TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Dozens of Tampa Bay area activists and LGBTQ community members are joining hundreds more in Tallahassee Thursday for the second annual “Let Us Live” march.

The rally features transgender Floridians and allies who traveled to the state capitol Thursday to ask that the rights of trans individuals be protected.

The rally is one piece of a larger effort taking place this week, backed by Equality Florida, called Pride at the Capitol. Throughout the week, participants have been testifying at committee hearings and meeting with lawmakers to push back against proposed legislation that they say will only harm the LGBTQ community.

What You Need To Know

  • LGBTQ activists have been testifying at committee hearings and meeting with lawmakers this week  

  • Thursday's rally focuses on protecting rights of trans individuals 

  • Equality Florida opposed 22 different bills during the 2024 session and allies say 21 of them were tabled or neutralized

Democratic State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando spoke beside two other lawmakers Wednesday ahead of the rally, where he called some of the bills going through committee hearings dangerous.

“We were told that the culture wars were done,” he said. “Folks, we’ve been lied to.”

Bills that are concerning to Equality Florida and the groups allies include HB 1495/SB 440, which proposes state regulation of pronouns in public and some private workplaces. Additional proposals that prevent local governments from setting their own DEI policies and banning flags that represent political viewpoints are also of concern.

The group is also pushing back against HB 731/SB 1710, which is sponsored by Pinellas County Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie.

The bill would ban state agencies from funding a DEI office, as well as add restrictions for those applying for federal health care grants related to DEI.

“These DEI programs over time have just proven to be ineffective, they’ve proven to have the opposite effect of what’s intended. We have a situation where it’s become unfair for an individual who wants to be judged under a specific skillset or personal ability,” he stated during the meeting.

Equality Florida opposed 22 different bills during the 2024 session and allies say 21 of them were tabled or neutralized. The group says far fewer bills that specifically target the LGBTQ community have been filed this year.