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Gay Storms of Protest Brewing in Florida over Amendment 2 |
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Written by Jordan Williams
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 While members of California’s LGBT Community have taken to the street en masse to protest Proposition 8, it seems Florida gays are resigned to having LGBT inequality enshrined into their state’s constitution. After 62 percent of Floridians voted for Amendment 2, little has been done to protest the discriminatory measure…until now!
According to David L. Wylie, GaySoFla.com’s Senior Editor, church sit-ins similar to those conducted at drugstore lunch counters during the civil rights movement, along with street protests, petition drives and boycotts are being organized. Protests in both Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale have been announced for this Saturday, November 15. (See information below).  Wylie cites the words of Coretta Scott King as personal inspiration to his call to action: “Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood,” the late wife of Martin Luther King said in a speech at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago in 1998. “This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spreads all too easily to victimize the next minority group,” Mrs. King explained.
“This is the civil rights movement of the 21st Century and therefore we should adopt similar acts of civil disobedience and protests to make our voices heard,” says Wylie. “We are in a battle for our equality and legal protection and it’s time to let our discontent and anger be known.”
Coretta Scott King, speaking just before the 30th anniversary of her husband’s assassination, said that Martin Luther King’s memory demanded a strong stand for gay and lesbian rights. “I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice. But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother-and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people,” Mrs. King said.
Wylie strongly believes that the black community was used by religious groups that have historically practiced racial discrimination, even going as far as using the Bible to justify slavery, fighting against racial equality during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and barring church membership to African Americans. “During this election religious proponents even used Obama’s voice in ‘robo-calls’ to urge blacks to vote for discrimination against gays,” Wylie points out.
Exit polls indicate that straight black Americans in large numbers (upward of 73%) bought into the right-wing political maneuver by voting yes on Amendment 2 and Proposition 8. It didn’t matter that Obama strongly voiced his opposition during the campaign to these statutes by calling them“…divisive and mean spirited.” I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans, Obama promised.
GaySofla.com is pleased to join together with the Join the Impact protest for equal rights for all citizens this Saturday, November 15, 2008. Organizers are working to schedule simultaneous protest (East Coast-1:30 PM, West Coast-10:30 AM) in front of every city hall of the U.S. Protest events have been announced for both Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
For more information about participating in a Join the Impact protest near you, please visit their website at http://jointheimpact.com/.
Our friends at Fight out Loud are also on the forefront of this battle for LGBT Equality. Visit their site at http://www.fightoutloud.org. for more information regarding their efforts.
Florida towns and cities participating can be found by visiting
http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/page/Florida.
To be a part in the organization of the Miami Beach protest visit the organizing group's website at
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=34670150269&ref=mf
Wylie says GaySoFla.com is committed to informing the citizens of Florida and readers throughout the world of any and all initiatives, events and efforts being organized by any and all groups working to repeal Amendment 2 (Florida), Proposition 8 (California) Proposition 102 (Arizona), the Arkansas Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban and statutes of every state that deems homosexuals as 2nd class citizens and lessens their legal protections. He encourages readers to send event information, press releases, petition drives, etc. to David@gaysofla.com for future publication. This information will be constantly updated so please check back often.
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