A World AIDS Day message from SAVE:
Today, December 1, 2008, is World AIDS Day -- a day for us to be especially conscious both of the continuing cost AIDS has on our world ... and the continuing need for a cure. World AIDS Day is the annual day of remembrance for all those who have passed from this grave disease and for those who are still alive, but sick and suffering.
Today is also the 10th Anniversary of the passage of the Human Rights Ordinance in Miami Dade County, a result of a tremendous grassroots campaign led by SAVE in 1998. Passage of the Human Rights Ordinance prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in our county in the areas of employment, housing, finance and public accommodations.
It was also especially significant as a symbol of hope to the whole movement for equality. Twenty-one years earlier, in 1977, a similar ordinance was passed in our county, but was repealed months later in bitter and divisive referendum. Beauty queen and orange juice spokesperson Anita Bryant launched her Save our Children anti-gay crusade to repeal the ordinance in 1977, and then took her show on the road, attacking LGBT people across the country with anti-gay referendums.
While we at SAVE were disappointed by the passage of discriminatory amendments in Florida, California, Arizona and Arkansas on November 4, it is important to recognize that there are temporary set backs in the history of every civil rights movement. Today, the anniversary of the Human Rights Ordinance is a good time to take note of all the progress that has been made over the past 10 years.
In 2001, SAVE successfully defended in a public referendum vote a new law passed by the City of Miami Beach in favor of domestic partner benefits for city employees.
In 2002, SAVE defeated an attempt to repeal the county's Human Rights Ordinance, winning with 53% of the vote, ending Anita Bryant's 25-year legacy of fear.
In 2004, SAVE successfully lobbied the City of Miami Beach to pass protection for transgender residents from discrimination, and to pass a domestic partner registry.
In 2005, SAVE successfully lobbied the City of Miami Beach to pass an Equal Benefits Ordinance, which requires companies that do business with the City to offer domestic partner benefits to their employees.
In 2006, the North Miami city commission started providing domestic partner benefits for its city employees.
In 2007, the North Miami city commission passed a procurement ordinance which requires large companies doing business with the City to provide domestic partner benefits to their empolyees.
In late 2007, SAVE successfully lobbied for the inclusion of gender identity and expression in the proposed anti-discrimination portion of a proposed Citizens' Bill of Rights for the City of Miami, which also included sexual orientation. SAVE then successfully campaigned for passage of the Bill of Rights, which passed with an amazing 80% of the vote in a January 29, 2008 referendum.
Then, in May 2008, after years of lobbying and grassroots work by SAVE, the Miami-Dade County Commission passed a county-wide domestic partner registry and domestic partner benefits for county employees by an 8 to 4 vote.
Much has been accomplished, yet there is much work to be done to reach true equality for all under the law in Miami-Dade and the rest of Florida. There are many municipalities in Miami-Dade that do not yet have an anti-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, and which do not yet offer domestic partner benefits for their employees.
Florida 's ban on adoptions by lesbians and gays has been called into question by the courts, but still remains on the books. And Amendment 2 presents a major obstacle that will take years of hard work to overcome before we can achieve equality for same-sex relationships in Florida.
But today, on this 10th anniversary of a major success, let us draw hope from the past, and redouble our commitment to the future.
To honor those that have come before us in similar struggles, SAVE is asking that you give of your time, talent and/or treasure. For more information on how to get involved go to savedade.org of call us at (305) 751-7283
Yours in service,
SAVE Inc.
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