News & Public Affairs

GOP Hillsborough County Commissioners refuse to sign proclamation honoring GaYbor District in Ybor City

06/23/11 Mitch Perry
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: gaYbor District, Don Barco, Hillsborough County Commissioners, LGBT

Don Barco, the owner of King Carona Cigars in Ybor City and a member of the gaYbor Business District, speaks out about the fact that the 5 Republican Commissioners of Hillsborough County refused to sign a proclamation honoring that business district.

Be the first to comment

Transgender activist says she's been denied chance to talk with St Pete College students listen

04/21/11 Seán Kinane
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: transgender, LGBT, St. Petersburg College, ethics, feminism

Gianna Chao is an advocate and activist for transgender issues and is a transwoman. She and her creative partner, Alexandria Brown, have created web videos under a partnership called Techno Feminist Utopia. They were invited to speak to an applied ethics class at St. Petersburg College, but Chao says they found out the invitation had been rescinded, but not by the professor or the students.

"From what I know, the class is an applied ethics class at St. Petersburg College and they were goi...

2 comments

Youth LGBT author Alex Sanchez headlines USF Gala listen

04/15/11 Kate Bradshaw
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: USF, Lavender Scare, homophobia, homosexuality, LGBT, tolerance

Today marks the fourteenth annual Day of Silence, a day when students of all ages across the country take a vow of silence to draw attention to bullying and hate crimes against people who are gay. Last night more than 100 people gathered at USF to honor activists who promote tolerance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, which still struggles with homophobia. That school’s Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association event highlighted that progress that’s been made in recent decade...

Be the first to comment

It gets Better: A Movement to Stop Bullying and Reduce Teen Suicides

03/28/11 Robert Lorei

Tags: It Gets Better, Dan Savage, LGBT, Terry Miller

You're listening to Radioactivity on WMNF. I'm Rob Lorei. Last summer the nation was rocked by a spate of gay teen suicides: youths who took their own lives because of gay bullying. In September 2010, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. They wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth that, yes, it does indeed get better. The “It Gets Better” project has t...

Be the first to comment

Justice Department will no longer defend Defense of Marriage Act listen

02/23/11 Seán Kinane
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Equality Florida, LGBT, Defense of Marriage Act, gay marriage, marriage equality

The Obama administration announced today it will no longer defend the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The law bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith calls it "an enormous day."

Despite the Department of Justice decision, the White House says President Barack Obama is still "grappling" with his personal views on same-sex marriage.

1 comments

Florida Attorney General candidates Dan Gelber and Pam Bondi debate in Orlando listen

10/19/10 Seán Kinane
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: Dan Gelber, Pam Bondi, 2010 election, attorney general, health care reform, gay adoption, LGBT

In their only TV debate, Attorney General candidates Pam Bondi and Dan Gelber tangled over issues like gay adoption and the new health care law. If elected, Republican Bondi wants to push ahead with a law suit challenging the federal health care reform law.

But Gelber, a Democrat, thinks the lawsuit is frivolous and has no chance of succeeding.

Gelber opposes Florida’s ban on allowing gay couples to adopt, a policy a judge recently found to be unconstitutional.

Bondi says she’ll foll...

Be the first to comment

Appeals court agrees: Florida ban on gay adoptions unconstitutional listen

09/22/10 Seán Kinane
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: LGBT, gay adoption, ACLU

Florida is the only state with an outright ban on adoptions by gay couples. But that policy might be coming to an end because of an appeals court decision today. The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Miami upheld a lower court’s ruling that the law banning adoption is unconstitutional. After the ruling, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who is running without party affiliation for U.S. Senate, says the state stop enforcing the ban.

WMNF spoke with Martin Gill, who along with his male partner,...

Be the first to comment

ACLU reacts to McCollum’s call to forbid gays from being foster parents listen

08/10/10 Seán Kinane
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: LGBT, LGBT rights, gay adoption, Bill McCollum, ACLU

According to several press reports, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum is attempting to back away from his statement that gays should not be allowed to become foster parents in Florida.

Earlier, the Attorney General told the Florida Baptist Witness that gays shouldn’t be foster parents, but many are shocked at that statement.

That includes Shelbi Day, a staff attorney on the LGBT Advocacy Project with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Day also praised t...

Be the first to comment

Pride In Paradise listen

06/28/10 Tom Baur
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: LGBT, GLBT, gay pride festival, St. Petersburg, grand central, kenwood

Pride in Paradise

Thousands of LGBT and their supporters marched behind Grand Marshall St Petersburg city council member Steve Kornell Saturday morning for the 2010 St Pete Pride Street Festival.

"We're here to support gay pride, family, and just the love that everybody should feel no matter who you love. You don't choose that, you just are. Be proud of that."

Pride was on parade in [St Petersburg’s](http://w...

Be the first to comment

St Petersburg Swears in New Mayor and History Making Council Member listen

01/04/10 Tom Baur
Listen to this entire show:

Tags: St Petersburg election, LGBT, government, Baywalk, digital billboards, public safety, St Petersburg College, Rick Baker, Bill Foster, Steve Kornell, Watermark

It was a packed house with standing room only at St Petersburg city hall Saturday January 2nd as newly elected Mayor Bill Foster and council member Steve Kornell were sworn in.

St Petersburg City Council celebrated and congratulated outgoing mayor Rick Baker with awards, the key to the city and high praise. Baker led St. Petersburg for almost 9 years until term limits forced him out of office. Baker...

Be the first to comment