Category Archives: 2026 Articles

From the publisher: A look on the bright side 

by Joe Courter

Dwelling on the dark side is not healthy, but so easy to slip into. Voting Rights Act negated, attacks on immigrants and LGBTQ+ rights, war on Iran, White Christian Nationalism on the rise, all the way to the absurdity of James Comey indicted for sea shells reading 86 47. It seems overwhelming and hopeless.

I will break the pattern here this time and celebrate the good that we need to sustain ourselves. It will take a lot to overcome the damages done by the folks in charge now, but we will need be resilient, join with existing movements and address new needs that may arise. It will take work organizing our resistance and responses, but it is what we have to do.  

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Home at last: Pride Center secures its future

by Jan Zumbrun and Dex Lewis

After more than two decades of movement, resilience, and community-building, the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida has taken a defining step forward by voting to purchase a permanent home.

At a special meeting on April 19, the Center’s Board of Directors made the long-anticipated decision to acquire a 4,500 square foot commercial property at 1204 NW 10th Ave. The vote, passed by a strong majority, marks a turning point for an organization that has spent 22 years operating out of temporary spaces, adapting time and again to changing circumstances, including the recent loss of its most recent lease on April 30.

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May 2026 Gainesville Iguana

The May issue of the Iguana is now available, and you can access it here! If you want to get your hands on a hard copy, check out our distro locations here.

Seniors & disabled: Beware the ‘Fast-Track’ & ‘Entitlement/Fiscal Commission’

by Mary Savage

Like zombies returning from the dead, legislation supporting an undemocratic and semi-secretive fiscal commission has once again been introduced in Congress. 

This time it was in the U.S. Senate in late March. A small group of legislators and administration officials want to write Social Security legislation that would be fast-tracked through Congress on a limited time schedule with no allowance for amendments and very limited debate. 

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April 2026 Gainesville Iguana

The April issue of the Iguana is now available, and you can access it here! If you want to get your hands on a hard copy, check out our distro locations here.

Editors’ picks: News that didn’t fit

DeSantis panics as his MAGA agenda unravels in final days
by Katie Phang ~ You Tube (video 36:31) ~ April 3 ~ tinyurl.com/iguana2417
Gov. Ron DeSantis is termed out, and as he departs, he wants to leave a police state in his wake. Florida State Senator Tina Polsky joins Katie Phang for a legislative round-up of some of the worst bills from this session, including a state SAVE Act, anti-DEI measures, and a domestic terrorist organization law.

Elder Zoharah Simmons at Gainesville No Kings Rally
You Tube (video 9:26) ~ March 28 ~ tinyurl.com/iguana2421
Zoharah Simmons, veteran of the civil rights movement, speaks at the March 28 No Kings Day rally. She says the goal of the rally was to “raise our voices, but also to organize a resistance movement against the anti-democratic authoritarian fascist horror we are witnessing in our country and across the globe caused by our government and paid for by our tax dollars.”

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RESIST Network opposes voter supression

The Florida Legislature recently passed a law regarding voter registration. Some call this new law the  “Florida SAVE Act” and others call it the “Show Me Your Papers Act.” It requires individuals to document their citizenship to become/remain a registered voter. This law will be effective on January 1, 2027, so it will not affect the 2026 elections. There is no need to panic but you may want to understand how this new law may affect your ability to vote after 2026.

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March 2026 Gainesville Iguana

The March issue of the Iguana is now available, and you can access it here! If you want to get your hands on a hard copy, check out our distro locations here.

Editors’ picks: News that didn’t fit

Bernie Sanders’ 7 policies to defeat Trump, secure a better future for all 
by Jessica Corbett ~ Common Dreams ~ Feb. 5 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2375
Sanders: “It is not good enough just to be critical of Trump and his destructive policies. We must bring forth a positive vision that will improve the lives of ordinary Americans.”In a depressing Guardian op-ed, Sanders summarizes the ways our country is in decline, but also speaks of his goals for “a national grassroots movement that fights for the needs of the American working class.”

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Poem in memory of Rosa B. Williams

This is for my Aunt Rosa B

by Terri L. Bailey, MA

This is for Auntie Rosa B
Ms. Williams is what she goes by
She short in statue and soft with words
But her power no one can deny

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Sanctity of Sanctuary

by Nooriel Nolan, Concerned Parent, UF Alumni, Alachua County Resident

Most Floridians subscribe to a Christian faith, and deem that faith to be very important. So, let us lean on the tenant of sanctuary (“a place of refuge or safety”) at this moment. Churches have a long history of being safe spaces (for immigrants and others) serving as havens. And refuge is desperately needed right now, as safety is being stripped away from our communities.

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January/February 2026 Gainesville Iguana

The January/February issue of the Iguana is now available, and you can access it here! If you want to get your hands on a hard copy, check out our distro locations here.