Far-left activists in Florida are fighting to make Tallahassee the state’s “First LGBTQ+ Sanctuary City,” with demands that include allowing drag queens to perform at venues of their choice and protecting teachers who violate state law by discussing matters gender and homosexuality with kids.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), a self-described “national organization of revolutionaries fighting for socialism in the United States,” is partnering with Florida State University Students for a Democratic Society, Florida State University Graduate Assistants United, and the Tallahassee Community Action Committee for a rally on Saturday at the Leon County courthouse to “raise awareness about recent bills that threaten queer and trans rights,” according to a press release and social media posts.
The campaign demands that the city of Tallahassee, the state capital and a Democrat stronghold in the increasingly conservative state, must “ensure that individuals have the right to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity,” “allow drag queens to perform at venues of their choice without discrimination,” and affirm “the commitment that the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) will not arrest citizens for LGBTQ-targeted ‘crimes.’”
The demands for Leon County, which encompasses Tallahassee, include “a commitment that the sheriff’s office and courts will not target LGBTQ+ individuals” and “ensur[ing] equal protection and treatment for LGBTQ+ citizens within the county.”
The activists demand that Leon County schools “disregard the ‘don’t say gay’ policy and allow teachers to address LGBTQ+ topics and support their students’ needs,” and “implement non-discrimination policies that protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination and harassment.”
“Are [sic] lives are at risk, and now is the time to act,” the press release states.
According to its website, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization is “recruiting and building towards the creation of a new Communist Party based on Marxism-Leninism.”
Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida lawmakers have aggressively engaged in the culture war, including banning so-called gender-affirming care for minors, approving fines on drag performances that occur in the presence of children, and placing restrictions on materials that can be taught in schools. In April, the Florida Board of Education expanded the scope of the state’s Parents Rights in Education law to prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades. Opponents have called it the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
If it were to accept the activists’ demands, Tallahassee would not be the first American city to declare itself an LGBTQ sanctuary.
In May, Kansas City approved a resolution that made it a “safe haven” for people, including minors, seeking “gender-affirming healthcare.”
“City personnel shall not criminally prosecute or impose administrative penalties on an individual or organization for providing, seeking, receiving, or assisting another individual who is seeking or receiving gender-affirming healthcare,” reads the resolution, which was passed by an 11-to-1 vote, with a 13th council-member reporting out.
Dane County in Madison, Wisconsin, similarly approved a resolution “to protect transgender and nonbinary individuals” and to “be considered a safe place, a sanctuary, for transgender children and adults and their families.”
A California bill, which passed the state assembly, would require family courts to interpret a child’s “health, safety, and welfare” as including parental affirmation of “the child’s gender identity,” thereby enabling a divorced parent to lose custody or visitation access for not agreeing to a child’s claims about gender expression.