I’ve worked for Charlie Crist since 2016. Gov, as we call him, genuinely believes that a politician should be a public servant, see through the noise, the politics and the pressures and get to work for the people.
He is a delightfully nice guy, but there are two things that get him heated: injustice and arrogance. That’s why his moral compass points towards fairness.
I’ve worked with liberals, who are happy for the LGBTQ community to do what we want to do. I’ve worked with moderates, who think the government has no role in policing us and understand the value of extending us rights. But Charlie is somewhat unique in his steadfast support for the LGBTQ community. He sees unfairness and gears up for a fight.
My mom tells the story of when she got the picture on gay rights. One day her coworker came in and started crying because his boyfriend dumped him. She heard the same anguish she’d felt after a recent breakup. She didn’t need to understand the relationship or the gay community. She felt his heart.
Charlie Crist feels our hearts. He listens to our stories and struggles.
As a vice chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, Charlie never needed to be fired up about how Trump’s trans ban hurt national security and cost a lot of money. He didn’t need details about some shelters discriminating against homeless trans women. He didn’t need to know how HIV criminalization fueled stigma and hurt the fight against HIV/AIDS. All he needed to know was that innocent people were being treated unfairly and Charlie would be ready to use his office to fight for them.
Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas used to say that we should put the jam on the lower shelf so the little guy can reach it. I see that all the time in Charlie.
Ron DeSantis doesn’t care whether another little guy can reach the jam. Rather, if it benefits him politically, he quite delights in kicking people who cannot defend themselves. Ponder the depravity of a self-professed Catholic who harms vulnerable people – even children – for his own gain.
Ron chooses his victims from the far-right fever swamps in the fascist corners of the internet, and then deploys his talents and his power to hurt people. If you can get past the gaslighting from the governor and his weirdly authoritarian spokespeople, you’ll see the truth that the “Don’t Say Gay” law came about because a nonbinary teen was supported by their school and not their parents. An ugly situation that our opportunist governor made uglier.
Like any tinpot dictator, DeSantis weaponizes the power of the state against vulnerable people and people who criticize him. Rather than let the district, the parents and the teen work it out, DeSantis passed a law that effectively banned every gay teacher in the state from mentioning their spouse and banned every ally teacher from displaying a safe space sticker. He then lied about it, called the only LGBTQ Latino in the legislature a groomer, and then falsely accused kindergarten teachers of sexualizing children and turning them trans.
When Disney spoke out against the bigoted law, the state retaliated by dissolving its tax district, accidentally saddling residents of Orange and Osceola Counties with $2 billion in Disney debt. It’s never enough, and it won’t stop.
DeSantis is now no longer just attacking trans kids. He’s now inserting himself in between a youth and their parents and doctor in his attempt to detransition all of Florida’s trans youth. When a minor is struggling with their gender, they need to be loved. They need to be supported. Nearly half of trans teens will attempt suicide. Bullied, misunderstood, cast out and now under attack from their own governor, 40% of all homeless youth are LGBTQ. Ron DeSantis wants those numbers higher.
In the recent past when a Republican would hold anti-LGBTQ positions, it felt like politics. But this time is different. DeSantis is destructive to my family, our people and even children in our community. We will never be safe from a man who is willing to use the state to punish our community. They’re already attacking drag queens. Think your access to PrEP is safe? Your monkeypox vaccine? If this radical Supreme Court overturns Obergefell, you think DeSantis will restore your right to marry? Wake up. We in danger, girl.
Yes, Charlie is the better choice to address DeSantis’ affordability crisis and abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. But when we’re up against a would-be fascist, we vote for our freedom to exist.
To those who love us – family, friends, brunch buddies – you cannot vote for DeSantis. You disinvite yourself from our spaces if you use your power to give power to people who hurt us.
This November, the election is between Charlie Crist who gets angry when we’re treated unfairly and Ron DeSantis who gets angry that we’re here.
For all of the eternal words written in red, there are only three Commandments. One of them is Love Thy Neighbor.
Ron DeSantis chooses to hate his neighbor. We choose Charlie Crist.
Chris Fisher is the policy director for the Charlie Crist for Governor campaign. He previously served as legislative director and chief of staff in the Office of Congressman Crist. Learn more about the Crist campaign at CharlieCrist.com and read Watermark’s 2022 election coverage here.
