(Screenshot from OUTSFL’s YouTube)
Kristen Browde has been named president of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus. Browde is an out transgender woman and an attorney living in Miami. She was previously vice president of the caucus, assuming her new role after the previous caucus president, Nathan Bruemmer, resigned to launch his campaign for state representative.
In a July 8 message to supporters, Browde stated that Florida’s LGBTQ+ community in “in a battle for our lives.”
“But what you may not know is what I heard in a briefing from the data team at Out for Biden,” she said. “Data shows that LGBTQ+ voters are the single strongest, most reliable block of Democratic voters in every state of the nation. I see our job in this campaign season as not just energizing and activating those members of our community, but reaching out to the farthest reaches of our community.”
Browde sat down for an interview with OUTSFL moments after being announced as the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus president, discussing voter engagement, fundraising and more. They also discussed what “Take Back Florida,” the rallying cry for the caucus, means to Browde.
“‘Taking back Florida,’ at the first level, does mean taking back power in the legislature and that means breaking those supermajorities,” she said. “There are great candidates from Key West up to Gainesville. But it’s not just the state legislature. There are those school board races. What really affects [voters] is what happens in your town. Those decisions make a difference in your life and your children’s lives.”
Browde went on to explain that there is more that unites us in Florida than divides us.
“The difference between an LGBTQ+ citizen of Florida and any other citizen of Florida is negligible. We all want the same things; we want good jobs, safe streets, good schools, a good environment and a great place to live,” said Browde.
Lately, much attention as been placed on President Joe Biden’s age and ability to run the country with several democrats calling on the president to step aside for a younger candidate, something Browde says she disagrees with.
“Joe Biden has been a terrific president for three-and-a-half years,” she said. “Look at the recovery he engineered. Look at the progress, low unemployment. Are there still problems? You betcha. But I would rather have a man of good heart even if he’s an older man of good heart. Donald Trump wouldn’t know the best solution if somebody told him, and unless it came with a check.”
You can watch the entire OUTSFL interview below. To learn more about the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, visit LGBTQDems.org.
