The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington,D.C.,the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals,including advocating for same-sex marriage,anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation,and HIV/AIDS advocacy. The organization has a number of legislative initiatives as well as supporting resources for LGBTQ individuals.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund,commonly shortened to Victory Fund,is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ public officials in the United States. Victory Fund is the largest LGBTQ+ political action committee in the United States and one of the nation's largest non-connected PACs.
Florida's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. It was reassigned in 2012,effective January 3,2013,from the Gulf Coast to inland Central Florida. Before 2017,the district included parts of western Orange County,most of Lake County,as well as a northern section of Polk County. The current district is entirely within Orange County,and covers most of its western portion. It is situated along the Interstate 4 corridor. It includes most of the western half of Orlando. Other cities and towns wholly or partly within the district include Apopka,Belle Isle,Beulah,Eatonville,Harlem Heights,Ocoee,Oak Ridge,Orlo Vista,Winter Garden,and Windermere. In 2020,the district was expanded further north and south to include most of Orlando east of Interstate 4,the Baldwin Park area,Orlando Executive Airport,Winter Park,that portion of Maitland within Orange County,the Azaela Park,Goldenrod,Rio Pinar and Alafaya/Waterford Lakes areas,and continuing east to the University of Central Florida,Naval Support Activity Orlando,the Central Florida Research Park,and the Lake Pickett,Bithlo and Wedgefield areas. Even with this expansion,the 10th remains a minority majority district.
Richard David Kriseman is an American politician who served as the 53rd Mayor of St. Petersburg from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party,he previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 53rd district from 2006 to 2012.
Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party,who currently serves as a member of the Florida State Senate from the 15th district. She served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 44th District from 2018 to 2022. The district included Windermere,Winter Garden,Gotha,Lake Buena Vista,Oakland,parts of Ocoee,and the Dr. Phillips,Horizon West,and Williamsburg communities in Southwest Orange County,FL. The district contains Walt Disney World,Universal Studios Florida,SeaWorld,International Drive,and the Orange County Convention Center.
Scott Allen Randolph is a Democratic politician who has served as the Orange County Tax Collector since 2013. Prior to his election as Tax Collector,he served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 36th District from 2006 to 2012.
Thad Altman is a Republican politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing parts of the Melbourne area in central Brevard County since 2016. Previously,he represented a similar area in the House from 2003 to 2008,and served in the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016.
Perry Eugene Thurston Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2022. He represented the 33rd district,which includes Lauderhill,Lauderdale Lakes,North Lauderdale,Margate,Oakland Park,and surrounding areas in Broward County. He previously served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives,representing the Fort Lauderdale area from 2006 to 2014,and was the House minority leader in his final term. Thurston was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General of Florida in 2014.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections,but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26,2003,although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6,2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment,housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition,several cities and counties,comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population,have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville,Miami,Tampa,Orlando,St. Petersburg,Tallahassee and West Palm Beach,among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state,mainly in Palm Beach County and the Miami metropolitan area. In September 2023,Lake Worth Beach,Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.
The 2014 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 4,2014,to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Florida.
Equality Florida is a political advocacy group that advocates for civil rights and protections for lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) residents of the U.S. state of Florida. Equality Florida consists of two organizations - Equality Florida Institute,Inc.,the 501(c)(3) educational charity and Equality Florida Action,Inc.,the 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. Together with over 300,000 supporters,these organizations form the largest civil rights organization dedicated to Florida's LGBTQ community.
The David Bohnett Foundation is a private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas –primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States,as well as leadership initiatives and voter education,gun violence prevention,and animal language research. As of 2022,the foundation has donated $125 million to nonprofit organizations and initiatives.
Bobby Brainard DuBose is an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 94th District,which includes most of Fort Lauderdale in central Broward County,from 2014 to 2022. DuBose served as minority leader with fellow Broward colleague as Evan Jenne co-leader for the 2020–2022 Legislature. On July 27,2021,DuBose announced his resignation from the Florida House of Representatives,effective January 11,2022.
Rene "Coach P" Plasencia is an American Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives,representing the 50th District from 2016 to 2022. He previously was elected in the 49th District in 2014,in Orange County.
Carlos Guillermo Smith is an American community activist,lobbyist,and politician. A Democrat,he served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from District 49,which covered the University of Central Florida area.
Dean J. Trantalis is an American politician and mayor of Fort Lauderdale,Florida. Before his election as mayor,Trantalis served as a city commissioner for Fort Lauderdale from 2009 to 2017.
Anna Vishkaee Eskamani is an American politician who is the member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 42nd district,encompassing parts of Orlando along with Maitland,Winter Park,Eatonville,Edgewood,and Belle Isle. She is the first Iranian American elected to any public office in Florida. Eskamani is a member of the Democratic Party and supports abortion rights,increased gun control,increasing expenditures on public education,and strengthening environmental regulations.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on November 8,2022,to elect the 28 U.S. representatives from Florida,one from each of the state's 28 congressional districts. The primary was held on August 23,2022. The elections coincided with the 2022 United States Senate election in Florida,other elections to the House of Representatives,other elections to the United States Senate,and various state and local elections.
St. Petersburg,Florida,held an election for mayor on August 24,2021. Incumbent Democratic mayor Rick Kriseman was term-limited and could not seek a third term in office. Municipal elections in St. Petersburg are officially nonpartisan. All candidates appeared on the same primary ballot,and because no candidate garnered at least 50% of the vote,the top two vote-getters advanced to a runoff election on November 2,2021. Former Pinellas County commissioner Ken Welch easily defeated city councillor Robert Blackmon in the runoff and became the first black mayor of St. Petersburg.
The Parental Rights in Education Act,commonly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" law,is a Florida state law passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The law is most notable for its controversial sections which prohibit public schools from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through third grade or in any manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades;prohibits public schools from adopting procedures or student support forms that maintain the confidentiality of a disclosure by a student,including of the gender identity or sexual orientation of a student,from parents;and requires public schools to bear all the costs of all lawsuits filed by aggrieved parents.
