MESSAGE FROM PBCHRC'S PRESIDENT & FOUNDER - March 15, 2017

March 15, 2017

In light of the appointments and statements made by the Trump-Pence administration, it appears protecting the rights of LGBTQ Americans is not a priority. The Republican-led Congress appears to be willing to continue to ignore pro-LGBTQ legislation. 

Florida Governor Rick Scott has refused to respond to PBCHRC's latest request to amend his executive order on state employment and government contracting to include "sexual orientation" and "gender or identity expression." Neither Governor Scott nor the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature appear to have made our issues a priority. 

It is likely that the decade-long efforts to amend the Florida Civil Rights Act and Florida's Fair Housing Act to include "sexual orientation" and "gender or identity expression" will once again fall on deaf ears.  Therefore, now, more than ever, local advocacy is the most effective way to achieve progress for the LGBTQ community. 

SUCCESSES  IN THE 2017 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Since 1988, volunteers for the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance (PBCHRCVA) have interviewed hundreds of candidates for public office. We have done this to educate candidates and public officials, and select candidates for endorsements.  PBCHRCVA endorses candidates who support LGBTQ initiatives and privacy rights. Endorsements of candidates are made upon consideration of:

●    How a candidate has voted on LGBTQ issues
●    How a candidate has supported the Palm Beach County LGBTQ community

Over the past several months, PBCHRCVA has reviewed the records of incumbent office holders throughout the county and has interviewed numerous candidates seeking election to municipal offices. Much of the Council's ability to screen, interview and endorse candidates rests on the shoulders of Rae Franks, who has served as the Council's Secretary since the early-1990s. The entire Board of Directors is grateful to the time and energy Rae has spent over the past several months - and over many, many years - contacting candidates, scheduling interviews, and asking the questions that help us make difficult endorsement choices.

Over the years, PBCHRCVA has worked diligently to identify LGBTQ-supportive residents and get them registered to vote. In the past few weeks, we conducted an extensive Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) campaign in several municipalities. We encouraged our supporters to get their LGBTQ-friendly family, co-workers and friends to vote-by-mail or to get to the polls on Tuesday to vote for candidates endorsed by PBCHRCVA.

Once again, LGBTQ voters throughout Palm Beach County turned out in record numbers. Together with our allies throughout the County, we helped elect (or re-elect) the following municipal officials to hold office in 2017:

• Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie
• Boca Raton City Council Member Scott Singer
• Boynton Beach City Commissioner Joe Casello
• Greenacres City Councilwoman Lisa Rivera
• Greenacres City Councilwoman Paula Bousquet
• Lake Worth City Commissioner  Herman Robinson
• Palm Beach Town Councilwoman Danielle Hickox Moore
• Palm Beach Gardens City Councilman Mark Marciano
• Palm Beach Gardens City Councilman Matthew Lane

Congratulations to all of the elected officials. Rest assured that PBCHRC will be calling on them to take steps to enact laws and policies to provide equal protection, treatment and benefits for the local LGBTQ community.

Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes in the March 14 municipal election, runoff election will take place on March 28.  PBCHRCVA  has endorsed the following candidates in the runoff elections:

• Boynton Beach City Commissioner Mack McCray
• Palm Beach Gardens City Councilman Joseph Russo

Thanks to your support of our efforts, throughout Palm Beach County it is illegal to discriminate against LGBT people with regard to employment, housing and public accommodation. In fact, there are now 117 local ordinances, resolutions, collective bargaining agreements and policies which provide Palm Beach County's LGBTQ  residents and visitors equal rights, protections and benefits.  A complete list can be found by going to www.pbchrc.org/our-impact and clicking on "Laws & Policies".

BANNING CONVERSION THERAPY

PBCHRC's top priority for 2017 is to ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors (a discredited method of counseling based on the erroneous assumption that LGBTQ identities are mental disorders that can be cured through aversion treatment) throughout Palm Beach County.

Conversion therapy has long been rejected by our nation's leading medical and mental health organizations.  Across the nation, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Cincinnati, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Toledo have all banned the practice of conversion therapy on minors by licensed professionals. In Florida, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Miami, Wilton Manors, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands, El Portal, Key West and North Bay Village have enacted conversion therapy bans. The Tampa City Council is also likely to enact a similar ban in upcoming weeks.

PBCHRC Board Member Trent Steele and I have been coordinating the local efforts. We have partnered with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center to work on banning conversion therapy on minors throughout Palm Beach County. As a result of our collaborative efforts, bans on conversion therapy on minors have already been enacted - unanimously - by city commissions in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth and Boynton Beach. Earlier this month, the Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously on First Reading to ban conversion therapy. A final reading will he held in the upcoming weeks.  In Delray Beach, city staff is working on a similar ordinance and it is our hope that before the end of April, conversion therapy will be prohibited in that city as well.

