Just a note to say thank you for the Sun Sentinel editorial, “Seeing both sides of Pride: The love and the intolerance” (June 27).

Your analysis was spot on.

It is time, actually past time, for the decent people of Florida and indeed the nation to stand firm against the ignorance of the far right who prey upon a minority to further their agenda of intolerance and exclusivity. We must know who we vote for, understand who they are and what they stand for.

We must be true to ourselves, be proud, and not be defined by hateful right-wing bigots.

John F. Smith, Fort Lauderdale

The struggle continues

As Pride Month draws to a close, this week’s editorial acknowledges that “the struggle against bigotry and hate continues.”

During the 2023 legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed six cruel and unnecessary anti-LGBTQ+ bills, including one to prevent trans Floridians from accessing gender-affirming care. While state politicians claimed to be focused on “protecting” young Floridians, the law also denied trans adults the right to make their own healthcare decisions – and the financial resources for care they have relied on for years.

The 9,000 transgender Floridians receiving healthcare through Medicaid received a temporary reprieve when U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee issued a temporary injunction preventing the law (SB 254) from taking immediate effect. The judge let Gov. DeSantis and Republican legislators know unequivocally that gender identity is real.

However, Judge Hinkle does not have the last word. It is likely that the state will challenge his decision and waste tax dollars on litigation to once again harm trans Floridians.

This Pride Month has been marked by a culture of fear and repression in Florida. But the temporary injunction against the ban is a hopeful sign. As the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council celebrates our 35th year of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, we will continue to work for a complete reversal of the ban.

Rand Hoch, West Palm Beach

The writer is founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

‘Just monstrous’

According to Judd Legum of the online newsletter Popular Information, many books deemed unacceptable by the Florida Department of Education were targeted because of “very poor/no alignment” with the 2022 Parental Rights in Education law. One book’s offense? The textbook’s “photographs and graphics include homosexual and heterosexual couples,” and “the photos of ‘non-traditional families’ violate the Florida requirement that material be presented ‘objectively’ and is ‘free of bias.’”

The Republicans’ so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law is really quite simple: Do not allow public schools to: (1) acknowledge the existence of LGBT people; (2) validate the minority of students who are LGBT; (3) humanize LGBT people in class discussions, as that would uplift gay and trans students and reduce the bullying against them. It’s not complicated; just monstrous.

Marc Paige, Fort Lauderdale

A lack of understanding

The Sun Sentinel’s Another Viewpoint essay of June 26 (Anti-trans bills disregard science on sex and gender) on the mistaken characterizations of gender and sex was well worth reading. Too much negativity surrounds this subject.

Moreover, a lack of understanding among legislators, church leaders, evangelists and the poorly educated has resulted in yet another “other-ism” that has deprived fellow Americans of essential rights. It is no longer debatable, if it ever was, that lawmakers, mainly immoderate Republicans and radical conservatives, have found yet another target, the transgender, to bully. Thank you for publishing an opinion piece that calls out both the ignorance and the bigotry that often follow.

David Kahn, Boca Raton