Florida Agenda

Dear Editor,

KUDOS for Jessica Osman’s “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”

In her March 17 op-ed, she was so right when she said that for EQUAL RIGHTS we should take the word “marriage” out of the equation and go for words that would grant equality, such as “civil unions.” In the aura of separation of church and state, our fight has been from the religious zealots protecting the sanctity of their hallowed “marriage.” Why should we care what we call it as long as we get the legal rights we constitutionally deserve? I would like for my partner of 17 years to be able to inherit my social security benefits, along with the other thousand or so benefits a legal union provides, and I don’t think there would be so much objection to this if a different term other than “marriage” were used. Let’s get the EQUAL RIGHTS first, which I am sure most people do not object to, then if semantics need be involved that issue could be addressed down the line. My “husband” and myself were legally “married” in Canada, but if the words were “domestic partner” or “civil partner” it certainly wouldn’t matter to us.  C’mon, gay America, let’s get over this hurdle and, as Jessica stated, “find the middle ground.” I’m sure our battle for equality would be greatly streamlined.
Sincerely,
Mike Gaupin
(And Jon Gorcyca)

Dear Editor

Your article on Sexual Racism or Just a Preference really made me think about my own life. Years ago, I had a serious weight problem and still struggle with it on a daily basis. I thought about all the times I would see someone on the street and they would look at me with disgust. I remember the times I would see someone that I was interested in meeting, smile at them and they would not return the smile or look the other way or online in a chat room when the “what’s your stats” question would come up and would answer honestly and there would be no reply after … it hurt. Sexual Racism or Just a Preference, could it be both?  Then I started to think about have I excluded someone based on this?  Were they too short or tall, did they have a couple of extra pounds or were they too thin, not muscular enough? I realize as I get older … why would I exclude anyone? If you exclude someone you are really excluding yourself from possibly meeting someone really special or possibly missing out experiencing something new because of this person. I now say hello to the person walking down the street. If they extend their hand for a handshake I will extend my hand as well. If I don’t I may never know if I missed out on meeting someone truly spectacular.

Sincerely,
Joe Liquori

WASHINGTON, D.C. – She was originally nominated in September 2009, and has served in her job since April, but the United States Senate finally made it official when they confirmed Chai Feldblum to be a commissioner on the five-member Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Feldblum is a professor at Georgetown University. She was confirmed with two other members of the commission.

Right-wing groups had voiced a strong opposition to Feldblum when she first received the nomination. The Traditional Values Coalition called her a “radical,” saying she would “use her power to strip nearly all First Amendment rights of freedom of expression/free exercise of religion from businesses.” Concerned Women for America said she “represents one of the most serious threats to religious freedom we have seen in a long time.” And The Family Research Council said Feldblum “openly admitted to supporting polygamy.”

LGBT rights groups applauded the Senate for finally confirming a person who is deserving of the job.

“We commend the Senate for finally setting aside pointless partisanship and confirming this highly qualified candidate for a full term on the EEOC,” Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said in a press release announcing her confirmation. “Chai Feldblum has spent decades working to protect those most ignored and maligned by our society. The civil rights of all Americans will be in good hands with Chai Feldblum’s continued service on the EEOC.”

Feldblum helped secure legal protections for people with AIDS in the landmark American With Disabilities Act of 1990.

“I do not think it is possible to grow up as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and not be committed to principles of pluralism and tolerance,” Feldblum said. “My entire professional life has been focused on civil rights and social welfare rights. In my legal work and in my scholarship, I have sought to advance the civil rights of all Americans, no matter their race, creed, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

She will serve in her job as commissioner until July 2013.

By STRATTON POLLITZER,

DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR EQUALITY FLORIDA

What a year! 2010 has been the most historically significant year yet in the fight for full equality for Florida’s LGBT community. And while a disappointing election season means we face some new challenges, as long as our community keeps fighting, we will continue to carve out victories in 2011.

Topping the list this year was the overturning of Florida’s notorious ban on gay and lesbian adoption. On Sept. 22 the Third District Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that there is “no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting” and that the anti-gay adoption ban was unconstitutional.

While the ACLU fought an outstanding legal battle in the courtroom, Equality Florida has worked in the legislature and the court of public opinion for the past seven years to shift hearts and minds in favor of ending the ban. At our urging, Gov. Crist and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) quit enforcing the ban immediately following the court ruling and did not appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, which would have delayed a final decision for years and where the outcome was uncertain.

The day after the ruling came down, DCF sent an agency-wide memo instructing staff that, “You are no longer to ask prospective adoptive parents whether they are heterosexual, gay or lesbian, nor are you to use this as a factor in determining the suitability of applicants to adopt. Focus your attention on the quality of parenting that prospective adoptive parents would provide, and their commitment to and love for our children.”

