Corrine Brown is an American former politician and convicted felon who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 1993 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. After a court-ordered redistricting significantly changed her district and a federal felony conviction for corruption,Brown was defeated in the 2016 Democratic primary by Al Lawson,who went on to win Brown's former seat.
Stephen Ernest Stockman is an American politician who is a member of the Republican Party and a convicted felon. He served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 9th congressional district from 1995 to 1997 and for Texas's 36th congressional district from 2013 to 2015. Stockman ran in the Republican primary for the United States Senate in the 2014 election but lost to incumbent Senator John Cornyn.
Philip Timothy Howard is a Florida attorney who was disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court by Order issued March 24,2022,accepting the Referee’s Report that found Howard had committed nine of the ten violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility charged against Howard by The Florida Bar. His private law practice,Howard &Associates,P.A.,was permanently closed by order of the Florida Supreme Court in its March 24,2022,order of disbarment.
Dennis K. Baxley is a state legislator in Florida who served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2024. A Republican,he represents the 12th district including Sumter County and parts of Lake County and Marion County in Central Florida. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of Marion County from 2000 to 2007 and again from 2010 until his election to the Senate in 2016. He served on the Belleview City Commission and as its mayor.
Phillip E. Hill Sr. was the ringleader of the largest mortgage fraud scheme ever prosecuted in the State of Georgia.
Richard Glen Casada Jr. is an American politician,and a former Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives,where he represented District 63 from 2003 to 2023. He was the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives from January 8,2019 through August 2,2019,whereupon he resigned his post amid scandal. This was the shortest stint of a Tennessee Speaker of the House in modern history. Casada was previously the Majority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives. His opposition to Syrian refugees attracted national attention in the media in 2015.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections,but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26,2003,although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6,2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment,housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition,several cities and counties,comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population,have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville,Miami,Tampa,Orlando,St. Petersburg,Tallahassee and West Palm Beach,among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state,mainly in the Miami metropolitan area,but has been struck down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2023,Lake Worth Beach,Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.
Charlie Stone is a Republican politician from Florida. He served two terms on the Marion County Commission from 2004 to 2012 and four terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2020,representing the 22nd District,which includes Levy County and southwestern Marion County.
Carlos Guillermo Smith is an American community activist,lobbyist,and Democratic politician. He is a member of the Florida Senate from the 17th district since 2024,covering much of Orange County east of I-4,having been elected without opposition upon the qualifying deadline on June 14th. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from District 49,situated in northeastern Orange County from 2016 through 2022,which covered the University of Central Florida area,Alafaya,Goldenrod,Union Park,Rio Pinar,and Waterford Lakes.
Anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws are laws approved by various U.S. states that limit the discussion of sexuality and gender identity in public schools. In theory,these laws mainly apply to sex ed courses,but they can also be applied to other parts of the school curriculum as well as to extracurricular activities such as sports and organizations such as gay–straight alliances. In July 2022,a wave of anti-LGBT curriculum resurgence saw ten such laws beginning to take effect in six different states. Some states enacting these new laws appear to have mirrored similar laws from other states.
Anna Vishkaee Eskamani is an American politician who is a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 42nd district in Orange County,which covers parts of Orlando along with Maitland,Winter Park,Eatonville,Edgewood,and Belle Isle. She is the first Iranian American elected to any public office in Florida.
Anthony Frank Sabatini is an American politician,attorney,and military officer serving as a captain in the Army National Guard. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 32nd district from 2018 to 2022 and as a city commissioner for Eustis,Florida from 2017 to 2018. In 2022,he was the runner-up in Florida's 7th congressional district Republican primary,losing to Cory Mills. In December 2022,Sabatini was elected chair of the Lake County Republican party. He is well known for his staunch support of President Donald Trump.
The political positions of Ron DeSantis have been recorded from his 2012 election to the United States House of Representatives and his tenure as representative,the 2016 United States Senate election in Florida,and during his tenure as governor of Florida. DeSantis is considered a conservative Republican.
Robin Bartleman is an American legislator and educator serving as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 103rd district. She assumed office on November 3,2020. She is a Democrat,supporting affordable housing,resolving the state's property insurance crisis,dealing with flooding and increasing healthcare affordability.
From March 2022 until June 2024,The Walt Disney Company was involved in a feud with Florida governor Ron DeSantis and the state's Republican Party over Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act,commonly known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. While initially a donor to some of the politicians who voted in favor of the Act,after its passage Disney spoke out against the bill and called for it to be repealed.
The Parental Rights in Education Act,commonly referred to as the Don't Say Gay law,is a Florida statute passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The law is most notable for prohibiting public schools from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade or in a manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades. It also requires that schools disclose to parents if their children have received mental health services via the school.
The Stop the Sexualization of Children Act was United States federal legislation introduced in the 117th Congress which would prohibit all federally-funded institutions from using such funds to instruct children on "sexually-orientated" materials. Considered to be a national version of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act,likewise to the Florida legislation,it has been described as the national Don't Say Gay bill by opponents and commentators. The bill was introduced by Republican Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana,and 32 additional Republican members of Congress cosponsored the bill.
The Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act is pending United States legislation introduced in both the House of Representatives and Senate of the 118th congress. Sponsored by Republican representative Tim Walberg and senators Rick Scott of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina and originating in the 117th congress,the bill is similar to and viewed of as a national version of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act,itself known by its opponents as the Don't Say Gay bill.
