Lt. Gov. Carroll
Florida’s Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll made headlines in July when she fended off questions about her sexuality by claiming “women who engage in those relationships don’t look like me.” The comments implied that African-American lesbians are not attractive and were shared when she was asked about an alleged same-sex encounter with a fired staffer. A week after making the remarks, Carroll apologized for the statement, saying it was “wrong and inexcusable to make a comment that hurts people.” Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, personally accepted Carroll’s apology.
Jacksonville votes down protections
The City of Jacksonville failed to approve a proposal that would have added sexuality and gender identity to its Human Rights Ordinance in August. The vote came after three months of meetings, public comment and deliberations and was held before a standing room-only crowd of nearly 500 people. The loss was substantial, with the bill failing 17-2, which shocked local representatives of Equality Florida. Several council members who had expressed support for the ordinance earlier, voted counter to those intentions when it counted.
Lesbian custody battle lands in Supreme Court
A custody battle involving two Brevard County women landed in the Supreme Court this year when the two women split and one woman took their daughter out of the country. The fight over the now 8-year-old girl began when the woman who gave birth to the child renounced her homosexuality and took the child when a judge ruled the woman who donated the egg had parental rights. Now the courts must decide the legality of parenthood and whether same-sex couples who share the burden of birth are both eligible for legal recognition as parents.
David Richardson becomes Florida’s first openly gay state legislator
David Richards made history in 2012 when he squeaked past three other challengers in an open primary in August to take Florida House District 113 and become Florida’s first openly gay legislator. Without a Republican registered in the race, the 55-year-old bilingual CPA guaranteed his spot in Tallahassee, where he was sworn in last November. The Miami-Dade resident secured 33% of the vote in the primary to take the office.
Coral Gables creates domestic partner registry
In 2012, the domestic partner registry trend hit many areas of the Sunshine State, outside of the Tampa Bay, Central Florida and Daytona areas, which have implemented the registries nearly across the board. Coral Gables finally joined the surrounding areas of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties by unanimously approving a domestic partner registry. Palm Beach was a leader in the trend, having a registry established since 2006.
