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‘Fleeing Persecution’: LGBT Family Says Parental Rights Law … – Florida’s Voice

SARASOTA (FLV) – One gay couple in Southwest Florida, who spoke with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, said increased “discrimination” is making it harder to remain residents of the area.

“It’s getting harder and harder to stay. The discrimination and the hate have gotten so in-your-face,” Jordan Letschert said.

Letschert lives with Robby Price and the married couple’s 6-year-old son, Kellan, in Sarasota – but they fear that conservative policymakers in Tallahassee, and local electoral shifts, are enough cause to leave.

“There have been events we’ve gone to with our son, and we have looked at each other and asked, ‘Should we be here?’” Letschert continued.

Price namely pointed to HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education Act, which was falsely branded by activists as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” The law bars classroom discussion in grades K-3 focusing on sexual orientation or gender identity, and provides parents greater access to information on their child’s education.

“That Parental Rights bill was the most disheartening because we’re parents, too,” he said. “Every night we hope that things will change here, but at this point, it literally feels like we are fleeing persecution.”  

The Herald-Tribune reports they decided “it was best to relocate,” but the couple could not find a suitable location even after traveling to the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

“Kellan talks so openly about our family. He has a huge personality, he is so bright and outgoing … We don’t want his light to be dimmed by people that don’t even know him and judge him because of who we are,” Price went on.  

In the 2022 election, conservatives across Florida gained majorities and power in school boards. The Sarasota superintendent was ousted late last year. Bridget Ziegler, Tim Enos, Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose voted in favor to move forward with Dr. Brennan Asplen’s separation, and Tom Edwards voted against.

“The community overwhelmingly spoke for change,” Sarasota school board chair Bridget Ziegler told Florida’s Voice.

Letschert said he and his family felt concerned amidst the red wave election.

“Our tax dollars go to fund public schools, and we have elected leaders who are working against us. Now, the public is being pushed to anger … they don’t want to understand people who are different,” he explained.

After traveling to Denver in October, they decided the location was great for their son because the “diversity policy was baked into the application itself.”

“After that trip, it was the first time we came back to Florida, and it felt like we were in a placeholder home.” 

Price added that in Denver, they would not have to think about having “battles to fight every morning.” Their son Kellan’s transfer documents were requested from the Sarasota County School District, and by the end of the current school year, they intend to relocate.

While some intend to leave the Sunshine State because of increasingly conservative politics, far more are moving there.

For 2022, the U.S. continued trends of a mass exodus out of blue states like New York, California into places Florida and Texas.

The census revealed that the state of Florida had an annual population increase of 1.9 percent with a total resident population of 22,244,823 in 2022, “The first time since 1957 that Florida has been the state with the largest percent increase in population.”

Net migration was the largest contributing factor of change to Florida’s growth, adding 444,484 residents.