KEY WEST, Florida Keys — A hot lineup of musical and comedy talents and a warm welcome await attendees Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 4-7, at Key West’s Womenfest, a celebration for lesbians and their friends in the island city known for its all-welcoming diversity. Thousands of singles, couples and groups of women are expected to flock…
Today, a state trial court in Miami issued a decision striking down Florida’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples and ordering Miami-Dade County to allow same-sex couples to marry. The court stayed the order pending appeal. The case was brought by Equality Florida Institute and Catherina Pareto and Karla Arguello, Dr. Juan Carlos Rodriguez and…
Thursday, Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia, appointed by Republican Governor Jeb Bush, ruled against Florida’s constitutional amendment banning marriage equality, making the Sunshine State the latest to see such a ban struck down in court since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its historic marriage rulings last June. In Huntsman v. Heavilin, attorneys with the…
GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced its unconditional support for the overturning of bans on same-sex marriage in Florida. Florida’s prohibition of same-sex marriages, including a ban on recognizing same-sex marriage performed in states where it is legal, may be repealed this year pending the outcome of two…
Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist has filed an amicus brief today in support of the marriage equality lawsuit Pareto v. Ruvin, which is set for a hearing July 2 before Judge Sarah Zabel in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Miami. Judge Zabel will hear from attorneys who filed a lawsuit in January on behalf of…
WASHINGTON – In a disappointing move, a Florida state court judge overturned an earlier ruling that the University of Central Florida (UCF) must turn over records related to the publication of a debunked 2012 study conducted by discredited anti-gay researcher Mark Regnerus that demonizes gay and lesbian parents. The ruling comes after UCF appealed a…
Today, six same-sex couples and Equality Florida Institute are filing a lawsuit in Florida state court in Miami seeking the freedom to marry. The lawsuit argues that Florida’s laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the United States Constitution by denying them the legal protections and equal dignity that having the freedom to marry provides….
Spurred on by two landmark Supreme Court victories, LGBT activists are pressing hard to overturn state bans on same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia. But, warns Howard Simon, the executive director of ACLU of Florida, don’t expect any substantive changes in the near future for the sunshine state. “I don’t want to build…
In a brief, succinct and unsurprising response to Think Progress reporter Scott Keyes’ query about workplace discrimination protections for the LGBT community, the conservative Florida senator and possible 2016 presidential contender bluntly told the reporter, “I’m not for any special protections based on orientation.” The exchange, which took place in an office and elevator in…
I am sure that you have heard about the outcry by many within the LGBT community concerning Florida teen Kaitlyn Hunt. Kaitlyn is a lesbian who began a relationship with a 14-year-old female high school classmate. It has been reported that the relationship began when Kaitlyn was 17. Last month, the 14-year-old girl’s parents went…
