>>> JUST THE LATEST SIGN THAT
FLORIDA HAS BECOME GROUND ZERO
IN THE CULTURE WARS. JOINING ME NOW IS NATIONAL
JOINING ME NOW IS NATIONAL
AFFAIRS CONTRIBUTOR FOR THE GRIO
DR. NEE QUARTERLAY.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> YOU WROTE ABOUT TARGETING THE
LGBT AND AFRICAN AMERICAN
COUNTRY.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN FLORIDA
RIGHT NOW?
>> IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT THE
COUNTRY REALLY HAS A LASER FOCUS
ON FLORIDA BECAUSE FLORIDA IS
REALLY THE CANARY IN THE COAL
MINE.
IF GOVERNOR DeSANTIS AND
REPUBLICANS IN FLORIDA ARE
SUCCESSFUL IN ADVANCING THEIR
ANTI-WOKE AGENDA, THEIR
ANTI-LGBTQ AGENDA, DARE I SAY
THEIR U.S. APARTHEID AGENDA, WE
CAN EXPECT TO SEE SOME REALLY
DARK DAYS AHEAD.
YOU KNOW, THE "DON'T SAY GAY"
BILL AND THE STAY WOKE ACT
TOGETHER REALLY REPRESENT AN
EXISTENTIAL CRISIS FOR PEOPLE
THAT ARE BOTH BLACK AND LGBTQ,
FOCUS THAT LIVE AT THAT
INTERSECTION.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DOUBLE
WHAMMY HERE.
WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN
ON OUR WATCH.
DEMOCRATS CANNOT ALLOW THAT TO
WATCH IT ON OUR WATCH.
WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF POWER IF
WE DON'T USE IT?
THEY HAVE THE POWER TO PASS THE
EQUALITY ACT AND MAKE THE
PRESIDENT'S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON
RACIAL EQUITY A LAW.
>> UM-HMM, OKAY.
COME ON, YOU ARE A STUDENT OF
POLITICS.
YOU'VE BEEN IN POLITICS.
YOU KNOW, ONE, THAT THIS STUFF
PLAYS WELL TO THE GOP BASE.
IT'S BOATER TO MAKE PEOPLE-- BET
MAKE PEOPLE ANGRY AND FRIGHTENED
TO PASS LAWS THAT HELP
EVERYBODY.
THE OTHER THING I HEAR YOU ON IS
CONGRESS, PARTICULARLY THE
SENATE, PASSING THE EQUALITY
ACT, BUT IT IS A 50/50 SENATE.
ISN'T 9 SOLUTION TO ELECT MORE
DEMOCRATS TO THE SENATE SO THAT
THE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY IS NOT
BEHOLDEN TO, TO SENATORS IN
PARTICULAR?
>> I THINK IT'S ALL OF THE
ABOVE.
I THINK WE'VE GOT TO WORK THE
SENATE AS IT IS.
I THINK WE'VE GOT TO ELECT
SENATORS, BOTH REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS, THAT ARE WILLING TO
UNAPOLOGETICALLY SUPPORT
EQUALITY.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EQUALITY.
YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS.
YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW, SOME WAY
WE'VE GOTTEN OFF THE RAILS HERE.
THE FACT THAT, THAT TRAIL
BLAZERS LIKE YOU, JONATHAN,
TRAIL BLAZERS LIKE MALCOLM
KENYATTA RUNNING FOR U.S. SENATE
IN PENNSYLVANIA, PEOPLE LIKE
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE
DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, STATES
LIKE FLORIDA AND OTHER PLACES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY COULD BE
ERASED FROM CURRICULUM SHOULD BE
SHOCKING TO FOLKS.
WE DO NOT WANT TO LIVE IN AN
AMERICA WHERE IT'S OKAY TO ERASE
THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR FELLOW
AMERICANS, WHETHER THEY ARE
BLACK, LGBTQ, OR ANYBODY ELSE.
>> UM-HMM.
YOU ARE VERY KIND TO CALL ME A
TRAIL BLAZER.
BUT IN ADDITION TO THE NOXIOUS
DON'T SAY GAY LAW IN FLORIDA, WE
SEE LOTS OF ANTI-TRANS
LEGISLATION, SHOCKING ANTI-TRANS
LEGISLATION BEING PASSED AROUND
THE COUNTRY.
FOR DEMOCRATS OR PROGRESSIVES OR
JUST EVERYDAY AMERICANS WHO JUST
WANT THINGS TO BE FAIR FOR
EVERYONE, HOW CAN THEY PUSH BACK
EITHER FROM AN ACTIVIST
PERSPECTIVE OR EVEN A RHETORICAL
PERSPECTIVE AGAINST THESE
EFFORTS TO BELITTLE OUR FELLOW
AMERICANS?
>> I THINK THE ONE THING THAT WE
CAN ALL DO IS REALLY TAKE A
STAND AGAINST THE ERASURE THAT'S
TAKING PLACE.
I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
SENATOR FROM FLORIDA, SCOTT,
HAVE GOTTEN BEHIND THE RESCUE
AMERICA AGENDA.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE CALLING IT.
TWO OF THE PLAYS IN THE AGENDA
IS GETTING OUT OF THE BUSINESS
OF COLLECTING DATA BASED ON RACE
AND ETHNICITY.
AND GENDER IDENTITY.
I'LL
I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, I'LL SAY
IT AGAIN.
WHEN WE'RE NOT DATA, WHEN WE'RE
NOT PART OF THE CENSUS, IT MAKES
IT VERY EASY FOR THE OTHER SIDE
TO PRETEND WE DON'T EXIST, AND
REALLY CRAFT A GOVERNMENT AND
GOVERNMENT POLICIES THAT REFLECT
THAT, THAT REFLECT AN ERASURE OF
WHO WE ARE.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN
ALL DO RIGHT NOW, PEOPLE IN THE
GOVERNMENT, PEOPLE IN THE
PRIVATE SECTOR AND EVERYTHING IN
BETWEEN.
>> I LIKE THAT, NO DATA, NO
JUSTICE.
BECAUSE ALSO THE OTHER THING IS
IF YOU DON'T EXIST ON THESE
TABLES, THEN YOU DON'T EXIST TO