In drafting our model conversion therapy ban ordinance, PBCHRC relied heavily on the work done by a longtime PBCHRC ally - Robert Rosenwald, First Assistant City Attorney for Miami Beach. Rob got the ball rolling last year by drafting - and persuading the Miami Beach City Commission to enact - the first conversion therapy ban in Florida. PBCHRC has worked with Rob for more than a decade, both at the City of Miami Beach and at the ACLU of Florida, where Rob served as director of the organization's LGBTQ Advocacy Project. No doubt we will rely on his insight, experience and talent in the years to come, as we move forward with other local LGBTQ-related initiatives.

Assistant West Palm Beach City Attorney Zoë Panarites also has been instrumental in our efforts and successes. Utilizing the draft Trent and I provided, she strengthened the ordinance, which was enacted in West Palm Beach. Zoë's ordinance has been used as the model for all of other municipalities throughout Palm Beach County, as well as for the City of Tampa.

PBCHRC has also been working closely with our Miami-Dade County counterpart, SAVE, which is conducting a similarly successful campaign to ban conversion therapy on minors throughout Miami-Dade County. As the result of the efforts of SAVE, conversion therapy bans have been enacted in Miami Beach, Wilton Manors, Miami, El Portal, Bay Harbor Islands and North Bay Village.

Special thanks go out to local pyschologist and sex therapist Rachel Needle, whose persuasive presentations at public hearings have been instrumental in securing the unanimous passage of our conversion therapy bans in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth. Boynton Beach and Riveiera Beach. PBCHRC will be eternally grateful for Rachel's volunteer work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
 
Thanks also go out to Lake Worth City Commissioner Andy Amoroso for persuasively addressing the Palm Beach County League of Cities concerning the need to enact local ordinances banning conversion therapy.  As Vice Chair of the National League of Cities LGBT Officials Board, Andy is also taking this message concerning conversion therapy bans nationwide.
 
PBCHRC will work to enact similar bans on conversion therapy in the twelve most populated municipalities in Palm Beach County. Our ultimate goal is to persuade the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to make our county the first in Florida to enact a countywide ban protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy.

DANIEL S. HALL SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARDS 

PBCHRC is now taking applications for the 2017 Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards. The scholarships will be awarded to Palm Beach County high school seniors who have demonstrated an interest in advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Applications must be received by midnight April 7, 2017. To apply, please use this link: Bit.ly/PBCHRC2017

GAY POLO

As the result of a very generous contribution from a longtime supporter, PBCHRC will be the presenting sponsor of the 8th Annual International Gay Polo Tournament on Saturday, April 8. The event will take place at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington.

PBCHRC hopes that you and your friends will stop by our tailgate space for hors d'oeuvres presented by Ken Keffer Catering, cocktails and camaraderie.  Our refreshments are sponsored by two longtime PBCHRC benefactors -  REALTOR Don Todorich of the Corcoran Group, and Joseph Pubillones Interiors.  We will also be holding a drawing for a painting donated to PBCHRC by local artist Adam Revsen. 

On Friday, April 7, PBCHRC supporters will join the Gay Polo League for this year's Polotini Party at a new location - The Wanderers Club in Wellington. This is a party not to be missed.

For tickets to the events, go to www.gaypolo.com/tickets/

THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES

In February, The Women's March Florida held a 4,000 person march from Trump Plaza in West Palm Beach to Mar-a-Lago, the Winter White House in Palm Beach. The local LGBTQ group, led by PBCHRC Board Member Meredith Ockman invites PBCHRC supporters and allies to be a part of the Women's March Florida contingent at the PrideFest Parade in downtown Lake Worth on Sunday, March 26, 2017. Line-up for the parade begins at 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. on Lucerne Street. For further information, contact Meredith at meredith.ockman@gmail.com.

SAVE THE DATE - JANUARY 13, 2018

The 2018 Winter Fête will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at Tarpon Cove, the Palm Beach home of James Berwind and Kevin Clark.  Watch for details in the months to come! 

OTHER NEWS

As mentioned above, on February 7, PBCHRC sent a third letter to Governor Rick Scott requesting him to update his Executive Order on "Reaffirming Commitment to Diversity in Government" to specifically include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression" as protected classes. However, once again, the request appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

PBCHRC has recently persuaded Palm Beach County to update the definition of "sexual orientation" in the County's Code of Ordinances.  It was first defined back in 1990, as "male or female homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality, by preference or practice".  That definition was widely used throughout the 1980s and 1990s. For obvious reasons, PBCHRC objected to use of the word "preference." The County Attorney has agreed to recommend that the definition be updated to read "heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or asexuality, whether actual or perceived."

Finally, PBCHRC is now working with Palm Beach County's newest municipality, the City of Westlake, on an LGBT-inclusive Civil Rights Ordinance.

Since 1988, 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 - and we will keep you posted on our progress!

Judge Rand Hoch (retired),
President and Founder  

Riviera Beach to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors

(Riviera Beach, Florida) At tonight's meeting, the Riviera Beach City Council unanimously voted on first reading to prohibit licensed mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy on minors within city limits.



Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, or sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), encompasses a range of discredited counseling practices by which health care providers or counselors seek to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression through aversion treatment.

The action was taken at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), the county's most effective civil rights organization. Over the past 29 years, the independent non-profit organization has succeeded in having local public officials enact 117 laws and policies providing equal rights, benefits and protection for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ)  community.

To date, PBCHRC has been responsible for the enactment of similar conversion therapy bans in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth and Boynton Beach.

Addressing the City Council, PBCHRC Board Member Hutch Floyd focused on the need to protect children from practitioners of conversion therapy.

"Conversion therapy is usually forced on minors by parents who find it impossible to accept the fact that their children identify as gay or lesbian," said  Floyd. "This so-called 'treatment' is extremely harmful."

PBCHRC is partnering with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Both organizations have been successful in their efforts to protect minors from being subjected to the harms caused by conversion therapy.

"Conversion therapy is an extremely dangerous and fraudulent practice that claims to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity," said Scott McCoy, senior policy counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center. "This bogus practice is premised on the lie that LGBTQ individuals have a 'condition' that needs to be cured. This evening, the West Palm Beach city commission took a step in the right direction by approving this ordinance to ban this harmful practice on minors. The commission has sent a message to LGBTQ youth: 'You are perfect the way you are and do not need to be 'fixed.'"

Dr. Rachel Needle, a licensed psychologist who practices in Palm Beach County, has explained that the practice of conversion therapy is based on two false premises.

"First, it is based on the falsehood that being gay, lesbian or transgender is a mental disorder or defect that needs to be cured, " said Needle.  "And secondly, it is based on the presumption that being LGBTQ is something that can actually be changed through therapy."

Needle, who is also an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University, noted that the potential risks of conversion therapy on children include shame, guilt, depression, decreased self-esteem, increased self-hatred, feelings of anger and betrayal, loss of friends, social withdrawal, problems in sexual and emotional intimacy, hostility and blame towards parents, high risk behaviors, confusion, self-harm, substance abuse and suicidal ideation.

"Any ethical mental health practitioner should not attempt to cure or repair gender identity or sexual orientation through these scientifically invalid techniques," Needle stated.  "Attempting to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity can have a devastating impact on a minor."

Riviera Beach City Councilwomen Dawn Pardo and Tonya Davis-Johnson brought the ordinance forward.

"As an elected official, it is a key part of my job to take steps to protect children in Riviera Beach from abuse," said Davis-Johnson. "PBCHRC presented numerous scientific studies to the City Council and the experts all agree that conversion therapy is causes extreme emotional trauma to LGBT youth."

"Moreover, it is a a scam," added Johnson.  "Parents in Riviera Beach should not be duped into spending their hard-earned money on so-called conversion therapy."

The discredited practice of conversion therapy has long been rejected by virtually all of our nation's mainstream medical and mental health organizations, according to Rand Hoch, PBCHRC's President and Founder. "Instilling self-hatred in children is not therapy," Hoch said.

Nearly every major medical and psychological association in the country has come out in opposition to conversion therapy. These include the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American College of Physicians, the American Counseling Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American School Health Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, the Pan American Health Organization, the Regional Office of the World Health Organization and the World Psychiatric Association.

"The American Psychological Association has linked conversion therapy to depression, substance abuse and even suicide, and these risks are particularly acute for youth," said Carolyn Reyes, Youth Policy Counsel and Coordinator of NCLR's BornPerfect Campaign to end conversion therapy  "We applaud the efforts by the Commission to ensure that the children of West Palm Beach County are protected from these harms, and that their families aren't duped by trusted professionals to whom they turn for support during a vulnerable time."

In addition, conversion therapy has been soundly rejected by the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Education Association and the School Social Work Association of America.

Last May, the Southern Poverty Law Center published a comprehensive report entitled "Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality." (www.splcenter.org/20160525/quacks-conversion-therapists-anti-lgbt-right-and-demonization-homosexuality).

Across the nation, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Cincinnati, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Toledo have already enacted laws to prevent licensed mental health providers from offering conversion therapy to minors.

In Florida, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Miami, Wilton Manors, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands, El Portal and Key West have enacted conversion therapy bans. The Tampa City Council is in the process of considering a similar ban at its meeting on March 2.

The Riviera Beach ban on conversion therapy - and all of the similar bans enacted to date - applies only to state-licensed therapists. Unlicensed therapists, such as those associated with faith-based groups, retain their religious freedom to engage in such work. Additionally, adults remain free to seek out conversion therapy.

Although there have been several court challenges to the constitutionality of banning conversion therapy, all have failed. On three occasions, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear challenges to the constitutionality laws banning conversion therapy for minors.

U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act to empower the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on conversion therapy. Specifically, the law would make sexual orientation change efforts illegal under the Federal Trade Commission Act, and classify advertising these services or providing them in exchange for monetary compensation as fraudulent, unfair, and deceptive. The bill would also explicitly clarify that the Federal Trade Commission has the duty to enforce this provision and would further provide state attorneys general the authority to enforce it in federal court.

