Since the morning after Election Day, I’ve had the same conversation more times than I can count. Friends, family and community are all asking the same question: what now? The 2024 election results felt like a punch in the gut for many of us.
Waking up to the news that Donald Trump would return to the White House filled us with grief, fear and a profound sense of betrayal.
There’s no sugarcoating it — this election was hard. But as deeply as this outcome stings, we are neither powerless nor helpless. In fact, we can draw strength from our movement’s history. Time and again, the LGBTQ+ community has shown resilience, defiance and an unwavering belief in our ability to shape the future, even when the odds are stacked against us.
Equality Florida was not founded during a time of joy and peace, of equality and abundance. Our movement arose because our government and much of society treated LGBTQ+ people as second-class citizens. We organized against a deeply unequal society and legislative landscape designed to marginalize us, fighting for the same rights our straight and cisgender neighbors took for granted. From police brutality to the AIDS epidemic to the Pulse massacre, we have resisted hatred and built coalitions that demanded change.
Our team is a vibrant reflection of our movement’s strength and diversity. We are men, women, nonbinary and transgender. We are Black, white, Asian American and Puerto Rican. We are new Floridians and old ones. We are every letter of LGBTQ+ and our straight allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight daily. Each of us brings unique experiences and perspectives, but what unites us is a shared commitment to fighting for justice.
Here in Florida, we’ve already endured what much of the country is now bracing for. Under a MAGA supermajority and a governor who has turned our state into a testing ground for Trump’s Project 2025, we’ve faced relentless attacks on our rights and freedoms. But as the frontline against the far-right’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda, we’ve learned to resist — and win.
Earlier this year, Equality Florida and our allies defeated 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in Tallahassee. We also secured a historic lawsuit settlement that nullified some of the worst impacts of Governor Ron DeSantis’ controversial and unpopular “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law. At the same time, we launched our Parenting with Pride program, empowering over 2,500 families to advocate for their kids.
Nowhere is the power of resistance clearer than in the fight against extremist school board takeovers. Moms for Liberty — a GOP-funded political group masquerading as a grassroots organization — joined forces with the Proud Boys to intimidate LGBTQ+ students and families.
But our response was clear: where they showed up, we showed up stronger. Nearly 5,000 parents and families attended over 500 school board meetings across the state, outnumbering them 10 to one. In many counties, they stopped showing up altogether.
Even on election night — with heartbreaking losses — there were signs of hope. Floridians rejected DeSantis’ divisive culture wars in school board races. Over 60% of DeSantis-backed candidates lost their races, while 72% of Equality Florida Action PAC-endorsed candidates won. These victories prove that showing up, organizing and advocating for schools that protect every student can defeat extremism.
This year, we also doubled the number of LGBTQ+ state legislators. Among them is Equality Florida’s Senior Policy Advisor Carlos Guillermo Smith, who is headed to the State Senate. Carlos and the entire LGBTQ+ Caucus in Tallahassee will be critical voices fighting to block future attacks on our rights.
As we face uncertainty at the federal level, we must double down on the strategies we’ve honed in Florida and share our playbook nationwide. The fight to safeguard our rights at the state and local levels has never been more urgent.
For those asking what happens now, the answer is clear. We resist. We organize. We build coalitions that protect us. And we continue creating a better future — a future our kids deserve.
We will fight every fight. We will resist every attack. And we will not go back.
We are the resistance. Will you join us?
Nicholas Machuca is the deputy director of development for Equality Florida, the statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. He lives in Miami and works all over Florida on LGBTQ+ equality. Visit EqualityFlorida.org to learn more about the organization and its ongoing work throughout the state.
Watermark reached out to other LGBTQ+ and ally voices across Central Florida and Tampa Bay who asserted the community is “Not Helpless. Not Alone.” Read more here.
