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Just in case you don't get our email, I wanted to be sure you'd seen this! With the anti-gay adoption ban declared unconstitutional, we are going to have to defend the victory in Tallhassee. Help us ensure our allies are there to fight with us. Mallory --Mallory WellsPublic Policy Director ---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Joe Saunders, Equality FloridaDate: Thursday, Oct 21, 2010 at 6:15 PMSubject: Nervous About the Election? The Courts Have Declared Florida's Anti-Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional

The following is a statement by Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida , regarding today’s announcement by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum that he will NOT appeal the Third District Court’s ruling that found Florida’s ban on adoption by gay and lesbian prospective parents “unconstitutional.” “Since Sept 22nd, Florida’s ban on gay people adopting has been over. We are pleased to learn that Attorney General Bill McCollum has decided not to squander more taxpayer dollars and muddy the waters on a matter the courts have decided unanimously.

President Obama has added his voice to the "It Gets Better" campaign.

The next installment of our candidate spotlight series highlights the passionate progressive from House District 53, Rick Kriseman.

Election Day is November 2nd. Early voting has already begun.

NOTE: The Sun-Sentinel is running a fantastic editorial on the demise of Florida's harmful, unconstitutional adoption ban. In the coming months, the LGBT community and our allies will be called on to defend this great victory from extremists attacks, likely in the form of a 2012 ballot measure. Sun-Sentinel Editorial:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorials/fl-editorial-adopti…

In the next 19 days we have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to reclaim our democracy and advance equal rights in Florida. A "YES" vote on Constitutional Amendments 5 & 6 will ensure political districts are NO LONGER drawn to favor a particular party or candidate. Why does Equality depend on Fair Districts?

It's over! Moments ago, Department of Children & Families' (DCF) Director, George Sheldon, announced that the agency will not appeal last month's court ruling which struck down Florida's ban on gay and lesbian adoption as "unconstitutional." It is now legal for gay and lesbian parents to adopt children everywhere in the state of Florida.

Quinnipiac just released a poll that shows the governor's race in a statistical dead heat. The poll, taken from Oct. 6-10 showed Alex Sink with 44 percent of support from likely voters with Rick Scott showing 45 percent.

On the eve of National Coming Out Day, Equality Florida was at Orlando's Come Out with Pride, celebrating a FABULOUS year!

by Robbi

Your Gift Today of Just $20Will Let Us Reach One More Student Tomorrow.

Thanks to your help, Dan Gelber cleared the primary election and is now running against Pam Bondi to become Florida's next Attorney General. It is critical we have an Attorney General who fights for fairness and equality, not spend tax payer money on bigotry. On Oct. 21, Equality Florida is hosting a fundraiser in Ft. Lauderdale to support Dan Gelber for Attorney General. Watch the video below to learn more about him, and then come meet him in person. Together we can support Dan and push him over the finish line on election day!

Note: During the 2008 Amendment 2 campaign, Equality Florida partnered with the NoOn2 Campaign to invest in an outside polling service. The results of that research revealed 77% of Floridians believed same-gender couples deserved at least some legal protections, whether through domestic partnership, civil unions, or full marriage equality. The following Pew Research poll reveals that Americans' attitudes are changing significantly in the direction of full Marriage Equality.

Great work by Team Jacksonville. Check out this radio interview with Jax Committee for Equality in support of updating the JAX Human Rights Ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Dawn Ozanne and Jimmy Midyette from JimmyMidyette on Vimeo.