In addition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Human Rights Campaign (a Washington, DC-based LGBTQ rights organization which is not affiliated with PBCHRC) filed a federal consumer fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission seeking to ban conversion therapy nationwide.

Last year, State Senator Jeff Clemens (D-Atlantis) introduced a bill to prohibit conversion therapy statewide (S. 258).  However, the Senate refused to take action on the bill. Clemens intends to reintroduce his bill in the current legislative session.

"Hopefully, legislative leaders in Tallahassee will schedule a hearing on Senator Clemens' bill this year," said Councilwoman Davis-Johnson..  "However, until a statewide ban on conversion therapy is enacted, we are taking going to do all we can to protect LGBT youth here in Riviera Beach,"

 For a copy of the ordinance, click here.

President's Message - February 2017

 

MESSAGE FROM PBCHRC'S PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

February 1, 2017

Now, more than ever, local LGBTQ advocacy will be the key to progress for our community.  It is clear that safeguarding the rights of LGBTQ Americans will not be a priority for the Trump Administration and the Republican-led Congress.

Fortunately, since 1988, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance (PBCHRCVA) has worked diligently to elect LGBTQ-supportive candidates for public office. For almost three decades, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) has worked with these public officials to enact local ordinances and policies to provide equal treatment and equal benefits for the LGBTQ community.

As a result of our efforts, throughout Palm Beach County it is illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ people with regard to employment, housing and public accommodation. In addition, there are now 117 local ordinances, resolutions, collective bargaining agreements and policies that provide Palm Beach County's LGBTQ residents and visitors equal rights, protections and benefits. A complete list can be found by clicking here and selecting the "Laws & Policies" tab.

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

In a few weeks, municipal elections will be held throughout Palm Beach County.  While the Town of Palm Beach will hold its election on February 7, other communities (including, but not limited to Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Derlay Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach) will hold their elections on March 14.

PBCHRCVA endorses candidates who support LGBTQ initiatives and privacy rights.  Endorsements of candidates are made upon consideration of:

●    How a candidate has voted on LGBTQ issues 

●    How a candidate has supported the Palm Beach County LGBTQ community

 

Over the past several weeks, PBCHRCVA representatives have reviewed the records of incumbent office holders throughout the county. We have interviewed numerous candidates running in the March municipal elections and we will conduct additional interviews throughout February.

To date, the following candidates have been endorsed by The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance in their campaigns for election (or re-election) in 2017:

Boca Raton Mayor - Susan Haynie 

Boynton Beach City Commission (Dist. 2) - Mack McCray 

Boynton Beach City Commission (Dist. 4) - Joe Casello 

Greenacres Mayor - Jonathan Pearce 

Greenacres City Council (Dist. 1) - Lisa Rivera 

Greenacres City Council (Dist. 5) - Paula Bousquet 

Lake Worth City Commission (Dist. 2) - Christopher McVoy 

Palm Beach Town Council - Danielle Hickox Moore 

West Palm Beach City Commission (Dist. 2) -  Cory Neering 

West Palm Beach City Commission (Dist. 4) -  Keith James 

Congratulations to Palm Beach Town Councilwoman Danielle Hickox Moore and West Palm Beach City Commissioners Cory Neering and Keith James, who were re-elected without opposition.
   
As our candidate screening process moves forward, we will be updating our list of endorsed candidates. To view the most current list of candidates endorsed by PBCHRCVA, click here.

BANNING CONVERSION THERAPY

PBCHRC's top priority for 2017 is to ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors (a discredited method of counseling based on the erroneous assumption that LGBTQ identities are mental disorders that can be cured through aversion treatment) throughout Palm Beach County.

Conversion therapy has long been rejected by our nation's leading medical and mental health organizations.  Across the nation, it is banned in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Cincinnati, Seattle and Pittsburgh.

PBCHRC Board Member Trent Steele and I have been coordinating the local efforts to ban conversion therapy.  PBCHRC has partnered with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center to work on banning conversion therapy on minors throughout Palm Beach County. As a result of our collaborative efforts, bans on conversion therapy on minors have already been enacted - unanimously - by city commissions in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth and Boynton Beach.

In drafting our model ordinance, PBCHRC relied heavily one the work done by a longtime PBCHRC ally - Robert Rosenwald, First Assistant City Attorney for Miami Beach.  Rob got the ball rolling last year by drafting - and persuading the Miami Beach City Commission to enact - the first conversion therapy ban in Florida. PBCHRC has worked with Rob for more than a decade, both at the City of Miami Beach and at the ACLU of Florida, where Rob served as director of the organization's LGBTQ Advocacy Project. No doubt, we will be relying on his insight, experience and talent in the years to come, as we move forward with other local LGBTQ-related initiatives.

Assistant West Palm Beach City Attorney Zoë Panarites also has been instrumental in our efforts and successes. Utilizing the draft Trent and I provided, she strengthened the ordinance, which was enacted in West Palm Beach.  We are now using Zoë's ordinance as the model for other municipalities throughout Palm Beach County.

