Please Join PBCHRC and Compass at LGBTQ Pride Clematis By Light on June 1, 2021

Please join PBCHRC, Compass and your friends at the Kick-Offf to LGBTQ Pride month at Nancy Graham Centennial Square in downtown West Palm Beach.

Thanks to the efforts of Hierromat Development, LLC, a local gay owned and operated company, the Fountain will display the Pride colors. The Citizen's Building and Palm Beach Dramaworks will also light up with Pride for the event.

Pistache, located next to the Fountain, will hold a Pride Happy Hour from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00. p.m.

Thanks also go out to Creative Arts Enterprises, and, of course, the City of West Palm Beach.

"Boynton Beach, Delray Beach installing LGBTQ-inspired streetscapes"

  By Brett, Shweky, SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |

May 21, 2021

Boynton Beach and Delray Beach have recently agreed to install permanent LGBTQ-inspired streetscapes at specific intersections. (PBC Human Rights Council/Courtesy)

The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council’s request for cities to bring LGBTQ public art to communities is finally being answered.

Boynton Beach and Delray Beach recently agreed to install permanent LGBTQ-inspired streetscapes at specific intersections in those cities.

A rendering shows what the LGBTQ-inspired intersections in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach will look like. (PBC Human Rights Council/Courtesy)

Boynton Beach’s streetscape will be at the intersection of East Ocean Avenue and First Street Southeast at the end of the city’s Town Square, while the one in Delray Beach will be at the intersection of Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast First Street in Pineapple Grove.

The LGBTQ pride streetscapes will include the six colors in the traditional LGBTQ pride rainbow flag (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet) as well as the additional five colors in the progress pride flag (black, brown, light blue, pink and white). The five colors in the progress pride flag represent people of color, trans and nonbinary individuals and those living with HIV/AIDS.

“Over the past 30 years, the LGBTQ community in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach has gone from being nearly invisible to being tolerated, to being acknowledged, to being granted equal rights and benefits, to having our families recognized, and now, to having the diversity of the LGBTQ community publically celebrated,” Palm Beach County Human Rights Council President and founder Rand Hoch said in a statement. “That is quite an achievement.”

Rand Hoch (PBC Human Rights Council/Courtesy)

Charitable Foundation Grants Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Award Scholarships

 

The PBCHRC Charitable Foundation has selected three local high school seniors - Ekko Greenbaum, Sol Lima, and Vanessa Whittle - to receive the 2021 Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards. The awards are presented annually to college-bound graduating seniors who have demonstrated an interest in advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. Each of the recipients will receive a $2,500 scholarship.   The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) is Florida's oldest, independent, non-partisan, political organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. In 2015, the organization established the PBCHRC Charitable Foundation to fund educational scholarships and other charitable endeavors.

The Social Justice Awards are named after Daniel S. Hall, a local attorney who manages a financial counseling company. Hall, Treasurer of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council since 1990, is the Council's longest serving board member. As the father of three grown children, Hall has always had a strong interest in education.Over the years, has mentored several LGBTQ students.

Sol Lima is a senior at Jupiter Community High School, where they are the president of the Gender & Sexuality Alliance as well as the Future Farmers of America. During their 4 years in high school, Sol was vice president of GSA for two years, and president of GSA for another two years. They organized a 150 page slideshow about LGBTQ+ history for GSA which was sent to the school board for use in developing a curriculum about LGBTQ+ history in schools. They were instrumental in organizing their school’s Day of Silence protest for awareness of the bullying of LGBTQ+ youth in schools. Sol is also Projects Director for the No Place for Hate Club at Jupiter, and part of several other organizations on campus. They are an active member of the Compass Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s Youth Groups, and will continue to participate in them after graduation. They also attend and volunteer with Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches, the first openly LGBT+ Christian denomination. They run several online social groups for the LGBTQ+ community, and for those with ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities.

