by Joe Courter
We can’t predict what the next months will bring, but there will no doubt be a need to mount both resistance to some of the changes being dictated to us, and support for those who are suffering the impact of these changes. With that in mind, here are three profiles provided to us by some of the groups on the frontline of the MAGA repression coming at us from both Washington and Tallahassee.
I expect we will have more to report on in the next Iguana in March; your input is welcome to suggest organizations that are doing the work that needs to be done. So plug in as you can, your labor, your dollars, and your voice as you communicate with friends. Resist dooming, keep hope alive.
North Central Florida Indivisible
Join the movement for justice and democracy!
Urgent: We are working with urgency to support immigrant communities as they prepare for the threatened mass deportations and family separations. Please donate to this link to support the due process rights of those who may be impacted under the new administration. This fund will help secure release from detention while awaiting immigration hearings, ensuring family reunification and assuring access to legal representation: https://bit.ly/ImSFund
At North Central Florida Indivisible, we create and support robust, transparent structures and procedures to enable the exercise of a just, equitable, and representative democracy. We work to decouple access and success from identifiers like race, religion, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. We work throughout North Central Florida, including the City of Gainesville, Alachua County, Putnam County, and Marion County. Join us or start an NCFI team in your town.
For over six years, NCFI has been a cornerstone of activism in this region. From Alachua to Putnam and Marion counties, our work has included:
Environmental Justice: Campaigning for energy democracy in Gainesville, combating energy burdens, and supporting clean energy initiatives. Fighting to close the Florence dump in East Gainesville. Developing a Brownfields neighborhoodscoalition.
Education Equity: Tackling the school-to-prison pipeline, championing the teaching of whole unvarnished history.
Immigrant Support: Promoting language access and welcoming cities, and providing aid during crises like threatened deportations, or rising waves of violence.
Defense of Democracy: Registering voters, defending voting rights, advocating for changes in our electoral systems
Join Us!
If you’re passionate about social justice and want to make a difference in North Central Florida, now is the time to get involved! Connect with us on Facebook to stay updated on upcoming events and meetings or email us at NCFindivisible@gmail.com, or call us at 352-641-0095
Together, we can create a fairer, more equitable future.
PFLAG
Never underestimate what one mother can accomplish.
Over 50 years ago, Jean Manford formed PFLAG after she marched in a New York City Gay Pride parade with her gay son. One mother started a PFLAG movement that has grown to more than 250,000 members and supporters in 500 chapters throughout the United States. It has become the nation’s foremost family-based organization committed to work for the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) people.
PFLAG Gainesville is one of these important chapters. Our mission is to create a better future for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) youth and adults through a partnership of parents, allies and LGBTQ+ people.
Our mission has three active prongs:
Support
PFLAG Gainesville hosts monthly support meetings geared toward preserving relationships within families when someone comes out as LGBTQ+. We facilitate resources and supportive connections for LGBTQ+ individuals whose families are not accepting.
Education
We actively promote an inclusive society through participation in local community events and diverse educational opportunities, religious institutions and other organizations. We have excellent printed material that we provide at each occasion.
Advocacy
We are a 501c3 organization, so we do not support candidates, but we speak loudly about our issues. No voice is more powerful or persuasive than that of a PFLAG member or supporter. As people who are LGBTQ+, their parents, families, friends and allies, we know firsthand the impact that discriminatory laws have on ourselves and our loved ones.
In December 2022 PFLAG Gainesville learned that the State of Florida had ordered Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) to remove their LGBTQ+ Support Guide from the district website. In January 2023, we put together a coalition of over fifteen organizations and individuals to form the Inclusive Schools Committee. The goal was to work with the district to develop new a guide.
From the beginning the district was supportive but they had an overwhelming number of important issues on their plate. We felt that the safety of our students was also important. A key player was Ian Siljestrom of Equality Florida. He had worked with ACPS to develop the guide that had been removed so he joined the committee and led the charge to develop a new support guide to replace the original.
The work was slow going. There were new and vague laws to consider, so it took a year but the official Guide is once again on the district website. In March of 2024, PFLAG and Equality Florida held a parent’s summit to introduce and explain the guide as well as answer questions. The Inclusive Schools Committee is now prepared to see that the guide is implemented throughout every level of the district.
Additionally, PFLAG has taken the lead in addressing books that have been challenged – those that someone has requested be removed from our schools. Our goal is to ensure that a variety of age-appropriate inclusive books be available to all students in ACPS. As it has always been, parents can easily control what their child reads. PFLAG will continue to review book challenges and address them as they arise.
As you can see, PFLAG Gainesville is busy. There is much to do to support those who are at greatest risk in our community. We hold support meetings at 7pm on the second Tuesday of each month, held at the Pride Center of North Central Florida, 3850 NW 83rd St. Unit 201, 32606. We hope you’ll join us. Learn more about us at www.pflaggainesville.org.
Southern Legal Counsel Inc.
Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. (SLC) is a Gainesville, Fla.-based statewide not-for-profit public interest law firm committed to the ideal of equal justice for all and the attainment of basic human and civil rights. SLC primarily assists individuals and groups who otherwise would not have access to the justice system and whose cases have the potential to bring about systemic reform.
SLC uses a range of strategies to achieve its goals, including litigation, policy advocacy, and training and technical assistance. Their Decriminalizing Poverty Project and Transgender Rights Initiative, as well as their advocacy in the areas of children’s rights, healthcare access and civil rights, impact thousands of Floridians each year. SLC protects and defends the rights of Floridians who are being persecuted for struggling to survive outdoors, LGBTQ+ Floridians who are under attack by their own government, and children with disabilities who are being treated as troublemakers instead of kids in need of extra support.
SLC’s small, highly effective team of attorneys are the voice for these vulnerable groups in the legal system and their guide to understanding their rights. SLC does not provide legal assistance for individual cases involving foreclosure, family law and immigration, which are often handled by other legal aid organizations. However, thanks to new grant funding from Funding Florida Legal Aid, SLC is now taking on cases involving housing discrimination, residential rent and security deposit disputes, consumer fraud, and public assistance. If you are interested in supporting their work as a volunteer, pro bono attorney or donor, visit southernlegal.org or call (352) 271-8890.