Florida

A trans woman was arrested at the Florida Capitol for using the women’s restroom

Published

2 months ago

April 4, 2025

A trans woman was arrested at the Florida Capitol for using the women’s restroom

Florida police recently arrested a transgender woman for using the women’s restroom in the state Capitol in Tallahassee, in what is believed to be the first such arrest in a state with an anti-trans bathroom ban.

Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old college student and Illinois resident, was arrested March 19 on a trespassing charge after she used a women’s restroom in a protest against Florida’s law barring people from using bathrooms that don’t align with their assigned sex at birth in government-owned or -leased buildings.

According to The Associated Press, Rheintgen had sent letters to every Florida state lawmaker to inform them that she planned to use a restroom at the statehouse that corresponded with her gender identity. She included a photo of herself for identification, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“I know that you know in your heart that this law is wrong and unjust. I know that you know in your heart that transgender people are human too, and that you can’t arrest us away,” she wrote. “I know that you know that I have dignity. That’s why I know that you won’t arrest me.”

Jon Davidson, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, told the AP that Rheintgen’s arrest is the first of its kind that ACLU’s attorneys are aware of in any state with a bathroom ban.

Rheintgen, who the AP reported had been visiting her grandparents, was freed on pretrial release the day after her arrest, according to the Miami Herald. If convicted on the misdemeanor trespassing charge, she could face up to 60 days in jail.

Rheintgen told the AP that she wanted to show “the absurdity of this law in practice.”

“If I’m a criminal, it’s going to be so hard for me to live a normal life, all because I washed my hands,” she said, adding that she was “horrified and scared” over what might happen next.

Nadine Smith, the executive director of Equality Florida, an LGBTQ civil rights organization, said in a statement that Rheintgen’s arrest was not about safety, but “about cruelty, humiliation, and the deliberate erosion of human dignity.”

“Transgender people have been using restrooms aligned with their gender for generations without incident,” Smith wrote. “What’s changed is not their presence — it’s a wave of laws designed to intimidate them out of public life.”

Florida is one of more than a dozen states with a bathroom ban, though Utah is the only other state to criminalize the act. In recent years, GOP lawmakers across the country have passed legislation to crack down on trans rights and strip protections — a pattern that the Trump administration has mirrored on the federal level as well.

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Official Florida Panthers Website | Florida Panthers

Published

35 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

Press Room

Official Florida Panthers Website | Florida Panthers

FloridaPanthers.com is the official Web site of the Florida Panthers. Florida Panthers and floridapanthers.com are trademarks of the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks and NHL Draft name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

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Florida

What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Florida in Women’s College World Series

Published

18 hours ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Florida in Women’s College World Series

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tennessee softball faces elimination in the Women’s College World Series.

The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (45-16) lost their WCWS opener 4-3 to Oklahoma on a walk-off home run at Devon Park on May 29. Tennessee will face No. 3 seed Florida (48-16) on May 30 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Here’s what you need need to know about the matchup with the Gators.

Buy tickets for Tennessee softball vs. Florida in WCWS

Florida’s offense struggled against Texas in WCWS opener

Florida got shut out by Texas in its WCWS opener, falling 3-0 to the Longhorns. Texas ace Teagan Kavan only threw one strikeout, but she kept the Gators off-balance and only gave up two walks.

Florida has struggled all year against elite pitchers all season. Including the regular-season series against Texas, the Gators faced Kavan for 15⅔ innings this season and had 12 hits, one earned run, nine strikeouts and four walks.

Florida also struggled against LSU pitcher Sydney Berzon and Texas A&M pitcher Emiley Kennedy, and its offensive performance against Kavan doesn’t bode well for facing Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens.

Tennessee’s offense will likely face Keagan Rothrock

The Lady Vols had one of their better offensive performances against the Sooners despite the loss. They got runners on base in every inning and recorded a hit in every inning except the third and fourth.

Tennessee was aggressive early and it paid off. Oklahoma’s defense stifled UT’s momentum, but the Lady Vols continue to build on their offensive performances each game of the postseason.

Florida will likely start ace Keagan Rothrock (16-7), who pitched the first five innings against Texas. Rothrock owns a 3.24 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 131⅔ innings this season. The sophomore is already a strong pitcher, but if Tennessee logged eight hits against OU pitcher Sam Landry, it should be able to hit off Rothrock, too.

Karlyn Pickens capable of pitching back-to-back

It’s not uncommon for Pickens (24-10) to pitch in back-to-back games for Tennessee, and it would be shocking if she didn’t start with the season on the line.

Pickens pitched complete games in two straight days in Tennessee’s road series win against Texas in the regular season and she did it against Nebraska in the super regional. Pickens only got better as the super regional wore on, and she threw 21 strikeouts and gave up seven hits and two walks in two straight elimination games.

Pickens had a strong outing against Oklahoma outside of the two home runs from Ella Parker. She held the Sooners to five hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Tennessee softball vs Florida WCWS prediction

Tennessee 4, Florida 1: The Gators’ offense won’t have any answers for Pickens, and they haven’t won a single game this season when they scored fewer than three runs. Tennessee will beat Florida and live to see another day in Oklahoma City.

Tennessee softball vs Florida: Series history

Tennessee is 35-54 all time against Florida, but the Lady Vols are 7-3 in the last 10 matchups with the Gators.

Tennessee has played Florida in the WCWS twice. The Lady Vols won 9-2 in 2013 and lost 7-2 in 2015. The last time Tennessee and Florida played was a three-game series in 2023, and UT swept UF. The Lady Vols won 11-0 in Game 1, 10-6 in Game 2 and 4-0 in Game 3.

Watch Tennessee softball vs. Florida on Fubo (free trial)

What time does Tennessee softball vs Florida start?

Date: Friday, May 30
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Devon Park in Oklahoma City

What TV channel is Tennessee softball vs Florida on?

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

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Florida

Central Florida congressman shares concerns about FEMA cuts ahead of hurricane season

Published

1 day ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

Central Florida congressman shares concerns about FEMA cuts ahead of hurricane season

ORLANDO, Fla. – As hurricane season begins, the Federal Emergency Management Agency could face significant challenges amid budget cuts.

Florida Democratic Congressman Darren Soto expressed his concerns about the potential impact of these changes on the Sunshine State.

“I’m deeply concerned about the attempted changes to FEMA,” Soto said.

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According to CBS News, FEMA lost a third of its staff after 1,800 employees accepted buyout offers from the Trump administration. With an additional 200 probationary workers fired, the agency is shorthanded. CBS News also reported on an internal FEMA review that indicated the agency is “not ready” for hurricane season.

“If a hurricane hits and we don’t get individual relief, it means that you’re not going to get any assistance if you need temporary housing or a loan to fix your house while you’re waiting for the insurance company to pay out, which could be years,” Soto explained.

“It means local governments don’t get reimbursed for cleaning up both the roads and the overtime for law enforcement, firefighters, and our first responders.”

While Congress reviews the Trump administration’s proposal to slash FEMA’s budget, some Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, argue that the agency could be dissolved outright.

“We don’t rely on FEMA. We do it. We lead. We have local partners and the best emergency management team from the local and state level anywhere in the country, bar none,” DeSantis stated in April.

However, Soto disagrees with this perspective.

“It is a boneheaded idea. Look, the states are very good at responding initially, but they don’t have the money to fund the recovery,” he said.

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