While LGBT residents on the west side of Tampa Bay are busy preparing for Florida’s largest Pride celebration in St. Petersburg in late June, county commissioners on the Tampa side of the bay will consider a motion to lift that county’s ban on recognizing gay pride events on Wednesday, June 5.
Kevin Beckner, the county’s only gay commissioner, introduced a motion at the last commission meeting that would lift the ban which has been in place since 2005. Notorious anti-gay, former commissioner Rhonda Storms pushed the bill through after controversy surrounding a gay pride exhibit at a public library. Storms also made it difficult to do away with the ban by getting an additional measure passed requiring 5-2 super majority vote to rescind the ordinance.
But Equality Florida thinks the time has come.
“Equality Florida is focused on the June 5 Hillsborough County Commission meeting as the first real opportunity in eight years to do away with the notorious anti-gay pride ban,” said Ed Lally Equality Florida’s Tampa development coordinator. “We hope the Commissioners will end this national embarrassment and daily insult to gay people in Tampa Bay.”
While removing the ban on recognizing gay Pride events in Hillsborough would be a positive step, the county would still have a long way to go to be seen as an inclusive county that recognizes diversity.
It isn’t enough to end the ban, Hillsborough needs to catch up,”Lally said. “We need a comprehensive, inclusive human rights ordinance that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. People who live and work in Hillsborough County need the family protections that domestic partnership protections can bring.
Recently the commission failed to pass a domestic partner registry for Hillsborough County, a measure which neighboring Pinellas County recently approved. Commissioners also effectively dismantled the county’s short-lived Diversity Council to appease anti-gay crusader Terry Kemple, a long-time anti-gay advocate.
“The failure of Hillsborough County to meet even the minimum standard of equality and fairness has left the county behind public opinion and at an economic disadvantage when companies are looking to expand or relocate,” Lally said. “We will not draw the best and the brightest to an area where the prevailing message is that your success is limited by bigotry. Tampa has shown real leadership and has strong policies but even the city is being held back by backward attitudes on the County Commission.”
A vote to rescind the notorious ban is expected on June 3 and the meeting begins at 8:15 a.m. at the County Center at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., in downtown Tampa. Equality Florida has reached out to supportive members of the community arrive at the chambers wearing red. There will be an opportunity for members of the public to speak and Equality Florida encourages people to let their voices be heard.
“Things have changed from the days that Kathy Castor was the lone voice of equality. We tend to be one vote shy of a pro-equality majority,” Lally said. “The signing of the GaYbor proclamation is a good sign, but only a start in the repairs that must be done.”
In May, all seven commissioners signed a proclamation acknowledging GaYbor Days, which was held Memorial Day weekend.
“We are increasing our presence and our community outreach in Hillsborough County but we need local voters to raise their voice,” Lally added.
According to Equality Florida, polls show that a clear majority support strong non-discrimination laws and domestic partnership protections. The organization plans to have a canvassing event at the Rock the Park concert at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 Ashley Drive in Tampa from 6-9 p.m. on June 6.
“We are canvassing on Thursday, June 6 and will reach out to voters to engage them in the fight for equality more deeply in Hillsborough,” said Lally. “We hope to continue to build a local team that will continue in an ongoing way as we push the County Commission to do the right thing.”
Lally said there are two things that people can do right now to show their support: speak out at the commission meeting on June 5 and volunteer on June 6 to find support for ordinances creating LGBT protections in a county-wide human rights ordinance and domestic partnership program.
“If you are tired of bigots having the loudest say in Hillsborough County politics, don’t get angry, get active,” said Lally.
