Launching Entrepreneurs! Patricia are often drawn to-and thrive at-New College of Florida. Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA. But I know that latter group would bend back to sanity with eagerness if constituents who for years ensured Sarasota’s reputation as a home for all filled their email inboxes with greater numbers than those gripped by fear of all that’s different. I’ll resist also calling out those who even recently espoused tolerance but now cower to emboldened extremists. I won’t name the pols here who too frequently empower the oppression of silence. Never mind the rights of parents who want their children to never feel ashamed at school of who they are or what they feel. Rather, it intends to assuage those who fear schools turning their child transgender if they dare hear a word about gender identity before fourth grade. It purports to be a “parental rights bill,” but creates no new rights. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, for bucking party lines and voting no).
There lies the problem with such an intolerant law as “don’t say gay,” legislation supported by nearly all lawmakers in the region (cheers to Rep. But my greatest fear is this will lead Moricz, once his cap flies in the air, to leave town forever before his mortarboard reaches the ground. I suspect cooler heads will prevail here, and Moricz will be able to touch on topics important to him while being coached away from the most incendiary language. In Osprey, he has often felt a cold shoulder from elders within the community. He considers Pine View a safe place for LGBTQ youth, but doesn’t necessarily feel the same about Sarasota County. He’s a plaintiff challenging the statute in court. He doesn’t want to disrupt an evening of celebration of his peers, but remains shook administrators he always worked with well have threatened to cut his microphone if he discusses Florida’s new ‘don’t say gay’ law. I spoke this week to Zander Moricz, the class president at Pine View trying to decide what to do about graduation. The transgender singer who performed at high-profile events in town before and after transitioning, always greeted by cheers and applause. The Sarasota city employee who came out as trans and found a nurturing embrace from co-workers. It mourned when the first victim identified in the Pulse shooting turned out to be Eddie Sotomayor, a local travel agent and one of 49 killed by a terrorist at an Orlando gay club. Shortly after marriage equality became law in Florida, Shelin, chair of Equality Florida at the time, also held a public wedding here, demonstrating the community’s embracing atmosphere Governments here also adopted Human Rights Ordinances before many other jurisdictions in the state, largely thanks to a drive from Ken Shelin, an openly gay former Sarasota City Commissioner. While Susan Stanton didn’t get the job, she felt welcome enough here to apply for a position again years later. The city in 2007 made national news as the first municipality to consider hiring a city administrator fired in Pinellas County after she came out as transgender. This shocks those who know Sarasota so long welcomed a diversity of people. Now this shift caught the attention of national press who wonder how Rumble, Cyber Ninjas, The Hollow and Trump Social all ended up with Sarasota County addresses. There’s been a lurch to the far right in local politics over the past decade - moving past low taxes or regulation and toward gross bigotry and a denial of reality. Working in Sarasota well over a decade, I must say this prejudiced visage does not reflect the community I know. Before that, the Washington Post took a look at a proliferation of right-wing media setting up shop here, and ended up discussing the elevation of politicians promoting the most right wing of messages.Īll this comes as Florida too frequently lands in headlines for approving arguably extremist policies on minority and LGBTQ rights.
Attention came this month for a few reasons, most recently when a gay Pine View student revealed he could be censored during a graduation speech if he touches on political issues. Retaking a Reputation for Tolerance Jacob seems to be developing a different profile in national headlines, one of atypical intolerance.