The Equality Florida Action PAC, an organization dedicated to electing pro-equality candidates, is endorsing Charlie Crist for Florida governor.
Stratton Pollitzer, chair of the PAC, said the early endorsement reflects the need to show to voters which candidate will help the state when it comes to issues of equality and fairness.
“Florida is at a critical moment in our struggle to end discrimination, and the next Governor will have a tremendous impact on the everyday lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in our state,” Pollitzer said in a media release. “Charlie Crist has taken a clear stand for equality and fairness and is delivering a message that will inspire the growing pro-equality majority in our state to stand on the right side of history.”
The endorsement was announced at a press conference June 12.
Crist is a former Republican governor turned Democratic candidate. When he was a Republican, he was criticized by his own party for breaking away and supporting LGBT rights. In 2000, when Crist was the Commissioner of Education, he became the first statewide elected official to support an anti-bullying bill that specifically included protections for LGBT students.
In 2010, Crist refused to appeal the decision of a Miami judge to stop enforcement of the ban on adoption by gay people, allowing gay parents to begin adoptions immediately.
“The next Governor is likely to appoint four Supreme Court Justices, and we cannot afford to leave our Supreme Court in the hands of a Governor who refuses to recognize even the most basic rights for LGBT people,” Pollitzer said.
In 2013, he publicly stated his support for marriage equality, after stating in 2006 that a ban on same-sex marriage was necessary.
And in a 2014 interview with Watermark, Crist apologized for signing a petition to place Amendment 2, Florida ban on same-sex marriage, on the ballot, and for saying the ban was needed.
“Charlie Crist’s position on marriage equality reflects the evolution of Florida voters,” Pollitzer said. “The clear majority now supports full legal recognition of marriage equality, and that support is growing rapidly regardless of political party, age or religious identification.
