Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is under fire for congratulating a transgender activist for receiving the Florida Commission on the Status of Women’s Spirit of Community Award in 2022 — a controversial move that appeared to slip under the radar.
The DeSantis administration has long fought against the radical LGBT agenda, particularly as it comes to schools pushing it on children. The administration has successfully highlighted inappropriate books which have been described as borderline pornographic, showcasing exactly what the radical left seeks to inject into the hearts and minds of the nation’s most malleable minds.
In addition to signing legislation to protect parental rights in school, DeSantis also signed legislation to protect children from sexually explicit adult shows, as the left began to push the concept of “family friendly” drag shows across the nation and state. DeSantis, with the help of the Florida legislature, moved to ban life-altering “gender” surgery for minors. That followed a 2022 report by Florida Medicaid and requested by the Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which found the so-called “treatments” for those with gender dysphoria — from hormone therapy to puberty blockers and surgery — are not “safe or effective” but “experimental and investigational” in nature.
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The DeSantis administration has remained consistent in its position, which made Monday’s Politico’s Florida Playbook raise eyebrows. It highlighted a letter from DeSantis to an individual named Ashely Brundage, a transgender activist and biological male who began to transition in 2008. According to his bio, he “has worked tirelessly to promote awareness and acceptance of gender identity and expression.”
The June 22, 2022, letter from DeSantis to Brundage has now surfaced, which reads in part, “It is my pleasure to congratulate you on receiving the Florida Commission on the Status of Women’s Spirt of Community Award.”
In the brief letter, DeSantis writes that he is appreciative of Brundage’s “dedication and hard work as a mentor and advocate to children and women,” asserting that the transgender activist serves as a “shining example of a positive role model” in his community.
“As Governor, and the father of three children, I believe that community involvement is essential as we work to improve and enrich the lives of others and engage in the issues that impact Florida families,” the letter reads, thanking Brundage for his “selfless contributions to fellow Floridians” and encouraging him to “keep up the great work!”
It remains unclear if DeSantis knew Brundage was a biological male and transgender activist at the time he signed and sent the letter. Politico noted that a spokesperson for DeSantis’ campaign “declined to comment and a spokesperson for his administration didn’t respond to a request for comment.”
Regardless, a bio for Brundage touts the accolades from DeSantis.
It reads in part [emphasis added]:
She approaches her advocacy and empowerment work very apolitically, and this is evident as in 2022 she served on a committee for the Biden White House and also won an award from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a community spirit award for her commitment to women and girls in Florida.
Brundage told Politico that he believes DeSantis “is not educated” on transgender issues “and hasn’t met enough of us because he failed to show up to the luncheon to give me the award.”