Special thanks go out to Rachel Needle, a local psychologist who has presented expert testimony about the harms caused by conversion therapy at the public hearings in West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach.

We also have been working closely with our Miami-Dade County counterpart, SAVE, which is conducting a similarly successful campaign to ban conversion therapy on minors throughout Miami-Dade County. As the result of the efforts of SAVE, conversion therapy bans have been enacted in Miami Beach, Miami, Bay Harbor Islands, North Bay Village and El Portal.

In Broward County, Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Justin S. Flippen succeeded in having the city commission enact a similar ban. Justin, an openly gay man who went through conversion therapy in his youth, has been extremely helpful to our campaign by making himself available to the local media. His television appearances have been both educational and moving.

In the months to come, PBCHRC will seek to enact similar bans on conversion therapy in other local municipalities. Our ultimate goal is to persuade the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to enact a countywide ban protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy.

Unfortunately, our opponents are already at work trying to undermine our efforts to ban conversion therapy.  On January 31, State Representative Randy Fine ( R - Palm Bay)  filed H.B. 17, which, if enacted, would  prohibit any local government from adopting any regulation on any business, profession, and occupation unless there is an express authorization from the legislature through a general law.  If enacted, this law could nullify almost all of the conversion therapy bans already in place -- and all of the one PBCHRC and SAVE are currently working on.  PBCHRC is working with our allies in the legislature to kill this bill.

OTHER NEWS

In her role as Youth Regional Organizer for Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida, PBCHRC Board Member Carly Cass organized the Women's March in Tallahassee. More than 15,000 people from throughout Florida participated in the event on January 21.   

Carly also continues her efforts to create a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ students in Palm Beach County's public schools. She currently is working closely with school board members and school district staff to advocate for medically accurate, inclusive, sexual health education within in our public schools.  PBCHRC continues to support our school board members in their efforts to create a safe, inclusive environment for our students.

As the Southern District Director of NOW, PBCHRC Board Member Meredith Ockman was one of the lead speakers at the West Palm Beach Women's Rally on January 21, which attracted more than 10,000 of our allies.

Kudos to Meredith and Carly for their work bringing our allies together -- and for speaking out so effectively on our behalf.

On February 24, PBCHRC Board Member Hutch Floyd will be co-presenting a webinar entitled "Inclusion in the Workplace and Justice in the Courts-LGBTQ Considerations" for the  National Association for Court Management Communications Committee. Hutch also reports that at the direction of the Honorable Jeffrey Colbath, Chief Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, two administrative orders were updated. Administrative Order 11.701, Civil Rights Complaint Procedure was amended to specifically include complaints of discrimination based on "gender identity or expression." Administrative Order 11.702, Code of Conduct for Non-Judicial Employees was amended to prohibit discrimination based on "gender identity and expression."

 

DANIEL S. HALL SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARDS
 

PBCHRC is now taking applications for the 2017 Daniel S. Hall Social Justice Awards. The scholarships will be awarded to Palm Beach County high school seniors who have demonstrated an interest in advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Applications must be received by midnight April 7, 2017. To apply, please click here.

PBCHRC'S 2017 WINTER FÊTE 

This year's Winter Fête was an incredible success. On January 14, more than 200 PBCHRC supporters partied throughout the night at the home of Mason Phelps and Ron Neal in Wellington. Thanks go out to Mason and Ron for their hospitality, as well as to Bruce Langmaid and Chuck Poole, who hosted the pre-party honoring the Winter Fête underwriters.

As a result of generous underwriting, every dollar raised from ticket sales will be used to fund PBCHRC initiatives. Thanks go to underwriters Lee Bell and Fotios Pantazis, County Commissioner Mary Lou Berger, State Rep. Lori Berman,  David Chin and Thomas Hayden, James Berwind and Kevin Clark, David Cohen and Paul Bernabeo, Christopher Caneles and Stephen Nesbitt, Tom Corrigan and Craig Mitchell, Arlen Dominek & A. J. Young, Bill Eberhardt, former Congressman Mark Foley and Ryan Ruark, Charlie Fredrickson, the Gay Polo League, Michael Grattendick and Chip Freeman, Howard Grossman, M.D., Dan Hall, West Palm Beach City Commissioner Keith James, Michael Kagdis, County Commissioner Dave Kerner, Wood Kinnard and Alberto Arias, Sid Lesowitz and Peter Rogers, Lou Marotta and Mike Fullwood, David Miller and Ray Wakefield, George J. Palladino and Jerrold St. George, Phelps Media Group, Mason Phelps and Ron Neal, Joseph Pubillones Interiors, State Sen. Kevin Rader, Rooster's, West Palm Beach City Commissioner Paula Ryan, Trent Steele and Wayne Lewis, J.P. Sasser, Stephen Mooney and Scott Velozo, Don Todorich, Donald Watren and Tony Jaggi, and Fred Zrinscak.

