As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to legislatively terrorize the LGBTQ+ community in his home state, there may be no more important person in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality than Nadine Smith.
The Executive Director of Equality Florida, Smith has been in her post since 1997. Over the years, she’s fought to successfully repeal the state’s gay adoption ban and other anti-LGBTQ+ measures. Way back in 1991, she was the first out Black lesbian to run for Tampa Bay City Council, and earned the most votes in the primary.
But now, Smith, and Florida’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community, are faced with perhaps their biggest challenges yet. DeSantis has championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws over the last year, beginning with the state’s odious “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender ideology across all grade levels.
In addition, he’s signed bills that outlaw gender-affirming care for minors, and make it a criminal offense if adults don’t use the bathroom that corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth. Florida’s new anti-drag law threatens the liquor license of any business if that business admits a child to an adult live performance.
While the landscape is certainly bad now, Smith says she’s ready for the fight.
“Florida was one of the worst states when it came to LGBT rights,” she told the Tampa Bay Business Journal earlier this year. “We’ve been able over time to undo a lot of the really horrific things. The marriage ban, the adoption ban, laws used to take our kids away from us or criminalize our existence. There’s a familiarity to the backlash that we are experiencing right now.”
Those are the words of a true warrior. Smith has been at this game for three decades, first rising to national prominence when she was part of a watershed Oval Office meeting in 1993 with President Bill Clinton and other LGBTQ+ advocates.
Last year, Time honored Smith as one of the 100 most influential people in the U.S. “Her work is an inspiration for LGBTQ organizations around the world, providing a blueprint on how to make progress for our communities through strong commitment and perseverance,” writes Kristen Arnett. “She is a powerhouse, a champion of equality for everyone, and a truly incredible humanitarian.”
As we head into the critical 2024 election cycle, Smith’s profile will only continue to grow. Florida is the new battleground for many of our culture wars, and she is the antidote to DeSantis’ atavism.
“Right now there’s still time to repair the damage that’s being done,” Smith said. “But, you know, the damage is quite deep.”
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