Ron DeSantis

Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis may be out of the national spotlight, but the failed presidential candidate is still racking up Ls!

A few days ago, a federal judge in Tallahassee struck down another one of DeSantis’ regressive laws targeting LGBTQ+ people. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled that Florida’s ban on providing gender-affirming care to state employees violates their civil rights, the AP reports. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 safeguards employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Three current and former state employees filed the suit against the Florida Department of Management Services in 2020. Their victory is just the latest triumph against DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.

Earlier this summer, a federal judge nullified Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for children once and for all. The district judge ruled the restrictions were unconstitutional, and DeSantis and Florida Republicans weren’t acting in the interest of public health.

“Enforcing this moral view is not, however, a legitimate state interest that can sustain this statute,” the judge wrote.

Many of “Meatball Ron’s” signature, homophobic initiatives have been clawed back in the wake of his embarrassing campaign. Notably, he admitted failure on his school book bans, acknowledging the initiative created unnecessary chaos.

“The idea that someone can use the parents rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is just wrong,” he said. “That’s performative. That’s political.”

Ding! Ding!

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Speaking of performative acts of cruelty, the scope of DeSantis’ infamous “Don’t Say Gay” legislation has been narrowed as well. While restrictions on classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity remain, teachers and students are free to discuss their own queer identities, as well as participate in LGBTQ+-focused extracurriculars, such as Gay-Straight alliance clubs.

Rather than lead Florida through a myriad of crises, including rocketing home insurance rates and the persistent dangers of climate change (he’s actually banned the term “climate change” from appearing in state documents), DeSantis and his administration have spent a lot of time in court. Back in June, one of the state’s former top law enforcement officials filed a lawsuit against Florida, claiming he was fired for blowing the whistle on illegal orders.

DeSantis also recently made concessions in the settlements of multiple lawsuits involving the state and Disney.

Apparently unfazed, the hard-right governor is still exercising cruelty towards his most vulnerable constituents. This summer, he rejected a federal food aid program known as Sun Bucks, which would have provided disadvantaged families $120 per child to help pay for groceries during June, July and August while schools are out.

Though one in five kids in Florida faces hunger, DeSantis dismissed the federal program as “welfare benefits.” With the deadline for the 2025 program less than two weeks ago, those who care about hungry children are worried that DeSantis will opt out of the initiative again.

“It’s atrocious that the governor would even think about not accepting any type of help,” said the mayor of North Miami, Alix Desulme.

When explaining their ambivalence towards hungry kids, administration officials point to the $13 million it would cost to implement the program… $13 million out of a projected $17 billion budget surplus.

While DeSantis is busy polishing his far-right bonafides, Florida residents are suffering. New data shows almost half the state’s 8.8 million households are struggling to afford the cost of living.

When DeSantis ran for president, it was amusing to mock his high heels and incredible awkwardness. He struggled to communicate with humans on the campaign trail, presenting himself as a weird, Heritage Foundation-created cyborg.

But his inhumanity towards marginalized communities is no laughing matter. DeSantis’ gubernatorial term lasts through 2026, and there will likely be many more scandals and court dates in his future.

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