LGBTQ

Alachua County Public Schools said Friday it was putting back into a high school's library an LGBTQ book that had been challenged under Florida law over graphic references to masturbation and sex.

Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration told a federal appeals court that a law aimed at preventing children from attending drag shows is tailored to the state's "unquestioned interest in protecting children from exposure to obscenity."

This year's "Men Who Dance" festival features a fitting response to Florida's increasingly anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans political climate.

In what could fuel a new round of legislative battles about gender identity, a House Republican on Tuesday filed a bill that would place restrictions on government agencies in the use of personal pronouns.

This is the 12th year the national Human Rights Campaign has scored cities across the country on inclusive policies and ordinances. The HRC emphasizes that these scores do not necessarily reflect the best places for LGBTQ+ people to live.

With the next legislative session coming up in January, the LGBTQ+ community in Florida is worried they could be targeted again. But in Tallahassee, some see that fear as a reason to rally together.

School proclamations are largely symbolic, but in the midst of a turbulent political climate for the LGBTQ+ community, the recognition is powerful, some say.

These rules have been in place at public schools in the state since July 1st under the Safety in Private Spaces Act.

Charlotte County's superintendent and board lawyer told librarians at a meeting over the summer that a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis requires the removal of any book that mentions LGBTQ+ issues, even those where a minor character is gay and is not explicit.

Equality Florida is empowering parents, students, and community members in a new program called "Fall into Action." It gives people the tools to voice support for LGBTQ+ students at local school board meetings.

The board for the state's largest school district blocked the symbolic LGBTQ History resolution after some members argued it violates state law. The board's attorney has said the proclamation is legal.

Of the bans targeting picture books, about three-quarters are books that address LGBTQ+ themes and roughly half mention race, PEN America says.