DeSantis declares June ‘Faith and Family’ month to honor the ‘Biblical family unit’
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just gave the month of June — which is widely recognized as Pride Month — a conservative rebrand.
On June 8, DeSantis announced June 2026 as “Faith and Family Month” in Florida — a largely symbolic gesture that emphasizes the importance of a “Biblical family unit” and the role that fathers play in the social well-being of their children.
In the proclamation shared by Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas on X.com, DeSantis encouraged all residents, churches, businesses and organizations to celebrate by expressing their appreciation for fathers, supporting family unity, and participating in activities that “strengthen families and enrich our communities.”
DeSantis wrote in the proclamation that faith is the foundation for a united, strong and moral community and the “Biblical family unit” is a model for a thriving society. One of the objectives of Faith and Family Month is to strengthen relationships among husbands and wives, parents and children and other familial relationships.
In his post, Kamoutsas thanked the governor for “recognizing the vital role faith and family play in the lives of Floridians and in the strength of our state.”
The commissioner also quoted scripture from the Biblical book of Joshua which talks about choosing to serve God amid other wordly and cultural distractions.
A media representative for the education commissioner directed the Miami Herald to Kamoutsas’ post when asked questions about the relevance of Faith and Family month for Florida public school students and their families.
The governor’s proclamation also states that the Christian faith has played a vital role in shaping the state’s values and Constitution.
It’s a narrative that has been, at times, echoed by the Trump administration. Last month, at a Washington D.C. rally celebrating the country’s 250th birthday, several prominent religious and political leaders stated that the United States was explicitly founded as a Christian nation, a framing of U.S. history that is criticized by many academic scholars for ignoring America’s founding as a democracy that promotes religious pluralism.
The governor’s office did not respond to the Miami Herald’s questions for this story.
Pride Month is traditionally held in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City — a pivotal moment that acted as a catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. The riots and subsequent LGBTQ activism ignited a larger societal shift towards queer visibility.
DeSantis is not the first governor to offer an alternative to Pride Month. Republican governors in at least five other states have introduced counterprogramming during Pride Month, according to the Associated Press.
Though the family-focused rebrands don’t directly address the idea of replacing Pride Month, some of the language openly challenges the idea of a family comprised of LGBTQ members.
Indiana and Tennessee governors declared June as “Nuclear Family Month” and stated clearly that the month celebrates families with one husband and one wife. Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared June as “Fidelity Month,” posting a link to a Dailywire article with the headline “Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month.”
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 6:54 PM.
