Resistance Report Week 9: Every Anti-LGBTQ Bill Is Defeated!

The 60 days of Florida’s legislative session have concluded. While lawmakers will have to come back in the following weeks to finalize the budget — together, we just achieved the impossible AGAIN: Every anti-LGBTQ bill filed this year has been defeated!

This win didn’t happen overnight. Going into the 2025 legislative session, we knew the odds were against us. We were facing the largest Republican supermajority in Florida’s history, and many of the 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ bills we defeated last year were expected to return — this time with even more momentum fueled by a hostile federal climate.

But they didn’t.

With tireless advocacy and shifting power alignments in Tallahassee, opponents only filed a fraction of the anti-LGBTQ bills seen in 2023 and 2024. Our resistance held off those bad bills from even being filed this year!

Still, the threats didn’t stop there. We were still facing extremely dangerous legislation — including: bills banning Pride flags from public spaces; censoring conversations about LGBTQ people, racism, and sexism in workplaces; and attempting to ban cities and counties from supporting and protecting the LGBTQ community.

We knew the only way to defeat these bad bills was to fight every fight, show up in every room they’re debating our rights, and always outnumber the opposition. And that’s exactly what we did!

In 2024, we stopped or neutralized 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ bills. This year, we made a clean sweep!

This wasn’t just luck. It was people power — fueled by thousands of Floridians, like you, who showed up, contacted lawmakers, and stood firm in every room of the Florida Capitol where these bills were debated every single day. I hope you take every chance to celebrate this unbelievable achievement because we couldn’t have done this without YOU!

What we accomplished together this session goes far beyond just stopping bad bills. Florida has been ground zero in a national escalation of attacks against the LGBTQ community — especially transgender people. But we’ve also made Florida home to the largest grassroots response to those attacks. And it’s working!

Not a single anti-LGBTQ bill moved in the Florida House this year! This speaks volumes about our efforts to quash the appetite for LGBTQ attacks in the legislature. At the same time, we stood shoulder to shoulder with our partners to defend against a slew of bad bills aimed at undermining direct democracy, reproductive rights, and expanding Florida’s censorship and book-banning agenda.

We also broke all records. Over 400 citizen lobbyists came to Tallahassee for our largest advocacy week ever. That visible, strategic pressure helped fend off votes on major threats like the Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work bill and the Anti-Diversity in State Contracting bill when Floridians packed the committee room, with dozens more outside. And when Senator Randy Fine introduced a Pride Flag Ban, we showed up in force. After he resigned from the Senate, not a single senator was willing to carry it forward. The bill died — publicly and loudly — because we made it too toxic to touch. That’s the power of our collective opposition at work.

As we look back on the last 60 days, we want to highlight all the ways that YOU helped us fight back and apply the public pressure needed to stop or neutralize these bad bills. For 9 weeks, you joined us in Tallahassee during our Pride at the Capitol program and your efforts made this victory possible.

We were able to stop or neutralize so many bills by speaking and negotiating directly with lawmakers, testifying in committee hearings, organizing rallies, sending advocacy messages, and sharing our fight across social media. And you were an instrumental part in all of that!

Now, we're going to take you through exactly how we were able to claim so many victories this legislative session to protect the freedom and dignity of all Floridians.

Anti-LGBTQ Bills

Pride Flag Ban Bill (HB 75/SB 100) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Sen. Randy Fine and Rep. Alex Borrero

• What it would have done: Flags have historically been used to connect communities in an exercise of free speech. The Pride Flag Ban Bill bans government buildings from raising any flag that represents a “political viewpoint,” including Pride Flags. Born largely from far-right activists protesting LGBTQ pride flags on government buildings, it attacks visibility in public spaces and classrooms for all minority groups.
• What happened: More than 10,000 people emailed lawmakers opposing this bad bill, flooding inboxes across the Capitol. Former State Senator Randy Fine pushed it through two Senate committees that he chaired and co-chaired, as dozens of grassroots advocates showed up to testify against it. Through our collective action, not only did we help prevent this bill from ever being heard in the House, but when Senator Fine resigned, not a single Senator was willing to carry this legislation forward — effectively killing the bill. This is the third year in a row we’ve defeated the hateful Pride Flag Ban.

Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work (HB 1495/SB 440) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Sen. Stan McClain and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it would have done: This bill regulates pronoun use in government and private government contractor workplaces. It shields employees from accountability for anti-trans harassment and intentional misgendering, and prohibits the inclusion of a transgender or nonbinary gender option on any job application or related employment form. The bill also prohibits LGBTQ-related cultural competency training requirements for government workers.
• What happened: When this bill was put on the agenda for its first Senate committee hearing, grassroots advocates attending our Pride at The Capitol kick-off event submitted over 1,000 comment cards and helped get this bad bill temporarily postponed. While it did eventually pass in its first Senate committee, our advocacy and work with lawmakers helped narrow the bill’s impact and remove a bad “Bible or biology” provision. Ultimately, the bill was never heard again in the Senate, and the House version never moved at all — killing this bad bill.

Anti-Diversity In Local Government (HB 1571/SB 420) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. Dean Black

• What it would have done: These bills threatened to ban local governments from funding or enacting DEI-related policies, nondiscrimination ordinances, or resolutions recognizing different communities’ history (such as Pride Month or Black History Month), and to remove any local officials from office for supporting such DEI. This outrageous state overreach censors local governments and restricts their ability to respond to community needs and priorities.
• What happened: This was one of the most dangerous bills of session. Dozens of pro-equality supporters testified in opposition to this bad bill during its first Senate Committee hearing, where it passed on a party-line vote. But our continued pressure worked. The bill was temporarily postponed in its second Senate committee of reference and never picked back up for consideration. This bill never moved in the House.

Banning Diversity & Equity In State Agencies (HB 731/SB 1710) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Rep. Lauren Melo

• What it would have done: This legislation would defund DEI in state agencies and ban state contractors and grantees from using state funds for DEI with broad language attacking everything from “social justice” to “gender theory” and “antiracism”; the House bill has additional anti-DEI measures for state boards and healthcare education.
• What happened: Hundreds of volunteers attending Pride at the Capitol voiced their opposition to this bill on the record at its first Senate Committee hearing. While it passed that day, the bill was never taken up again in the Senate, and when the House put it on the agenda for consideration, the sponsor preemptively stripped out all of the provisions that our community opposed.  

Additional High Priority Bills

Anti-Diversity in State Contracting (HB 1185/SB 1694) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Rep. Judson Sapp and Sen. Randy Fine

• What it would have done: As part of a suite of anti-diversity bills filed in 2025 that attempted to repeal references to minority inclusion across a wide range of statutes, this bill would have restricted minority representation and participation in government contracts, undermining important state initiatives, like supplier diversity programs, that have worked to create fair and representative enterprise opportunities.
• What happened: Twice, this bill was added to the agenda to be heard in its first Senate Committee. Both times, Equality Florida and our partners were able to help run out the clock and deny this terrible bill a hearing. When Senator Fine resigned, the Senate version of the bill was fully withdrawn for consideration, and the House bill never moved.

Attacking Citizen-Led Amendments (HB 1205/SB 7016) -- PASSED
Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Erin Grall

• What it would have done: These bills attempt to effectively End Citizen-Led Amendments that allow we the people to change the state constitution via statewide referendum. Florida already has some of the strictest requirements in the nation for citizen-led amendments, but this legislation imposes new and insurmountable barriers that put constitutional amendments even further out of reach and consolidate power toward politicians and away from the voters.
• What happened: From the beginning, DeSantis made it clear this bill was a top priority for him this session, and it became one of the most debated bills into the final hours of session. Despite massive public outcry against this bill and fierce opposition from Democrat lawmakers, the bill officially passed both the House and Senate. While several harmful provisions were removed or softened, it remains a serious attack on individual citizens’ ability to engage in our democratic process. The Governor signed this bill into law shortly after its passage.  