Since 1988, 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 - and we will keep you posted on our progress!

Judge Rand Hoch (retired),
President and Founder

Boynton Beach outlaws 'conversion therapy' on minors

By Brooke Baitinger, South Florida Sun Sentinel
January 4, 2017

LGBT youngsters living in Boynton Beach are free to be themselves and love who they want to love without worrying about medical efforts to change them.

The city on Tuesday became the latest municipality in South Florida to outlaw "conversion therapy," a method aimed at converting a person's gender identity or sexual orientation.

The Boynton Beach Commission gave initial approval toan ordinance banning licensed professionals from trying to convert the gender identity or sexual orientation of LGBT youth. Violators can be fined $500 or sued by the city, according to language in the ordinance.
Commissioner Justin Katz voiced his support for the ban Tuesday.

"It's just an absurd idea that in 2016 - going on 2017 now - that people could believe that you could change someone's sexuality through chastising them and berating them and making them hate themselves," he said. "I'm happy that this ordinance has been trickling its way down Palm Beach County, and we're able to solidify that we are protecting children regardless of their sexual orientation."

The ban will apply only to state-licensed therapists. To ensure its constitutionality, the law still allows unlicensed professionals, such as religious leaders, to engage in conversion therapy, the city said.

The proposal was drafted by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Coalition, according to president and founder Rand Hoch.

Hoch began pushing legislation banning conversion therapy when he received phone calls from kids who said their parents were forcing them into therapy that was making them feel worthless, he said.

"At age 12 or 13, they had trained professionals who were telling them they would never fall in love, have a family, that they were basically worthless human beings," he said.

Last month, the Lake Worth City Commission voted unanimously to ban the practice. Other cities that enacted bans include Miami, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands and Wilton Manors. The Key West City Commission were scheduled to vote on it Wednesday evening.

At Tuesday's Boynton commission meeting, several residents urged commissioners to enact the ban. Arlene Torgan, 84, told the story of her son.

"We didn't know he was gay at the time, because like every child that age, he was afraid to tell mommy and daddy because he thought there was something wrong with him," she said. "We found out when he was 34, when he met his partner who is now his husband."

Torgan said she has encountered numerous people, many of them in their 60s, who had never told their parents they were gay because they were afraid.

The Palm Beach County Human Rights Coalition hopes county government will adopt the ordinance, too, making it effective countywide. Hoch said he was encouraged to hear Boynton residents' support for the measure Tuesday.

"To hear people react that way is very encouraging and moving, and it means people get it," he said. "It's about protecting children."

The Boynton Commission will vote on the ordinance a second and final time at the Jan. 17 meeting.

A Year in Review: LGBT Rights in Palm Beach County

 

By Tucker Berardi, South Florida Gay News January 4, 2017
http://southfloridagaynews.com/Local/a-year-in-review-lgbt-rights-in-palm-beach-county.html

A lot has happened in the past year for LGBT rights in Palm Beach County, from memorial events to new legislations offering protections for LGBT youth and individuals.

Organizations such as Compass, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and more have worked throughout the year with local politicians to establish new policies and practices to further the LGBT community.

“Palm Beach County is the largest county east of the Mississippi River, the third most populous county in the State of Florida, and home to the largest gay and lesbian community center of the southeast United States,” reads the Compass website. “Thanks to the hard work of the of passionate individuals, dedicated organizations and responsible public officials, Palm Beach County maintains inclusive school policies and protections for gay youth in the county.”

“This year has been a busy year for PBCHRC,” Rand Hoch, president and founder of PBCHRC told SFGN. “Some of our work involved new initiatives, some involved following up with previous legislative accomplishments that need to be refined for a variety of reasons, some involved reaction to situations as they came up.”

Discrimination was cut down in Lake Worth as several laws and policies were amended to expand discrimination protection to LGBT individuals in the city.

According to Hoch, this year’s amendments ensured that “the city’s Fair Housing Act would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.”

The amendments were also enacted so that “the city’s Merit Services policy would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression and [so that] the city’s Procurement Code would ensure equal opportunity based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,” Hoch wrote.

Conversion therapy has also been a hot topic throughout the year, with South Florida cities such as West Palm Beach, Wilton Manors, Miami, and most recently Lake Worth banning the practice. PBCHRC hopes to continue this trend in 2017, even aiming for a county wide ban for Palm Beach.

“[We will also] encourage additional municipalities to enact bans,” Hoch wrote. “[We will] encourage the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to enact a county wide ban on conversion therapy for minors.”

In terms of banning conversion therapy in surrounding cities, PBCHRC Board Member W. Trent Steele told SFGN that, “if past experience has been any indication, I’m hoping this vote will be even easier [in other cities] than what the PBCHRC has pushed in the past.”  

Besides conversion therapy this year also saw the election of two more openly-LGBT candidates: Myra Koutzen as Mayor of Palm Beach County and Tonya Davis Johnson elected to the Riviera Beach City Council.

