In yet one more effort to minimize and erase the LGBTQ+ communities that call Florida home, Gov. Ron DeSantis has sought to give June — widely accepted as Pride Month — a Christian-conservative makeover.
Last week, DeSantis proclaimed June “Faith and Family Month” in Florida. It’s a (mostly symbolic) move to push back against progressive ideologies and to place emphasis on the “Biblical family unit.”
“The Biblical family unit became the initial God-ordained earthly institution providing the model for a thriving society,” the proclamation reads in part.
The announcement, quietly released June 8, goes on to note that the objective of “Faith, Family, and Fatherhood” initiatives in June is to “encourage churches, faith-based organizations, businesses, and community partners” to create events and educational opportunities that fall in line with the values associated with the traditional family unit.
DeSantis’ proclamation came not only during Pride Month, but also during the 10-year remembrance of the deadly mass shooting that occurred at Pulse nightclub in Orlando — an attack that killed 49 predominantly Latino and LGBTQ+ individuals.
His “Faith and Family Month” announcement came just days before DeSantis released his annual Pulse remembrance statement. Last year, his 2025 Pulse statement made headlines because it omitted mention of “LGBTQ+ and Hispanic communities, much to the discontent of Orlando.
This year, his Pulse statement read, “Florida will not tolerate hatred toward the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.”
The so-called “Faith and Family Month” is just the latest move in a long line of efforts by DeSantis and his administration to squash recognition of and remove rights from queer people and other disenfranchised groups.
His right-wing takeover has seeped into nearly every aspect of Florida’s government DNA, with the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida schools; a conservative coup of the historically progressive New College of Florida; the defunding of DEI in higher education; a ban on DEI initiatives in the workplace; a ban on gender-affirming healthcare; and so on.
DeSantis, who is quite active on social media as of late, made no fanfare of the June declaration on any platform. Instead, his posts on X on the same day as the announcement include mentions of USAA costs and refunds to policyholders, a repost of a Ken Griffey Jr. baseball card and a couple posts about the band Rush.
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