Gay Florida House candidate takes aim at ‘bully’ Ron DeSantis’ anti LGBTQ+ laws
Democrat Nate Douglas is running for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 37. (nateforflorida/Instagram)
A gay candidate for the Florida House of Representatives has taken a swipe at governor Ron DeSantis.
23-year-old Democrat Nate Douglas, who’s from Orlando and studying for a degree in data science, has spoken out about the impact of the state’s Don’t Say Gay legislation, branding the Republican governor the “biggest bully” in the US education system.
Douglas told LGBTQ Nation: “There is no room for bullies in our education system, especially when it comes to sexuality. And the gross fact is that the biggest bully we have right now is Ron DeSantis and his legislators in the state house who passed the Don’t Say Gay bill.”
In September, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris denounced the Parental Rights in Education Act, better-known as Don’t Say Gay, which was enacted into law in 2022.
The law effectively bans Pride flags and the discussion of LGBTQ+ rights in schools and workplaces.
“This has a massive impact on students,” Douglas continued. “It makes teachers afraid to even put a rainbow sticker on their door, to show that they’re accepting and offering a safe space for every student.
“When I was in middle and high school, being the gay kid, I always felt comfortable knowing there were teachers who had those rainbow stickers on their door. They said, ‘I’m accepting of you, no matter who you are, no matter who you like, no matter who you love’. You could [go] into [that] classroom and be treated the same as everyone else.”
The Don’t Say Gay statute was the catalyst for a wave of anti-queer bills that aimed to curb LGBTQ+ rights, including one which allowed courts to take custody of transgender youngsters who had had, or might get, gender-affirming care – effectively kidnapping queer children from their parents.
The legislation has prompted a number of Floridians to leave the Sunshine State, while last year, the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Florida, issued travel guidance advising queer Americans to stay away.
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