Blog

Once again, Broward County is blazing new trails for the rights of LGBTQA students in Florida.

By a unanimous vote yesterday, the Lake Worth City Commission passed a resolution calling for repeal of Florida's adoption ban - the most notorious anti-gay state law in the country. Kudos to Allan Hendricks who led the effort for Equality Florida.Here's his account from commission chambers:

Equality Florida, Senator Sobel and Representative Randolph have teamed up to introduce a resolution that would condemn policies that advocate or incite violence against LGBT people and people living with HIV/AIDS.

AIDS Walk Orlando 2010 will take place on April 24th. Join Equality Florida's team of walkers in support of a great cause, the Hope and Help Center of Central Florida.

One of Equality Florida's strongest champions in the Florida Legislature, Rep. Rick Kriseman, is stepping up again on behalf of Florida's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. He just filed a measure called a House Memorial (HM 1459) urging Congress and the President to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a discriminatory policy that requires LGBT service members to lie about who they are if they want to serve their country.

This week Equality Florida attended a statewide gathering of business leaders in Tallahassee.

Earlier in the week, we reported a conflict of interest with State Senator John Thrasher as chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections and as the newly elected chair of the Republican Party of Florida. 

I just got off of a conference call with Maryland's Attorney General. Mr. Gansler wanted to talk firsthand with Equality Florida and other leaders in the marriage equality movement to explain the significance of his just published opinion that Maryland could recognize out-of-state marriages.

Craig Lowe is an openly LGBT City Commissioner whio is running for Mayor of Gainesville. Equality Florida Action PAC is thrilled to announce the endorsement of Craig Lowe for Gainesville Mayor. From his involvement in opposing Alachua’s discriminatory charter amendment in 1994, to leading the fight to defeat Charter Amendment 1 last year, Craig Lowe has been a long-time leader in Gainesville’s LGBT community and a champion for equality for all.

You may remember a while back our post about the Republican Party of Florida infighting. Jim Greer, the old chairman and a Charlie Crist ally, was ousted for a slew of reasons, but mostly because he was a Crist ally. Then more infighting happened when the heir apparent, State Senator John Thrasher, was challenged by Sharon Day for party chairperson. 

CPAC Goes Gay A gay GOP group wanted to co-sponsor the conservative confab. Christian right-wingers rebelled. Guess who won?

Voice your Support for Domestic Partner Benefits in Kissimmee! In the coming weeks, the Kissimmee City Commission will consider the approval of domestic partner benefits for city employees.

Guess Which Florida Towns Made The Advocate's "Gayest Cities in America" List - Miami News - Riptide 2.0 The Advocate has named Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale among the top 15 gayest cities but not everyone in Florida is cheering. No, not the far right, but the Miami's New Times says their city got "dissed".

From the Miami Herald:

Hilda Hildago was a long-time supporter and confidante of Equality Florida. Her lifetime of contributions to both the LGBT and Hispanic communities cannot be understated.

Equality Florida Action PAC Endorses Craig LoweAnti-Gay Smear Campaign Has Already Begun

The Capital City Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (GLBTA) Democratic Caucus will host a panel discussion on employment discrimination against GLBT individuals on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 starting at 6:30pm in the Tallahassee City Hall Main Chamber. 

Here is a message from long-time supporter, Bob Sanderson, about our about our exciting new program the Council of 1000. Friends,

One of the things that I love about this state is that it is never dull. Florida politics have always been interesting and 2010 is proving to be no exception. Today, another interesting tid-bit coming from Miami: Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart will not see re-election. 

WMNF 88.5 FM Community Radio, Tampa Click on the above link to hear WMNF's show covering the court settlement in which DCF agreed to provide support to the adopted child of Wayne LaRue Smith, an openly gay man. Yours truly represents Equality Florida's perspective, while DCF has their own, more limited, take on the impact of the settlement.