ Repeal Don’t Say LGBTQ Law and Limit its Impact. As we work to repeal the Don’t Say LGBTQ law, Charlie will direct his education commissioner to update the law’s discretionary guidance to reflect Floridians’ values that we’re all children of God and that we all deserve dignity and respect. Charlie’s new education commissioner will make it clear that: teachers can have a picture of their spouse, students can talk about their two moms or two dads, and LGBTQ teens can be supported with safe spaces, accurate pronouns, and respect.
“We are all children of God, and as such, Florida’s LGBTQ+ community deserves a governor who honors, respects, and welcomes them — not one that treats them like a political punching bag,” Crist said in a statement.
“Frankly, Governor DeSantis has forgotten the Golden Rule and his charge to treat all Floridians with basic decency and respect,” he continued. “When I’m governor, we will build a Florida for All that includes LGBTQ+ Floridians.”
Among others, the plan was praised by openly LGBTQ State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando.
“Governor DeSantis uses his power to attack LGBTQ+ Floridians, and we’ve had enough!” he said. “When we nominate Charlie Crist on August 23 and elect him Governor in November, he will listen to us and fight for fairness, dignity and equality.”
Crist faces fellow frontrunner Nikki Fried, Florida’s current commissioner of agriculture, in the race to win the Democratic nomination for governor. The longtime LGBTQ allies addressed LGBTQ rights in their sole debate in July.
Florida’s primary election is Aug. 23. Check your registration and more at Vote.org. To learn more about each candidate’s campaign for governor, visit CharlieCrist.com and NikkiFried.com.
