Ron DeSantis has been the governor of Florida since 2019 and is a registered Republican. He carries strong opinions about recent events- most prominently the “Don’t Say Gay” Law, as it has been nicknamed, and immigration.

Signed by Ron DeSantis on March 28, 2022, the “Parental Rights in Education” law, informally known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, has brought up a lot of controversies recently. The law states that sexual orientation or gender identity cannot be taught or even mentioned in a school setting in the state of Florida. DeSantis feels that “it’s not appropriate for any place but especially not in Florida.” These are strong words that show his apparent dislike towards the education of LGBTQ topics. This law has a massive impact on kids, especially those in the LGBTQ community. Youth in the LGBTQ community already have a much higher suicide risk than average; however, when given access to resources that affirm their identity and sexuality, the risk of suicide drops dramatically (“The Trevor Project”). Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that DeSantis cares about this as he is quoted saying: “here I stand, and I’m not backing down.” He has made his position on this issue very clear, despite the overwhelming evidence that this law will inevitably harm the queer youth of Florida and other states who have chosen to pass this law.

In other news, on September 20, 2022, DeSantis had a federal class action lawsuit filed against him for the transportation of over fifty individuals from Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. This was without any shelter or resources to accommodate them after the move. When they arrived in Florida midway through their journey, the residents were caught off guard because the migrants arrived without warning. “The local community scrambled to provide food, shelter, and translation services” (The Guardian). The migrants claim that they were not told where they were going; they were only given promises of a chance at better jobs and a better life. This deceit was orchestrated by none other than Governor DeSantis and, of course, implemented by other departments, mainly the Florida Department of Transportation. Attorneys involved in the case want DeSantis and his accomplices “to be banned from inducing immigrants to travel across state lines by fraud and misrepresentation” (Adams).