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LGBT State Legislation Review; And 2015 Deadliest Year For Transgenders

Photo: WGCU file

WGCU recently reported on the increase of transgender youth coming out nationwide. So this week on Gulf Coast Live! we talk with advocates about past and present LGBT bills in the Florida Legislature as the transgender community becomes more acknowledged. 

We'll talk with Equality Florida, a nonprofit advocacy organization, about last year's "bathroom bill" that died, trying to restrict public restrooms as single-sex facilities. And we'll talk about this year's measure, aiming to ban discrimination in the workplace. A local transgender college student will tell us his story, and how these bills would affect his daily life. 

Also, 2015 was the deadliest year for the transgender community with the highest recorded number of homicides in the country, so far. We will speak with an expert from the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT civil rights organization , about why this is happening and discuss projections for 2016. 

GUESTS:
Gina Duncan, Equality Florida
Samuel Lemes, Florida Gulf Coast University transgender student
Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign

Jessica Meszaros is a reporter and host of Morning Edition at WUSF Public Media, and former reporter and host of All Things Considered for WGCU News.