Why Rally in Tally

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• Overview of LGBT bills for 2009
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• Adoption
• In 1977 the Florida legislature passed a blanket
  ban on gay and lesbian adoption.
  
• Floridas law says, No person eligible to adopt
  under this statue may adopt if that person is a
  homosexual. This is the only such law in the
  country. Other states say only married couples
  can adopt but Florida is the only state that says
  no homosexual may adopt.
• Florida allows gay people to be foster parents
  but not adoptive parents.
  
• Approximately 3,000 kids are in Florida state
  care waiting to be adopted.
  
• All major psychological, child welfare and legal
  associations support same-sex parenting.
  Including the American Psychological Association,
  the Child Welfare League and the National
  Association of Social Workers.
• Recently, a judge in Miami-Dade a judge ruled the
  ban on gay and lesbian adoption is
  unconstitutional.
  
• Sen. Rich and Rep. Brandenburg have introduced
  legislation to allow gay and lesbian people to
  adopt.
  

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• Overview of LGBT bills for 2009
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• Civil Rights
• Florida has civil rights laws to protect
  minorities from employment and housing
  discrimination. These are known as Chapter 760 of
  the Florida Statues.
• Currently, Ch. 760 does not include sexual
  orientation or gender identity. This means LGBT
  people can be fired or denied a job denied
  housing or access to public accommodations,
  simply because they are LGBT.
• There have been many cases of this type of
  discrimination. One famous case is with Susan
  Stanton, the city manager of Largo Florida.
  
• Many other states and nearly a dozen places in
  Florida offer protections for LGBT citizens. It
  is time for the state of Florida to catch up.
  
• Rep. Skidmore is introducing a bill that would
  prohibit discrimination in employment, housing
  and public accommodations based on sexual
  orientation and gender identity

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• Overview of LGBT bills for 2009
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• Domestic Partnerships
• Statewide there are no protections for unmarried
  couples, no matter how long they have been
  together.
  
• 11 states and the District of Columbia have some
  sort of recognition for same-sex couples or
  unmarried couples. Several places in Florida,
  like Miami-Dade, Sarasota and Orlando, offer some
  domestic partnership benefits.
• A recent poll done shows 77 of Floridians
  believe in some recognition for unmarried
  couples.
  
• Sen. Sobel is introducing a bill that would allow
  unmarried couples, both gay and straight, to have
  domestic partnerships in Florida.
  

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• Overview of LGBT bills for 2009
•  Hate Crimes
• Currently Floridas hate crimes law includes
  race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion,
  sexual orientation, national origin, mental or
  physical disability, or advanced age of the
  victim.
• The statue does not protect people based on
  gender, gender identity or homeless status.
  
• 27 states currently protect citizens based on
  gender, 12 on gender identity and 3 on homeless
  status.
  
• The number of hate crimes directed toward LGBT
  people has increased in recent years, from
  2006-2007 there was a 24 increase in these hate
  crimes.
• Public support is behind making this addition to
  the statue, according to a Dec. 4, 2008
  Sun-Sentinel article, 63 of Americans support
  extending hate crime protections to include LGBT
  people.
• There have been several high profile cases in
  Florida, like Simmie Williams.
  

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• RALLY
• IN TALLY!