CLARIFICATION FROM GOV. CHARLIE CRIST ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN

August 29, 2010

Within hours of yesterday's e-mail blast by PBCHRC on comments made by Florida Governor Charlie Crist on CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley on Sunday, August 29, 2010, we received the following e-mail from Danny Kanner, the Crist campaign press secretary:

Below is a statement from Governor Crist regarding emails and statements that have been circulating today. Please feel free to contact the campaign for further questions.

Thank you,

Danny Kanner
Press Secretary
Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate


"In an interview that aired today, I was not discussing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage, which I do not support, but rather reaffirming my position regarding Florida's constitutional ban that I articulated while running for Governor. In fact, the interviewer's question reflected just that. I am fully supportive of civil unions and will continue to be as a United States Senator, but believe marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman."

__________________________________________________

A transcript of the questions asked by CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry and the answers given by Florida Governor Charlie Crist on CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley on Sunday, August 29, 2010 is set forth below:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1008/29/sotu.01.html

HENRY: Another big issue, same-sex marriage. Many conservatives like Marco Rubio support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. But this week, the former Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman came out and said he's gay and he called on conservatives to kind of move to the political center and be more tolerant on this issue. You have previously said in your gubernatorial campaign, you supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Now that you're trying to occupy the political center, are you still in favor of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage?

CRIST: I feel the same way, yes, because I feel that marriage is a sacred institution, if you will.But I do believe in tolerance. I'm a live and let live kind of guy, and while I feel that way about marriage, I think if partners want to have the opportunity to live together, I don't have a problem with that.

And I think that's where most of America is. So I think that you know, you have to speak from the heart about these issues. They are very personal. They have a significant impact on an awful lot of people and the less the government is telling people what to do, the better off we're all going to be. But when it comes to marriage, I think it is a sacred institution. I believe it is between a man and woman, but partners living together, I don't have a problem with.

HENRY: But governor, doesn't it sounds like you having it both ways by saying live and let live, but I also support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. If it's live and let live, why would you ban same-sex marriage?

CRIST: Well, everything is in a matter of degree, Ed, and when it becomes to the institution of marriage, I believe that it is between a man and a woman, it's just how I feel.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1008/29/sotu.01.html

CHARLIE CRIST TELLS CNN THAT HE SUPPORTS AMENDING THE US CONSTITUTION TO PROHIBIT SAME-SEX MARRIAGES

CNN: STATE OF THE UNION
Crist supports gay marriage ban
August 29, 2010


Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), two of Florida's three Senate hopefuls sat down for separate interviews on the CNN's State of the Union show, which was aired earlier today.

Crist said that he favors a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

"When it comes to marriage, I think it is a sacred institution, I believe it is between a man and a woman," Crist said, "but partners living together, you know, I don't have a problem with it."

"It's just how I feel," he added.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/29/crist-looks-for-middle-ground-between-two-opponents/?iref=allsearch

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/08/beck-no-beck-palin-2012-ticket.html

Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance Endorsements (as of 8/4/10)

U.S. Senator, Jeff Greene (D)

U.S. Congressman, District 16 - Ed Tautiva (D)
U.S. Congressman, District 19 - Ted Deutch (D)
U.S. Congressman, District 22 - Ron Klein (D)
U.S. Congressman, District 23 - Alcee Hastings (D)

Governor - Alex Sink (D)

Attorney General - Co-Endorsement
Dave Aronberg (D) and Dan Gelber (D)

Chief Financial Officer - Jeff Atwater (R)

Commissioner of Agriculture - Scott Maddox (D)

State Senator, District 25 - Ellyn Bogdanoff (R) - Primary Only
State Senator, District 27 - Sharon Merchant (R) - Primary Only
State Senator, District 27 - Kevin Rader (D) - Primary Only

State Representative, District 83 - Mark Marciano (D)
State Representative, District 84 - Mack Bernard (D)
State Representative, District 85 - Joseph Abruzzo (D)
State Representative, District 86 - Carole Kaye (D)
State Representative, District 88 - Mark S. Pafford (D)
State Representative, District 89 - Jeff Clemens (D)
State Representative, District 90 - Irving "Irv" Slosberg (D)

County Commissioner, District 2 - Paulette Burdick (D)
County Commissioner, District 6 - Michael E. Jackson (D)
County Commissioner, District 7 - Priscilla Taylor (D)

Port of Palm Beach Commission, Group 4 - Blair Ciklin (D)

School Board Member, District 3 - Co-Endorsement
William G. "Bill" Graham and Tom Whatley

School Board Member, District 4 - Co-Endorsement
Jennifer Prior Brown and John E. McGovern

School Board Member, District 6 - Marcia Andrews

School Board Member, District 7 - Debra L. Robinson

Circuit Court Judge, Group 33 - Lisa Small

County Court Judge, Group 7 - Marni A. Bryson

VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON PROHIBITS GLBT DISCRIMINATION

OUT IN AMERICA
June 30, 2010

(Wellington, Florida) The Village of Wellington (pop. 55,584) has amended its Equal Employment Opportunity policy to prohibit discrimination based on both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression" in Village employment. The policy covers the Village's 258 employees.

