The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus is “appalled” at the introduction of legislation HB599, entitled “Gender Identity Employment Practices,” by Florida Republicans.
The Democrats say the proposed legislation targets government employees, defined broadly to include contractors and employees of “the state or any county, municipality, or special district or any subdivision or agency.” The GOP legislation would also include Florida-based nonprofit organizations, the LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus said.
HB599 establishes that “an employee or contractor may not provide to an employer his or her preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex.” In addition, HB599 introduces protections for employers holding “deeply held religious or biology-based beliefs, including a belief in traditional or Biblical views of sexuality or marriage.”
Nathan Bruemmer, President of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, called the state legislation “an egregious attempt to erode LGBTQ+ Floridians legal protections.”
“HB599 is about more than just restricting pronouns,” Bruemmer continued. “This expansion of government control is about removing and discouraging transgender Floridians from participating in public service roles and censoring the missions of Florida’s nonprofits of which the DeSantis administration disagrees. This is a disturbing escalation of right-wing extremism in Florida and an aggressive acceleration by the DeSantis administration in its continued attempt to censor and erase our existence.”
The LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus is also calling on the community and allies “to stay vigilant in the face of these attacks on LGBTQ+ Floridians ahead of the convening of Florida’s 2024 Legislative Session,” which will begin in January. The LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus is also encouraging active participation in democracy as they mobilize to stop the “heinous anti-LGBTQ+ agenda from becoming the law of Florida.”
