Jane Castor named Tampa Police Chief
In October, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio named lesbian Jane Castor as Tampa’s Chief of Police. The 20-plus year veteran is open about her sexuality and is the force’s first female chief. Castor made appearances at a Tampa Bay Business Guild dinner shortly before her promotion and was also on hand for the opening night of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival’s 20th anniversary.
Steve Kornell wins St. Pete Council seat
In a historic first, the City of St. Petersburg elected its first openly gay city council member Nov. 3 when Steve Kornell won the District 5 seat with more than 60% of the vote. Leading into the election Kornell only lead by 2%, but a last minute push of mailed flyers and television commercials pushed him over rival Angela Rouson. Kornell, who has worked with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department for years, never hid his sexuality. At the beginning of his campaign he was asked if he was gay during a televised debate. He said he was, and moved onto the next question seamlessly. Kornell, as well as St. Petersburg’s new mayor Bill Foster, will take office in January.
Transgender protections in Dunedin, Tampa
Transgender citizens in Tampa and Dunedin can celebrate 2009 as a victorious year. Both of the city’s governments voted to add protections for transgender individuals in existing human rights ordinances. Dunedin’s vote in the summer also added sexual orientation to the list of protected classes. Tampa already had protections in place for gay and lesbian citizens.
NewsChannel H8 protest
While the LGBT community of Tampa Bay was celebrating the largest St. Pete Pride in the event’s seven year history, WFLA, Tampa’s NBC affiliate, aired Speechless: Silencing the Christians, which outlined the “evils of homosexuality.” The film, produced by the right-wing American Family Association, garnered $35,000 for Media General, which owns WLFA, the Tampa Tribune and TBO.com. A few days after the airing, Equality Florida staged a protest in front of the station’s Tampa office and waged a boycott of the conglomerate’s advertisers.
The Flamingo lands
St. Petersburg once again has a resort and a home for its Sunday outdoor T-Dance. The Flamingo Resort opened its doors in late August more than two years after the Suncoast Resort shuttered its doors. Since its opening, The Flamingo has held special events, pool parties, fundraisers and hired an all-star cast of entertainers. The complex is still evolving, with plans for a leather bar on the horizon and shops and art galleries now open on the first floor.
Comeback of the Year: Okay, it’s not technically a comeback but the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival returned to its familiar name after an attempt to adopt “Clip” failed due to trademark issues. The change didn’t seem to hurt the festival in its 20th season, however, since ticket sales and individual sponsorships exploded to support the 11-day event.
Letdowns of the Year: Winter Pride Tampa Bay confirmed in February that it wasn’t going to hold its event in 2009. Organizers said the economy had taken its toll and funding just wasn’t available for the celebration. In September, wet weather cancelled the annual AIDS Walk St. Petersburg, which initially hurt donations. Fortunately area residents still dug deep and helped raise more than $70,000 for ASAP.
Prediction of the Year: Hamburger Mary’s is coming to Ybor City. We first heard this news way back in the spring, but after a while many gave up on the uber-gay establishment coming to Tampa. In the summer, it was announced that the restaurant chain was eyeing a storefront at the home of the former 7.14 Lounge. That didn’t pan out, but in December the Tampa Hamburger Mary’s finally opened in the Centro Ybor Complex on 7th Avenue.
Story to Watch in 2010: Bill Foster will be sworn as is St. Petersburg’s new mayor in January. He has said he will not support St. Pete Pride, but he actively campaigned in LGBT neighborhoods before the November election. Will he support LGBT equality in the city or will he use his “family values” platform to fight diversity?
