Rand Hoch doesn’t do things quietly.
Whether it’s his work as President and Founder of Florida’s oldest LGBTQ+ political advocacy group, Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), as well as having served as Florida’s first openly LGBTQ+ judge, Hoch has never been one to sit back and watch. So when Gov. Ron DeSantis and his education board decided to axe sociology from general education requirements, Hoch did what he does best: leverage his platform as an activist and community leader to push back.
Now, he’s officially on the advisory board for the FAU Department of Sociology, a move that represents a commitment to academic integrity and community engagement. Hoch, who has long worked at the intersection of law, policy, and activism, sees this as an opportunity to counteract Florida’s ongoing push to sanitize education of any “woke” influences.
“I never understood why he was singling out sociology as something that was bad,” Hoch said. “I took several courses when I was in undergrad school, and I’m not making the connection between learning about people and indoctrination.”
Hoch was tapped for the board as part of a broader effort by the sociology department to build programming that reflects real-world social issues. It’s a strategic response to the state’s education overhaul and a direct acknowledgment that academic institutions can’t just weather political attacks. They have to adapt.
“The department reached out to a broad spectrum of people in Palm Beach County communities because they want to be able to understand what the real issues are out there, how they can best help people, and have us work to help shape the program,” said Hoch.
The board itself is impressively diverse, according to Hoch. It’s a stark contrast to DeSantis’s Florida, where “diversity” has become a four-letter word in policy discussions. But Hoch, unfazed as always, is more focused on what can be done than what’s being dismantled.
The sociology department, while not immune to state pressure, is positioning itself as a place where students can still engage critically with race, class, gender, and power. These topics are becoming increasingly radioactive in Florida’s public universities. It’s a small but significant stand against the sweeping changes meant to strip education of its most critical lenses on society.
Hoch is in it for the long haul. His activism has never been about short-term wins, but about playing the long game with building institutions, securing funding, and making sure the next generation has the tools to fight their own battles.
For now, the fact that Hoch is in the room is enough. Sometimes, just showing up is an act of resistance.
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