This year we continued to win local victories, including adding sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression protections to Orange County’s (Orlando) and Leon County’s (Tallahassee) human rights ordinances. With 5.5 million people protected, Florida ranks fifth in the country. And we expanded protections for LGBT students with a new anti-bullying policy in Hillsborough County (Tampa). With 1.1 million students protected, Florida ranks sixth in the nation.

We also continued to gain recognition for our families with domestic partnership victories in St. Petersburg and Kissimmee. One in three Floridians now has access to DP benefits. And Florida leads the south with 25 openly LGBT elected officials, including Craig Lowe, who we helped elect as the first openlygay mayor in north Florida last April.

And although the November elections were disappointing, we won the most important contest on this year’s ballot – fair districts. Record majorities of Floridians now stand with us on nearly every issue we fight for. But the reason this support has not always translated into victories at the ballot box is that Florida’s voting districts are drawn to dramatically favor the party in power, which leads to extremism. Amendments 5 & 6 will forever change how districts are drawn in Florida and will create a more balanced government that actually reflects where our state stands on LGBT issues.

TOP GOALS IN 2011 – “Keep Winning and Never Go Back”

Our top priority for 2011 is to protect the adoption victory.

The same anti-gay extremists who pushed for Florida’s anti-marriage amendment in 2008 have already announced their intention to seek a ballot measure putting this discriminatory adoption ban into our state constitution in 2012. This is not only a threat for children and families in Florida, but a victory here would embolden further measures in other states across the country.

Our years of experience in fighting the adoption ban have taught us that when people understand that this ban literally tore families apart and prevented children from achieving their dream of being adopted, they are ready to fight to keep this injustice from returning.

Victory will require a statewide grassroots effort, a strong media campaign and a volunteer army ready to engage Florida voters.

As a new and uncertain legislative session begins, our staff and volunteer teams are focused on the following priorities for 2011:

• Build bipartisan and business support for the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s civil rights law.

• Build support for stronger recognition of domestic partnerships through a statewide bill, local DP policies, and public and private employer benefits.

• Continue our 13-year record of defeating every anti-LGBT bill in Tallahassee We are at a turning point in our civil rights struggle, and full legal equality for the LGBT community is closer than it has ever been. Our job is to hasten its arrival.

Visit www.EQFL.org and become a member today.

Angry protestors take to the streets in Fort Lauderdale during a National Day of Protests.

It’s been a common mantra coming from the Democratic Party, the Obama Administration, large beltway equality groups like the Human Rights Campaign and many others for years: just be patient and wait. We’ll get to you and your basic civil rights eventually, but we’re a little busy. Stop griping and hop on board or you’ll be a wedge distraction that makes us lose elections.

So how has that plan worked out?

The LGBT community has been blamed, cajoled, insulted, courted and ignored depending on whether our votes and dollars are needed, yet when it comes time for real leadership on issues that matter to basic, day-to-day rights, we are told to wait. Now, after the disastrous midterm elections, we’ve lost the chance of a generation to push forward on civil rights and equality for LGBT people.

We waited and once again got burned. In the majority of states, we can still be fired, kicked out of homes or denied services just for being gay. Want to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs? Make it so I don’t lose mine for mentioning I went to the grocery store with my husband over the weekend. Want to talk wars, terrorism and national defense? Stop kicking out qualified LGBT service members to coddle bigots in the military. Want to talk taxes and “small government?” Stop overtaxing my family because the federal government refuses to recognize my marriage and wants to tell me who I can love.

These are real issues that LGBT people face every day. These are things that impact the lives of those that can’t afford to buy their way around discrimination with privilege and cold-hard cash that allows them to “vote with their wallet” over basic human rights. To tell us to wait is to tell us to not live our lives fully and with the confidence in basic things needed to survive.

 We’ve seen the devastating effect that societal oppression of LGBT people has on younger generations as bullying and suicide stories hit the news everyday. Yet, have we moved beyond simply lamenting these losses and worked to force change that would make their lives easier? Have we done all we can, or are we simply waiting? We’ve seen the popping up of groups that go around the “conventional wisdom” of the larger equality organizations like Proposition 8, the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell court challenges that look to topple bigoted laws that congress, political leaders and pet lobbyists refuse to tackle or show real leadership on. These very court cases have been mocked and looked at with disdain by politicos, even as they force the progress we need.

We’re at a crossroads. We can continue to watch our rights traded away in the name of political “compromise,” or we can refuse to wait. We can say that delay is simply being complicit to bigotry. We can demand action and leadership even as we take the fight to the courts and the American public ourselves.

If we don’t learn the lessons of the past, history is doomed to repeat itself. We can no longer be patient. We can no longer wait. Equality can happen, but we have to carry the load – each and every one of us. Patience in politics is a fallacy and the death of progress. We have to be agitated and engaged. We have to apply pressure. Waiting is never an option, and we must never accept it.

We have to make our issues a priority, because no one else will. Lesson learned.