By ERNEST HOOPER, Times Columnist
Published October 28, 2005
This is a column most Hillsborough County commissioners don't want to read.
It's a topic they don't want to hear about, a subject they wish would just go away.
But that ain't happening.
Although much of the rancor about the commission's ban against gay pride displays has died down, it remains on the forefront for many, including the Association for Humanist Sociology. The 29-year-old group of scholars, teachers and social activists is holding its national convention in Tampa this weekend and lending its support to Equality Florida, a gay and lesbian advocacy group.
On Thursday, the Humanists held a press conference proclaiming a "strong condemnation of the mean-spirited, anti-gay resolution that the Hillsborough County Commission approved in June."
The interesting thing is that the association really wanted to move its conference to another city. It came only to honor contractual obligations with businesses like the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk, a strong advocate of diversity.
The Humanists decided the next best step was to come and publicly show support for Equality Florida's buycott, which encourages patronage at businesses and companies that openly respect the gay community.
Several members of the association canvassed various businesses Thursday to spread the word about the buycott.
The commissioners who supported the initial ban are still rolling their eyes and wondering why this issue can't be buried. It would be best if they looked in the mirror and asked that question.
The commission had a chance to ease the pain of its initial decision earlier this month when Commissioner Kathy Castor presented a proposal that would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation for private and public employees.
Instead, Commissioners Ronda Storms, Jim Norman, Ken Hagan, Brian Blair and Mark Sharpe voted to make it more difficult for voters to decide the issue. Now it will take a super majority vote of five commissioners to get such a proposal on any ballot.
The implicit message was "go away," but the exact opposite has occurred. The commission's vote has given new energy to local gay rights advocates.
After the initial vote in June, Tampa had its first gay pride parade in two years. A second gay celebration, Winter Pride, is scheduled in the next few months. And organizers are working on what is likely to be Brandon's first Pride event.
"They know they're wrong, that's why they don't want to talk about it," Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith said Thursday. "They won't enforce the ban because they know they're wrong.
"It's just a matter of time before full protections will be provided. We're just trying to hasten the day we reach that goal."
Smith is hopeful that continued business support will help Equality Florida reach its goal. Although the Humanists decided to come to Tampa, you have to wonder how many other meeting planners are crossing the city off their list because of the commission's vote.
Smith also wants to ensure that equal treatment becomes a campaign issue. Norman and Sharpe will be up for re-election in 2006, while several candidates are vying for seats being vacated by Castor, who is running for Congress, and Tom Scott, who is term limited.
Scott, who voted for the initial ban, will seek a City Council seat in 2007 and may face the biggest challenge when accounting for his decision. City voters are generally more liberal than folks in the county.
Still, keeping gay rights on the front burner is a tall order. Smith has to battle indifference among some non-gays, resignation among some gays and bigotry from those who refuse to join us in the 21st century.
She remains undaunted, however. Fueled not by rage but by duty and honor, Smith said she is simply picking up the baton once carried by civil rights' heroes of the past.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," said Smith, invoking the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Let's review. The ban has energized gay and lesbian advocates and created a potential economic threat to businesses in Hillsborough County. It's also prompted Joe Redner to file a suit against the county, which, if nothing else, may turn into a costly legal battle.
All that, for a ban that may never be enforced and was born out of a desire to appease a few irrational observers who objected to a library display.
No wonder the commissioners wish this issue would just go away.
