It’s hard to come by good news these days.

But queer Floridians can rest a little easier knowing that all four anti-LGBTQ bills were defeated in the state’s 2025 legislative session.

The bills defeated were:

• A bill banning government agencies, public schools and universities from displaying flags that represent political viewpoints, which included the Pride flag.
• A bill prohibiting employers from requiring employees to use pronouns that don’t align with one’s gender assigned at birth.
• A bill banning local governments from supporting DEI-related initiatives.
• A bill prohibiting state agencies from using certain funds to implement a DEI office or officer, in turn defunding multiple positions and activities.

All bills were “withdrawn from further consideration” and/or “indefinitely postponed,” according to each bill’s Florida Senate webpage.

Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, said this is a major victory for the LGBTQ community, especially when compared to the previous session. Last session, 21 out of 22 anti-LGBTQ bills were defeated.

“That’s not luck — that’s the strength of our grassroots movement,” Smith said. “It’s students and seniors, faith leaders and frontline workers, parents and teachers, standing together and making sure lawmakers hear us loud and clear: we will not back down.”

As anti-LGBTQ sentiment ramps up in politics, fears grew that Florida, which has a large Republican supermajority, could see many more attempts to strip rights from queer and trans people.

But with significantly fewer bills filed this session targeting the LGBTQ community –– and none passing –– Smith said it’s evident that the public’s voice is being heard.

“This win belongs to every person who stood up, spoke out, and locked arms with their neighbors to stop the attacks before they could advance,” Smith said.

Though the victory is encouraging for Floridians, Smith said the presence of those bills alone means it’s not time to look the other way.

“While we celebrate, we know the fight isn’t over,” Smith said. “This session still delivered real harm to democracy and equity that impacts all Floridians — and we are just as committed to undoing that damage and building a Florida that truly belongs to all of us.”