UPDATE! Kemple targets GaYbor Days

UPDATE!

The GaYbor District Coalition wants to know why only two of the seven Hillsborough County Commissioners have signed a proclamation celebrating GaYbor Days June 30-July 5. As of press time, only democrats Kevin Beckner and Les Miller have signed the proclamation, celebrating GaYbor's impact on the struggling economy of the region.

â┚¬Å”The area has changed in a positive direction,â┚¬Â said GaYbor District Coalition president Carrie West. â┚¬Å”This area of Ybor has shown the best economic growth for Tampa and suddenly we're getting recognized by the city. But now the county is playing a game of, â┚¬Ëœhey, you have to follow us.'â┚¬Â

The flap over the proclamation came on the heels of an e-mail campaign by newly appointed Hillsborough Human Rights Board member Terry Kemple, who is known for his anti-gay attacks. According to a spokesperson at Beckner's office, the e-mail asked for constituents to e-mail commissioners and ask that they not recognize GaYbor Days.

â┚¬Å”About 25-30 e-mails came in on [June 13] upset about it,â┚¬Â she said, adding that a few more had trickled in since then.

The concern of some seems to be a policy passed by the Hillsborough County Commission in 2005 preventing the county from â┚¬Å”recognizing or promotingâ┚¬Â LGBT Pride events. Many in the LGBT community consider the policy a ban on Gay Pride, especially since then-commissioner Ronda Storms was adamant that the policy read â┚¬Å”Gay Prideâ┚¬â€with a little â┚¬Ëœg', little â┚¬Ëœp.'â┚¬Â

Storms pushed for the policy after she and her daughter encountered an LGBT book display at a county library.

West believes that Kemple's e-mail campaign is a way to stir up a conservative base to unseat Beckner in next year's countywide election.

â┚¬Å”That's what its about,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”It's not about a gay issue, it's about getting a conservative Republican in that seat. But Kevin has done so many wonderful things and I hope voters will recognize that.â┚¬Â

The irony of having such an anti-gay person on a human rights board isn't lost on West.

â┚¬Å”How do you logically get to a mission of hate when you're on a board based on human rights?â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”This is bullying.â┚¬Â

Kemple has allegedly threatened legal action because of the county charter that says the county cannot â┚¬Å”promote, acknowledge or financially support a Gay Pride event.â┚¬Â

Kemple has opposed equal protection laws for LGBT citizens several times in his career and actively campaigned for the passage of Florida's Amendment 2, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. For years he tried to block anti-bullying and non-discrimination protections in local schools and the creation of Gay-Straight Alliances in Hillsborough Schools. He also led a failed boycott of Pepsico for the beverage maker's domestic partnership policies for gay and lesbian employees.

While running for the Hillsborough County School Board, Kemple required donors to check a box declaring that they do not support LGBT initiatives.

The week before Kemple's e-mail campaign, Beckner had approached the County Commission asking members to sign the proclamation for GaYbor days, something he has done the past three years. According to GaYbor District Coalition president Carrie West, three commissioners signed it in 2010.

West said that while the so-called Gay Pride Ban is still in affect in Hillsborough County, it doesn't have anything to do with GaYbor Days, which is not a Pride event.

â┚¬Å”We are not a Gay Pride event,â┚¬Â West said. â┚¬Å”GaYbor Days is showcasing the diverse district in Historic Ybor City.â┚¬Â

More than two-thirds of the businesses in Ybor City are straight-owned, West said, and he expressed frustration that an area showing a positive economic impact in the midst of a historically difficult recession is targeted by a â┚¬Å”holy roller.â┚¬Â

â┚¬Å”The Hillsborough County commissioners are asking for new supportive ways and ideas to get our economy going again, yet they shoot down the fact that we have spurred economic growth to an area that was dying,â┚¬Â West said, emphasizing that more than 50 new businesses have opened in Ybor City since the GaYbor District Coalition began.

Along with Beckner and Miller, other politicians have showed support of the Fourth Annual GaYbor Days with proclamationsâ┚¬â€including Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa City Council and even President Barack Obama, who mentions the event in a plaque declaring June Gay Pride Month.

GaYbor Days is a weekend of special events, ranging from a film showcasing the life of Harvey Milk to a bar crawl. An e-mail campaign in support of the GaYbor District Coalition and GaYbor Days is underway.