A former Republican state lawmaker says she was “Team DeSantis” before the Florida GOP governor and flailing presidential candidate’s campaign over the weekend promoted a viciously anti-LGBTQ ad she says is part of his “morally wrong” and “politically misguided” attacks on LGBTQ people. Now, she says, “you couldn’t pay” her to vote for him.
The ad, which she calls “the most anti-LGBTQ+ ad in recent history,” is a video (below) that went viral on social media with more than 20 million views after it was reposted by Ron DeSantis‘ presidential campaign. In an apparent effort to sway far-right Republican voters over to DeSantis, it falsely paints Donald Trump as pro-LGBTQ and the Florida governor as a warrior against the LGBTQ community.
The DeSantis campaign embraced and promoted the seemingly-homemade ad, drawing an immutable line in the sand that puts the 44-year old GOP governor decisively on the side of anti-LGBTQ bigotry.
“In theory, I am Ron DeSantis’ perfect voter,” wrote former New Hampshire Republican state representative Yvonne Dean-Bailey in The Daily Beast. “I am a lifelong conservative, I vehemently oppose any and all COVID restrictions, and I am passionately anti-Trump. What could be a more ideal voter for a candidate like DeSantis?”
“There’s one problem for DeSantis, though,” she continues, “I am a gay woman. And I can’t stand behind his attacks against the LGBTQ+ community.”
“I was undeniably on Team DeSantis before his campaign shared what could be considered the most anti-LGBTQ+ ad in recent history, boasting about all the measures he’s supported cracking down on the LGBTQ+ community. Not only did DeSantis show that he is as anti-LGBTQ+ as the mainstream media has alleged, he made a mockery of any GOP candidate that shows an interest in LGBTQ+ rights, setting the whole party back decades.”
Indeed, on Sunday, one Republican presidential candidate responded to a question about DeSantis’ ad by voicing support for the LGBTQ community.
Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd of Texas told CNN instead of attacking LGBTQ people, GOP presidential candidates should be focusing “their attacks on war criminals like Vladimir Putin, and not my friends in the LGBTQ community.”
Meanwhile, Dean-Bailey says after DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ ad, “you couldn’t pay me to vote for the Florida governor now. I am a lesbian and DeSantis has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want any LGBTQ+ conservatives on his team because of their identity.”
And she blasts DeSantis for his overall “anti-gay rhetoric and actions” that “are not only deeply hurtful to LGBTQ+ Americans like myself but also tarnish the image of the conservative movement.”
“So far, he is only losing everyday Americans, including many conservatives like myself,” she warns, “through his disgusting anti-gay rhetoric. His attacks against the LGBTQ+ community and exclusion of LGBTQ+ conservatives are not only morally wrong but politically misguided.
Watch the DeSantis video below or at this link.