LET US LIVE : FLORIDA TRANS MARCH ON THE CAPITOL Tamara Leigh

Much is said by the media and pundits and TikTokers and late night comedians about the state of Florida... and the state of Florida. And everything they say about racism and homophobia and Transmisia is true- of this state and of every other single state in the Union. We have a STRONG American problem with all three, every single place you go. I keep finding myself in the strange position of defending Florida in conversation because, since moving here, I have realized how distorted my visions of the South were as a lifelong New Yorker. We (New Yorkers) think we have it all figured out and are the epicenter of culture and diversity, when in reality we just hide our cracks better and down here they sort of sit their sheets on the table instead of hiding them under the bed.

Now, this is NOT to say that every single speck of human decency and act of inclusion hasn’t been challenged in this state for the last few years. These are a people who seek to live mostly off the grid and mind their own business, as they expect others to mind theirs too. They don’t pay much attention to the news or politics. Most people who’ve been here for a long time came here to escape all that. It’s only upon the influx of outsiders with their Evangelical values and mega churches or revenue generating plans and business models that all the sudden it became VERY necessary to pay attention to the news and the media because they might just have taken away your right to exist while you were sleeping. This is not to say racism and Transmisia didn’t always exist here. Because this state and the South were built on it and has bred a legacy of it. It just means that it suffers with the same wrongs the rest of the country does. Now, I am no pundit or political science expert in any capacity whatsoever. But I do believe whomever pulls DeSantis’ strings and funds Trumps monstrous campaigns had an agenda that little by little, slowly but surely took root in this state and played on some cultures’ deep desires to assimilate,

some folks’ tragic ignorance and lack of education, the palpable fear of some to what losing the global majority might mean and the deep desire for others with “traditional values” who didn’t understand how changing pronouns fit in the English language and just wanted to keep things the same. So like it always does, hatred, bigotry and ignorance boiled down to fear. And for a people built on staying to themselves and building a life in their own corner to escape the trappings of poverty and enslavement that still exist- to a large degree they chose denial. Until what was happening here became too hard to ignore. So some people (entirely understandably) took off running and some folks were shook into awareness by fire, and stayed back to fight.

That’s no new story and not the one I came here to tell, but I think it is an important framework for the real story.

On February 28th, 2024, folks came from all of the corners and crevices of the state to meet and march on Tallahassee, the capital of Florida and say ‘no more ’ I think it’s important to also say that they were called to rally there by a beautiful, intelligent and deeply charismatic Afro-Latine’ woman who just so happens to also be Transfeminine, Angelique Godwin.

There was yet another bill on the House floor that threatened the life and liberty of the Trans community. As we gathered to begin marching, we heard that although the bill would be voted upon and likely passed by the Florida House, it would NOT pass the Florida Senate and would likely die there in committee.

We also learned while there, that of the 22 Anti-LGBTQ bills that were introduced and sponsored in the 2024 Legislative Session, that ALL but 4 had been killed or stalled out in committee, which means they would not cross DeSantis’ desk to be signed into law. And the 4 that remained, only had a few days left in session to go for a vote. No more. And all the sudden we realized, we might just be winning. There are more Black folks and Queer folks in the South than any other region of the country and when we band together, when we rally, we are a FORCE. And for two overlapping sets of people who still somehow managed to live and prosper even though any and everybody has tried to take us out- that says something. Why else keep us oppressed and fighting each other if not for the feat of what will happen if we join arms? But I digress,

We marched and cheered and chanted. It was awkward, you could tell many folks had never done it before. My New York Black Lives Matter sensibility made me cringe a bit. We were half getting run over by tanks in the streets in 2020 and the chants stayed long and strong when the crowd was many or when they were few. But it didn’t matter, dammit “we were here, we were Queer and we were FABULOUS. ”

There were speeches on the capitol stairs by a collection of BEAUTIFUL and engaging Black Trans Women who had been out here (some for years, some for decades) doing the WORK that the government and big money orgs should have been doing and never would. There was a collection of REALLY supportive and excited politicians, some Queer themselves, who delivered messages of hope and solidarity. They had been doing the work of fighting off the wolves in the House & Senate and as much as I typically don’t care to allow politicians to speak at rallies, it

did feel like they were probably the ones out there fighting the good fight. There was one woman who gave off strong AOC vibes which was refreshing to see deep down in Florida and a Black man who represents Miami Gardens that I had to Google to see if he was Queer, and he was. I know there is hope.

The capitol staff was less than inviting and I opted not to speak with any legislators that day. Oddly, it didn’t feel like that was what I came for. But what I DID want to mention was the nearly constant cheers, honks and applause that came from the street in front of the Capitol while we walked and while folks spoke. The majority of Floridians believe in LGBTQ+ Rights & Trans Justice just like the majority of Americans believe in Abortion Rights. And I guess that’s what my constant defense of Florida is about. It’s not to deny the clear and present danger here, it's to just remind people that there are so, so many Queer people, Black and Brown Queer folks down here. There is a BEAUTIFUL Queer culture flourishing, and that all of Florida isn’t "DeSantis’ Florida."

I find myself constantly frustrated that Northern states aren’t more invested in working together with our sibs in the South to fight for liberation. We don’t need you just sharing scary headlines and clickbait and talking about how awful it is. If you have it all figured out up there, awesome, connect with these states down here that have heavier lifts. If you have a blueprint, share it.

The West Coast has resources that the East and South could never imagine. How have you pooled or shared those to assist In the fight?

And my Southern friends, we CAN NOT effectively win this battle by dismissing the North because they don’t have problems like we have problems. They may be fighting for- while we are often fighting against- but it is THE SAME FIGHT. Collectively, we can do this. We can take this country back, but I fear that we can’t do it in silos. I know that we can’t.

Eventually, my crew packed it up and headed back toward the west coast of the state, which I dare say is the most LGBTQ friendly and which makes me even more appreciative of where we live. There is still literal shit tons of work to do here as well, but I was riding in the car with the ED of the biggest Pride in the South, damn near, with two Black Queer org leads and lil ol’ me big mouth, big ideas and spewing DEI me. In a state they say has outlawed It. As we bent hour two of the drive back home, Muni Long blasted through the speakers and my friend and I performed a full on concert, the overwhelming feeling of 'we are gon be alright' flooded me. At different points it was Tupac- Rocky’s playlist is the United Nations of musical selections so there was a fair share of Britney Spears in the mix, an Ariana Grande moment, some Nicki for good measure and Jay-Z’s “Can I Live?” bumped through my own mind in any of the breaks of silence. I am after all, Black first, Queer second but a New Yorker ALWAYS lol.

Like the drive and the apropos walking uphill (literally) to the Capitol- the fight Is EXHAUSTING. We drug ourselves home tired, stomachs grumbling, stiff from sitting for so damn long and weary knowing we all had to be up early again the next morning because it was only Wednesday. Somehow it was the perfect metaphor to this journey. But we MADE IT HOME. To where Intersectional Pride flags line damn near every commercial street and on many, many residential front porch poles in St Pete. And I think we might be the ones that actually make America great again or at the very least, liveable.