LGBTQ activists say Rick Scott promised to ban discrimination and never delivered

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In the wake of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando last year, Gov. Rick Scott’s staff told LGBTQ rights activists in backroom meetings that he would sign an executive order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in state hiring and contracting.

One year later, it’s a promise Scott hasn’t kept, says state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat and former lobbyist for Equality Florida, which advocates on behalf of Florida’s LGBTQ community.

Advocates call out Rick Scott for failing to sign LGBTQ anti-discrimination order after Pulse

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A year after a gunman targeted the gay nightclub Pulse on "Latin Night" and murdered 49 people, LGBTQ advocates say Gov. Rick Scott broke his promise by failing to sign an order that would protect state employees against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Frustration mounts over Gov. Scott's failure to sign order protecting LGBTQ public employees

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In the days and months after the June 12, 2016, Pulse nightclub attack, support for the LGBTQ community in Florida was at an all-time high.

As that support peaked, groups such as Equality Florida and individuals including state Rep. Carlos Guillermo-Smith were assured that Gov. Rick Scott would be signing an executive order to protect state employees and government contractors from discrimination.

Equality Florida Commemorates One Year Mark of Pulse Massacre And Continues to #HonorThemWithAction

Submitted by Brittany on June 12, 2017 - 10:48am

 

Note from Equality Florida's Nadine Smith:

You weren't at Pulse. You live hundreds, even thousands of miles away. You donated to the victims fund and attended vigils. Your social media post uses the hashtag #HonorThemWithAction. You are sending thoughts and prayers and love to the families of those killed, to those wounded, and those who escaped whose injuries are not visible.