Founded in 1988, 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. We promote equality through education, advocacy, direct action, impact litigation and community outreach.
Over the past 36 years, our efforts have been responsible for the enactment of more than 150 laws and policies providing equal rights, protections and benefits for the LGBTQ+ community. For a list of the laws and policies enacted as the result of PBCHRC’s efforts, click here and select "Laws & Policies."
Frankly, back in the 1980s, I optimistically believed there would no longer be a need for our organization in the 21st century. I assumed that by now, our community would be protected by federal civil rights laws. However, despite the fact that bills have been introduced in Congress to protect our community since 1974, fifty years later, the Civil Rights Act has yet to be amended to provide statutory protection for LGBTQ+ Americans
To make matters worse, here in Florida, the LGBTQ+ community continues to be targeted by Governor DeSantis, the Republican controlled state legislature, the courts, and much of the media. Progress we have made over the past decades continue to be rolled back. Students, families with LGBTQ+ members, and especially transgender people are bearing the brunt of the efforts to ensure that the progress we have made is reversed.
So, PBCHRC continues to concentrate on Palm Beach County and our local municipalities. Our work never stops.
VOTERS ALLIANCE
The success PBCHRC has had in enacting so many pro-LGBTQ+ laws and policies is directly related to our community’s consistent participation in electoral politics.
.Since 1988, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance (PBCHRCVA) members — all volunteers — have conducted more than 1,000 face-to-face endorsement interviews — and close to 100 interviews via Zoom and phone — of candidates seeking public office. We have done this to educate public officials and candidates, make endorsements, and take action to elect people who will take steps to change laws and policies to provide equal rights, protections and benefits for the LGBTQ+ community.
Municipal elections will be held throughout Palm Beach County on Tuesday, March19. If you know any LGBTQ+ supportive Palm Beach County residents who are not yet registered to vote, the deadline to register to vote in the March 19 elections is Monday, February 20. For more information about registering to vote, go to: www.votepalmbeach.gov/Voters/
In an effort to suppress the vote, the Florida Legislature has enacted laws which cause Vote-by-Mail requests to expire at the end of the year in which a General Election is held. So, if you have not taken action, your vote-by-mail ballot request may have expired. To continue voting by mail, you may need to complete a new Vote-by -Mail ballot request. You may do this online easily at www.pbcelections.org/Voters/
In the alternative, you may request to vote-by-mail.
- Online at: https://palmbeach.electionsfl.
org/vrservices/mbrs# - By Phone: (561) 656-6208
- By Fax: (561) 656-6230
- In person at any Office of the Supervisor of Elections. For Office locations, click here https://www.votepalmbeach.gov/
About-Your-Elections-Office/ Our-Office.
The vote-by-mail request must include your driver's license/Florida State ID number OR the last 4 digits of your social security number, whichever you provided when you registered to vote. (If you do not remember which you used, PBCHRC recommends you provide both numbers to ensure your vote by mail application can be processed.)
This year, PBCHRC set aside five nights to interview more than two dozen elected officials and candidates for public office in the municipal elections in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Wellington, and West Palm Beach. To date, we have made endorsements in the following races::
Boca Raton City Council (Seat C) - Yvette Drucker
Boca Raton City Council (Seat D) - Andrew Thomson
Delray Beach Mayor - Ryan Boylston
Delray Beach City Commission (Seat 1) - James Chard
Delray Beach City Commission (Seat 3) - Nicholas Coppola
Greenacres Mayor - Charles “Chuck” Shaw
Greenacres City Council (Dist. 1) - John Tharp
Greenacres City Council (Dist. 5) - Paula Bousquet
Lake Worth Beach Mayor - Betty Resch
Lake Worth Beach City Commission (Dist. 1) - Sarah Malega
Lake Worth Beach City Commission (Dist. 3) - Kim Stokes
Palm Beach Town Council (Group 3) - John David Corey
Riviera Beach City Council (Dist. 2) - Kashamba Miller-Anderson
Riviera Beach City Council (Dist. 4) - Julie Botel
Royal Palm Beach Mayor - Fred Pinto
Wellington Mayor - Michael Napoleone
Wellington Village Council (Seat 1) - Shelly Albright
Wellington Village Council (Seat 4) - CO-ENDORSEMENT
YOU MAY ONLY VOTE FOR ONE OF THESE CANDIDATES
Marcella Montesinos, Bob Margolis OR John "Jay" Webber
West Palm Beach City Commissioner - Christina Lambert
For a list of more than 80 elected officials who were endorsed by PBCHRCVA and who currently hold office, go to: www.pbchrc.org/voters-alliance
PBCHRC CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The PBCHRC Charitable Foundation is accepting applications for the 2024 PBCHRC Social Justice Awards – $2,500 college scholarships available to graduating LGBTQ+ high school seniors from Palm Beach County.
For further information concerning the Social Justice awards, click here.
For an application for the 2024 PBCHRC Social Justice Award scholarship, click here.
Applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on March 29, 2024. For further information, contact Jasmin Lewis at jasminklewis@gmail.com.
To review the biographies of the 20 Social Justice Award recipients and to learn more about the PBCHRC Charitable Foundation, click here:
The PBCHRC Charitable Foundation also provides need-based scholarships to LGBTQ+ college students through the Norman L. Stern and August R. Venezio Scholarships.
In addition, the Charitable Foundation has established the W. Trent Steele Legal Advocacy Award in recognition of Trent’s decades of pro bono work on behalf of PBCHRC as well as his work as a PBCHRC Board Member. The scholarship is available to LGBTQ+ and allied second and third year law students with ties to Palm Beach County. Please contact PBCHRC@gmail.com for further information.