Compass hosted the largest portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on World AIDS Day. With 126 squares, the display was an opportunity to see a number of lives and families who have been touched by HIV and AIDS.

“It is a memorial. It’s a user-generated memorial where they put their love and memories into this quilt,” Tony Plakas, Executive Director of Compass told SFGN. “We always try to find a way that the AIDS memorial quilt gets the respect it deserves.”

In terms of the upcoming year, Hoch said that PBCHRC and surrounding organizations will take each day as it comes, fighting for more LGBT protections and ensuring that LGBT rights are not compromised in the upcoming political atmosphere.

“Since the LGBTQ community cannot expect much progress on the national level and, for that matter, on the state level, we must focus our attention at the county at municipal levels,” Hoch told the Miami New Times in late November. “Ultimately, Washington D.C. will see what is happening on the local level on civil rights and perhaps finally get around to enacting legislation.”

PBCHRC will endeavor to get the Chief Judge of Florida's 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County to budget sufficient funding to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in mandatory diversity training for judges and court personnel.

As 2016 wraps up, courses of action for more pro-LGBT legislation are in the works for next year.

“In 2017, PBCHRC will continue our efforts in Palm Beach County to encourage all public employers within Palm Beach County to adopt policies which specifically prohibit discrimination based on ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity and expression,’” Hoch wrote.

Lake Worth Moves Forward on Conversion Therapy Ban

December 13, 2016

At this evening's meeting, the Lake Worth City Commission unanimously voted to prohibit licensed mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy on minors within city limits.

Vice Mayor Pro Tem Andy Amoroso, Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell,
 Mayor Pam Triolo, Commissioner Ryan Maier and Christopher McVoy

Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, or sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), encompasses a range of discredited counseling practices by which health care providers or counselors seek to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression through aversion treatment.

The action was taken at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), the county's most effective civil rights organization. Over the past 28 years, the independent non-profit organization has succeeded in having local public officials enact more than 110 laws and policies providing equal rights, benefits and protection for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ)  community.

Attorney W. Trent Steele, a longtime member of the PBCHRC Board of Directors, focused on the need to protect children from practitioners of conversion therapy.

"Conversion therapy is usually forced on minors by parents who find it impossible to accept the fact that their children identify as gay or lesbian," said  Steele. "This so-called 'treatment' is extremely harmful."

PBCHRC is partnering with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Both organizations have been successful in their efforts to protect minors from being subjected to the harms caused by conversion therapy.

"Conversion therapy is an extremely dangerous and fraudulent practice that claims to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity," said Scott McCoy, senior policy counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center. "This bogus practice is premised on the lie that LGBTQ individuals have a 'condition' that needs to be cured. This evening, the West Palm Beach city commission took a step in the right direction by approving this ordinance to ban this harmful practice on minors. The commission has sent a message to LGBTQ youth: 'You are perfect the way you are and do not need to be 'fixed.'"

According to Dr. Rachel Needle, a licensed psychologist who practices in West Palm Beach, the practice of conversion therapy is based on two false premises.

"First, it is based on the falsehood that being gay, lesbian or transgender is a mental disorder or defect that needs to be cured, " said Needle.  "And secondly, it is based on the presumption that being LGBTQ is something that can actually be changed through therapy."

Needle, who is also an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University, noted that the potential risks of conversion therapy on children include shame, guilt, depression, decreased self-esteem, increased self-hatred, feelings of anger and betrayal, loss of friends, social withdrawal, problems in sexual and emotional intimacy, hostility and blame towards parents, high risk behaviors, confusion, self-harm, substance abuse and suicidal ideation.

"Any ethical mental health practitioner should not attempt to cure or repair gender identity or sexual orientation through these scientifically invalid techniques," Needle stated.  "Attempting to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity can have a devastating impact on a minor."

Lake Worth Vice Mayor Pro Tem Andy Amoroso, who is openly gay, brought the ordinance forward.

"There is nothing wrong with being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, so there is nothing that needs to be fixed through this so-called therapeutic treatment," said Amoroso. "For decades, studies have shown that this is harmful to LGBT kids, and we are not going to permit that to happen in our city."

"The discredited practice of conversion therapy has long been rejected by virtually all of our nation's mainstream medical and mental health organizations," said PBCHRC President and Founder Rand Hoch. "Instilling self-hatred in children is not therapy"

Nearly every major medical and psychological association in the country has come out in opposition to conversion therapy. These include the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American College of Physicians, the American Counseling Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American School Health Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, the Pan American Health Organization, the Regional Office of the World Health Organization and the World Psychiatric Association.

"The American Psychological Association has linked conversion therapy to depression, substance abuse and even suicide, and these risks are particularly acute for youth," said Carolyn Reyes, Youth Policy Counsel and Coordinator of NCLR's BornPerfect Campaign to end conversion therapy  "We applaud the efforts by the Commission to ensure that the children of West Palm Beach County are protected from these harms, and that their families aren't duped by trusted professionals to whom they turn for support during a vulnerable time."

