The Culture Wars Return to Florida
Ron DeSantis has gone through one of the most humiliating campaigns known to man. He started with money and endorsements, ending up battered, bruised, and exposed. For all the effort he’s put into appearing strong, the past year has exposed his weaknesses. His dream of becoming President has been deferred for at least four years, possibly for good.
He’s back in the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, looking for ways to restore his image in the three years he has left in office, term-limited from running for governor again. DeSantis is wasting no time in returning to his culture wars, trying to hate his way back to the top.
Among the first things he did was start pushing a bill to force transgender people to put their sex at birth on their driver’s license. When people like the bill’s sponsor, Doug Bankston, R-Apopka, start explaining before being asked that the bill isn’t about suppressing people’s rights, you can be sure it is.
“This is not to suppress people’s right for personal expression. This is not to force one belief upon another,” — Doug Bankston
In Florida, nothing gets introduced by Republicans in the Florida legislature without DeSantis’s tacit approval, so don’t think it was just some random bill he knew nothing about. It was his way of announcing his return to the LGBTQ community. The bill also would require health plans that cover treatments such as hormone-replacement therapy and surgeries for people with gender dysphoria to cover the cost of “de-transitioning.”
A transgender woman from Tampa responded to the bill’s introduction:
“I want to identify that this is discrimination on the basis of one’s sex and it’s purely out of animus for members of the transgender community,” she said. “I want to note that eliminating people’s ability to get identity documentation that reflects their affirmed sex exposes them to potential dangers.” — Justine Torres
DeSantis is lowering restrictions on child labor laws, allowing them to work full-time, even during the school year. Imagine a child going to a full day of school, working an eight-hour shift, and being productive the following day at school. The…