Sol plans on attending Palm Beach State College to major in biology. Their future plans include studying animals, and being a biologist. They want to continue their role in LGBTQ+ activism, both on and off campus. Sol intends to join an on-campus LGBTQ+ organization at the college they will be attending, and wants to continue pushing for progress on social and environmental issues as much as possible, in any ways they can. "This scholarship will allow me to attain the education needed to move forward in life, especially with difficulties faced as someone in the LGBTQ+ community and on the autism spectrum," said Sol. "With a strong education, I know the world will be far more accessible -- and nearly anything will be achievable."

Lake Worth Beach resident Ekko Greenbaum is a graduating dance major at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. A dedicated artist, Ekko has been chosen to dance an array of repertoire from George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco to Paul Taylor’s Esplanade through her years at Dreyfoos.  She also serves as the historian for the National Dance Honor Society. An AP Scholar Honors Award recipient, she received the Silver Key Scholastic Art & Writing Award for film photography.  Combining her passion for art and activism, Ekko is the Public Relations Officer for Dreyfoos Dance Marathon, a student-led movement.movement supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. In the fall, she will be attending her dream school, the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, as a merit scholar and contemporary dance major. Ekko intends to pursue dance in hopes of changing the dance world for the better, focusing her studies and choreography around breaking established binaries and gender roles. She will also continue to advocate for the representation of LGBTQ+ artists and dancers, who are often hidden and kept out of the spotlight. Ekko is currently a mentor to young LGBTQ+ artists who feel displaced in their art form; she hopes to continue this by starting an organization that will provide young LGBTQ+ artists with accessible mental health care and mentoring. “Within my career, I hope to make both classical and contemporary dance a safe space for every human who has a passion, a place where diversity is honored - no matter color, size, sexual orientation," said Greenbaum. "This scholarship will help me attend Boston Conservatory, where I will learn about dance through a sociological perspective, allowing me to help reform the dance world and make it a more welcoming art form.”

Vanessa Whittle, a resident of West Palm Beach, will be graduating from Royal Palm Beach High School. She served as Vice President of the Speech and Debate team and Co-President of the Thespian Society, both clubs that she is extremely passionate about and used to spread the message of the fight that the LGBTQ+ Community faces. Vanessa competed in local, state, and national tournaments in both organizations that shed light on the issue of violence both against and within the LGBTQ+ Community.  Vanessa also participated as an Ambassador for Palm Beach County in the non-partisan voting organization My School Votes, in partnership with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote.

She worked to spread the importance of voting within her school, registering her peers to vote during classroom visits. This summer, Vanessa will begin pursuing a degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. She plans to continue spreading her passion for social justice and civic engagement by staying active in Speech and Debate and My School Votes throughout her college career.  “I will use the money awarded from this scholarship to help ease the financial burden of tuition, competition, and travel expenses during college so that I can continue to explore what I am most passionate about - helping others,' said Whittle.”

Created in 2015, the Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards are administered by PBCHRC Board Member Jasmin K. Lewis, Chair of the PBCHRC Charitable Foundation's scholarship program.   "Despite the logistical disruptions students endiured during to 2020-2021 school year, Sol Lima, Ekko Greenbaum, and Vanessa Whittle have worked as passionate advocates for the local LGBTQ community," said Lewis. "The Foundation is proud to recognize their work by presenting them with the 2021 Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards."

Boynton Beach To Install Progress Pride LGBTQ Intersection

 May 6, 2021

(Boynton Beach, Florida) At this week's meeting, Boynton Beach City Commissioners selected the LGBTQ Progress Pride Flag as the design for the city's new public art installation to be located at the intersection East Ocean Avenue and 1st Street SE at the end of the city's Town Square.

The Progress Pride Flag adds a five-colored chevron to the classic six-colored classic Rainbow Pride Flag .The chevron emphasizes inclusion and progression, as the additional colors -- black, brown, light blue, pink, and white -- represent people of color, trans and non-binary individuals, and those living with HIV/AIDS.

At the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Ty Penserga began working with city staff last fall on bringing LGBTQ public art to the city in a significant way.