The action was taken following a request from the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local non-profit organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

"People should not be fired, harassed, or denied promotion simply because they are gay or lesbian, or because they don't fit the stereotypes for masculinity or femininity," said Council President Rand Hoch.

Last spring, Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington played host to the world's first international gay polo league tournament, which was presented by the Gay Polo League.

"The Gay Polo League's selection of Wellington encouraged the Council to ask the Village to adopt a more inclusive Equal Employment Opportunity policy and to provide family benefits to employees with domestic partners," said Hoch. "Wellington's equestrian community came out in support of the tournament - and in support of our requests."

As a result, Wellington's revised Equal Employment Opportunity Policy now provides, "Wellington's employment practices are without regard to race, color, creed. religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, age, marital status, familial status, veteran's status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law in all personnel and employment actions and in all terms and conditions of employment."

"The workplace is an ever changing environment and it our goal to do the right thing by all of the people who work for Wellington," said Village Manager Paul Schofield. "These changes are a simple recognition that the only thing that should matter in the work place is how well you do your job."

Wellington is also considering offering health insurance coverage and other family benefits to Village employees with domestic partners, according Schofield.

"In Florida, no place is more welcoming to gay employees than Palm Beach County. More than sixty percent of Palm Beach County's cities, towns and villages now have gay- inclusive nondiscrimination policies," said Hoch. "In addition, two openly gay men and one lesbian currently serve as mayors of Palm Beach County municipalities, and the city manager of another city is transsexual."

Openly gay candidates finding success in South Florida

by Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel


As a young woman, Betty James never imagined gays and lesbians exercising political clout. Seeing openly gay men and women elected to office seemed even more far-fetched.

Now, at age 82, James is living proof of a dramatic change in American attitudes. An out-of-the-closet lesbian, James is the mayor of Cloud Lake in Palm Beach County.

How much have things changed since James started voting almost six decades ago? Cloud Lake, population 170, where James lives with her partner, is the kind of place where pretty much everyone knows her story.

“It didn’t hurt my candidacy at all,” she said. In the 2008 election, she won 82.5 percent of the vote.

James is among an estimated 20 to 25 openly gay and lesbian elected officials in Florida, all at the local and county level. Getting a count that high means casting a wide net, including an openly gay commissioner of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District.

Gay activists and political analysts think their ranks could swell with this year’s elections. By the time candidates finished qualifying for office Friday, there were openly gay candidates in South Florida running for the state House, state Senate and Congress. There’s also a transgender congressional candidate.

“By Florida standards, there’s been an explosion of gay candidates and activity and openly gay elected officials,” said Eric Johnson, who was chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton.

Johnson, now a political consultant in Fort Lauderdale and Washington, D.C., said Florida could elect its first openly gay state legislator or member of Congress this year.

“The likelihood of adding gay elected officials in 2010 is quite high. It seems to me that we’ve turned a little corner in Florida as it relates to openly gay candidates seeking office and being seen as legitimate candidates,” he said.

It’s part of a broader change, said Hastings Wyman, who founded the newsletter Southern Political Report more than three decades ago.

“It’s been dramatic,” Wyman said. “The whole region has become much more accepting. Virtually every southern state now has one or more openly gay elected officials. I think Mississippi is the only holdout. When I first started writing, the only gay official in the South was the mayor of Key West.”

On Sunday, several of South Florida’s openly gay elected officials – and even more candidates – are planning to rally supporters in the gay community by marching in the annual Stonewall Street Festival gay pride parade. It’s held in Wilton Manors, where a majority of the City Commission is openly gay.

Among them is Donna Milo, one of three Republicans seeking her party’s nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston. Milo is transgender. She was raised as a male and is now a woman.

“It’s an element of my life. It doesn’t define my values, my goals, my political ambitions, my conservative positions. It’s simply an element of my life and doesn’t define who I am,” Milo said.
Benjamin Lewis, president of the gay political group Sunshine Republicans, said Milo has been changing attitudes on the campaign trail.

He said he’s been to events at which people initially judge Milo unfavorably because she’s transgender. After hearing her speak, “people are standing back and saying, ‘Wow, this woman knows what she’s talking about.’”

Also marching in the parade is Broward’s highest-ranking openly gay elected official, County Commissioner Ken Keechl, who is currently serving his turn as county mayor and running for re-election.

