As we start the New Year, 2026, I’m reminded that my first job as a leader, my top priority, is to find and train my replacement. As we renew our efforts to oust the extreme right wing pseudo Christian regime that has taken over our government, it isn’t just midterm elections on the state and national levels that have our focus.
We’re riding higher now, having flipped Miami and other locales, with Democrats taking back cities, towns, commissions and legislative seats across the nation.
But this year the Florida LGBTQ+ Democrats have our own elections to think about, as we select leaders to push equality forward.
Hi – my name is Kristen Browde. I’m an out transgender woman, an attorney living in Miami, and for the two years I’ve had the honor and the challenge of leading Florida’s LGBTQ+ Democrats. With the Trump Administration having declared open war on our entire community – focusing special attention on those of us who are transgender, that’s been a lot.
While I’m not stepping back from the fight – as my term in this office heads toward its end, our caucus will need new leaders, new ideas and new energy to stop the hate and reverse the bigotry that has become the policy of the corrupt and cynical Trump/DeSantis regimes. That means we need you with us in this fight.
Data shows that LGBTQ+ voters are the single strongest, most reliable block of Democratic voters in every state of the nation. I see our job in this campaign season as not just energizing and activating those members of our community, but reaching out to the farthest reaches of our community.
We need to reach the vibrant and energetic BIPOC community. We need to reach the various Hispanic LGBTQ+ communities. We need to reach out to the younger LGBTQ+ communities and make sure they’re registered and voting. And we need to see how many of the wealthier and older gay voters who say they’re OK with Trump still have the delusion that they’ll be safe under the Elon Musk version of Project 2025.
I know there’s disagreement among us on certain issues. We’re Democrats. We disagree about things all the time – we are the true “big tent” party with diverse opinions. But what we all know is that on almost every issue, Trumpism means disaster.
So I urge you as members of the LGBTQ+ Caucus to do far more than just show your Pride. Reach out. Bring in new members of your communities. Ask them to join us at lgbtqdems.org.
We have special elections coming up. This past year even in Florida we’ve made huge progress, electing not just Democrats but out, LGBTQ+ candidates. If we continue to build and break the right wing stranglehold on our legislature and Take Back Florida, we can bring vital change.
Please join us, and if you need help or have a specific outreach problem, let me know how the Caucus and our team of Democratic and LGBTQ+ activists can assist. We want to help you succeed, and will do what everything can for that to happen.
With Pride,
Kristen Browde
President, Florida Democratic Party LGBTQ+ Caucus