LGBT+ people are fleeing Florida in ‘mass migration’ over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law
Anti-LGBT+ laws put in place by Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis have triggered a “mass migration” out of the state, a Pride organiser has said. This comes as several transgender people are reportedly taking to GoFundMe to solicit donations to move out of the state. Several Pride groups in the Sunshine State have cancelled their celebrations that were set to take place during the month of June after the new laws have left the community worried about possible blowback. The President and CEO of Lake County Pride Danielle Olivani said on The Daily Beast’s The New Abnormal podcast that their events are going ahead. “It’s not exactly being welcomed by the community where we’re having it. In fact, yesterday I just got a cease-and-desist from them, telling me not to mention them at all. They don’t want this to take place, but we’re gonna persevere,” they said. “We’re gonna have this Pride, because we’re fully within our rights to do so. And you know, we’re just gonna deal with things as they go. But right now, it’s a mixture of apprehension, fear. Yet, I’m hopeful at the same time.” Speaking about what it’s like to be a part of the LGBT+ community in rural Florida, they said, “there’s no tolerance here”. They added that the new restrictions have especially affected younger members of the community. Olivani said that the legislation signed by Mr DeSantis has led to a “mass migration” out of Florida. “It’s too much,” Olivani said. The number of trans people asking for donations on GoFundMe to leave Florida could be in the dozens or hundreds, according to The Advocate. GoFundMe spokesperson Brian Hill said in a statement that “in the wake of more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills being introduced in state legislatures across the United States in 2023, families and trans individuals are looking to leave their respective state as they could face more obstacles when it comes to accessing essential services related to healthcare as well as education”. Floridian Sage Chelf is trying to finance their move to Illinois on the platform. Chelf, a trans woman living in Orlando, wrote on their fundraising page that “due to the new bill Desantis signed into law SB 254 I can no longer be provided medication from my doctor to continue my transition”. “At this point, I only have a week’s worth left of my medication. On top of that, the new bathroom ban bill HB 1521 could get me arrested for using a public restroom of the gender I identify with,” they added. “Due to fear for my own safety and human rights, I have decided to try and escape Florida as soon as I possibly can. I’m trying to move to Illinois to be with the love of my life and also to settle down in a state I consider to be an LGBTQ+ safe haven.” “I just wanna live in a place where I don’t live in fear. Thank you all so much any help is highly appreciated. I’ve never done this before so figured I’d set the goal at like $2,500,” they said. Trans woman Juliet, 20, wrote on GoFundMe that “Florida grows increasingly hostile toward trans folk and laws are expanding to prevent people like me from receiving life-saving gender-affirming health care, such as ones seen in FL SB 254. I’m asking for you to help me flee this state”. Violet Rin, a trans woman hoping to move to New Mexico, wrote that “Florida continues to get worse”. “SB254 along with a slew of other Anti-trans bills have passed, and SB254 affects me directly. My care provider for my HRT had to drop me, and so many trans people in Florida are being dropped by their care providers,” Rin added. Earlier this month, Mr DeSantis signed a number of bills aimed at transgender people. The bills limit gender-affirming care for minors, ban people from using restrooms matching their gender identity, and block people from using their preferred pronouns in schools. Restrictions on drag shows were also imposed. “We are going to remain a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy, and kids should have an upbringing that reflects that,” Mr DeSantis said when signing the bills at an evangelical school in Tampa. The bills were swiftly criticised by advocates for LGBT+ rights. Former Florida state representative Carlos Guillermo Smith became the first openly LGBT+ Latino to be elected to the state legislature. On Twitter, he said that the bills are “revoking our freedoms and ruining people’s lives in his quest for political power”. “We will NOT be erased,” he said. “We will RESIST. We will FIGHT BACK. We will proudly RAISE OUR FLAGS. We will WIN.” State Representative Anna V Eskamani said Mr DeSantis is pushing “an extreme agenda that is fueled by disinformation, isolating already marginalised people”. “In Florida, diversity is our strength – not a weakness or something to demonize and be afraid of,” she added. LGBT+ advocacy group Lambda Legal said in a statement that the bills revealed a “callous disregard for LGBTQ+ Floridians and, in particular, trans youth by facilitating homophobia and transphobia and exposing this most vulnerable population to discrimination, harassment, and abuse”. The bills include limitations on gender-affirming treatments for minors, such as puberty blockers and sex reassignment surgery, The Independent previously reported. Part of the legislation states that that kind of care is child abuse and may lead to children being temporarily removed from their families, despite that it’s supported by medical officials. Democratic Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones, who is gay, told CNN that “they have cloaked themselves in being the party of less government and parental rights, and what we’re seeing now is the total opposite”. “Every other parent has the right to raise their child the way that they want to as long as your child is not gay, trans, bisexual. That’s freedom for some parents but not for all parents,” he added. Read More Trump loyalist floats ‘gross’ theory that Casey DeSantis is ‘exaggerating’ cancer story Ron DeSantis news – live: Florida governor vows to ‘destroy leftism’ as Disney governing board appointee quits Ted Cruz faces bipartisan fire for criticising Uganda’s new anti-LGBT+ law Why did Donald Trump turn on Kayleigh McEnany? Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin sends 100 National Guard soldiers to US-Mexican border AP News Digest 3:20 am
2023-06-01 03:55
