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Monday, 19 January 2009 19:18
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 Florida legislature to
Consider Gay Rights Bill
Representative Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton) filed legislation to update Florida's laws covering employment, housing and public accommodations to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
"All Floridians should have the opportunity to earn a living and provide for their families without fear of being unfairly fired or denied housing for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance or their ability to maintain a home," said Skidmore.
"Contrary to popular belief, in most parts of Florida it is still legal to fire someone solely because he is gay," said Council President Rand Hoch. "Just last month, the manager of a gas station in Lee County reported that he was fired after two years on the job simply for reporting anti-gay comments made by a co-worker."
While Florida has no comprehensive statewide law protecting gay and lesbian employees, several counties and cities have amended their fair employment and housing laws to cover "sexual orientation" and/or "gender identity or expression". These laws are in effect in Broward, Leon, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties, as well as in the cities of Gulfport, Gainesville, Key West, Lake Worth, Miami Beach, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
Across the nation, twenty states and the District of Columbia have fair employment and housing laws covering sexual orientation. The most recent thirteen of these states to enact such laws and the District of Columbia also include gender identity or expression.
"Hardworking Floridians should not be fired from their jobs just because they are gay," said Hoch. "The time has come for Florida to join the twenty other states which protect gay and lesbian employees from being unfairly fired."
To date, Governor Charlie Crist has not yet made it clear where he stands on updating Florida's civil rights laws. Even so, some activists are optimistic.
"Governor Crist has been a leader on civil rights over the years," said Council Vice President Deidre Newton. "We hope he will consider this an issue of fundamental fairness."
Florida voters believe gay men and lesbians should have equal rights in employment, housing, and public accommodations, according to a 2008 poll commissioned by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.
When more than 1,000 Florida voters were asked whether homosexuals should have the same rights as everyone else to housing, job opportunities and public accommodations, 89% responded "yes."
Floridians' sense of fairness is mirrored across America. Nationwide polls conducted by the Gallup Organization consistently have shown that 89% of all Americans 18 years or older believe that gay men and lesbians should have equal employment rights.
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