Defunding Advocacy in Schools (HB 1255/SB 1618) -- NEUTRALIZED
Sponsors: Rep. Dana Trabulsy and Sen. Alexis Calatayud

• What it would have done: An alarming provision in this education bill would prohibit public schools, school districts, and charter schools from spending any state or federal funding on any programs or activities that advocate for or engage in undefined “political or social activism.” These programs and activities can help teach critical thinking and other important skills. A similar funding ban in higher education led to universities shutting down critical programs and activities that help a diverse range of students learn and thrive.
• What happened: After public opposition and calling our legislative allies into strategic conversations with their colleagues advancing the bill, the dangerous provision was removed from the larger education bill, ensuring that K-12 students can still participate in school activities and clubs that seek to positively impact the world around them, resolving our concerns on this legislation.

Expanding Book Banning (HB 1539/SB 1692) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Rep. Doug Bankson and Sen. Stan McClain

• What it would have done: This bill would increase book banning in Florida’s K-12 schools by targeting classic literary novels for censorship and rejecting a longstanding constitutional standard in order to make it easier to object to educational materials. Parents have long had the ability to challenge content in Florida’s schools, but under recent state laws, authoritarian book banning and censoring curricula have drastically increased. Florida already leads the nation in book-banning, with over 4,500 books banned during the last school year. Further limiting students’ access to books does not protect students, it makes them less prepared to succeed.
• What happened: This bill passed only one Senate committee and faced well-organized opposition in the House, including strong debate and questions on the House floor. Lawmakers and advocates alike expressed deep concern about the abuse of book challenge processes already in place and their disproportionate impact on materials with LGBTQ and anti-racism themes, as well as the bill’s departure from constitutional standards. While the House ultimately passed the Expanding Book Banning bill, the legislation was never further taken up by the full Senate and died.

Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (HB 1505/SB 1288) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Sen. Erin Grall and Rep. Rachel Plakon

• What it would have done: The Birth Control Ban for Minors Bill (also known as Restricting Minors’ Access to Health Care) would restrict minors’ access to birth control prescriptions, STI screening and treatment, and more without parental consent. Our public health system should prioritize young peoples’ ability to take responsibility for their health and proactively minimize health risks.
• What happened: Through our work with advocacy partners, we were able to significantly narrow this bill to ensure that minors would still be able to access birth control and STI testing, even if they were unable to involve a parent. Ultimately, while this bill did pass in the Florida House, it never received a final vote in the Senate.

Civil Liability for Fetuses (HB 1517/SB 1284) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Rep. Sam Greco and Sen. Erin Grall

• What it would have done: The Civil Liability for Fetuses Bill is an anti-abortion bill that would empower abusers to sue Floridians who have accessed abortion care and their doctors–a frightening possibility for survivors of domestic violence that could have widespread ramifications for access to reproductive services. It seeks to address a nonexistent problem, as Florida law already allows individuals to sue for negligence and medical malpractice leading to loss of a pregnancy.
• What happened: While this bill did pass in the Florida House, it stalled in its final Senate committee of reference, having faced significant opposition from healthcare providers and the broader public raising alarm about its expected impacts on access to care.

Voter Suppression Bill (HB 1381) -- STOPPED
Sponsors: Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

• What it would have done: This bill would make it significantly harder for eligible Floridians to register to vote and stay on the voter rolls, akin to the SAVE Act that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It is the latest attempt to suppress voters in Florida under the guise of “security” and "integrity" by adding citizenship verification hurdles, increases surveillance through agencies like the DMV, and expands the state’s power to purge voters from the rolls.
• What happened: This bill passed out of its first House Committee, but failed to move forward. With no Senate companion, this extreme bill ultimately died in the committee process. This session, we proved beyond a doubt that our voices matter, our actions matter, and our movement matters.

And while we celebrate, we also know the work is far from over. This session still delivered real harm to democracy and equity that impacts all Floridians — and we’re just as committed to undoing that damage and building a Florida that truly belongs to all of us. Together, we will continue to fight back, resist, and turn the tide.