CHARLIE WILL FIGHT FOR EQUALITY AND FAIRNESS
Charlie believes we are all children of God, and as such, we all deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity. Apparently, Governor DeSantis has forgotten the Golden Rule – treat others as you would like to be treated – as he bullies LGBTQ+ Floridians, even children! Charlie is a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community across Florida and the country.
As governor, Charlie will deliver Equality for All LGBTQ+ Floridians, so they can have the freedom to live and work in the Sunshine State, free from discrimination and hate.
CHARLIE’S EQUALITY FOR ALL PLAN WILL:
■ Sign An Executive Order On Day One Protecting LGBTQ Floridians: Charlie will extend the non-discrimination Executive Order to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. In Florida, state law bans discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations by race, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin or marital status – but state law does not ban discrimination against LGBTQ Floridians. As a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Charlie has been fighting for the Equality Act at the federal level, and will get the job done in Florida.
■ Appoint Regional LGBTQ Liaisons: Charlie will appoint regional liaisons to the LGBTQ community who will report directly to the governor’s office, so that when things like Monkeypox or meningococcal disease impact the community, the Governor will be the first to hear about it and take action.
■ Fight Monkeypox and Meningococcal Disease: Charlie will improve Florida’s pathetic Monkeypox response by providing clear, accurate communication, acquiring as many vaccines as possible, and make vaccines fully available for prevention for at-risk groups. On July 14, Charlie was the first official in either party to press the Biden Administration on the federal response on Monkeypox. While it’s true that the virus is currently most prevalent among men who have sex with men at the moment, we know – if not contained early – Monkeypox will spread across our state, impacting everyone. He’ll also increase awareness of meningococcal disease and accessibility of vaccines. While neither is a “gay disease,” Charlie will make sure that every health agency is responsive to all Floridians no matter who you are, who you love, what color you are, or what language you speak.
■ Order The State To Investigate Conversion Therapy As Child Abuse: As a cosponsor of legislation to ban so-called “conversion therapy” in the United States, Charlie knows this harmful practice is nothing more than child abuse. That’s why as governor, he’ll push to ban conversion therapy and direct his Department of Children and Families to vigorously investigate conversion therapy as child abuse.
■ Protect Trans Health Care: Charlie will restore Medicaid coverage for age-appropriate, gender-affirming care and require that all medical standards of care are made by medical consensus not politics. On Day 1, Charlie will fire DeSantis’ quack surgeon general.
■ Repeal Don’t Say LGBTQ Law and Limit its Impact. As we work to repeal the Don’t Say LGBTQ law, Charlie will direct his education commissioner to update the law’s discretionary guidance to reflect Floridians’ values that we’re all children of God and that we all deserve dignity and respect. Charlie’s new education commissioner will make it clear that:
- teachers can have a picture of their spouse,
- students can talk about their two moms or two dads, and
- LGBTQ teens can be supported with safe spaces, accurate pronouns, and respect.
CHARLIE’S RECORD OF FIGHTING FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY:
In 2000, as commissioner of education, Charlie Crist was the first statewide elected official to support an anti-bullying bill that specifically included protections for LGBT students, and he refused to back down in the face of criticism from within Republican leadership. As governor, Crist ended his support of Florida’s notorious anti-gay adoption ban and pledged to help dismantle it. When a Miami judge ruled the ban violated basic rights and harmed children by denying them the security of a forever family, Crist refused to appeal the decision and ordered the Department of Children and Families to stop enforcement of the ban that same day, paving the way for adoptions to take place immediately.
Charlie has worked hand in hand with the community in Congress as a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus and is lead cosponsor of the Equality Act. Charlie is proud to support legislation to fight HIV criminalization and ban the form of child abuse commonly known as “conversion therapy.” Charlie took on the Pentagon over Trump’s trans ban and battled with HUD Secretary Ben Carson for discriminating against homeless trans women.
Charlie was the first elected official of either party to call on the Biden Administration to take stronger action on Monkeypox. Charlie is proud to have earned the endorsement of Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the first openly gay Latino elected official, and Sen. Shevrin Jones, the first openly gay Florida state senator, and to have a 100% Rating from the Human Rights Campaign.
Original source can be found here.
