The LGBT rights group Equality Florida sent a letter this week to the Mayor of St. Petersburg and city council asking that the city suspend its relationship with St. Petersburg, Russia because of recent anti-gay violence and legislation.

We interviewed Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida.

Note: St. Pete's relationship with its Russian namesake is not an official Sister City designation; St. Pete's Sister City is Takamatsu, Japan.

As host to Florida’s largest gay pride festival, St. Petersburg has prided itself on its inclusiveness and lauded its progressive employment policies for same-sex couples.

Now, a gay rights group wants the city to sever its ties with its namesake city because of recent antigay legislation passed in Russia.

Many Floridians felt underwhelmed after the DOMA appeal. After all, Florida wasn’t even close to legalizing gay marriage so, nothing short of uprooting our lives and moving to California, how could this affect us? Equality Florida—the premiere gay rights organization in Florida—understood this dilemma and crafted a project as a solution: Get Engaged!.

As LGBTQ Americans across the country continue to celebrate the June 26 Supreme Court ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the immediate future of marriage equality in Florida looks bleak.  Even so, a call to action is growing state-wide to bring about change.

Equality Florida is seeking a same-sex couple who wants to sue Florida for marriage equality.

Here's the news release:

After consulting with state and national legal experts on the scope of the Supreme Court decision and the impact it may have for state constitutional bans, Equality Florida is reaching out to potential plaintiffs for a lawsuit in Florida.

Plaintiff and simple

In 2008, more than 60% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that prevents same-sex marriages from being performed or recognized in the Sunshine State. But after rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court in June declared a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and dismissed Proposition 8 in California, Floridians are hopeful that someday marriage equality could arrive in our state.