Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, in honor of Pride Month, I would like to honor Nikole Parker. Nikole Parker is a transgender woman of Puerto Rican, Italian, and African American descent. She was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, and at the age of 19 left her job and her home to begin her transition. After 3 years of black-market hormones and unsafe lifestyle practices she came back to Orlando to restart her life. Nikole's passion in advocating for the rights and dignity of transgender and gender-nonconforming community is legendary in central Florida. She currently works for onePULSE Foundation as the event and community outreach coordinator. Nikole also sits on various nonprofit boards within the community, including the LGBT+ Center and the Orlando United Assistance Center. In addition to her work with the onePULSE Foundation, Nikole coleads the work of the Orlando Trans Awareness Collective, a collaborative group of transgender and gender nonconforming leaders of color who have focused on community building and advocacy efforts for the central Florida transgender community. In 2018, Nikole was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year Award by the Miss Glamorous Pageant for her ongoing advocacy and empowerment of the transgender community and work with the onePULSE Foundation. She hopes to educate individuals from the community on healthy and safe ways to undergo transition, providing resources so black-market hormones and unsafe lifestyles can be avoided.…”