A measure of the significance of the gay community’s political clout: Keechl’s challenger, former Broward Republican Chairman Chip LaMarca, is among the straight political candidates planning to march in the parade. Other straight participants include Republican Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink.

One reason they feel comfortable marching in a gay pride parade is candidates have more to gain by appealing to gay and lesbian voters, than they fear losing by alienating straight voters who are hostile to gays. Rand Hoch, who helped found the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council in 1988, said there’s been a big change in the last 22 years.

“Back then, we had people who were running for office who didn’t want to be seen talking to us. We had people who said, ‘I want your support but I don’t want it publicly,’” he said. Now, he said, people seek out council leaders to find out when they’ll conduct endorsement interviews.
Still, there are limits for openly gay candidates. Florida has never elected an openly gay state senator or state representative.

One big reason, Wyman said, is the shape of legislative districts. “It has a lot to do with whether or not there legislative districts that are drawn so that they include a large gay community within a larger liberal electorate. If you’ve got one of those and you’ve got an open seat, then I think a gay candidate stands a good chance. If you don’t, I think it’s much less likely.”

Wyman said hurdles remain high, “especially in the South. I think people are far less anti-gay than they used to be, but the prejudice is still there.”

Still, each said it’s important to have openly gay officials helping make decisions.

Resnick just finished a year as president of the Broward League of Cities, where he brought forward resolutions that put the group representing the county’s municipal governments on record in support of overturning Florida’s ban on gay men and lesbians adopting children and adding sexual orientation to the state law banning discrimination in employment.

“I was in a position to get Broward County’s cities on board with supporting changes in legislation that have been discriminatory for years,” he said. “I don’t think it would have been on anybody’s radar.”

Successful candidates – James, Keechl and Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick – said they didn’t run as gay activists. Instead, they emphasized issues important to all constituents, because gay-related issues aren’t the most important aspect of their jobs.

Resnick has been in elected office since 1998, when he joined the the Wilton Manors commission. Since then, he said, “it’s more and more becoming a non-issue.”

Jack Majeske, former president of the Broward Log Cabin Republicans gay political group, said that’s an especially common view among voters in their 40s and younger. Many simply don’t care if a candidate is gay. And as older voters who do care pass away, he said, the voters who see it as a non-issue will grow into a majority.

“It’s a non-issue with young people,” Majeske said. “The older, die-hard group, they’ll all die out.”

Congressman Ron Klein's Letter on the Vote to Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell

May 28, 2010


Dear Rand,

As you may know, the House of Representatives voted last night to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which has banned gay service members from serving in the military. On this historic day, I wanted to share with you some thoughts about why I voted to repeal the ban.

After September 11th, a dangerous strain threatened the readiness of the members of our armed forces. Serving more tours for longer periods of time puts stress on the war fighter and the families of military personnel. At the same time, in the past five years, the military has discharged almost 800 mission-critical troops, notably Arabic and Farsi linguists needed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Allowing gay people to serve in the military would help alleviate this strain by making more people eligible to serve. Choosing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy over our military readiness harms our national security and the safety of our men and women in battle.

The argument supporting the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was underscored earlier this year by Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "...it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."

As you may know, the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to set in motion the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" passed tonight with bipartisan support. The amendment calls for the repeal of this policy after the Pentagon completes its Comprehensive Review Working Group on how to implement the repeal. This Review is due December 1, 2010. The amendment also requires a certification by the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and President that repeal is consistent with military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting.

As our country experiences economic challenges, and the government deficit has become dangerously high, the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy costs the government precious resources. After receiving extensive training from the military, we should not be forcing gay service members to leave the military. Experts believe that banning gay service has cost the U.S. government $1.3 billion since 1980 and that every discharge of gay service member could cost between $10,000 and $37,000.

Finally, and most importantly, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is the right thing to do. It is well past time to abolish discrimination against gay Americans. Anyone who wishes to serve our country deserves to do so; and our country deserves to have a force that is ready and secure.

I am proud to have voted to end this unfair discrimination. Of course, I will keep you updated as we move forward in this process. If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance to you, please call my office at 561-544-6910 or e-mail me through my website: www.klein.house.gov.


Sincerely,

Ron Klein
Member of Congress

US Senator Bill Nelson Commits to Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

(Washington, DC) US Senator Bill Nelson has joined the effort to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), the law that bans gay, lesbian and bisexual service members from serving openly and honestly in the military. Following months of grassroots lobbying, Nelson’s office announced this morning that the Senator plans to vote in favor of a compromise amendment sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin.

Nelson sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is expected to consider, later this week, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during its markup of the fiscal year 2011 Defense Authorization bill.