GOP should see LGBTQ community as voting bloc

Researchers have concurred that more than 7% of the U.S. population are members of the LGBTQ community.

In Florida that would mean that more than 1.5 million people are LGBTQ — and many of these people have family and friends in Florida who love them and support them. If Republican legislators do the math, that adds up to a substantial percentage of the population and, dare I say, a lot of votes.

After Gov. Ron DeSantis and  anti-gay legislators’ recent act of denying this community the pride to celebrate during Pride Month by not allowing public displays of rainbows on bridges and public buildings, my hope is that each one of those people in the LGBTQ community: family members, coworkers and friends of the community, vote those legislators out of the state House and back to the 1950s.They can take their lame-duck governor with them.

Florida can lead in celebrating diversity and loving kindness — the rainbow is a symbol for all.

Kim Higgins New Smyrna Beach

Free Titusville inmate Crosley Green on appeal

Scott Maxwell writes that the Florida GOP has had an “epiphany” and now appears to be concerned about social justice after Donald Trump’s felony conviction (“How Trump’s conviction helped Florida Republicans get ‘woke’ to social justice,” June 5). I’m sure Titusville’s Crosley Green hopes this to be true.

The 66-year-old Green has been in prison for decades. Many believe he was wrongly convicted of murder by an all-white jury. Prosecutors also allegedly withheld exonerating evidence.

Green has been a model citizen and inmate. He was released for a couple of years when a federal judge overturned his conviction, but Green was then returned to prison after another appeal.

The Florida Parole Commission on Offender Review chairman has already acknowledged that the commission wrongly calculated Crosley’s release date by an additional 45 years… to when he’ll be 97 years old.

FPCOR must make a decision by July 1. Let’s hope the Republican-appointed Commission is truly able to see the light.

Kathy Ojeda Merritt Island

Eatonville deserves Black history museum

If Florida’s African American history museum ends up in St. Augustine, it should be called The Jim Crow Hall of Shame. Eatonville, by contrast, has much to celebrate.

Marian Price Orlando

High-school athletes get money? In this economy?

So now we are going to allow boosters to pay high school players to play for their team (“FHSAA board approves Name, Image, Likeness rule allowing payments for high school athletes,” June 5). College athletes are getting paid millions. Some of the players will be making more than their teachers. If the economy is so bad, how come so many people have enough extra money to give away just so a high school team can win a few games?

Keith Jones Orlando

Why aren’t gun advocates defending Hunter Biden?

For decades now, Republican voters and politicians have fought tooth and nail to protect the Second Amendment of our U.S. Constitution against any state or federal law that could hinder their ability to own a firearm. These gun champions even continue to put our children’s lives on the line in order to protect their right to bear arms. Why are they not out there now defending Hunter Biden from another “weak” and “unconstitutional” law that threatens their freedom to pack heat?

Emily Romero Figueroa Geneva