In addition, conversion therapy has been soundly rejected by the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Education Association and the School Social Work Association of America.

Last May, the Southern Poverty Law Center published a comprehensive report entitled " Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality." (www.splcenter.org/20160525/quacks-conversion-therapists-anti-lgbt-right-and-demonization-homosexuality).

Across the nation, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Cincinnati, Seattle and Pittsburgh have already enacted laws to prevent licensed mental health providers from offering conversion therapy to minors.

In Florida, West Palm Beach, Miami, Wilton Manors, Miami Beach,  Bay Harbor Islands and North Bay Village have enacted conversion therapy bans.

The Lake Worth ban on conversion therapy - and all of the similar bans enacted to date - applies only to state-licensed therapists. Unlicensed therapists, such as those associated with faith-based groups, retain their religious freedom to engage in such work. Additionally, adults remain free to seek out conversion therapy.  

Although there have been several court challenges to the constitutionality of banning conversion therapy, all have failed. On three occasions, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear challenges to the constitutionality laws banning conversion therapy for minors.

U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act to empower the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on conversion therapy. Specifically, the law would make sexual orientation change efforts illegal under the Federal Trade Commission Act, and classify advertising these services or providing them in exchange for monetary compensation as fraudulent, unfair, and deceptive. The bill would also explicitly clarify that the Federal Trade Commission has the duty to enforce this provision and would further provide state attorneys general the authority to enforce it in federal court.

In addition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Human Rights Campaign (a Washington, DC-based LGBTQ rights organization which is not affiliated with PBCHRC) filed a federal consumer fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission seeking to ban conversion therapy nationwide.

During the 2016  legislative session, State Senator Jeff Clemens (D-Atlantis) introduced a bill to prohibit conversion therapy statewide (S. 258).  However, the Senate refused to take action on the bill. Clemens intends to reintroduce his bill in 2017
 
"While we wait to see if Florida's legislative leaders will even schedule a hearing on Senator Clemens' bill, the City of Lake Worth will take action now to protect LGBT youth," said Amoroso.

Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance Endorsements - 2017

The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance endorses candidates who support LGBT initiatives and privacy rights. Endorsements of candidates are made upon consideration of:

• How a candidate has voted on LGBT issues
• How a candidate has supported the Palm Beach County LGBT Community 

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The following candidates have been endorsed by The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance in their campaigns for election or re-election in 2017:

Boca Raton Mayor - Susan Haynie

Boynton Beach City Commission (Dist. 2) - Mack McCray
Boynton Beach City Commission (Dist. 4) - Joe Casello

Greenacres Mayor - Jonathan Pearce
Greenacres City Council (Dist. 1) - Lisa Rivera
Greenacres City Council (Dist. 5) - Paula Bousquet
 
Lake Worth City Commission (Dist. 2) - Christopher McVoy

Palm Beach Town Council - Danielle Hickox Moore 

West Palm Beach City Commission (Dist. 2) -  Cory Neering 
West Palm Beach City Commission (Dist. 4) -  Keith James  

 __________________

The following candidates who have been endorsed by The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance were elected (or re-elected) to hold office in 2016:

U.S. Congressman - Ted Deutch
U.S. Congresswoman- Lois Frankel
U.S. Congressman - Alcee Hastings

State Senator - Jeff Clemens
State Senator - Bobby Powell
State Senator - Kevin Rader 

State Representative - Joseph Abruzzo
State Representative - Lori Berman
State Representative - Bill Hager
State Representative - Al Jacquet
State Representative - David Silvers
State Representative - Matt Willhite

County Commissioner - Mack Bernard
County Commissioner - Mary Lou Berger
County Commissioner - Dave Kerner
County Commissioner - Hal Valeche

Clerk of the Circuit Court - Sharon Bock
Property Appraiser -  Dorothy Jacks
Public Defender - Carey Haughwout
Sheriff - Ric Bradshaw
State Attorney - Dave Aronberg
Supervisor of Elections - Susan Bucher
Tax Collector - Anne Gannon

School Board Member - Frank Barbieri
School Board Member - Barbara McQuinn
School Board Member - Chuck Shaw

Port Commissioner - Jean Enright
Port Commissioner - Wayne Richards
Port Commissioner - Katherine Waldron

Circuit Court Judge - Dina Keever
County Court Judge - Marni Bryson

Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation Board Member - Pat Edmonson
Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation Board Member - Rob Long

Boynton Beach Mayor Steven B. Grant

Lake Worth Mayor - Pam Triolo
Lake Worth City Commissioner - Scott Maxwell
Lake Worth City Commissioner - Andy Amoroso

Rivera Beach City Councilwoman - Tonya Davis Johnson

Wellington Village Councilman - John McGovern
Wellington Village Councilman - Michael Napoleone

West Palm Beach City Commissioner - Sylvia Moffett
West Palm Beach City Commissioner - Paula Ryan
West Palm Beach City Commissioner - Shanon Materio