I’m really happy with England: Sarina Wiegman rules out USA managerial switch
Sarina Wiegman intends to stay put as England boss amidst swirling rumours the serial winner could be tempted into the recently vacated United States manager’s chair. On Thursday, US Soccer announced Vlatko Andonovski would step down by mutual agreement following a disappointing World Cup campaign that saw the double-defending champions knocked out by Sweden for a worst-ever last 16 finish. Wiegman and Chelsea manager Emma Hayes were already among the names frequently tipped to fill the post, but the 53-year-old issued a reassuring update two nights before leading the Lionesses into their first-ever World Cup final. She said of the chatter: “I’m staying out of that. I’ve heard it. I’m with England, I’m really happy with England and I have a contract until 2025. “I’m really enjoying my job and I have the impression that people still like me doing that job. I have no plans to leave.” Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has said that his organisation would refuse an American approach for Wiegman. The 53-year-old is the first manager in history to have steered two different nations to a women’s European championship title, having done so with her native Netherlands in 2017 and England last summer. Four years ago in France, Wiegman reached a World Cup final with the Oranje Leeuwinnen but fell to the US at the final hurdle, so both boss and squad will be determined to secure the trophy that has so far eluded them when they line up against Spain in front of more than 75,000 people in Sydney on Sunday. The Dutch manager has only been in her post since the summer of 2021, but arrived with a deep appreciation of what it feels like to be a long-suffering England fan. I’m really enjoying my job and I have the impression that people still like me doing that job. Sarina Wiegman Asked if she is aware of how much is invested in the Lionesses potentially ending 57 years of hurt since the men lifted the World Cup under Sir Alf Ramsey, Wiegman replied: “I don’t hear it that much because I get out of the noise. But I know it’s there. “When we started working, I felt that the country was so desperate to win a final in a tournament. Everyone was saying that and the players too. I thought: it’s very real. “I heard again: 1966. Everyone’s talking about 1966. So let’s be at our best on Sunday and try and be successful.” Wiegman’s life changed when, in the late 1980s, she met University of North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Anson Dorrance at a Women’s World Cup prototype tournament, an encounter that eventually led the then-midfielder to move to America. If the three-time FIFA Best winner’s connection to the US concerns fans unconvinced by Wiegman’s earlier assurances, perhaps the Hague-born boss’ sheer enthusiasm for the uniquely religious fervour with which the English consume football will assuage them. She said: “Football is so big in England, it’s so in the culture. That’s incredible to experience. It’s so big. It’s everywhere.” There has nevertheless been a bit of cultural adjustment for the straight-talking Dutchwoman, who alongside her players has – perhaps reluctantly – become a household name since England lifted the Euro 2022 trophy last summer. The England boss, who chalks up her side’s growth in part to their learning – at her encouragement – to embrace mistakes, is motivated by “working with very ambitious, talented people”. Earlier in the tournament, captain Millie Bright also linked Wiegman’s arrival with the establishment of an environment devoid of hierarchy, where players feel they can speak their mind, even when the conversations can be difficult. Perhaps that has something to do with the Dutch directness Wiegman admits, despite her affinity for England, she has probably imported into the Lionesses’ culture. She added: “English people are very polite and sometimes you go ‘OK, are you now being polite or are you really saying what you mean?’ “And that’s sometimes finding a balance, because you don’t have to be rude to be direct. So I ask the players and the staff ‘you can be honest, it doesn’t mean that you’re rude. Just be direct’. “Direct doesn’t mean rude. You can just say what you think and still be very respectful.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sarina Wiegman v Jorge Vilda – a look at the World Cup final coaches Have Spain moved past player mutiny on their run to World Cup final? Owen Farrell absence dominates build-up – Ireland v England talking points
2023-08-18 19:28
Rising F1 star Oscar Piastri makes decision on McLaren future
Australian driver Oscar Piastri has signed a new deal with McLaren to keep him at the Formula One team until 2026. Piastri joined McLaren as reserve driver last year and made his F1 debut this season at Bahrain before he finished fourth at the British Grand Prix. The 22-year-old further showed his potential with a second-place showing in the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix and will now continue alongside British racer Lando Norris at McLaren for the foreseeable future. “I am thrilled to be extending my partnership with McLaren for many years. I want to be fighting it out at the front of the grid with this team and I am excited by the vision and foundations that are already being laid to get us there,” Piastri said. “We’ve enjoyed some good moments together in my rookie season, but I’m excited to work together with everyone at MTC over the coming years to create some great moments.” McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said: “I’m delighted to be continuing our partnership with Oscar through to the end of 2026. “He’s an incredible talent and an asset to the team so it’s fantastic to be committing to each other in the long term. “Oscar is already proving what he can do out on track and has been instrumental in the turnaround we’ve had so far this season.” PA Read More Toto Wolff slams ‘moaning’ across F1 grid after Lewis Hamilton apology Carlos Sainz would be a ‘good fit’ for Audi seat in 2026, says Johnny Herbert ‘Level up’: Lewis Hamilton sends strong message to Mercedes engineers
2023-09-20 18:53
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Trump Wins Michigan Ruling to Remain on Primary Ballot
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Ballmer Group awards $42.5 million to help more than 100 Black-led groups expand
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