LGBT Equality

Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and St. Petersburg are among several Florida cities that have long been top U.S. destinations for LGBTQ+ tourists. So it came as a surprise this week when travelers learned that Florida’s tourism marketing agency quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website sometime in the past few months.Business owners who cater to Florida’s LGBTQ+ tourists said Wednesday that it marked the latest attempt by officials in the state to erase the LGBTQ+ community. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis previously championed a bill to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and supported a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, as well as a law meant to keep children out of drag shows.

The Lee County school district is passing out newly-branded stickers for classrooms designated as a Safe Space for students. But, there is something missing from this new batch in the a time of what appears to be never-ending culture wars in Florida. Noticeably absent from the new safe space stickers are the bright burst of colors associated with LGBTQ issues. Also absent are the words, “This is a safe space for ALL including all genders, all orientations.”Instead of rainbow colors, the subdued stickers in shades of blue and orange simply say, SAFE SPACE for all.The district said it will not be telling teachers to remove the rainbow-flag colored Safe Space stickers, but it is merely offering up a secondary sticker should they chose to replace the old ones.

An organization that advocates for LGBTQ Floridians on Tuesday decried what it calls “an alarming slate” of bills filed for the 2024 legislative session. Joe Saunders, senior political director for Equality Florida, said the organization is opposing 22 bills “that attack the freedoms, the rights and dignity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Floridians.”

Saying Florida will “let the kids be kids,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a bill that expands a controversial 2022 law restricting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.The bill (HB 1069) also limits the way teachers and students can use their preferred pronouns in schools and bolsters another contentious 2022 law that ramped up scrutiny of instructional materials and school-library books. The measure has drawn ire from LGBTQ-advocacy group Equality Florida, which blasted the bill Wednesday as part of DeSantis’ “slate of hate.”

The break echoes similar splits among mainstream Protestant denominations.

A conversation with filmmaker Elegance Bratton and Producer Chester Algernol Gordon about the documentary “Pier Kids,” about the lives and struggles of homeless queer and trans youth of color at the Christopher Street Pier in New York.

Late last year, qward-winning LGBTQ+ advocate Arlene Goldberg released a memoir titled, “Simple Human Dignity: My Life, My Wife, Our Story.”The compelling narratives weaved through this memoir tell the story of Arlene’s life and her 47-year relationship with her wife Carol Goldwasser. In April of 2014, Arlene became a plaintiff in a class action lawsuit brought on by the American Civil Liberties Union that led to U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle ruling that Florida’s ban on same sex-marriage was unconstitutional. The decision came prior to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges that struck down same-sex marriage bans throughout the country.Through this case, Arlene and Carol Goldwasser made history by becoming the first same-sex couple to have their marriage legally recognized by the state of Florida. The victory was bitter-sweet, as Carol did not live to see that day.

Award-winning LGBTQ+ advocate Arlene Goldberg is out with a memoir titled, “Simple Human Dignity: My Life, My Wife, Our Story.” Ahead of Goldberg’s book signing event Dec. 18 at Engel & Völkers in downtown Fort Myers from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., we sit down with her for an intimate exploration of the book her life with Carol and her ongoing advocacy work.

As we approach the end of Pride Month and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which are largely considered a sentinel catalyst to the gay rights…

Lee County Commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of an updated anti-workplace discrimination policy for county employees. Despite months of lobbying from…