The real snowflakes

Florida Governor (and wannabe president) Ron DeSantis has been busy turning that state into something ugly in his war on “woke” ideology, whatever that is.

His efforts include book bans and speech prohibitions, as dictated by him and the most fearful, intolerant and easily offended among us (his base). It seems like one complaint is enough to trigger these actions and get a book taken off school shelves or threaten a teacher’s career.

First public schools, then a liberal arts college, then community libraries, then what?

If a troublesome high school kid wants to discuss historic racism or LGBTQ+ issues, will they be told, “That discussion is prohibited by The State.” Will that kid’s name go on a list of subversives?

The special target has been people of alternative sexuality, especially those whose sense of who they are doesn’t match their birth sex. They’ve been persecuted forever. But more and more Americans have become accepting of them. Horrors!

Under DeSantis, Florida has taken the lead in promoting government-sanctioned persecution. Erase them. Ban the gender-affirming care trans youths depend on, then expand it to trans adults, too. The message there is you should leave, or better yet, kill yourself and remove yourself from the gene pool.

Ban the very existence of a whole group of people, like Uganda’s LGBTQ+ extermination law, reportedly inspired by some American evangelicals. It’s not much of a stretch to the state sanctioning or even encouraging violence against LGBTQ+ people, like in Uganda.

Also prohibited in Florida: any promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion. I guess those are scary there. But if you are white of European ancestry, militantly heterosexual, right-wing Republican and probably evangelical, you are fine.

Under DeSantis, Florida has become the hate state. DeSantis wants to make the whole country like Florida. Other states controlled by the GOP are going the same way, motivated by fear, hatred and political ambition.

The culture wars led by Florida seem to be most embraced by evangelicals. They claim to be good Christians. Jesus said, whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me. What if “the least of these” are the very people DeSantis and his ilk are targeting?

– Carole McWilliams, Bayfield