FLORIDA ON THE ROAD TO FASCISM

healthcare for minors.

The House considered neither for introduction.

The Human Rights Campaign has reported over 300 anti-LGBT bills introduced this legislative season. But NBC reports that only 10% of the 300 anti-LGBT bills introduced in 2022 passed into law.

The work of organizations and local communities fighting for LGBT rights has successfully pushed back against conservative efforts to criminalize gender and sexual diversity.

Thank you for publishing the letter from Marc Paige about the growing threat in Florida to anyone who is not part of the myth-making DeSantis Groupthink. Our governor resorts to all sorts of shenanigans to convince Floridians that he’s only doing what they wish, but it’s all done with rhetorical smoke and mirrors to mask his true aims.

As a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Wilton Manors, I am aghast at the willingness of the Florida legislature to bow down to every whim of our tyrannical leader.

As someone who has worked abroad in autocratic societies (the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Morocco) I can tell you that all the signs are there for Florida to tumble into fascism.

I moved to Florida in 2017 after my retirement because I thought of the state as a hospitable place to spend my twilight years, enjoying the sun and the ocean. But what DeSantis is doing is transforming the state into a modern gulag where there are few freedoms for anyone who is not a white, straight male. It’s an Orwell world where he talks about freedom while stripping away the rights of many citizens.

Keep sounding the alarms about what the subtext of DeSantis’ crusades are attempting: to make sure white supremacy is paid homage in holding down the aspirations of African-Americans, the LGBT community, women, and educators. His attempt to rewrite history will have deleterious effects on the ability of Florida students to function knowledgeably outside of Florida.

Sincerely,

Michael Varga, U.S. Foreign Service, retired