Florida Republicans eye ban on pride flags in schools, government buildings

Details: The bill has been strongly opposed by members of the LGBTQ+ community and activists in Florida.

• The legislation would mean that "a governmental entity may not erect or display a flag that represents a political viewpoint, including, but not limited to, a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint."
• Lawmakers had also noted that the bill could prohibit flag displays from movements including Black Lives Matter, per the Tampa Bay Times.

State of play: The Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law and Government Operations Subcommittee in the Florida House voted 9-5 on Wednesday to approve the bill, known as HB 901.

• Before going to Florida's full House, the bill has to get cleared by the State Affairs Committee, per the Times.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ advocates are watching a handful of Florida bills with concern, Axios Tampa Bay's Kathryn Varn reports.

• More than a dozen bills in Florida currently carry possible implications for LGBTQ+ people in the state.
• Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pursued what activists dubbed a "slate of hate" laws targeting aspects of LGBTQ+ community members' daily lives.
• The administration also moved to expand a law — dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics — last year and implemented a book ban targeting books featuring LGBTQ+ identity.

Go deeper: Florida school book bans hit dictionaries