Florida’s gay adoption ban ends
It went out with a whimper, but more than anything else, the end of the Sunshine State’s ban on adoption by gay people defined Florida’s LGBT rights advancements for 2010. The ban dissolved in October when Attorney General Bill McCollum simply opted not to appeal a court ruling overturning the rule, after the Department of Children and Families (DCF) had announced it would no longer enforce the ban. It was a bit of a surprise because in April, he told a reporter that gay foster parents should be illegal, as well, but McCollum’s non-action opened the doors for gay couples to adopt. Florida was the only state in the union with a law explicitly preventing gay people from adopting children.
George Reker busted with a rentboy
This story is no. 2 in impact, but easily no. 1 in juiciness. George Reker was McCollum’s star witness in the case against allowing gays to adopt. Reker earned hundreds of thousands of dollars—paid by taxpayers—to take the stand and say irresponsible things like how gay people are “mentally unstable” and therefore “unfit” to adopt kids. Reker is also a prominent figure in a number of anti-gay and ex-gay organizations, so when he was photographed at the Miami Airport returning from a European vacation with an escort hired via RentBoy.com… well, let’s just say it did not exactly support his case against gays. Reker claimed the rentboy was there to help carry his luggage and that he himself was unaware of how the escort had been hired, an impossible claim given the way RentBoy.com is set up.
Crist flip-flops on gay issues
Former governor Charlie Crist’s most anti-gay move was when he came out firmly against gay marriage in 2008. In 2009, he was featured in Outrage, a documentary targeting closeted politicians who work against LGBT equality. He reaffirmed his stance against gay marriage in August 2010, but as his campaign for Senate heated up, Crist began to move toward the middle, dragging gay rights with him. In July, he made a tepid statement in support of gay adoption but the big moves were in September, when he released a 10-point paper outlining his support of LGBT civil rights, then followed it up a week later with an announcement that he would no longer enforce Florida’s gay adoption ban. Reactions were mixed—some admired his attempts to evolve while others speculated that it was mere campaign strategy. He didn’t win the Senate seat, but his about-face on gay rights is on the record forever.
ADAP faces financial woes
The state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) was plagued with problems this year. Underfunding, cutbacks and waiting lists left many living with HIV/AIDS concerned about the future, as their health depends on medications obtained through ADAP. As of press time, the program is $16 million short of being able to serve its clients through April 1, 2011.
JMH makes good
Last year, Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital was public enemy no. 1 when it came to civil rights. Hospital employees refused to allow a lesbian to see her partner before she died at the hospital in 2008. A lawsuit by the surviving spouse was dismissed, and that could have been the end of the story, but Jackson took further steps to heal their LGBT goodwill. They issued a formal apology, changed their visitation policy and eventually received a top score in HRC’s 2010 Healthcare Equality Index report.