Over the past twelve months, PBCHRC and the Charitable Foundation have made significant contributions to:
- 451 Avengers - a local activist organization challenging library book bans in Palm Beach County,
- ACLU of Florida Foundation, which works to create a Florida free of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,
- First Amendment Foundation, which watched over a legislative program to review, and reenact if warranted, each of the hundreds of exemptions to Florida's public records law,
- Lambda Legal, a national legal organization representing LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV in court – and in the court of public opinion,
- MAP (the Movement Advancement Project), a nonprofit think tank working to create a thriving, inclusive, and equitable America where all people have a fair chance to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, take care of the ones they love, be safe in their communities, and participate in civic life,
- PRISM, which works to expand access to LGBTQ+-inclusive education and sexual health resources for youth in South Florida,
- Stonewall National Museum & Archives, which presents exhibitions on LGBTQI themes and public programs in South Florida and across the United States, and,
- Vita Nova, which is a safe bridge to independence for former foster care, LGBTQ+ and other homeless local youth through supportive housing, education, employment and life.
2024 WINTER FÊTE
On Saturday, January 13, 2024, more than 200 PBCHRC supporters partied the night away gathered at a private lakeside estate in Boca Raton for our annual Winter Fête. The event is held annually on the Saturday night of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday weekend to celebrate the anniversary of Florida’s oldest gay rights law currently in effect which was enacted by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners in January 1990.
Thanks to Sarah and Melissa Hassan, the hosts who underwrote our wonderful evening, our 2024 Winter Fête was our most successful fundraising event since our organization was founded in 1988.
ECP event Group and SandyJames Fine Food & Productions created a magical evening. Heavenly winged angels, clad in white greeted guests, who enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres and acrobatic performances lakeside throughout the evening. As always, Echo Palm Beach donated sushi boats and Pernod Ricard donated Absolut Vodka and Mumm Napa Brut Prestige. First time sponsors Jill Sasso, Roe Manghisi and The Wine Wave donated the wines served throughout the evening.
Proceeds from the event fund a variety of PBCHRC’s initiatives, including the presentation of the organization’s Public Service Awards, which are scholarships given annually to college-bound high school seniors from throughout Palm Beach County who have demonstrated an interest in advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.
Thanks go out to the Members of the 2024 Winter Fête Host Committee:
.Clerk of the Court Joe Abruzzo
Altima Palm Beach
Steve Avila
School Board Member Alexandria Ayala and
Delray Beach City Commissioner Rob Long
State Senator Lori Berman
Paul Bernabeo and David Cohen
County Commissioner Mack Bernard and Shawn Bernard
James Berwind and Kevin Clark
Terry Bowie and William Feldkamp
Delray Beach City Commissioners Ryan Boylston
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw
School Board Member Karen Brill
Pamela Buchmeyer and Shellie Crandall
Castle Wealth Management
Nancy Chanin
Jim Chard
Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Gil Cohen and Paul Gervais
Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center
John David Corey and Miguel Rosales
Cornerstone Solutions
Alexcia Cox
David Crespo and Nicholas Coppola
David Daucanski and Bradley Gache
Joseph Paul Davis
Tennille DeCoste
Boca Raton City Council Member Yvette Drucker
ECP Event Rentals and Design
Daniel Eisinger
Peter Emmerich
Greenacres Mayor Joel Flores
Congressman Mark Foley and Ryan Ruark
West Palm Beach City Commissioner Christy Fox
Delray Beach City Commissioner Adam Frankel
Congresswoman Lois Frankel
Constitutional Tax Collector Anne Gannon
Oscar Garza
Charles and Michael Freeman-Grattendick
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County
Judge Rand Hoch (ret.)
Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks
Elaine Johnson James
West Palm Beach Mayor Keith Jameds and Lorna James
Bill Jennings and Richard Triggs
Michael Judd and Ben Small
Richard Katzenberg and John Betz
Boynton Beach City Commissioner Aimee Kelly
Christina and Monte Lambert
Gregg Lerman
Supervisor of Elections Wendy Link
Rachelle and Jeffrey Litt
Lake Worth Beach City Commissioner Sarah Malega and Dawn Malega
Joseph Marino, Jr. and Anthony Sibilia
Mimi May
David Mooney and Philip Bianco
Wellington City Council Member Michael Napoleone
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP
West Palm Beach City Commissioner Joe Peduzzi and Erin Peduzzi
Greg and Jessica Ransom
Lake Worth Beach Mayor Betty Resch
H.G. Roosters
Paula Ryan and Clifford Hertz
Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Sachs
SandyJames Fine Food & Productions
Jill Sasso & Roe Manghisi
Arthur Schofield
Jeff Sophir and Jim Gielda
Eric Telchin and Logan Nolting
Andy Thomson
Don Todorich
Scott Velozo and Stephen Mooney
State Representative Katherine Waldron
West Palm Beach City Commissioner Cathleen Ward
West Palm Beach City Commissioner Shalonda Warren
A.J. Wasson and Randy Christensen
Dr. Donald Watren and Anthony Jaggi
Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss and Rebecca Weiss
Charles Williams
PBCHRC is currently working to persuade:
- The local courts, prosecutors and public defenders to utilize the appropriate pronouns when addressing trans people with business before the courts,
- The Health Care District of Palm Beach County to provide trans-specific healthcare services to indigent patients, and
- The School District of Palm Beach County to cease doing business with Chick-fil-A and other companies that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people and other minorities.
For more than three decades, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council has worked diligently on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. With your support, we will continue to do so in the years to come. As always, we will keep you posted on our progress.
Judge Rand Hoch (retired),
President and Founder
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. 800-435-7352.
