Advocacy & education
“When the world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”— Malala Yousafzai
News
March 12, 2024
The State of Florida has settled the lawsuit related to the Don’t Say Gay/Trans law, clarifying the scope and intent of original law. Read about it HERE.
March 8, 2024: Today marks the end of this year's Florida Legislative Session. Unlike the 2023 session when 6 specifically anti-LGBT bills were passed, this session saw most of the specifically anti-LGBT bills stall and fail. We were fortunate in that the Senate President did not prioritize passage of some of the more troubling bills that made it through the Florida House.
There was one bill that passed that was problematic and specifically Anti-LGBT:
HB 1425/SB 1352: Juvenile Justice. Authorizes DJJ employees & contracted providers to possess & administer opioid antagonists; provides immunity from liability for administration; replacing term "gender-specific" with "sex-specific"; eliminates minimum-risk nonresidential restrictiveness level; redesignates "nonsecure residential restrictiveness level" as "moderate-risk residential level"; revises provisions concerning transitioning child to & from secure detention care & supervised release detention care. This bill changed the existing law to replace "gender-specific" with "sex-specific" and then provided the definitions of "sex" that appears in last year's bathroom ban.
The concern is that the new language will lead to the mistreatment of transgender youth in the Juvenile Justice System. Sponsors say that was not the intent, but they did not remove the problematic changes the bill included.
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HB 433/SB 1492: The Preemption of Employment Protections bill threatens existing and future local employment nondiscrimination protections. It would repeal or ban local governments from adopting nondiscrimination policies on "conditions of employment," which already protect 60% of Floridians. This is legislative interference with local control and a dramatic roll back of local priorities that have been in place with broad support from the public and businesses for years. Sponsors are Rep. Esposito and Sen. Trumbull.
This bill passed but the provisions that would have jeopardized our local nondiscrimination protections were removed. It still restricts municipalities from creating their own minimum wages above state law.
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While not specifically Anti-LGBT, this bill passed:
HB 1291/SB 1372: The “Stop WOKE Teacher Training” bill would extend the so-called Stop WOKE prohibitions on the teachings of racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege to teachers participating in the State Board of Education’s preparation courses. This builds on existing harms created by Gov. DeSantis’ extreme censorship agenda, while further restricting the ability of teachers to lead 21st century classrooms with honest and accurate teachings and discussions that reckon with our past to create a better future for our students. Sponsor is Sen. Ingoglia.
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We did get one good bill passed related to HIV Prevention!
HB 159/SB 1320: Authorizes licensed pharmacists to screen for HIV exposure and order and dispense HIV infection prevention drugs in accordance with written supervisory protocol; requires Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules.
This bill will allow for pharmacists to enter into standing agreements with medical physicians to provide Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). The bill did not include PrEP, but it's a step forward in that eventually there will be more locations people can go to get emergency PEP.
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All these Anti-LGBT bills died:
The "Trans Erasure" bill that would have limited Florida IDs to sex at birth and mandated insurance companies provide detransition coverage.
The "Don't Say Gay or Trans at Work"
The LGBTQ Flag Ban
The Sheriff's Office Safe Space Sticker Ban
The overly broad "Grooming" bill that would have put sex ed and risk reduction counseling at risk
The "Mean Girls" bill that would have allowed Frats and Sororities to exclude transgender members
The more egregious SB454 "Online Social Media for Minors" (Other bills on this topic passed--HB1 was vetoed and HB3 will be signed--but these were not specifically anti-lgbt.
The Defamation Law that would protect bigots from being called bigots
According to LegiScan — https://legiscan.com/FL — the most monitored bills and viewed bills in Florida were the anti-LGBTQ ones. People were paying attention and were better prepared to kill these bills in 2024. Thanks to anyone and everyone who went to Tallahassee, wrote an email, made a call, spoke out, shared your concerns with friends and family etc. It made a difference this year.
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There were a few other bills that passed related to youth rights and social media, sleeping in public (attacks on those without housing), licensure and background checks for many professional categories including social workers, counselors, and psychologists, etc. Updates will be provided as available.
Our friends and partners at Equality Florida are doing important work in Tallahassee. Please visit their pages for additional information.
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Advocacy Partnerships
JASMYN advocates to ensure the interests and concerns of our local LGBTQIA+ teens and young adult populations are addressed through community planning, education and policy making. JASMYN brings its voice into the room where important decisions are being made.
Looking for a way to use your voice for change? Our partners are deeply rooted in this work and we stand with them. Here are some good places to begin:
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
If you would like to assist JASMYN in its advocacy efforts, or learn more about community advocacy opportunities, email jasmyn@jasmyn.org.
JASMYN Stands with CenterLink
JASMYN stands with CenterLink and our fellow LGBTQ+ Centers across the country in denouncing anti-LGBTQ+ laws, especially those that are targeting the Trans community. JASMYN remains a Safe Place for LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults, and we will continue to meet our mission of empowerment of these young people. Read the entire CenterLink statement HERE.
Speak Up Against Violence Project (SUAV)
Have you heard about JASMYN's Speak Up Against Violence Project (SUAV)? The work of the SUAV project is to prevent and/or respond to violence and discrimination that impacts the local LGBTQI community. If you have you experienced or witnessed LGBTQIA-directed violence or discrimination in NEFL in the last five years, please click HERE to learn more about SUAV and to anonymously fill in our form.
Resources for Teens, Young Adults, and Families
Resources for Students and Parents
Equality Florida Institute’s Safe & Healthy Schools Project aims to create a culture of inclusion while countering the bullying, harassment, social isolation, and bigotry that dramatically increase risk factors for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) students.
Visit the GLSEN Back to School Guide for LGBTQ+ Student Rights, LGBTQ+ Educator Rights, and more.
The Gender Support Plan from Gender Spectrum is a detailed form to help you create a shared understanding among school staff, parents and a student about the ways in which the student’s authentic gender will be accounted for and supported at school.
Helpful new resources from The Trevor Project:
Seattle Public Library Books Unbanned: “Teens and young adults ages 13 to 26 living anywhere in the U.S. can access our entire collection of e-books and audiobooks. We believe in your right to read what you want, discover yourself and form your own opinions. Fill out this simple form to get a Books Unbanned card.”
Brooklyn Public Library Books Unbanned: “Brooklyn Public Library joins those fighting for the rights of teens nationwide to read what they like, discover themselves, and form their own opinions. Inspired by the American Library Association's Freedom to Read Statement, BPL's Books Unbanned initiative is a response to an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves. We invite individuals ages 13-21 to apply for a free BPL eCard, providing access to our full eBook collection as well as our learning databases. To apply, email booksunbanned@bklynlibrary.org.” You’ll be asked to provide your name, address, phone number, and date of birth.