Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Miami Republican who recently faced national criticism for saying “LGBT is not a permanent thing” while debating a contentious bill in the Florida Legislature, apologized on Thursday to anyone who was offended by what she said.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Garcia said she did not intend to “generalize or disregard the experiences of any member of the LGBT+ community” when arguing why she supported the “parental rights in education” bill — which critics have dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill.
The bill, which has drawn national attention, would prohibit school lessons in kindergarten through third grade about sexual orientation and gender identity, or in other grades in ways that are not considered age-appropriate.
“I want to start off by delineating exactly what LGBT is — and by the way, gay is not a permanent thing. LGBT is not a permanent thing and it is not a bad thing,” Garcia said on the Senate floor last week.
In her debate, she also shared personal experiences with LGBTQ people in her life, including the story of a “very good friend” who is transgender.
“Went through the whole transition as an older man, at 58 years old, became a woman. And guess what? He still likes women,” she said. “He went through the whole process. And we’d laugh together and I’d say, ‘Why do you want to deal with the hormones? Why do you want to have to worry about the extensions? And the hair? And the boobs? And the nails?’ And he loved it.”
Her remarks drew criticism from LGBTQ advocates and Democrats in Florida and across the country.
In her statement Thursday, Garcia did not specify which comments she was apologizing for. But she said she understood the “responsibility and impact of words on others.”
“I was trying to explain my very personal life experiences and did not properly articulate my sentiments,” she wrote. “My failed attempt to convey the complexity and nuances of this matter in no way diminish the fact that the Parental Rights legislation is first and foremost about allowing children to be children and giving parents the right to guide their childhood.”
Garcia lamented that her comments made her a target of “threats of physical harm” last week.
“I would hope we can elevate our public debate to a level that allows us to have a productive exchange of ideas and views without making assumptions, characterizations or waiting for an anticipated gotcha moment,” she said.
Garcia’s comments are among the tensions that arose from the debate over the bill, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor, who has been in a messy, public dispute with Disney over the proposal, has doubled down on his support of the bill amid the national outcry from LGBTQ advocates.
The dispute with Disney, a political mega-donor in Florida, has also led the multibillion-dollar company to pause all political contributions in the state. Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek said last week the company would “immediately” be increasing its support for advocacy groups “to combat similar legislation in other states.”
