ORLANDO, Fla. — Earlier this month, the Florida Department of Education removed anti-bullying and LGBTQ resources from its website.
On Tuesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced the launch of a new resource page for LGBTQ Floridians.
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“It is crucial that state leaders do everything in our power to advocate for these students and provide them with these important resources to foster a safe learning environment for all,” Fried said.
The page, which can be found on the FDACS website, contains anti-bullying resources, information for parents and educators, resources for inclusive schools, suicide prevention information and background on LGBTQ initiatives taken by FDACS.
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“Improving the health, safety and prosperity of all Floridians, including the hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ Floridians, is my top priority as a member of the cabinet,” said Fried. “It’s so important that LGBTQ Floridians know that they matter, there are resources to help and that we will continue to advocate for them. That’s why I believe it’s imperative that we make these resources available. We need to be doing more for LGBTQ Floridians, not less.”
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“With resources and information, we have the power to affect change. Without resources we can’t do that. Our LGBTQ students experience bullying and harassment at higher rates,” said Nathan Bruemmer, an LGBTQ consumer advocate at FDACS. “Working to prevent bullying and harassment should be our collective priority. Providing resources makes our priorities clear and lets our students know we see you and we want you to feel safe.”
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