SAVE Dade: LGBT Voters Should Be Considered in Re-Districting Debate
MIAMI, FL – Florida, the fourth most populous state in the union, has yet to elect an open LGBT state legislator. The three larger states, California, Texas and New York, have had an openly LGBT representative serve in state elected office. Other, more traditionally conservative states, including Montana, North Carolina, Utah and Wyoming, all have elected LGBT state legislators.
Florida is considered to have the fourth highest population of LGBT people, but gay and transgender people are still not represented in Florida’s state or federal politics. Florida’s redistricting process could change this if maps are drawn to make concentrated LGBT populations a “community of interest”.
“Florida’s legislative districts unfairly disadvantage LGBT people from being elected to state and federal office and we want to change that,” said C.J. Ortuno, executive director of SAVE Dade. “We have an opportunity to right a wrong by ensuring the redistricting process fairly includes the number of LGBT communities around the state that are recognized by their residents as a community of common interests.
“Not many states have passed statewide legal protections without an openly gay or transgender person carrying the torch in the halls of state or federal government – we want to make sure that the LGBT community is given equal representation for their equal responsibility as productive citizens of our great state,” said Ortuno.
Coastal Cleanup
BROWARD COUNTY, FL – Broward County will be participating in the annual International Coastal Cleanup, sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy. The Cleanup takes place in over 104 countries around the world, typically on the 3rd Saturday of September.
The next event is scheduled for Saturday, September 17th, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants should dress accordingly for the weather and be prepared for rain or shine. The Cleanup will only be cancelled due to a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning.
Last year, almost 1,700 volunteered their time to help clean the beaches in Broward County as part of the 25th Annual International Coastal Cleanup.
Cleanup locations include: Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Oakland Park, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, John U. Lloyd State Park, Dania Beach, Hollywood Beach and Hallandale Beach.
To participate, bring a hat, gloves, sunscreen and water to one of the cleanup locations. For check-in areas and more information, visit www.Broward.org or call 954) 519-1270.
Womenfest Key West
KEY WEST, FL – For over 20 years, Key West has welcomed women from all over the world to Womenfest Key West, the southernmost party for lesbians and their friends. Womenfest offers a wide range of activities guaranteed to appeal to a broad range of interests. Golfing with palm trees and iguanas, clothing-optional pool parties, a sizzling dance club scene and women-only water excursions that range from jet skis to dolphin watching all promising to pique the interest of the more adventurous, while film, live music and special comedy shows offer the opportunity to enjoy paradise at a slower pace. All of this on a tropical island that is close to perfect and far from normal.
Womenfest Key West will be held from September 6th through 11th and is being hosted by the Key West Business Guild.
For more information, visit www.womenfest.com.
Same-Sex Households Up 60% in Tampa Bay Area
TAMPA, FL – The Tampa Tribune reported that the number of same-sex couples living in the Tampa Bay area is up 60% over the last decade, according to results from the 2010 Census. Nearly a fifth of those couples were raising children, also according to the Census.
The Census counted 10,261 same-sex households in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, up from just under 6,500 in 2000. However, this dramatic growth only represents 1% of total households in the region and the state.
Wilton Manors had the highest percent of same-sex households in the entire state with 6,200 households, or 12%.
Teacher Suspended for Anti-Gay Facebook Comments
MOUNT DORA, FL – A Mount Dora teacher was suspended from the classroom and reassigned pending an investigation by the Lake County School Board after controversial comments he made about same-sex marriages on Facebook.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Jerry Buell, a long-time Lake County social studies teacher who was chosen Mount Dora High School’s Teacher of the Year, said during a recent Facebook exchange that he “almost threw up” in response to a news story about legalized same-sex marriage in New York. He also posted that same-sex marriages were part of a “cesspool”.
The comments were made on Buell’s personal Facebook page and visible to friends in his network.
Florida G.O.P. U.S. Senate Candidates Vow Gay Marriage Opposition
ORLANDO, FL – Though the Republicans keep saying the next election will be about “jobs, jobs, jobs,” it really appears to be more about social issues.
All of the current Republican Senate candidates, former U.S. Senator George LeMieux, former state Representative Adam Hasner, retired Army Colonel Mike McAlister and businessman Craig Miller, have come out against gay marriage.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, when asked about New York’s recent legalization of gay marriage, the four Republicans said they supported the federal “Defense of Marriage Act,” which defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman.
Orlando attorney John Stemberger, a founder of the Family Policy Council and who ran the constitutional amendment campaign on marriage three years ago, said the four Republicans articulated strong conservative positions in the debate and that support of social conservatives and Tea Party activists was crucial to electing Florida Governor Rick Scott and Florida’s U.S. Senator Marco Rubio last year, along with some members of the U.S. House and local governing boards.