You are not who you say you are. That is what Florida is telling its trans citizens.
Letters from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are arriving and state the gender marker on their driver licenses and identification cards to be invalid.
OutSFL obtained a copy of one such notification that begins “Through our quality assurance efforts, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) determined that the sex identifier on the Florida driver's license issued to you on December 27, 2024 was improperly changed from male to female.”
The letter goes on to say “the term ‘sex’ does not refer to a person's internal sense of his or her gender role or identity but is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics.”
The notice comes with a replacement license with the gender changed.
The DeSantis administration has used Florida’s LGBTQ community, and especially trans folks, as a punching bag to score votes.
First Florida Then The Nation
A century ago, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis vocalized the idea that states can be laboratories of democracy. Today Gov. Ron DeSantis has made Florida a laboratory of anti-LGBTQ policy.
The Trump administration has ceased permitting changes to gender markers on U.S. passports, preventing transgender and nonbinary individuals from obtaining documents that reflect their gender identity. This action mirrors policies implemented by Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida.
Trump’s “war on woke” and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs were first implemented in Florida. The infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law is being realized as LGBTQ organizations are cut off from federal funding.
DeSantis demonstrated that corporations may adjust their positions in response to political pressures. Historically, Republicans have prioritized corporate interests while addressing the concerns of social conservatives. However, during the debate over the Parental Rights in Education Act — referred to by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law — Disney initially opposed the legislation. In response, DeSantis and Florida lawmakers moved to revoke Disney’s special self-governing status, leading to a settlement in March 2024. This sequence of events suggests that Republicans can now pursue anti-LGBTQ agendas without jeopardizing business support.
DeSantis will leave office in 2027, but his agenda is poised to have lasting effects. Disney’s special business status has been revoked. The state’s university and college system is being purged of LGBTQ organizations and led by individuals eager to implement his policies.
Florida’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Target, alleging that the company’s DEI initiatives misled investors and harmed shareholder value. This legal action appears to serve as a cautionary signal to other corporations, discouraging the implementation of diversity programs.
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