PBCHRC is Florida's oldest, independent, non-partisan, political organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.  Penserga worked with city's public art program staff to identify possible locations and develop designs for crosswalks and streetscapes incorporating the colors of the Progress Pride Flag, City Commissioners approved the location on April 20 and the Progress Pride Flag design on May 4.

"By highlighting the LGBTQ streetscape at the entrance to Town Square and downtown Boynton Beach, city officials are proudly letting LGBTQ people know that we recognize you, we stand with you, and we are all part of the fabric that strengthens Boynton Beach," said Penserga, who is Boynton Beach's first openly gay elected official, "We are sending a clear the message -- especially to our younger LGBTQ residents -- that everyone is welcome in Boynton Beach and that our community supports you."

"We thank Vice Mayor Penserga, the Boynton Beach City Commission, and city staff for creating his magnificent tribute to the city's LGBTQ community." said PBCHRC President and Founder Rand Hoch. "Over the past thirty years, the LGBTQ community in Boynton Beach has gone from being nearly invisible, to being tolerated, to being acknowledged, to being granted equal rights and benefits, to having our families recognized, and now, to having the diversity of the LGBTQ community publically celebrated," said Hoch. "That is quite an achievement."

Road work to prepare for the installation is now is underway. It is expected that paint will be applied by mid-June, in time for LGBTQ Pride Month. The city plans to dedicate the LGBTQ Progress Pride Intersection in June..

Delray Beach Moves Forward With LGBTQ Pride Streetscape in Pineapple Grove

May 4, 2021 At this evening's meeting, the Delray Beach City Commission presented the design for a permanent LGBTQ Pride Streetscape to be installed in the intersection of NE 2nd Avenue and NE 1st Street in Pineapple Grove.

Last fall, Delray Beach City Commissioner Ryan Boylston opened discussions about bringing significant LGBTQ public art to the city with resident Nicholas Coppola and Rand Hoch, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC). . PBCHRC is Florida's oldest, independent, non-partisan, political organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Coppola serves on the Board of Trustees of Compass, Palm Beach County's LGBTQ community center.The organization's mission is to engage, empower, and enrich the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS. "When the the City of St. Petersburg completed their LGBTQ Pride streetscape last year, Commissioner Boylston reached out to us," said Coppola. "Ryan has been -- and continues to be -- an incredible ally to the LGBTQ community. His leadership on our streetscape is just one more way he shows his support."

Following those discussion, in December 2020, at Commissioner Boylston's request, City Commissioners unanimously agreed to direct staff to explore designing an intersection that would feature the colors in the LGBTQ Progress Pride Flag.

The streetscape includes bold stripes using not only the six colors in the traditional LGBTQ Pride Rainbow Flag (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet) but also the five additional colors in the Progress Pride Flag (black, brown, light blue, pink, and white). The additional colors represent people of color, trans and non-binary individuals, and those living with HIV/AIDS.. "The LGBTQ community in Delray Beach is incredibly diverse, as is the population of the city itself," said Boynston. "With this streetscape, we recognize and honor all of our residents and visitors."

Over months that followed, there was extensive public discussion of the "inclusivity intersection", as it was described by Interim City Manager Jennifer Alvarez at this evening's meeting.. Elected officials and city staff met with the Pineapple Grove Mainstreet Advisory Board, the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Development Authority, Arts Garage, and several other organizations throughout Delray Beach. There was overwheling support for the project.

"We thank the Delray Beach City Commission and city staff for working to create this amazing tribute to the city's LGBTQ community," said Hoch. "Over the past thirty years, the LGBTQ community in Delray Beach has gone from being nearly invisible, to being tolerated, to being acknowledged, to being granted equal rights and benefits, to having our families recognized, and now, to having the diversity of the LGBTQ community publically celebrated," said Hoch. "That is quite an achievement."

Mayor Shelly Petrolia intends to host a commemorative ceremony for the LGBTQ Pride Streetscape in June, which is LGBTQ Pride Month