The Year in Review -- and 2020 Too!

 

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The Year in Review and 2020 Too!

A look back at LGBTQ+ progress  throughout Palm Beach County over the past two years

DECEMBER 2021 At PBCHRC's request, State Senator Tina Polsky and State Representative Emily Slosberg file legislation to extend hate crimes protections to include those committed against government-owned properties NOVEMBER 2021 PBCHRC Board Member Sean Conklin is appointed to the Boynton Beach Recreation and Parks Board. The Village of Wellington earns a perfect score on the annual Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Municipal Equality Index. The City of West Palm Beach earns a perfect score on the annual Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Municipal Equality Index. ​ SEPTEMBER 2021 The Village of Royal Palm Beach designates all single-occupancy restrooms in the soon to be constructed Village Hall as Gender Neutral JUNE 2021 Progress Pride colors illuminate Nancy Graham Centennial Square and Fountain and the surrounding buildings at a special Clematis By Light display on June 1st to kick off LGBTQ Pride in West Palm Beach Palm Tran rolls out a bus wrapped in a Progress Pride color design with PBCHRC and Compass logos for Pride Month. The bus runs on the system's longest route, from Palm Beach Gardens to Boca Raton. PBCHRC Charitable Foundation establishes the W. Trent Steele Legal Advocacy Awards -- scholarships for second and third year law school students from Palm Beach County. The City of Boynton Beach installs an LGBTQ Progress Pride intersection streetscape near City Hall and illuminates the city's water tower in Progress Pride colors. Palm Beach County Commissioners establish an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The City of Delray Beach installs an LGBTQ Progress Pride intersection streetscape in the Pineapple Grove Arts District. MAY 2021 The City of West Palm Beach installs four LGBTQ Pride Rainbow crosswalks in Northwood Village. The 2021 Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards are presented to graduating seniors Sol Lima of Jupiter Community High School, Ekko Greenbaum of Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and Vanessa Whittle of Royal Palm Beach High School. APRIL 2021 By unanimous vote, the West Palm Beach City Commission voted to designate H.G. Roosters as a Historic Preservation Site. ​ At the request of Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Ty Penserga and PBCHRC, the Boynton Beach City Commission approves the creation of an LGBTQ Pride public art. FEBRUARY 2021 The Town of Lake Park enacts an LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights ordinance. The School District of Palm Beach County requires public schools to require gender-neutral caps and gowns for graduations. PBCHRC Board Member Jasmin Lewis is presented the Palm Beach County Democratic Party Black History Community Award. JANUARY 2021 Palm Beach County amends its Equal Opportunity Ordinance by extending protection from discrimination to employees working for small businesses (those with 5-14 employees). PBCHRC Vice President Meredith Ockman is appointed to serve on the Palm Beach County Housing Authority's Family Self-sufficiency Program Coordinating Committee DECEMBER 2020 The City of Boca Raton and Palm Beach County file Joint Petition for Panel Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc in Otto v. City of Boca Raton, the case seeking to strike down their ordinances banning conversion therapy.  The Cities of Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach, Riviera Beach, and West Palm Beach, Florida join the City of Miami's amicus brief in support of The City of Boca Raton and Palm Beach County's Joint Petition for Panel Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc in Otto v. City of Boca Raton.  West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James signs on to the Freedom for All Americans letter to Members of Congress urging them to enact comprehensive federal LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections.  The City of West Palm Beach earns a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Municipal Equality Index. Only six other municipalities in Florida were awarded 100 points. NOVEMBER 2020 A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reverses the District Court’s denial of plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction in Otto v. City of Boca Raton and remands the case to the District Court, thus allowing the therapists to, once again, practice their quackery on local children. The City of South Bay adopts an LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights resolution. OCTOBER 2020 The City of Riviera Beach enacts an LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights ordinance. The Commissioners of the Port of Palm Beach unanimously vote to add "gender identity or expression" to the Port's Equal Opportunity Statement for all Port policies and contracts. PBCHRC Board Member G. Joseph Garcia is named to the Board of Directors for the FSU Pride Alumni Network SEPTEMBER 2020 The Towns of Haverhill and Juno Beach enact LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights ordinances. The City of Palm Beach Gardens adopts a resolution denouncing hate crimes and discrimination against LGBTQ people. AUGUST 2020 The Village of North Palm Beach enacts an LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights ordinance. The City of West Palm Beach amends its Equal Opportunity Ordinance by extending protection from discrimination to employees working for small businesses (those with 5-14 employees). PBCHRC Board Member Chauncey Graham is appointed to serve on the West Palm Beach Mayor's Task Force for Racial and Ethnic Equality and selected for Leadership Florida Connect 2021. JULY 2020 PBCHRC Board Member Jasmin Lewis is named Victory Fund Empowerment Fellow. JUNE 2020 The City of Westlake enacts an LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights ordinance. G. Joseph Garcia is named Chair of PBCHRC Charitable Foundation. MAY 2020 PBCHRC Board Member Jasmin Lewis elected delegate to Democratic National Convention. The 2020 Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards are presented to graduating seniors Kyle Ahern and Theo Shusterman of the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and to Endora Guillaume of Park Vista Community High School APRIL 2020 The Boynton Beach City Commission unanimously votes to designate all single-occupancy restrooms in municipal properties "All Gender." PBCHRC becomes a “trusted voice” for the County efforts regarding the 2020 U.S. Census. MARCH 2020  Ty Penserga, an openly gay man, was re-elected to the Boynton Beach City Commission and became the city's Vice Mayor. Ray Caranci, an openly gay man, is elected to the Haverhill Town Council. FEBRUARY 2020 Palm Beach County‘s Facilities Development & Operations Department designates single-occupancy restrooms in properties owned and leased by the County as “All Gender.” PBCHRC Board Member Tamara Sager joins the Palm Beach County Multicultural Committee and Complete Count Committee. JANUARY 2020 The City of West Palm Beach designates the single-occupancy restrooms in the City Hall Complex as "Gender Neutral."

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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, gender identity and gender expression.  We promote equality through education, advocacy, direct action, impact litigation, and community outreach. Over the years, PBCHRC has been responsible for the implementation of more than 150 laws and policies providing equal protections, rights, and benefits for the LGBTQ community.   Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Post Office Box 267 West Palm Beach, Florida 33402 (561) 358-0105 www.pbchrc.org Please follow "PBCHRC" on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for the PBCHRC blog - pbchrc.blogspot.com/ A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. PBCHRC'S Registration Number is CH46486. To obtain registration information, you may consult the website or call 800-435-7352.