Eight Florida mayors pledge support for LGBTQ community

Eight Florida mayors have pledged their support for the LGBTQ community as Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, plans to sign additional bills that target the community.

Leaders from Orlando, Miami Beach, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, and Tampa have signed a pledge declaring their communities a safe and affirming place for LGBTQ Floridians.

The pledge is the work of GLSEN, which advocates for LGBTQ students.

The group's "Rise Up for LGBTQ+ Youth" pledge states: "I pledge to advocate for safe learning environments where young people, their teachers, and school staff are free from the violence of racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, ableism, and all forms of systemic oppression. I pledge to advocate for LGBTQ+ affirming books, resources, and curriculum in schools. I pledge to rise up against hateful anti-LGBTQ+ bills and rhetoric."

"In Fort Lauderdale, you can be who you are without fear of reproach," said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who is openly gay. "The city boasts a stalwart human rights ordinance that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Discrimination of any kind, particularly towards our LGBTQ+ children, has no place in any part of our society. Greater Fort Lauderdale boasts one of highest concentrations of same-sex households in the nation, and we welcome in an average of over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ visitors each year."

DeSantis, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, has signed a number of bills into law that target the LGBTQ community and is expected to sign additional bills approved by the Republican-led legislature, including a bill approved Thursday that allows the state to remove transgender minors from their homes if they are receiving gender-affirming care.

Nearly five percent of Florida's adult population self-identifies as LGBTQ, according to data collected by Gallup in 2019.